What hub gear for a Dahon folder?

[PH]

Considering converting my Dahon folder to hub gears, it's the basic speed model and is in need of new cassette and chain, so now seems a good time to do it. It doesn't get ridden that much, a couple of miles to work if the weather is dodgy and I might want a lift home, or I'm being picked up to go somewhere else, or sometimes when using the train... It's also the cheapest of my bikes so tends to get used when being left locked in town/outside the pub. It's not my favourite ride, though extremely useful at times, I doubt it'll ever get ridden more than a couple of hundred miles a year and unlikely any journey over ten miles. Neither is it likely to be ridden anywhere particularly hilly, with the sort of use it gets walking up the odd hill won't make any difference. Whether due to the fold or the cheap components the gears seem to be in need of constant adjustment, drives me nuts and I don't have this problem with other bikes.
So - what hub gear? What's good, simple, reliable, available, fits easily and is CHEAP! Don't need a huge range, but can't quite do it on single speed.

[Gattonero]

The main problem you will have when rebuilding the wheel with a hubgear (IGH), is going to be in using a suitable rim.
On small size wheels, with the large flanges of a hubgear you get the spokes on a very bad angle to the nipples. In a nutshell: frequent broken spokes.
Some manufacturers do offer rims that give a noticeable angle to the nipples, right to follow the path of the spokes. I suppose you have the standard rims that came with the bike?

Btw, if you have the Dahon "reversed" derailleur then you have to check the cables and the shifter, as that derailleur per se works pretty well and you won't need constant adjusting of the gears.

[Ugly]

don't discount a single freewheel, simple and no control cables. Used 3 speed sturmey archers are cheep, and parts are obtainable, lastly in my view the best gear for a bike used in the way you describe is a 2 speed automatic with a coaster hub, not many used ones out there and quite expensive new

[Brucey]

one to consider is the SA 2s kickback gear. Unlike the SRAM automatix it will continue to be available in times to come; they have stopped making the SRAM hubs and it is only old stock that is being sold off; chances are that the SRAM hub will work fine (at your mileage) but lack of spares support doesn't leave you with a warm feeling inside.

If you have the SA hub with a coaster brake you can ditch a load of other parts too, and leave yourself with no Bowden cables running to the rear of the machine, which gives a really clean and elegant look which is also useful on a folder.

Speaking of which, it is quite possible that the Bowden cables are at the root of the frequent adjustments that are presently required; Bowden cables routinely kink at the fold and this makes them work badly.

cheers

[PH]

I hadn't considered a kick back hub as I'd assumed they needed horizontal dropouts, is this not the case? Can they be used with a chain tensioner?
If so it looks like the ideal solution.

[Gattonero]

No a chain tensioner is not ideal with a kickback brake.

What size are the wheels of your Dahon?

This is what I mean for a bad choice of rim: 18" on a Birdy with Shimano Nexus (flange ø 92mm).
It's not easy to get the right propspective in a picture but if you look at 6:00 is pretty easy to spot the horrible angle of the nipple vs spoke. For a wheel that is trouble-free (as much as this can be done) you better choose a rim that is specifically designed for hubgears

[PH]

No a chain tensioner is not ideal with a kickback brake.

I knew that, but what about the kickback gears?

What size are the wheels of your Dahon?

20" it pretty much this one
https://dahon.com/bikes/speed-d7-street/

[Gattonero]

one to consider is the SA 2s kickback gear. ...

isn't the one that would make a clunking noise when braking hard?

[Gattonero]

...

What size are the wheels of your Dahon?

20" it pretty much this one
https://dahon.com/bikes/speed-d7-street/

you could use the Rigida Andra 20"
https://www.ryde.nl/andra-40

[Brucey]

I hadn't considered a kick back hub as I'd assumed they needed horizontal dropouts, is this not the case? Can they be used with a chain tensioner?
If so it looks like the ideal solution.

tensioner is OK with the gear, but not so good with the coaster brake. Hub is available in brakeless form.

BTW gear ratios are a long way apart, and the hub is a 'gear up' hub, which is annoying in a bike with large wheels but is actually jolly convenient (if you set a low climbing/starting off gear and a cruising gear of around 67") with a small-wheeler; the chainring and sprocket you can use are more like the ones that would work with a singlespeed 700C machine.

Having said that a used 3s hub will cost peanuts (vs a new 2s hub) and will give you an extra ratio.

cheers

[UpWrong]

What's the distance between the dropouts on the Dahon Speed? I don't think it's 135mm.

[Brucey]

I'd assume it is ~130mm in the absence of any other information...?

cheers

[jb]

The Dahon folder I bought came with a Nexus 7 as standard, I find it a good compromise if your in hilly terrain.

[Tigerbiten]

20" it pretty much this one

Try contacting Inspired Cycle Engineering http://www.icetrikes.co.uk/ about what 20" rims they use.
The built a Rohloff into a 20" wheel for the back of my bent trike and ~6 years & ~35k miles later I've had no problem with it.

Luck ........