I took the new Dahon out for my 11-mile loop after dark. It’s a mildly hilly rural rout. I had put the PB Blaze headlight and PB Superflash taillight on the bike, and headed out.
Early in the ride is a nice fast downhill. Let’s just say I won’t be hitting 40 mph on this bike. I was riding the brakes most of the way down the hill. I don’t know how fast I was going, but I’m guessing 25 or 30. The bike just doesn’t feel stable beyond that.
I had adjusted the derailleur before the ride, but I’m still having an issue with the highest gear. I guess I’ll take it in for an adjustment.
It only has seven gears. The range is much less than my other bikes. It perfect for city riding without horrible hills. Even the hills on my route were okay in the lower gears, but I wasn’t carrying any extra weight. The higher gears weren’t really necessary, because the bike just isn’t stable at high speed. Once I get the seventh gear working, I’ll be perfectly happy with the gear range the bike has.
I’ll be taking the bike to DC next month, as that is some pretty flat riding. I may not need to shift. 🙂
The ride was peaceful. It was still quite warm out. The insects were swarming in big clouds. I tried to keep my mouth shut to avoid a “protein snack”. The nearly-full moon was out. Mars was quite visible. There is very little traffic on this route. I need to do this more often.
much more often. don’t we all. I can imagine times for you to drive into JVille with the Dahon and doing LVille events so you don’t have that long ride home (if you don’t want miles).
Looking forward to seeing it.
Dave! Congrats on the sweet ride!
Trying to ride Sunday morning, 9am. Are you free?
I have about three hours.
Lemme know if you can make it. Route is up for debate.
Patrick
That would be a percect bike if you where a bus rider or a “ticket to ride” guy.
Cool.
The new bike looks like a blast! What an awesome gift.
DC is hardly flat, particularly the northern part of the city. I was able to handle it on my 3-speed Curve, though.
The weak spot on my Curve is the frame latch, so I’d keep an eye on that, but other than that, it’s a pretty sturdy bike. Enjoy it!
Neil,
I rode from National Harbor over to Alexandria, Arlington, then into DC near the National Mall. That was quite flat.
I had heard I should head north to some park areas, but I didn’t have time.
My time on the upcoming trip will be limited also, but I’ll see if I can get up that direction.