The Dahon Boardwalk – Foldable Transportation on Campus

Two weeks of folding bike bliss have gone by. Overall, the Dahon is a great investment and a serious time saver, especially during my longer days or when I have weird situations that require getting across campus in short time spans. There are a couple annoying issues, but nothing’s perfect.

THE PROS:

• SUPER MEGA ULTRA EASY to fold & unfold
• Easy to pick up out of the car, not too heavy even for a weakling girlie girl.
• Rides pretty smoothly, even over the cobble-stone style paving in some areas of campus.
• Excellent hand brake has prevented several near-collisions with oblivious text’ing students, both walking and in cars.
• Small wheels mean I have to peddle more, giving me a good mini-workout.

Dahon gets a grade of B-, but I wouldn’t trade mine for anything less than a jet-pack.

THE CONS:

• The center metal joint of the frame is the highest point when standing up in the car – and scratched some tint off my hatchbak.
• If  the “latch” for the seatpost is not latched straight-on, or isn’t fully latched, the seat will lower as you ride, which is fairly terrifying.
• The folded configuration is not particularly stable, and can rock back and forth in the hatchback area.

CONCLUSION…

I’ve made accomadations to overcome the Dahon’s issues. First, I practiced using the seatpost latch until it was second-nature to do it right and avoid the seat-drop problem. To handle the rocking, I resorted to laying the Dahon on it’s side, but that same metal joint mentioned above somehow tore into the rear-side of the seat pad. So I keep a full size flannel sheet in the car, which keeps muck from the wheels from getting all over the back, and place a folded corner between the seat and the metal joint to prevent further damage.

I wouldn’t ride this bike for excercise or pleasure purposes. The seat is not comfortable for more than 10 minutes of riding, for one thing. However, as a means of transportation on campus, it’s saved me tons of time. On a short day I save 10-15 minutes per trip, giving me 30 minutes to have lunch when I get back to the office. On my longer days it’s a blessing to have a little bit more time to be still and study, then trudging across the campus.

Dahon gets a grade of B-, but I wouldn’t trade mine for anything less than a jet-pack.