DAHON FOR TOURING

[malvandy]

In the foreseeable future I intend to tour places that will be a plane ride away to start the tour. Full size bikes do have the necessary boxes/bags for the purpose & are accepted on most airlines. When a train ride is also involved the packed down full size bikes are not acceptable on all trains. Hence the question , is a Dahon any good for touring. Will need to be fitted with panniers to carry camping equipment etc . Would be expected to do about 50 to 60Ks a day. Read many a story about touring on a Brompton but they are way out of my reach

[bikepacker]

Dahon used to do a touring specific bike with front and rear pannier racks, 21 speed using 7 speed block and Sram 3 speed hub. I used one on a tour of Switzerland it did the job okay but I didn't enjoy riding it. I think it was called Speed TR.

[fossala]

Have a look into a used Moulton APB? If you can get a later one for £500-600 they are great for touring. This one sold for £500 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Moulton-APB- ... 7675.l2557 and would be perfect. You can also get front racks that take normal front panniers.

[gloomyandy]

Probably a silly question but are Moultons any easier to take on a train etc. than a normal bike?

[robgul]

Probably a silly question but are Moultons any easier to take on a train etc. than a normal bike?

Sort of if it's the model that splits in half for transit - but a bit of a faff.

A 20" wheel Dahon would be fine for the anticipated distances (as in Dahon or any of its badge-engineered models like Dawes etc) - OR the new Bickerton folderss are probably even better (PM me if you want some more info on them and some stonking deals)

Rob

[horizon]

Tom's Bike Trip did a good review of a Tern 20" wheel:

http://tomsbiketrip.com/folding-touring ... al-really/

but I think you have to tell us what kind of terrain you are cycling on (surface and gradient) and what you require in the way of gears. I have front and rear racks (that's 4 panniers) on my Dahon 20" Vitesse (7 speed) but I don't use it for long trips and I swap the seatpost over from my Tern (longer, multi-adjust, Brooks).

Also be clear what wheel size you are looking at - my Tern 24" Folder is really like a normal bike. If I was starting again I would go for smaller folder than my 24" but for a proper tour I would go for an Airnimal Joey Explore with full gears and drop bars.

[drossall]

I've ridden my Vitesse 7 37 miles in a day, so it would be possible. It's all about what compromises you want to make. If you do go for a 20" Dahon, I'm a fan of their Ultimate Carrier - if you can find one. It lets you fit regular panniers. The optional Stash Box gives you a bit more capacity too.

[simonhill]

I too am thinking of getting a folder for using for a different sort of touring. No more than thinking as it will have to wait till after my next tour ends in April.

Nonetheless (and this is my point), you may want to think about the logistics of carrying all your gear plus folded bike when you are unpacked. I don't know how many bags and strapped on things you will have, but it could all come to much more than 2 handfulls.

This may or may not be a problem depending on where you are. There are some countries where I wouldn't want to leave a pile of gear while loading the other stuff on a bus or train.

Not trying to put you off, just something to think about. I travel a lot with my rigid bike and have a little saying - travelling on a bike is heaven, travelling with a bike is hell.

[malvandy]

Thanks for all the advice & personal experiences with this type of bike, can't beat it. Many points need careful thought. Will try a loaded pack to carry & then imagine what its like with a packed bike as well. Might have to abandon the camping bit & do hard accommodation, if funds allow.

[horizon]

I've ridden my Vitesse 7 37 miles in a day, so it would be possible. It's all about what compromises you want to make. If you do go for a 20" Dahon, I'm a fan of their Ultimate Carrier - if you can find one. It lets you fit regular panniers. The optional Stash Box gives you a bit more capacity too.

I've got full size normal racks on both my folders and they carry full size panniers. It's the struts that aren't long enough - there is a post of mine somewhere on here about obtaining a pair and bending them to shape.

[RJS]

Have you seen the Bike Friday in the for sale section on here?

[malvandy]

Have you seen the Bike Friday in the for sale section on here?

No but will have a look. Don't look at the for sale stuff on here as I am based in France & postage is a problem

[geocycle]

Definitely a good idea to try. I have a 20" wheel Dahon Mu with 8 gears. It's great for train-town-towpath trips and it will carry enough for an over night b and b trip. But, the maximum I have ridden is 20 miles in one session and I'd not want to go much further, especially if hills were involved or the terrain was rough. IME multi-day touring on a folder like a dahon would be a challenge and I would only justify it if I wanted to do a mixed-mode trip where I wanted to make the most of flexibility, town visits etc

[jezer]

I did a two week moving on tour with CTC in Sardinia a few years ago on a Dahon. We used hotels, not camping, but we had full panniers. I think four or five people used them, mine being a Speed TR. The bikes coped well with the trip, although we found braking on the long mountain descents something of a challenge, probably due to the small rims getting hot.

[malvandy]

Most certainly have to try one before anything else. Certainly over pretty much the same terrain where possible. I didn't think climbing would be much of a problem with the smaller wheels 20" but note taken about the decent, could be pretty scary.