DAHON Curl i8 Folding Bike Review – The Brompton Killer?

The Dahon Curl was brought to life sentence from a Kickstarter project last year. The crowdfunding crusade was not in truth successful but it has caught some attention because of a alone purpose that is wholly unlike from the previous Dahon bikes. The Dahon Curl i8 was born to compete directly with Brompton bikes, let ’ s find out if this is actually the Brompton killer that we all are waiting for .

Table of Contents

Specification & Features

  • Wheel Size: 16 inches
  • Speeds: 8
  • Weight : 13.6kg (29.92lbs)
  • Folded Dimensions : 24.8″ x 22.4″ x 12.2″
  • Frame: DAHON Patented Flip Frame with Autolatch, suspension rear built-in carrier/roller rack
  • Fork: Dalloy aluminum, integrated patented Fusion technology
  • Handlepost: Radius Telescope, adjustable, patented Fusion and V-Clamp technologies, forged aluminum
  • Wheels: 349mm Lightweight Aluminum Double Wall w/CNC and Schwalbe 35-349
  • Drivetrain: Shimano 8-speed Nexus Internal Gear Hub, Revo Twist Shifter
  • Brakes: TEKTRO R369 Dual Pivot Alloy Caliper Brakes, DAHON Custom Brake Levers
  • Suggested Rider’s Height: 4’7″ – 6’3″ (140-190cm)
  • Max Rider Weight : 286lbs (130kg)

Product Images

Design & Performance

The Dahon Curl i8 has precisely the same fold mechanism as the Brompton ‘ sulfur. It features the raise triangle flip fold that has been made popular by Brompton bikes. It took them indeed long to make the motorcycle because they have to wait until the patent expires. And finally, the Curl was launched for the thirty-fifth anniversary .
In fact, the Dahon Curl i8 is not a Brompton ringer and we all can distinguish the 2 bikes. Dahon aimed to build a better version with some improvements. Are they successful ? I expected a lot from the Dahon Curl after seeing the bicycle at Taipei Cycle, so I was quite excited when I could ultimately test the pen up motorcycle.

My first impression with the bicycle was not so dear. vitamin a soon as I took it out of the box, I could see the chain tensioner is broken. I was quite defeated because that was the first time I received a Dahon with a fracture depart. then I had to wait a couple of weeks for the successor region. When I installed the newfangled chain tensioner, I immediately figured out why it was broken in the foremost invest. If you watch the fold demonstration, you can see that the front roulette wheel is folded second and leans on a plastic holder on the chain tensioner. consequently, the depart can easily be broken during transportation .
This is not the only fault in the fold mechanism. After you lift the bicycle to fold the rear roulette wheel, you shouldn ’ metric ton turn the pedals backward because the chain will fall off then .
The cables are not run neatly in unfold position. The brake and gear cables hang around in movement of the Dahon, so they don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate count angstrom tidy as the Brompton .
final but not least, one of the four wheels on the rear rack is not aligned properly. consequently, the bicycle can ’ thyroxine stand on its own after I fold the rear wheel. Besides, I besides have some trouble when rolling the Dahon in the fold status. I guess the rear wrack was flex during cargo and caused the issue.

The motorcycle is not lighter than Brompton. specifically, it weighs over 29 lbs although the inning is made of aluminum. This is probably because the rear rack is quite heavy and the tubes are made bigger .
Those are all problems with the Curl i8. apart from them, this is inactive another decent folder by Dahon. If you get used to the Curl and don ’ triiodothyronine fix up the fold process, it is not a bad choice .
I prefer using the latches to lock the handlepost and frame since they are much faster. many people love the crimson semblance and the frame geometry, it looks in truth singular and attractive. Besides, the fold size of the Curl i8 is very minor, thanks to the removable saddle and quick-release pedals. I besides love the home rear hub as it looks very clean and requires less sustenance. Shifting the gears is smooth and easily, and you can see the stream focal ratio on the gear indicator next to the wrench gearshift .
The riding comfort is fairly good although the wheels are small and there is no rear abeyance block. You will still feel the impingement of potholes but there is no difference when riding on pave roads. The motorcycle is rigid and I don ’ t see any skeletal system flex at all .
Another advantage of the Curl i8 is that Dahon manages to raise the rider ’ second weight limit to 286 lbs, which is about 18 % higher than most close up bikes on the market.

Conclusion

Pros

  • Fast folding & unfolding process
  • Small folded size
  • Internal rear hub
  • Comfortable ride
  • Higher maximum load

Cons

  • Some drawbacks in the folding mechanism
  • Expensive

It ’ randomness very difficult to justify the bounty monetary value tag of the Dahon Curl i8. It is evening more expensive than many Brompton models even though its fold mechanism is inferior to that of the rival. The bicycle is built for die-hard Dahon fans who want to own the 35th-anniversary version, we at BikeFolded.com don ’ thymine recommend it at the moment .

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source : https://bikehow.com
Category : Folding Bikes
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