Urban Velo - Bicycle Culture on the Skids

Dahon Speed Uno

Folding bikes can run the gamut from serious performance to space saving city commuters, with prices varying accordingly. One of the simplest and least expensive folding bikes available is the Dahon Speed Uno, a $380 coaster brake only folder perfectly suited for short urban commutes and small office spaces. With no shift or brake cables, it couldn’t be easier to fold or maintain this bike—nothing gets in the way of folding, and besides air in the tires and tight clamps there isn’t much to worry about. At 24.8 lbs the Speed Uno is one of Dahon’s lightest folders, making it that much easier to stow on mass-transit or in the upstairs office.

The lack of cable actuated brakes and any sort of shifting mechanism is both the greatest advantage and disadvantage to this bike. It certainly keeps it simple, but it also keeps it casual as the 20” wheels and 64” gear ratio top out speed-wise just about where you’d like given the stopping ability of a coaster brake. Riding a coaster brake in traffic requires some practice to reacquaint oneself from childhood—you have to be mindful of your crank positioning at stops to avoid an awkward stance when the light turns green. Besides the obvious differences in the ride of small wheels to the larger ones most of us are used to, the Speed Uno rides reasonably well—there is no discernable wobble or play in any of the folding joints, and even when standing on the pedals the bike feels sturdy.

Folding bikes are truly defined not only by their ride, but by how quickly and easily they transform into a smaller package. No problems there, it couldn’t get much easier to fold up the Speed Uno—fold the pedals inward, lower the seat, fold the bars down and finally fold the whole package in half. It’s all held folded together by a magnetic clasp and really couldn’t be easier to do, just three quick release clasps and about 15 seconds and you’re ready to go. Folded the bike measures 11.7” x 30” x 25”, too big for air travel but perfect size for just about everything else.

This seems an ideal folding bike for commuters with short hops, multi-modal transit users or even folks regularly taking the bus out of town looking for wheels that are easy to bring along with. Fender mounts make it all-weather capable, and the simple plastic loom over the chain keeps your pants clean and in one piece. The only true caveat is for taller riders—even if the post has enough extension for people up to about 6’4”, the saddle to bar distance is just about 26”, making for a short cockpit as compared to what tall folks are used to. For everyone else, this might be the inexpensive folder you’re looking for.

Check out www.dahon.com


	Dahon Speed Uno Folding bikes can run the gamut from serious performance to space saving city commuters, with prices varying accordingly. One of the simplest and least expensive folding bikes available is the Dahon Speed Uno, a $380 coaster brake only folder perfectly suited for short urban commutes and small office spaces. With no shift or brake cables, it couldn’t be easier to fold or maintain this bike—nothing gets in the way of folding, and besides air in the tires and tight clamps there isn’t much to worry about. At 24.8 lbs the Speed Uno is one of Dahon’s lightest folders, making it that much easier to stow on mass-transit or in the upstairs office. The lack of cable actuated brakes and any sort of shifting mechanism is both the greatest advantage and disadvantage to this bike. It certainly keeps it simple, but it also keeps it casual as the 20” wheels and 64” gear ratio top out speed-wise just about where you’d like given the stopping ability of a coaster brake. Riding a coaster brake in traffic requires some practice to reacquaint oneself from childhood—you have to be mindful of your crank positioning at stops to avoid an awkward stance when the light turns green. Besides the obvious differences in the ride of small wheels to the larger ones most of us are used to, the Speed Uno rides reasonably well—there is no discernable wobble or play in any of the folding joints, and even when standing on the pedals the bike feels sturdy. Folding bikes are truly defined not only by their ride, but by how quickly and easily they transform into a smaller package. No problems there, it couldn’t get much easier to fold up the Speed Uno—fold the pedals inward, lower the seat, fold the bars down and finally fold the whole package in half. It’s all held folded together by a magnetic clasp and really couldn’t be easier to do, just three quick release clasps and about 15 seconds and you’re ready to go. Folded the bike measures 11.7” x 30” x 25”, too big for air travel but perfect size for just about everything else. This seems an ideal folding bike for commuters with short hops, multi-modal transit users or even folks regularly taking the bus out of town looking for wheels that are easy to bring along with. Fender mounts make it all-weather capable, and the simple plastic loom over the chain keeps your pants clean and in one piece. The only true caveat is for taller riders—even if the post has enough extension for people up to about 6’4”, the saddle to bar distance is just about 26”, making for a short cockpit as compared to what tall folks are used to. For everyone else, this might be the inexpensive folder you’re looking for. Check out www.dahon.com	Nutcase

Nutcase