We got these “bikes for the yachting crowd” (or wealthy commuters) in-house and tested them head-to-head. The models, the Dahon Clinch D10 and Allen UltraX, are among the priciest fold-up bikes made. They cost $ 5,000 each !
Aaron and the Dahon Clinch D10
The Clinch D10 is the flagship of Dahon ’ s folding bikes. With an account-draining $ 5,000 price tag, this thing is specification ’ five hundred more like a Grand Tour rig than a fold bicycle, with carbon paper character handlebars, carbon roughage wheels, and high-end components .
Dahon added “ concealed hinges ” to this exemplary, which require an allen wring to tighten and loosen. This does make the bicycle a little more ridge although it ups the assembly fourth dimension well.
You would probably expect to find the Clinch D10 on a mediterranean yacht for manipulation while riding through the italian countryside. We tested it in the city rather with Aaron Smith, a former bike-shop director and a veteran rider who now works at Podium Wear .
Patrick and the Allen Ultra X
This ultralight booklet from Allen weighs equitable diffident of 19 pounds. We had Patrick Stephenson, founder of 30 Days Of Biking and a folding-bike owner, test it out .
The motorcycle ’ s feather-weight comes from more carbon character than an IndyCar. Its frame, bars, seat post, clamps and even the saddle are all carbon .
Sporting a more traditional hinge design, the Ultra X has two locking clamps that allow the bicycle to fold and unfold. This greatly decreased the time it took to break down and assemble the bicycle .
Allen markets its bicycle to “ high end commuters ” who are looking for something streamlined and faster than a standard folder .
besides priced at $ 5,000, the Ultra X is going to run you the same price as a exploited corolla, but what do you expect with all that carbon fiber ?
Assembly Test
One mark of any well folder is how quickly it assembles and can be broken down. We started with each motorcycle in its fully disassembled state and had Aaron and Patrick assemble their bikes vitamin a cursorily as they could .
Patrick was able to assemble the Ultra X in under 10 seconds, which is pretty dear considering he had only broken it down and assembled it once ahead. The Cinch D10 took a well longer clock at 1 moment 14 seconds, although the pedals were off when he started and the frame required a wrench to tighten .
Editors Note: This is a small like the compare of apples and oranges. As we mentioned above, the Dahon Clinch D10 has “ hidden hinges ” and requires a joyride to tighten. The Ultra X has just the two hinges to worry about. The poor people Dahon was doomed from the beginning .
The Ride Test
We had Patrick and Aaron take their bikes through a close class of mean turns and obstacles to see how the bikes ride and handled. It had recently rained, so the roads and sidewalks were slick .
Both bikes negotiated the taut turns in our course without ejecting their riders. Folding bikes can take a while getting used to and don ’ t actually ride or feel like conventional bikes .
After doing a few laps of the course, we asked the riders what they thought of the bikes.
Aaron and the Clinch D10: “ The battlefront end of the motorcycle felt identical jittery and precarious in the turns. ” A few testers confirmed that ; this bicycle has a “ twitchy ” front end and requires you keep both hands on the handlebars at all times. The ride is cadaver overall and feels more stable at higher speeds ; it ’ s not built for going slow .
Patrick and the Ultra X: “ I liked the room it rode and it felt stable in the turns. The human body bend was apparent but not besides bad. The hard carbon saddle is the most uncomfortable thing I ’ ve ever sat on but, overall, the motorcycle rides well. ”
When pedaling the Ultra X, the biggest thing other riders noticed was how flexible the inning was. This didn ’ metric ton necessarily surprise us because of the carbon frame and hinges, but it took getting used to .
Overall impressions
Allen Ultra X
This is one bantam bicycle. See the image above ; Patrick is an average-size man and the Allen motorcycle precisely looks like a clown ride. That said, it rolls fast with its 20-inch wheels and folds small thanks to hinges and a trot on the rear chainstay that allows the bicycle to be folded to the size of an gawky bag .
Downsides includes its rock-hard and sharp-edged carbon paper saddle. There is literally no pad on it, and unless you ’ re wearing motorcycle shorts, its about besides uncomfortable to ride. Why would a company ever put this charge on a city motorcycle ?
The bicycle ’ south design is amazing, and it looks wild. But all the moving pieces and adjustable parts can be a pain. For exercise, one tester hit his list on the chainstay clip while pedaling. Another time we adjusted the stem upward and it twisted off center ; we stopped to realign and had to spend 30 seconds ratcheting it mean .
once folded up, the Allen was awesome for carrying around, as it packs modest and weighs less than 20 pounds. You can throw it in the luggage compartment of a car or easily beside your seat on public transmit .
Dahon Clinch D10
The Clinch D10 rides and feels like the Cadillac of folding bikes, and it had better at its price. The carbon paper wheels and bars, with the aluminum frame, make this thing a focal ratio machine. Although the hidden hinges add a little clock time to the assembly, they contribute to the overall inflexibility of the motorcycle, which makes a adult dispute .
There are a few clean hidden features. A bantam wheel on the buttocks of the seat post, for exercise, lets you roll the bicycle around when it ’ randomness folded up. The pedals detach with a childlike manoeuver and stow away in the saddle bag. In the handle grip the party includes a twist for tightening the skeleton hinge .
Flaws ? As noted above, the guidance was twitchy. This didn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate inspire confidence while negotiating potholes or traffic. The front wheel pulled left or right on its own slenderly, freaking out some testers .
Sticker Shock
adenine neat as these folding bikes are, it ’ sulfur hard, if not impossible, to justify the price tags. For $ 5,000, you could buy a brassy cable car, a normal bicycle, populace theodolite fees for a class, and still have money left over. good because you can make an expensive product doesn ’ thymine mean anyone should buy it.
That being said, if you ’ ra looking for a compact and cool-looking bicycle to store on your mega-yacht, the Clinch D10 or the Ultra X would both make fine candidates .
Dahon Clinch C10
Specs
- Frame: Aluminum
- Fork: Steel
- Handlepost: Inverted clamping system with forged crown
- Drivetrain: 10-speed SRAM Red Rear Derailleur; doubletap shifter
- Wheels: 20″ full carbon
- Brakes: Caliper brakes
Allen Ultra X
Specs
- Frame: Carbon Fiber
- Forks: Carbon Fiber
- Rear Derailleur: Sram X9 10 Speed
- Rims: Carbon
- Crank Set: FSA Carbon
- Tires: 20″ x 1-1/8″
- Shifters: Sram X9 Trigger
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