Dahon Impulse D6 vs. Giant Halfway



Tony Raven wrote:

> Joe Canuck wrote:
>
>>
>> My comment was based on personal experience and was not "coloured" by
>> reading magazines... which I don't.
>>
>
> But wrongly ascribed your experience to the frame material and not the
> many other factors which would have influenced the harshness of the
> ride. At best you could say your advice was misleading.
>
>

It was not advice.

I was relating my personal experience.

We can debate that until the cows come home, however it will still be my
personal experience.
 
Well, just when I think I'm deciding between 2 bikes, a 3rd one gets
presented.

$350CAD Norco Origami: http://tinyurl.com/dt644

I find myself fighting the assumption because something isn't well known
it's somehow flawed as there's no information about the Norco.

<sigh>

I don't think I can take the risk on the Norco - I'll pick up the Giant
Halfway later this week. At least it's a known quantity.

Perhaps that assumption of flaws in lesser known products is just
self-preservation for the 21st century working man who can't afford a $350
mistake.

Thanks all - you guys have been helpful. Comments still appreciated.

Chris

_________

The first two bikes...

$730CAD Giant Halfway: http://tinyurl.com/77d8l
$450CAD "Avenir" (rebranded "2004 Dahon Impulse D6" - Aluminum):
http://tinyurl.com/9r2e4
 
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> On Thu, 26 May 2005 18:46:30 GMT, "Steven M. Scharf"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>>http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/EFBe/frame_fatigue_test.htm
>>
>>The EFBe frame tests have been thoroughly discredited many times.
>
>
> Well, Tony, Scharf states with absolute conviction that you are wrong.
> There are few more reliable indicators that you are right on the
> money! The Scharf Test rarely lets you down.
>

Hmmm Scharf or Sheldon, Scharf or Sheldon, I wonder which I trust more?


--
Tony

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)
 
"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>>$350CAD Norco Origami: http://tinyurl.com/dt644
>
> Looks like a rebadged Dahon to me, but ICBW.

Yeah, I thought so too at first but I went through the entire Dahon
website - 2004 and 2005, domestic and international - and while similar, it
doesn't match any specific Dahon model.

Guess it's another "no-name" type bike. (and at $350CAD for an aluminum
frame, I'm guessing this is a Chinese knock off)

OT: not to stir up a hornet's nest, but the "high-end" folders people keep
talking about (Birdy, Brompton, Frog??) *seem* to have one thing going for
them: folded size. Are they particularly good rides or is their popularity
due to their compactness? (let's assume non-suspension models)

Thanks again,
Chris
 
in message <[email protected]>, Tony Raven
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
>> On Thu, 26 May 2005 18:46:30 GMT, "Steven M. Scharf"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>>http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/EFBe/frame_fatigue_test.htm
>>>
>>>The EFBe frame tests have been thoroughly discredited many times.
>>
>> Well, Tony, Scharf states with absolute conviction that you are
>> wrong. There are few more reliable indicators that you are right on
>> the
>> money! The Scharf Test rarely lets you down.
>
> Hmmm Scharf or Sheldon, Scharf or Sheldon, I wonder which I trust
> more?

Chips.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Want to know what SCO stands for?
;; http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030605
 
C.J.Patten wrote:
> Well, just when I think I'm deciding between 2 bikes, a 3rd one gets
> presented.
>
> $350CAD Norco Origami: http://tinyurl.com/dt644

You may be able to check it out in person at Kunstadt in Kanata.

Seems to me I remember Kunstadt keeping them in stock a couple of years
ago, not sure about the current situation.


>
> I find myself fighting the assumption because something isn't well known
> it's somehow flawed as there's no information about the Norco.
>
> <sigh>
>
> I don't think I can take the risk on the Norco - I'll pick up the Giant
> Halfway later this week. At least it's a known quantity.
>
> Perhaps that assumption of flaws in lesser known products is just
> self-preservation for the 21st century working man who can't afford a $350
> mistake.
>
> Thanks all - you guys have been helpful. Comments still appreciated.
>
> Chris
>
> _________
>
> The first two bikes...
>
> $730CAD Giant Halfway: http://tinyurl.com/77d8l
> $450CAD "Avenir" (rebranded "2004 Dahon Impulse D6" - Aluminum):
> http://tinyurl.com/9r2e4
>
>
 
Hey thanks. When I spoke to Peter Kunstadt the other day, they didn't keep
any folding bikes in stock except an old Peugeot (c.1980).

