Well, let's see where this gets me.

-----Original Message-----
From: Siesfeld, James
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2005 11:05 AM
To: 'california@dahon.com'
Subject: Excessive Tube Failure - 2004 Speed 8

Dear Dahon:

I just found the Topic on the Dahon Forum relating to premature tube failures with the Kinetix Aero, CNC machined sidewalls Rimes and Schwalbe Marathon Slick, 20" x 1.35", 95 psi, 67tpi, Dual Compound Silica casing, Kevlar anti-puncture belt tires http://www.dahon.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1138.

Earlier this month I bought new a 2004 Speed 8 from ThorUSA (old stock) and I have been experiencing tube failures at the rate of about 1 tube per 20 miles. The failure rate is abnormal and getting to be very expensive - I have replaced 7 tubes (at $5.00 each = $35.00) and I have only owned the bike for a month.

I have ridden bicycles many thousands of miles and never had such problems with a new bicycle. I have ridden many miles on recumbents with 20 inch wheels and have never had tire problems like I am having with the Speed 8 tire/wheel combination (http://www.easyracers.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=5fc67b015fdd613c741846df0e28f8c0&threadid=1160).

What is the solution to the tire problem?

While I am at it, I can not keep the chain on the Speed 8's lowest gear, and I don't agree with the advice on the Dahon Forum that this is normal. The bike has been ridden almost 100 miles and the lowest gear is useless. I have checked the chain ring, it isn't bent. The rear cluster is aligned. The rear derailleur has been adjusted and functions flawlessly, and I have been meticulous about keeping the chain clean and lubricated.

What is the solution to the first gear chain hop problem?

I love the bike (I have started chronicling my commute on my Blog http://dahon-speed8-commute.blogspot.com/ and http://electric-bike-commuting.blogspot.com/) and I hope to ride and write about my experience with the Speed 8 for many (thousands) of miles to come.

I look forward to hearing from Dahon.

Thank you.

Jim Siesfeld (a/k/a Pumpkinhead)
39 Vaughn Avenue
New Rochelle, NY 10801
jim@siesfeld.com

November 21 - commute ended in a train ride - ouch!

Well, I guess I should not be riding 50-406 tires on 35-406 rims. I had simultaneous tube failures where the valve protrudes through the wheel indicating to me that there is some pretty harsh stress to the tube. The only bummer is I had only one extra tube. Looking hopeless at 06:25 AM, I locked my bike to my desk, walked to the train station, hopped on a train for 4 stops, and then walked home from the train station. From start to finish, the walk/train commute took the same 45 minutes the bike ride normally takes - proof of another car-free option of getting to work.

So, I got home at 7:10 AM, hopped into the mini-van, drove to the office and picked up the bike, and I was home before 8:00 AM, and I also had a pleasant 10 minute meeting with my boss.

Now, it's bed time.

Lights for night time, low-light, and low-visibility Commuting

My bike commute dictates I ride when it is dark. Having bicycle commuted 10+ years out of the past 15; I know being seen is the most important aspect of sharing the road with motor vehicles. As an Environmental, Health, and Safety professional in the Transportation and Utility industries, I have been involved in assuring the safety of employees working in traffic 24/7. Being visible in traffic makes the difference between life and death. My experience working with strobe lights, rotating lights, conspicuity issues, DOT requirements, and knowing the diversity of high visibility clothing and equipment has significantly influenced my choices of bicycle lighting and high-visibility apparel I wear will riding at night.

Each one of my commuter bikes has a slightly different setup, but at a minimum my night time, low-light, low-visibility lighting includes:

· Front Lighting: 1 or 2 Trek LED 5-Disco front flashers (in flashing mode), a knock-off brand 5 LED red flasher (in flashing mode), a Blackburn Quadrant (in flashing mode), and a Cateye EL-300 – a constant on-only 5 LED headlight. Most of the lights are mounted on the handle bar, but I try to mount one or two lights lower along the head tube to increase the apparent size of the light to on-coming traffic.


