Dahon recently entered the Indian market with some quality folding bicycles.
Check out the Dahon range on the BOTS site
Dahon shipped over a Vitesse D7 for a BOTS Review and we have been riding it all over town to understand if namma bikers should get their bums on these saddles !
First Impression
The bike comes in a compact box and the first bike was ready to go in less than 5 minutes (a typical MTB takes about 20 – 25 minutes of setup time)
Very Intuitive – Open the box. Unfold the frame. Straighten the handlebars. Adjust the seat height. Ride.
The bike is a beauty to behold – one of the main reasons why it took us over 5 minutes to setup the first one.
The Ride
A 2 minute ride is guaranteed to dispel your initial doubts about the ride quality of the suspiciously small frame with uber-small wheels.
The giddy acceleration and the stable ride makes you forget that you are riding a folding bicycle!
The very upright posture and the low frame design makes the ride very comfortable, maneuverable and stable.
The steering is responsive and is ideal for navigating the city and beating traffic (think of a small car compared to a SUV).
The bike took gravel and bad roads pretty well. It was nimble enough to switch into footpath mode (very useful in traffic clogged cities). Need to be careful while jumping off the footpath – the small wheels and the low centre of gravity give it different riding characteristics compared to a MTB.
The gearing on the bike makes it feel like a full-size bicycle. Which means we didn’t have to pedal any harder or faster. The magic of special oversized chainrings and smaller rear cogs.
The Suntour derailleurs had crisp shifting with gear ratios that seem sufficient for a rolling ride thru Bangalore.
The powerful V brakes instill a lot of confidence in bumper to bumper traffic.
An interesting excerpt from the Dahon site
Are smaller wheels slower than large wheels?
Yes and no. All test conditions being equal, a small wheel has a slightly higher rolling resistance than a larger wheel. But rolling resistance is only one element of
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT CYCLING
I love riding my bike. Whether it’s a simple commute, a high-intensity road race, a jaw-grinding brevet, fixie rides thru packed Indian city or a kick-ass technical single track – I love it all. Apart from riding bicycles, I love being all geeky and know everything there is to know about bicycles, technology, bike fit, and service.
I started BUMSONTHESADDLE to share this passion for cycling.
DISCIPLINE: Partial towards MOUNTAIN BIKING but love it all
CURRENT BIKE(S): Specialized Rockhopper, Specialized Tarmac, Pure Cycles Original
DREAM BIKE: S-Works Epic HT & S-Work Roubaix
OTHER PASSIONS: Technology, Photography, Baking, Travel, and Reading
