Dahon Bikes Again and New Commuting Crisis

So, it finally happened. My job has been threatening to transfer to a
new location about 10 km from my home, which is very tricky to get to by
public transport. I have been training up to the possibility of
cyclo-commuting.

This is lovely on fine Spring days but the obligation to do 20kms round
trip every day, in howling weather, in the horrible darkness of
December, through those dark and lonely woods, down that spooky, muddy,
slippery earth path, and through a number of towns with active traffic
and endless lights and intersections, has given me a knot in my stomach
and insomnia from anxiety.

On a completely separate track, I had been thinking of enlarging my bike
family with a small folding bike that I could take easily on trains for
touring in pretty places when the weather is nice. After investigating a
number of possibilities - Birdy, Brompton and Dahon, I decided that the
Dahon Speed TR seemed to offer the most desirable range of features for
the most competitive price.

On a recent trip to London and Cambridge, I finally had the opportunity
to try the Speed TR. I was very impressed with some things about it, but
put off by others. It was extremely rigid - I finally understood why
people say rigidity is so desirable in bikes. It was light and supple,
handled beautifully. I loved the Sram Dual-Drive shifter and the
Thudbuster suspended seat was wonderfully comfortable. On the other
hand, the posture was rather too sporty for me, more Cat in Heat than
Sit Up and Beg. Although the handlebar could be adjusted every which
way, I never actually got to try it raised high enough for my comfort.
The high baggage rack and the adjustable reach on the handlebar made the
folding action very clumsy. It did not have a chain guard, and I have
already lost some favorite skirts to an open chain.

But then this work issue comes up. Suddenly it's not just about having a
bike to play with on rare holidays, but about having something to expand
my commuting options as well. Behemoth, bless her, is so big and heavy
that it's just not convenient to combine bike-and-train, and impossible
to combine bike-and-bus. There will be days when, realistically, it will
not be a good idea to do the whole transit by bike.

In Cambridge, I was able to borrow a 20"-wheeled folding bike, an
adorable little Raleigh Stowaway from 1975 with a Sturmey 3-speed
internal hub. I _loved_ this bike, the lightness and accessibility of
it. I could well see myself with one of these little bikes, not just for
vacations but as a daily thing. The LBS-man who refurbished her for me
told me that such bikes remain very popular and sell well second-hand,
because many elderly people prefer the comfort of low step-through and
weight, and many Asian students are too small for Western frames.

At the International Bike Fair in Islington, I became aware of a new
Dahon bike - the Impulse P21. This costs £100 less than the Speed TR,
does not have that great Thudbuster seat suspension (thought the seat
still has conventional suspension), and lacks the adjustable reach. It
has the great Sram Dual-drive shifter with 21 useable gears, a chain
guard, more upright handle, and a more conventional baggage rack which
allows for easier folding. I was able to sit on an Impulse at the Fair,
but not actually ride it. I was thinking it might be a good compromise,
more Commuter than the Speed TR, but more Tourer than, for example, the
outstanding Vitesse P3 which gets such rave reviews and is so reasonably
priced that I was almost tempted to settle for its mere 3 gears. The
Impulse can even eventually be upgraded with the Thudbuster and a
removeable high rack for touring with panniers, although it then comes
out more expensive than the Speed TR.

There are no raves of the ImpulseP21. This might just be because it's
new. Other bikes in the Impulse range have been praised for
straight-riding stability, a quality I definitely appreciate with my
defective balance. On the other hand, it might be persistently outshined
by the Speed TR which is definitely better value for money.

The upshot is, I'm about to order an Impulse P21. Speak now or forever
hold your peace.

EFR
Ile de France