· Rear Lighting: 1 or 2 knock-off brand 5 LED flashers (in flashing mode), a VistaLite Eclipse (in flashing mode), an older model VistaLite red 5 LED flasher (only mode), and 1 Trek LED 5-Disco front flasher. On flasher is mounted on the tube just below the seat. Two flashers are mounted on rear outer side of the rear basket, and on my mountain bike I have made a 2-foot long light bar out of corrugated plastic. Looking at the rear of the different bikes you see a 2-foot triangle of red flashing light.


· Wheels: TireFlys LED tire-valve mounted flashers, 3M reflective side-wall tires, and 3M reflective tape applied in ¼ inch pieces mounted evenly around the rim. The TireFlys turn on by centrifugal force and work best at over 15 MPH, the also light up when the wheel gets jarred going over rough road. As the wheel spins the light makes a circle. I am a little disappointed the TireFlys aren’t on more, but they are cool. When headlights strike the 3M material they reflect the light back toward the source so on-coming motorists. So on-coming motorist see 2-20 inch round white and neon green circles as they approach me.


· Apparel: DOT Class 3 lime-colored mesh vest (for ventilation) with wide 3M reflective stripes, and a Bell helmet with ¾ inch 3M reflective tape covering about 20% of the hard shell. 3M reflective materials are cool. I actually have 2 yards of the material I am saving for a small project. When car headlights, or any direction light hits the material, the light is reflected back in the direction it came. You can see this material reflecting at 4000 feet away. (For summer night riding I have DOT Class 2 hi-viz polyester t-shirts with 3M reflective strips on them – they are visible and reflect a lot of on-coming light.)

· Soon to be added is a nifty English made LED system that uses a magnet generator. I am also looking for a string of battery-powered LED Christmas lights to add to the “area” lighting by stringing on my rear basket.

Combining the lighting and apparel, I have created a significantly large area of highly visible combination of bike and bike rider which is hard to miss. While a little “battery-heavy”, my current setup should (according to all the different manufacturers literature) last for 200 hours of use; this equals about 100 days of commuting. Considering I work a 3- or 4-day work week on a 12-hour rotating schedule, the 100 days of commuting will probably take me through to May 2006, or for about the next 6-months. For the most part, I am happy with my lighting choices. I am a little disappointed with the Cateye lights (I have the EL200 and EL300) because they don’t flash and they don’t throw as strong a beam of light beam as the Blackburn.

I know my setup works because a lot of people give me eye contact, actually stares. Most adults try to avoid me, most teens laugh at me, and most kids say, “cool bike”. On my 20” Dahon, I feel like I finally got the bike I wanted when I was a kid. On my mountain bike with my beat-up old panniers, I look like a bum on a cool bike. On my Sun EZ3 Aluminum recumbent trike with Zzipper fairing, I look like some futuristic visitor here before my time.

November 18th - Cold feet!

My feet are so cold they sting! I had a very pleasant ride in to work last night. With one stop, it took 50 minutes to ride the 7.5 miles. It appears I ride slower in the dark (and without an e-hub motor).

The ride home started at 6:09 AM and I took a wiggle at the end of the ride so I didn't have to face climbing the big hill up to the house. I was in the door at 6:50. But my feet! The old Converse Chuck Taylors don't have any insulation. At the bank by work the temperature showed 29 degrees farenheight. By the time I got home, the sun was up and the temperature was 33 degrees - but that made no difference to my poor little toes.

I am still having trouble with chain hop in the lowest gear. This is getting too serious. I have to find a solution here. The SRAM 7-speed dual drive seems appealing, but we must save for that one.

In the meantime, I need bar ends. My hands and arms are feeling the strain of no alternative grip positions. Perhaps a set of drop bars, or one of those funky time trial bars would be a good solution. Yet, I don't know if this is the bike I would want to spend days on doing a self-supported expedition. The Speed 8 seems better suited for a card card tour of wine towns in some exotic country.

Well, I am starting to feel my toes. It's already 7:20 AM, I must go to bed.

