Me and Chutney (a Dahon Speed Pro TT, 2008) on the top of Tourmalet.
I have now ridden it in London, the Pyrenees and on a long hilly ride, and it is one of the best rides I have had.
After a little getting used to that everything happens so low to the ground, and the twitching handling, it just flies. I have never ridden a folder before and it have been many years since I was on 20″ tyres.
Cycling in London’s traffic it is fast, responsive, comfy and light. It comes in at 10.4kg, but I do not feel it at all. Because of the 28″ to 125″ gear range, that just changes double fast, nothing different with the 3 hub gears that are like the 3 front rings. With it fancy handle bars and stem you can easy find a position that suit you.
It have a longer distance between the wheels, which makes the ride much more like a “normal” bike. Climbing up on the steepest part of the Tourmalet the front wheel never came off the ground, and I never had the twitch that you can have with a smaller wheel and going up hill at low speed.
Descending is fast and fun, I can’t say that there is anything different compared to a “normal” bike. That is off course when you have gotten used to its handling, but that is the same with any bike.
The only things I had to change on it …
Handlebars: I had to add some Bar Phat as the handle bars that is on it is too thin for my liking.
Brake pads: The ones that comes with it as a standard don’t even bite, so I put some Koolstop and they have stopped me on the fast descents in the Pyrenees.
Seat post: Since I’m 6’4″ with an inside leg of 35″. The seat post that come with the bike is not long enough even though the web site states that it fits a 6’4″ person. So I got a seat post from a Dahon Vitesse which also have the normal seat clamp and not the new seat railing thing, and that is just the right length.
And of course riding it in France you will get of plenty of people looking at you and asking you questions about it.