After my first report on my thinking of getting a new bicycle here, I have made several trips down the local Dahon dealer and checked out several folding bikes including the reported Matrix and Speed TR. Only in the last couple of months that I’ve found the dealer stocks a brand new 2004 Speed Pro. So, yesterday, I have finally taken the plunge and bought this awesome looking bike.
The Dahon Speed Pro, which is a folding racing bike, but I have made a few modifications based on the Spreed TR to make it more of a touring than racing bike. Since I hated the black body with chrome stems on the TR, and I also find the 26″ Matrix simply too big for me riding the local streets, which is the very same reason why I sold my Cannondale M1000 mountain bike that I have brought back from Canada, modifying the Speed Pro maybe slightly more expensive than the Speed TR, but it has all my likings, which is one very important aspect.
I set on the TR and I kept hating the looks, yet on and off the Pro, I love it.
The modifications that I have made was while keeping the rims, I have replaced the track tires to fatter street tires. I have also put on front and rear mud guards for the wet spots I always run through around this area and some other biking trails. I have yet to decide on a rear rack, but I think I can do without one for a while. A kick stand was also added for convenience.
Purhaps, two of the most effective and comfortable modifications to my Pro was the replacement of the seat post with Cane Creek’s Thudbuster LT equiped post, which is just like the one on a TR, and the Trek CRZ+ Saddle. The Thudbuster is a very effective sports suspension while the CRZ+ is quite a comfortable gel saddle. These two brings back the comfortness of a touring bike while retaining the performance of a sports bike.
Other than that, my Speed Pro is a rather stock 2004 Speed Pro, which is more than I can say for the 2003 Speed TR they have “on sale” for even more than the stock Speed Pro, and yet it had several non factory parts changed as well as a 24 speed gear rather than the stock 21 speed gear. A fake “good deal” for Speed TR is what it is, which is another reason I don’t want it.
The Pro came with an Allen tool and a bottle of touch up paint. Since I like the beautiful Mango color very much, the touch up paint is quite thoughtful.
The 10 minute ride from the shop back home proved to be a very comfortable and easy one. I haven’t had a chance to run it through all the gear settings yet. Compared to the 16″ folding Yeah I got a couple of years ago, it is night and day. While the Yeah wasn’t a bad bike, the gear was just too high for hills and not fast enough for flat road yet it wasn’t a case of not low enough gear - it just doesn’t want to move sort of thing. Like all other gadgets I suppose, it takes owning a cheap product first to appreciate a premium product.
I’ll try some distant riding in the next couple of weeks and see how the Speed Pro handles.
0 Responses to “Dahon Speed Pro”