Dahon at the Giants Causeway

Robin Parkes, who has commented on my D7HG review, recently sent me the following photographs of his Dahon and with his permission I’m posting the following:

Dave,

I thought you might like to see the Dahon at one of our best known visitor attractions. The roads around the north coast of Antrim don’t have seriously steep hills but they are long so you have to keep pedalling. The Dahon is good for these hills but being 61 I’m not so good. I got a puncture but, mercifully, I did not notice it until we got back to the railway station at Coleraine or we wouldn’t have travelled so far. I was panicking at the Giants Causeway for we had an hour and a quarter to get from there and through Bushmills to Coleraine and I couldn’t remember how far it was even though I would have been up there quite a lot but not on the road from Bushmills to Coleraine. I saw a sign saying 7 miles just after leaving Bushmills for Coleraine but it was one long drag after another. We made it with 22 minutes to spare.

Regards, Robin.

Robin, many thanks for sending the photos, looks like a nice place to be cycling.  It’s fantastic to hear from somebody who reads my blog!!!

Dahon at The Giant's Causeway

 

Another Shot of Robin's Dahon

Images ©2008 Robin Parkes

Flickr: Early Folder

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Early Dutch Folding Bicycle 1900s

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Flickr User: letterlust

Saturday Morning

10am, Saturday morning.  There’s a heavy fog in the valley but you can tell that the sun is behind it and already at work burning it away.  I set off on the Dahon, rear Cateye flashing for safety.  

My journey this morning was to the local Royal Mail sorting office to collect a parcel which they’d attempted to deliver earlier in the week.  Taking the car into town would have been physically easier but i don’t think it would be quicker; it definitely is more expensive than cycling.  It was nice to get out though, especially after a night of ’socialising’ 

Over the past couple of days I’ve taken the bike into shops for the first time, folded and neat, I’ve just walked in carrying the bike.  Nobody has commented on me carrying it through the shops so I’m happy.

One negative though: Rochester has quite a lot of cobbled roads and on two occasions today the handlebars loosened and turned off centre.  Scary at the time but after the second event I ‘really’ tightened the QR bolt.

Flickr: Keep It Safe, Keep It Locked

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pwn3d philly bicycle

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Flickr User: Michael Sensor

Which Dahon Would You Buy Next?

I have my Dahon D7HG, and as I’ve mentioned before it’s a little bit slow – ideal for commuting and nipping into town, but too slow for a decent ‘ride’.

Obviously Dahon makes a large range of bikes but what would you go for to get that extra speed?  Another Dahon?  Or would you go for a mountain bike.  Going for a mountain bike would get you a cheaper bike or more bike for your pound but you lose the compact storage size.

What would you do?…

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Tour De Mouches

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Flickr: Abandoned

The first of a new type of post from me, Flickr Pics: other peoples’ bike-related images found by searching Flickr.

A forgotten bicycle in Amsterdam

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US Cycle Law

I think we in the UK have it pretty easy!  Having previously checked out our cycle laws, I thought I’d have a quick look at the cycle law in the United States… it’s not quite as straight forward as over here.

Although I haven’t read and compared each, most States have their own cycle laws – as shown by MassBike’s State Law page.  Hmm, it all looks pretty complex.  But, I suppose if you live in one State then you’re just going to ride in your locality.  I doubt the laws really change too much state by state but you never know…  I wonder if the people who cycle the US, coast to coast, actually check out the changing laws along their route?

I like this one in Massachusetts, seems fair:

You may ride on sidewalks outside business districts, unless local laws prohibit sidewalk riding.

I do, however, prefer the simplicity of the UK Highway Code – it can’t get much clearer than that little book.

Cateye H-34: Comes Loose

Having fitted a Cateye H-34 bracket to the handlebar of my Dahon, I had expected it to stay put.  I went out for a ride over the weekend, around the three mile mark, and on the return I noticed that the H-34 bracket was loose and had slid to the end of the handlebar.

The light wasn’t fitted at the time so I didn’t notice the problem until I started to push the bike alongside me as I walked.  It’s strange as I haven’t used the bike a great deal since fitting the bracket so it hasn’t been subjected to too much vibration and use. 

Fortunately, the beauty of the H-34 bracket is that it’s simple to tighten back up – just a few twists of the wheel and it’s as good as new.

I’m going to have to keep an eye on this…

It’s Nice Out

A few hours out of the house has  done me the world of good! 

The Dahon really makes light work of the 1 mile journey into town.  I’m using the bike as a walk-bike sort of thing: the bike gets me to places where I can stroll around and relax; I’m not out ‘cycling’.  The bike is my mode of transport.

I still get a little frustrated that it won’t go faster but, apart from that, it’s a great bike.  I’m glad I bought it.  I would like to go further so I am still thinking of another bike for ‘real’ cycling.  Probably a mountain bike or a faster Dahon.  The latter would be more expensive but having two Dahons would still only take up about the same space as one ‘old style’ (!) bike.