Cycled into town today, sat outside and had a few cups of coffee. Very nice on a Bank Holiday Monday – ahh, this is the life!
Cycling back I heard:
Child: “Mum, is that a folding bike?!”
Mum: “Yes, that’s what I want.”
Ahh, positive comments!
Also, I saw a couple of other folding bikes in town, but I don’t know what they were. They were smaller than my Dahon, more skeletal. I Google Image Searched but couldn’t see anything that was similar.
Repaired
Okay, so not overly happy about yesterday’s puncture but I did manage to get to Halfords this morning to buy some repair kit.
The pump is already in the seat post on the D7HG but I still needed a tyre leaver and a puncture kit. There were a few choices of kit at Halfords. I’ve grown up knowing about the little box with the the rubber patches, glue, chalk, crayon and sandpaper – these kits were there. However, I opted for some pre-glued patches called “Skabs” from a company called Slime. You get six patches in a little box along with a scuffer. It’s a great idea and the appears to work well – in next to no time my puncture was repaired!
Checking on the Slime website, they also make inner tubes for bikes which have ‘SLiME’ in them. Now these seem pretty cool and they’re something I’m going to consider: “Smart Tubes instantly seek out and seal punctures as they occur, preventing flats, repeatedly and continuously for up to two years“. I’ve read somewhere that the road tyres in general are more prone to punctures so this may be the answer.
The other item I needed was a tyre lever and I selected the SpeedLever from crankbrothers. No need for three tyre levers, just take this one! Gets the inner tube out very quickly.
Right, I think that Skab should be set now so I’ll take a look at getting the tube back in and the bike road-worthy again.
It’s a shame it’s raining.
The Old & The New
Sitting in the sun, then I move on. Cycle through the park, sit down, relax. Then I move on, sit by the castle. Then I move inside the castle grounds and relax. Looking out over the river, the sun getting ever lower in the sky and the trusty Dahon by my side.
Then I move on…
Hmm, back wheel feels a little odd. Surely I didn’t go over any of that broken glass I passed? Did I?
Must have. The back tyre was flat and I was about a mile from home. A good evening for a slow walk back.
As mentioned in an earlier post, having fitted the Cateye TL-LD150 I was contemplating getting a ‘real’ front light for the Dahon. Having been cycling now after dark, I decided to buy myself a Cateye HL-EL450.
Two reasons for this: 1) It’s brighter and intended as an illumination light as opposed to the LD150 which is more of a ‘safety’ light; 2) Some parts of my proposed* commute are dark and in part unlit by street lights.
[* Still haven’t actually commuted to work on the bike yet!!!]
I bought the light from Tredz, as I had done with the LD150, P&P is free, and before long it had arrived. The box was very small and the light itself is only around 95mm in length. It’s a very clean design with only a couple of Cateye logos and a rear sliding switch.
The switch slides to the right, where it selects the mode of operation, before sliding back to the centre position under the influence of a spring. Sliding the switch once turns the light on, to the last selected mode – in the case this morning, constant light at full brightness. Slide the switch to the right again and the it enters the reduced brightness mode. One more slide and the light starts flashing on and off. To turn off the light, you slide the switch to the right and hold it there for three seconds.
There’s a small red push button on the switch slider which, when depressed, allows you to slide the switch all the way to the left which ‘locks’ the light into whichever mode is currently selected (off/high/low/flash). This is a good idea as your light won’t accidentally turn on in your pocket or bag during the day.
So, what’s the first thing that we all do when we’ve bought a new torch or light? Turn it on and point it at our eyes to ‘see’ how bright it is! The HL-EL450 is bright! As it’s an LED light, it produces a beam with a slight blue tint, appearing ‘cleaner’ than an incandescent bulb beam. When you’re selecting a Cateye light, their Beam Comparision chart is a useful aid to the selection process, although the HL-EL450 has not yet been added.
Build quality is very good and the light feels solid and reliable. The small size and sleek design mean that it’ll easily slip into a pocket or bag without too much inconvenience.
Now, the only negative thing I’ve currently found. The handlebar fixture was rubbish. The light comes with Cateye’s H-35 quick-release bracket, which can be seen fitted to the light on Cateye’s product page. When I tried to fit this to the D7HG’s handlebar it just wouldn’t hold. The quick-release lever kept popping open and it just didn’t seem to be able to grip the handlebar tight enough. As a result, the light just wobbled and slipped. The H-35 bracket was removed and discarded.