Was thinking of going to get the Giant tonight but I may have a date (not
with a bike ;)

I'll post back once I give the 'Halfway another test ride or if I get to try
any others. (heading out of town tomorrow - might have a chance to try some
other models while I'm away - Peterborough and London)

TTYS,
Chris in Ottawa


"Joe Canuck" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> C.J.Patten wrote:
>> Well, just when I think I'm deciding between 2 bikes, a 3rd one gets
>> presented.
>>
>> $350CAD Norco Origami: http://tinyurl.com/dt644
>
> You may be able to check it out in person at Kunstadt in Kanata.
>
> Seems to me I remember Kunstadt keeping them in stock a couple of years
> ago, not sure about the current situation.
>
>
>>
>> I find myself fighting the assumption because something isn't well known
>> it's somehow flawed as there's no information about the Norco.
>>
>> <sigh>
>>
>> I don't think I can take the risk on the Norco - I'll pick up the Giant
>> Halfway later this week. At least it's a known quantity.
>>
>> Perhaps that assumption of flaws in lesser known products is just
>> self-preservation for the 21st century working man who can't afford a
>> $350 mistake.
>>
>> Thanks all - you guys have been helpful. Comments still appreciated.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> _________
>>
>> The first two bikes...
>>
>> $730CAD Giant Halfway: http://tinyurl.com/77d8l
>> $450CAD "Avenir" (rebranded "2004 Dahon Impulse D6" - Aluminum):
>> http://tinyurl.com/9r2e4
 
C.J.Patten wrote:
>
>
> Was thinking of going to get the Giant tonight but I may have a date (not
> with a bike ;)
>
> I'll post back once I give the 'Halfway another test ride or if I get to try
> any others.

Well, tell us the results, and don't spare the details.

Oh, and let us know about the bike, too! ;-)

- Frank Krygowski
 
On Thu, 26 May 2005 22:31:07 +0100, Tony Raven <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Hmmm Scharf or Sheldon, Scharf or Sheldon, I wonder which I trust more?

Tough call. Scharf is, after all, one of the world's leading
authorities on hubris.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound
 
On Thu, 26 May 2005 18:04:31 -0400, "C.J.Patten"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>OT: not to stir up a hornet's nest, but the "high-end" folders people keep
>talking about (Birdy, Brompton, Frog??) *seem* to have one thing going for
>them: folded size. Are they particularly good rides or is their popularity
>due to their compactness? (let's assume non-suspension models)

Ah, well. Over on uk.rec.cycling I've been appending
"fold-unfold-fold-unfold" to every other post, since I've just taken
delivery of a new Brompton L6 :)

The popularity of the Brom is largely down to compactness - although
it rides fine, and if it's all you have you'll be reasonably content,
if I were going out for a century ride and had to pick one of my
bikes, the Brom would not be it.

The Birdy Grey rides better, I'm told.

I have read reviews of the Halfway which claim that it is a genuinely
rideable bike; I think it's OK (for a wedgie) but I've not ridden any
distance on one. Although Mike Burrows didn't actually design it
AFAIK, it does have some Burrows influences.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound
 
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
>
>>Hmmm Scharf or Sheldon, Scharf or Sheldon, I wonder which I trust more?
>
>
> Tough call. Scharf is, after all, one of the world's leading
> authorities on hubris.
>
> Guy

What is this hubris you speak of and how can I get some for my hubs?

--
Tony ;-)

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)
 
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> The popularity of the Brom is largely down to compactness

But not just compactness: speed and ease of compactness are all part and
parcel of it. You can get Moultons into smaller spaces by taking them
to bits, but not in 15 seconds you can't.

> The Birdy Grey rides better, I'm told.

It might well ride better after you've changed the *thing* it comes
supplied with for a comfortable saddle. I commented on this to Darth
Ben after trying a BGr out at Kinetics and his reply was on the lines of
"R&M feel that a high end bike like this should have a sport saddle,
but I'd put something like a Brooks on it myself". Well, quite.

The Birdies share a common frame, so they tend to ride much the same
though a choice of bar stems is available (the "comfort" is standard on
the Green, but can be specified on any Birdy), and of course you can
change the saddles to suit. The standard Birdy stem gives the bike a
riding position that's rather more stretched out like a "proper" sports
bike. I've not tried the comfort stem.

The Birdy frame is quite a bit stiffer than a Brom, the wheels are a
little bigger and the front suspension makes an appreciable difference
to ride quality. The better gearing options make it a superior "do
anything" bike, though of course it does cost a lot more, even in the
basic Red flavour, and the Brom does what it excels at better than a
Birdy. You choose, you lose...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Peter Clinch wrote:
> Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
>
>> The popularity of the Brom is largely down to compactness
>
>
> But not just compactness: speed and ease of compactness are all part and
> parcel of it. You can get Moultons into smaller spaces by taking them
> to bits, but not in 15 seconds you can't.
>

The Brompton is also supremely nimble for getting through traffic in a
way that bigger wheeled bikes are not - partly due to the size of gap
you can turn a big wheel into. They also have the supremely useful
quickfold which I use all the time to park it temporarily.

