Dahon Story

A very interesting video of Dahon story. It is amazing to see how far the brand has come thru.

Made in USA ? Really?

Ever wondered if the label on your bike says "made in USA"...what does it mean?  In the increasingly competitive world of bicycles, where branding matters and the lowest pricing pushes the manufacturers to their edge.  Many brands resort to hiding the real manufacturing origins under many layers of fluff. Read more on this super informative article referred to me by Vincent Lee
http://cyclingiq.com/2012/02/14/shadow-optic-the-manufacturing-partner-paradox/

Moulton, made in UK

Tern, what's ur story?

Yesterday I had a lively FB chat with my good bike crazy pals, Matt, Steve, Bro Al and many others. The topic of the day was Tern.  More information here

In a nutshell it is a new bicycle company led by Joshua hon with a group of ex-Dahon staff.  I had a look at the press release and also the video teaser.  Well, it was sure was slick, stylishly executed... but something felt missing. It felt too posed and fake.  come on, cycling in the middle of the express way, with no cars...ok maybe 1 car... right... try telling this to urban city riders.  Warning...   Ok, if u are Dahon Zealots that love Dahon to death... maybe I would suggest that it is time to click away.  To clarify, I have always admired Dahon as it has set levels of standard that many folding bikes are matched to..  I tried my friend's Dahon P8 and it rides well and last well. This is the problem. It has too much legacy...Tern claims that their bikes would last better...
I quote from the report  "Tern designers have spent a lot of time examining the durability of the bicycles in their folded position, too. A patented floating linkage removes any additional stress on the steel rod in the hinge clasp, and the rounded edges of the hinges removes sharp edges which can tear carry bags or injure others on public transport. The safety catch itself is made from engineering plastic..."  Hmm...So does it means Dahon models are not sturdy enough and not designed well?  For the record, I haven't had a chance to really see the bikes up close and personal so this is just my direct honest opinion looking at the press release kit and video. From this perspective, I find there is just so much in common to Dahon. It just looks like a glam up Dahon with really nice paint and graphics.  Come on, customers are not stupid...
So what does the brand stand for? In this increasingly congested , competitive folding bike market...the brand message needs to be crystal clear. I am also very surprised that brands are not moving beyond the hardware to the "heartware"... What's the story? What will touch the customer in a "primal" and emotional way? 




And to cap it off, here is another perspective from a rider based in Taiwan.... Comments? Opinions? Fire away!