Back to the trusty Internet and this time to Wiggle to purchase the optional H-34 Flex Tight Bracket (again free P&P). This bracket is a more permanent fixture and its design ensures a tighter grip on the handlebar. Fitting it was quick and easy and it holds the HL-EL450 securely in position. My photos of the bracket below and on Flickr show that I have yet to cut off the excess ‘flex’ and once I’ve finalised the positioning I’ll get rid of it as suggested by the fitting instructions.
The light slides easily on to the H-34 bracket and clicks securely into place. Once on the bracket, the light can be rotated left and right to 90 degrees if you need to fine-tune the direction of the beam. Removing the light is simply a press of a button and off it slides.
This is a great commuting light offering brightness, quality, small size and affordability. If you cycle long distances after dark then you may be after something even brighter with a wider beam, but for shorter commutes on roads with street lights, then this is a good option. Also, being LED technology, the flashing mode gives you that additional safety option. As for my bike, it now has the the bright HL-EL450 and the LD150 – the latter operating in its flashing mode.
HL-EL450 - in the box
H-34 Bracket
H-34 Bracket Fitted
HL-EL450 Fitted
Thinking of getting yourself a bike to commute to work? Take a look at Mr Brown’s blog for some tips on what to do and what not to do.
Mr Brown’s Quick Guide to Bicycle Commuting is focused on Singapore but many of his tips are applicable to most countries. And even if you don’t plan on commuting by bike, or even cycling anywhere, it’s still a good read. Topics covered include Clothes, Bikes and Accessories.
Other sites covering commuting by bike:
I’ve taken a few photos to help prospective Dahon buyers get an idea of the bike – if, when reading this, you want an image of another part of the bike to help in your purchase decision, just let me know and I’ll take one. Also, the photos are also available on my Flickr account with added comments and observations – click on the images below to go to the corresponding larger image on Flickr.
So, having shelved the idea of buying a red Curve D3, I travelled home from Paddington with the Dahon Vitesse D7HG in the back of the car. A smart, dark coloured bike, folded into a compact chunk of metal and plastic, which sits happily into the boot or back seat of the car.
In terms of basic specification, some of the key facts read as following:
| DISTANCE: SEAT POST TO HANDLEBAR | Min: 620 mm (24.4″) Max: 640 mm (25.2″) |
| DISTANCE: SADDLE TO PEDAL | Min: 690 mm (27.2″) Max: 960 mm (37.8″) |
| FOLDED SIZE | 30 x 69 x 81 cm (12″ x 27″ x 32″) |
| WEIGHT | D7HG: 11.9 kg (26.2 lbs.) |
| FOLDING TIME | 15 seconds |
| SUGGESTED RIDER HEIGHT | 142 cm – 193 cm (4’8″ – 6’4″) |
| MAX RIDER WEIGHT | 105 kg (230 lbs) |
And Dahon’s key blurb states:
The Vitesse is for those who want the ultimate bike for urban commuting. We took our award-winning Vitesse D7, added an internal gear hub plus components from top component suppliers. Then we topped it off with mudguards, a rack and even a trouser saving chainguard so you can ride in any weather. New for 2008, the Vitesse gets upgraded with the robust new Radius handlepost. We’ve also added a new model with a smooth shifting Shimano Nexus 7 speed hub.
I keep looking at the bike, which is next to my computer desk, and thinking that it’s strange to have a bike in the house and that bike is small and unimposing. Getting home after a ride and simply jumping off and folding it before carrying it inside is a great feeling – easy, quick and very handy.
I’m not a bike expert but the D7HG does seem very well made. The finish is excellent, from the paint through to the minimalistic graphics, it looks subtle, understated and pretty cool. The overall build quality
Finish
is very high and being a folding bike, the high quality of the locking mechanisms is particularly important. When unfolding the bike, the mechanisms closed together with a solid and reassuring clunk and operating the locking mechanisms keeps everything in place (and you on the bike).
In its folded state, the bike is held together with a strong magnet, located on the rear frame, and a mating plate which is located on the left-hand side of the front fork. I found that holding the front wheel and giving the back wheel a gentle kick is the easiest way to break the magnetic bond and begin the unfolding process. Once the magnet is no longer ‘active’, the two halves of the bike swing around the central hinge which is roughly a third of the way along the main frame piece.
Main Hinge & Lock
Once the two halves engage, the black locking lever is pushed inwards towards the frame and the safety catch rotated to lock it into place. It forms a solid ‘join’ and the during riding there’s no discernible flex in the frame – despite the fact that it’s just two ‘halves’ stuck together.