November 17th - Much happens in a week

During the past week I replaced the MArathon Slicks with Big Apples, and what a difference it makes having the bigger tire. I feel the bigger tire definately improves the handling, perhaps because there is more sidewall to grip the road, but it would not explain why the bike seems less sensative - unless the added weight adds to the centrifical force on the wheel making it more stable in a striaght line while in motion - I have to think this through.

I also added a Swiss made rack that can pop off real easily (www.thorusa.com). Keeping with the folding theme, I also added a set of Wald folding baskets, unfortunately to get the necessary heal clearance I had to mount the baskets farther back on the rack than desirable because with a load I am sure the handling will get squirely fast.

I also picked up a set of stock fenders, but they will not fit with the 2 inch tires. I'll either unload them on eBay or keep them for a build up bike.

Tonight I go back to work. It is suppose to get really cold, so I don't know if I'll be riding or not, likely I will ride.

November 10 - End of the day.

I actually rode some today, about 4 miles - Post Office, deli, and Boys & Girls Club, then home. My new LED lights arrived from Freelights.co.uk. It will be interesting to see how they work out.

Good night.

November 10th - Update

I am still on vacation (actually, using my vacation days before I loose them) and haven't been commuting on the Speed 8. However, I have been riding the Speed 8 to break it in.

On the 6th I ran errands around the neighborhood, I went to the Post Office, I also did a little grocery shopping. I didn't think the 1 dozen eggs were going to make it home, but they arrived all in one piece.

The 7th was almost an exact duplicate of the 6th, but this time I ventured a little farther. It is great running errands and not having to worry about parking spaces. At the grocery store, some lady sitting on a bench wanted to know if the bike would fit in the grocery cart. Well it did!

Tuesday was a beautiful day. After the costumary trip to the Post Office, I took the liberty of not having too much to do, and I ventured over to a local park on Long Island Sound that has a view of the distant Manhattan skyline. From the house, I made the loop about 10 miles long.

Yesterday, the 9th was a busy day. I needed to get the mini van serviced and the shop had an opening but they needed to keep the car for a few hours. Well guess what I did? Yep, I folded the Speed 8, popped it in the back of the car and drove accross town to the repair shop. Once I dropped off the car, I grabbed the bike, unfolded it, and ran to the hardware store and the bank. On the way home, I stopped by the wine store, picked up two bottles of wine, and then I made a wiggle past the bagel store where I picked up a bagel for my lunch. A few hours later, the shop called, the car was serviced, I hopped on the Speed 8 and went to pick up the car. I probably rode another 10 miles, didn't waste any time hanging out waiting for the car, and I didn't have to impose on anyone for a ride back and/or forth to the repair shop - like, this what a folding bike is made for!

I got the Speed 8 from Thorsten at ThorUSA.com. I called him up to thank him for selling my the bike and we discussed some issues about fine tuning the rear derailer. I also ordered from him Big Apple tires, fenders, and a rack. We will see how this all comes together.

Wow, who are you? I saw you on Lincoln Ave

I am still recovering from riding my Speed 8 home from work this morning after finishing a 12-hour overnight shift. Added to my general physical state of being disrubted from working a rotating shift, today I (actually my lovely wife, I was just a prop.) hosted an ice skating party for 16 young (very) girls. It was a great event despite having no sleep, but it isn't the point of this blog entry.

The point of the entry is to find out who you are.

Who was cranking up Lincoln Ave on a Dahon at about 7:30 Pm today?

Leah, Ruthie (my two daughters) and I saw you riding a Dahon bike "up" Lincoln Avenue towards Webster Avenue in New Rochelle at around 7:30 PM tonight. Who are you? You past withing 100 yards of my home.

We could be Dahon buddies.......

Day 1 - November 4/5, 2005

My Dahon Speed 8 arrived via UPS two days ago. I have ridden it about 20 miles. So far so good, it is an interesting little machine.

I worked the overnight shift last night and commuted on the Speed 8. It is faster than my non-motorize e-mountain bike.

I expect I will be wrenching on the Dahon for a while before it gets really broken in. So stay tuned. I'll be here.

Jim S. (a/k/a Mr. Pumpkinhead - www.goheidi.com/p3)
New Rochelle, NY