--
Tony

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> C.J.Patten wrote:
>>
>> Was thinking of going to get the Giant tonight but I may have a date (not
>> with a bike ;)
>>
>> I'll post back once I give the 'Halfway another test ride or if I get to
>> try
>> any others.
>
> Well, tell us the results, and don't spare the details.
>
> Oh, and let us know about the bike, too! ;-)


LOL! Well, I'm having breakfast with her this morning. (called, not nudged
;)

I'm off to Peterborough and London later today so I'll have a look at
folding bikes down there while I'm at it. No sense in buying a bike that's
going to sit in my bedroom while I'm away - might as well do some bike
shopping while I'm out of town. ;)

Chris
 
Howdy folks!

On my trip to visit family I ended up buying a discontinued bike I hadn't
heard of.

I phoned about a dozen bike shops while in London - all the bikes on my
short list were there - Giant, Dahon, Norco.

One shop - only a few blocks from where I was staying - had a 2003, KHS
"Westwood".
I test rode it for about 20 minutes - over railroad tracks, sidewalks, pot
holes, grass & hilly terrain.

Here's the specs: http://tinyurl.com/99cm4

___________________________

Story is, the shop got it in 2003 & sold a lot of lower-end folders but this
one never went - "too high-end for their clients."

Ended up costing me about $150 less than a 2005 Giant Halfway.

16 gears and full suspension were big selling points.

It's a bit heavier than the other models I looked at but I can pare that
down with a lighter seat and a carbon post if I want to. I'll just ride it
for now and see how it goes. (I'm not in particularly hilly terrain)

The CroMo frame has a 25 year warranty (KHS aluminums only have 3 yr
warranties - don't know what to read into that...?)

___________________________


I hope the risk pays off - it's a seven hour drive to the shop.

I'll write more once I've got a few hundred kilometers on this bike!

Chris - normally in Ottawa, writing from London & Peterborough, Canada

p.s. what can I spray inside the frame to inhibit corrosion? Something
designed for this purpose...?
 
C.J.Patten wrote:
> p.s. what can I spray inside the frame to inhibit corrosion? Something
> designed for this purpose...?

http://www.framebuilding.com/Framesaver.htm

Bottom of the page. Ceeway will ship abroad, but given this is a US
product, you may find it cheaper to buy when you return home.

Congrats on the bike. May you enjoy many happy hours of
fold-unfold-fold-unfold. Perhaps you might even ride it at some point. ;-)

Jon
 
"Jon Senior" <jon_AT_restlesslemon_DOT_co_DOT_uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> C.J.Patten wrote:
>> p.s. what can I spray inside the frame to inhibit corrosion? Something
>> designed for this purpose...?
>
> http://www.framebuilding.com/Framesaver.htm
>
> Bottom of the page. Ceeway will ship abroad, but given this is a US
> product, you may find it cheaper to buy when you return home.
>
> Congrats on the bike. May you enjoy many happy hours of
> fold-unfold-fold-unfold. Perhaps you might even ride it at some point. ;-)


LOL! Thanks Jon!

My bike is sitting serenely in the middle of my basement flat, folded in
half.

I figured out what the odd, trapezoid bracket protruding on the bottom is:
it's a stand for when it's folded!!! It stands up on it's own! 8D

I'm dying to get out on it but it's going to rain today so I'm taking the
car to find some Frame Saver... there are enough bike shops around,
someone's gotta have it!!!

TTYS!
Chris
 
Mon, 30 May 2005 09:54:42 -0400, <[email protected]>,
"C.J.Patten" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>I'm dying to get out on it but it's going to rain today so I'm taking the
>car to find some Frame Saver... there are enough bike shops around,
>someone's gotta have it!!!

If you're unable to find it, boiled linseed oil will do the job.
--
zk
 
>Zoot Katz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>
> If you're unable to find <Frame Saver> , boiled linseed oil will do the
> job.


Thanks Zoot! I called several dozen bike shops. It seems NOBODY within a 100
miles of home has "Frame Saver."
I ended up getting the boiled linseed oil. :)

I hear thunder claps outside so now seems like a good time to get it coated.
Heard it takes a while to dry. Multiple coats a good idea for tube
interiors? (for finishing furniture it sure is ;)

TTYS!
Chris
 
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