Next step is to rotate the handlebar post up into the upright position. When folded, the handlebar is alongside the front wheel roughly parallel to it. To make things all fit neatly, the actual horizontal bar of the handlebar must be slightly rotated towards the rider through the use of a quick-release clamp. Rotating the bar enables the whole handlebar assembly to fold neatly down and alongside the front wheel and also preventing clashes when the bike folds.
Handlebar folded
I found that this was a pretty tricky process to perfect and often because it wasn’t correctly set, the magnet would not engage and keep the bike folded. But with practise, I’ve managed to set it quickly for each fold.
Right, so the handlebar is in the correct upright position and the bike frame is locked together. The penultimate step is to raise the seat post to the correct height by loosening the quick-release mechanism. A nice, and handy, feature to note at this stage is that the seat post has measurements marked on it so that you can quickly raise the seat to the required height – you don’t need to guess and then re-adjust. This is a nice touch which really helps you get on the road and moving quickly.
Seat Post Markings
The final stage of the unfolding is to simply rotate the pedals into the correct riding position. They lock into place with a spring mechanism after a quick rotation of the pedal.
And that’s it! The bike is now unfolded and ready to ride. All that takes an ‘advertised’ 15 seconds – although it’ll probably take a little longer until you get the hang of it. In summary, it is very easy to fold/unfold the Dahon D7HG and there are relatively few steps required to do it.
What I’ll do now is bullet-point a few of the other interesting or cool features of the D7HG.
The Ride
The bike rides rather well. My first impression was that it was a little unstable and wobbly, and the steering a little over sensitive. However, bear in mind that the D7HG has 20″ wheels and a shorter wheel base than other (unfolding) bikes – so the ride will feel a little different.
Cycling around for a few minutes and you’ll soon get comfortable and you will no longer be aware of any difference between this and any other bike. The steering is pretty good, it’s responsive and ideal for navigating the way around the town or city – just like small cars, the D7HG is great for nipping around town, obstacles and traffic.
The small wheels do however mean that you’ll feel more of the bumps along your journey, compared to your mountain bike, but you soon learn to avoid the bigger pot holes and drain covers.
On the down side, it’s not the fastest bike around. On the flat, it is easy to ‘max out’ the D7HG, moving along in 7th gear leaving you with a feeling of… needing another seven gears. I suppose you have to realise that the bike is built for commuting and getting around town as opposed to racing. On the plus side, moving at slower speeds is safer and allows you to pay more attention to your surroundings – and personally, slowing down an otherwise hectic life!
So…
Am I pleased with the bike? Well, yes, I am. It’s not a racer, it’s not a mountain bike. It’s designed to be relatively light and compact. It’s a handy bike to have around and perfect if you live in a flat/apartment or have limited storage space. As a commuting bike it’s fantastic and should save you time, hassle and money.
It’s £399 though and you could get a relatively decent ‘cheap’ mountain bike for £100 from Halfords and still get to work. Would I change? Would I go for the £100 mountain bike? No. I’m sticking with the Dahon D7HG – but now looking at other (faster) Dahon bikes to satisfy my need for speed!
(If you want to know anything else about the the Dahon Vitesse D7HG then please get in touch!)
[More of my photos of the D7HG can be found here]
Step in RoadID. These are small stainless steel tags which you wear on your wrist, around your ankle, on your shoe or around your neck. Each tag has your emergency contact details listed so in the event of an accident, people will always know who you are and who to talk to.
The low cost tags are a must for any cyclist, runner or anybody who enjoys an active outdoor life. I’ve had one on my running shoes for years and wouldn’t think of running without it.
Visit RoadID‘s website for more information.
RoadID
Congratulations to Nicole Cooke, the Welsh cyclist, who won GB’s first gold medal of the 2008 Olympics. Nicole finished the 126km race in just over 3 hours 32 minutes.
Great news for Team GB and great news for Wales!
Links: BBC Sport Story | BBC Sport: Cycling | Beijing ’08 Road Cycling | Guardian’s Nicole Cooke Fact File
Google, with its famed changing logo, has today gone all bike! Olympic bike to be exact:
Google's Olympic Bike
Hmm, I think the Olympics may have started… 🙂
Just to emphasise the point, take a look at this Olympic bicycle! (at BoomtownBeijing, via Unplggd)
The Olympic Bike
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