A very interesting video of Dahon story. It is amazing to see how far the brand has come thru.
Showing posts with label dahon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dahon. Show all posts
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
More on Tern straight from 16incheswestofpeoria.wordpress.com
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| Photo credits : Tern Cycles |
"How do you appeal to people interested in bicycles but unaware of folders?
To grow the demand for folding bicycles, we have to make good bicycles. In other words, if a folding bike looks a bit weird, doesn’t ride well, and flexes in all the wrong places, we will have a hard time getting customers no matter how well it folds. So we need to work on the design of our bikes, to make them aesthetically pleasing, and sexy even; we need to make sure that our bikes ride really well when compared to a non-folding bike. Our bikes need to be fast, efficient, and stiff. When we can do all of these things, and keep costs reasonable, we think that there’s a big part of the cycling market that will appreciate the convenience of a highly portable bicycle. We also think that there’s a lot more innovation to be had in making bicycles more suited to urban transport. Innovations in lighting, power, luggage carrying—there’s lots to be done here, and we’ve got some pretty cool new technology in these areas as well. We’re not just designing a folding frame and slapping on standard bike components. We’re also innovating on the component side."
More here... yes! I like the vibes..can't wait to see the new bikes and innovation. Go go Tern! This are exciting times!
https://16incheswestofpeoria.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/after-the-launch-josh-hon-of-tern-bicycles-talks-business-folding-bikes-and-the-genius-of-in-n-out-burger/
Thursday, June 23, 2011
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
There's something about Mary
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| Mary aka Ang Kau Neng with her Dahon Toughfy |
However, don't let her appearance fool u...Mary is one hell of a good rider. She recently completed NTU 128km ride and does trekking in her free time. She alternates between a Brompton P apple green 6 speed and a Dahon D7 souped up with the latest Sram and kinetic pro wheels - very bling and fast!
Carrying load, especially on the brompton is very easy. Mary uses the standard brompton T bag which swallows all her barang barang(stuff) like a bottomless pit. The bag is also mounted very low on the front and does not affect handling.
Very friendly rider, passionate advocate of cycling and also one of the regular feature in our Sunday rides. Come on by someday and say hello to our Queen!
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| Stylo milo queen, matching acessories right down to the shoelaces!! yeah! |
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| Riding her Brompton in a light drizzle with a fluorescent bag cover |
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| Can't miss who this Brompton belongs to.. |
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| I got toolkit, patch kit, and many many more.... |
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| Sunblock, moisturiser , wetwipes and my bear bear key fob |
Friday, April 15, 2011
Steve's way of carrying stuff with Dahon Boardwalk D7
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| Steve cruising along... |
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| Dahon front truss bag. Mounted low which makes it a stable ride |
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| Steve and Bernice with their Dahons... nice! |
This is Steve who rides a super duper Znged(modified) Dahon Broadway D7. The engineering knowledge inside him is very obvious when u see the bike up close and personal. The rear sprockets is specially selected to match his power output. He is the person to go to if u need technical advice on the parts setup and tuning.. What he knows and can do is amazing.
For day trips,he uses a Dahon specific front Tour bag which he find is just right size. As the bag is mounted low near the front wheel, the ride feeling is very stable. And you can read more in detail on Steve blog too.
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| No detail too small to Zng |
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| Ultergra Rear D with Golden Anodised pulley wheels... Installed himself |
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Matt and his steel horse
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| Matt and his beloved D7 |
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| Matt riding the nice quiet roads at Pengarang |
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| Watching the world go by.... |
This is Matt, one of the lovecycling kakis, good friend and fellow photographer. He has a dream which is to ride Taiwan countryside. I believe he is now well prepared for the ordeal. However, the toughest part awaits.. getting the "visa" from CEO(wife) :)
His ride is a Dahon jade green D7, souped up with a 105 Crank, good bearings. For tyres, it is Big apple front and marathon supreme on the rear. This makes for a nice comfy ride. Carrying the load is done by a sturdy Dahon rear rack and lotus pannierbags. Visit his personal blog to see more of his photos and ride acount. http://mattchia.com/blog/ Ride on brudder!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday ride and Demo bike servicing 3rd April 2011
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| Ride like the wind! |
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| Dempsey road to ourselves! |
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| We are with u, Japan! |
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| Steve sharing how he services his brakes |
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| KC showing how to massage tyre... |
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| Steve telling all the bolts and nuts of servicing... |
Riding at Dempsey road was a nice experience as there was hardly any cars around and we had the places just for ourselves. We stopped by the parrots to say hello and then found a nice and quiet place for the video. I hope this message reaches our Japanese friends. We are thinking of u!
From Dempsey road, we made our way leisurely towards Margaret drive market. It was already closed for redevelopment and took the last look/photos of the place. From there, it was just rolling alond Alexandra PCN, stopping for late breakfast at Zion road. Having our bellies topped up with fishball noodles and stuff, we snaked along Singapore river and to Lifecycle for the Servicing Demo. Steve shared on the fine details of brake servicing and shifter, deraileur adjustment. KC did a very smooth tyre change demo, no doubt trained under very harsh conditions.. :) And he very kindly shared on the process of removing the tyre and patching the hole. Guess we will have plenty of people ready to help on the group rides... :) Lastly, I also shared my personal way of cleaning the drive train. Taking out the chain and putting into a gatorade can filled with some degreaser. The result was a gleaming chain...and dirty hands. Later over wanton noodles, I got feedback from the riders that they really enjoyed the session. I promise I will try to cater more sharing session. Thanks David, Matt, Francis, Simon, Clarence, Stanley, KC, Steve for contributing in this ride/servicing demo!
Another great ride with friends! What do u think we can do better the next time round?
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