Hey all. Just took a trip to Camping World. After reading many of the discussions on mounting bikes to AS, and stowing bikes we decided to look at the folders. We liked the Dahon folding Bikes. Camping World sells the basic models, a 7 speed....kinda what we were looking for, Basic. The suprise for us was that CW also sells another folder under the name Yeah. .........real decent....we bought them them on sale two for 300.00 bucks. These bikes are VERY close to the 7 speed Dahon. Yeahs are 6 gear, with some other minor differences........guess what....they are made by Dahon who holds many of the good patents for folding Bikes. Don't be afraid to look at this folder, they are on CW website. I was very happy with the side by side comparison with the 7 gear Dahon. We rode both the Dahon and Yeah , both Nice and compact and decently built.
I am one who will always spend extra for quality but I just couldn't see major differences. The 7 gear Dahon was twice the money of the 6 gear Yeah. We got the Yeahs. Later Jim
Several weeks back Camping World had a special on those YEAH bikes...you got a $75.00 CW coupon with the purchase of each bike. With the purchase of 2 bikes, our third was paid for...and we used the excess (coupon $ from the 3rd) for a 4th. We have taken them on a couple of trips already and really like 'em. We fold 'em up and put 'em in the back of the pickup. Everywhere we go, people love our bikes. Much easier for us to carry than our full size bikes. Good purchase, those bikes!
Everything fits now. We've got the Kayaks on the roof, the bikes in the bed, and the airstream behind. Friday we're headed to the Loxahatchee river and then next week to the Keys. Can't wait.
Do yourself a favor, and if you get a Dahon, order it through a bike shop. They aren't bad bikes, but CBC (China Bike Corp) who makes them for Dahon tends to overtighten things a little. Camping world won't likely look at them before sending them to you.
I helped put one together, and have about 1k miles on it. It's a good enough bike, but as shipped, the hub cones were too tight, the bottom bracket was too tight, and the wheels weren't particularly true. These are unpleasant surprises, and after a couple seasons of very light use could result in wheels locking up, that sort of thing.
Bromptons, Birdies, and Bike Fridays all have devoted followings, but all cost more than the Dahon.
We priced the 7 speed D at a couple Bike shops. They wanted about 450.00. We figured how bad could these CW Yeahs be since I could buy 3 yeahs for the price of one Bike Shop Professionally assembled Dahon.......heck I'll take a chance since I can replace it 3 times and still be even.
I have both a Dahon speed 7 and a Bike Friday. The BF is a quality piece, but I still smile when on the Dahon. Performancebike.com has the d7 for around 300.00... the difference between the Yeah and the Dahon is a bit of weight and components, but yes, about the same.
Marc
Woops, sorry MillValley... I see the internet price at 239.00. At the store in NJ yesterday, they were 299.00 on the floor. But the Yeahs were priced 2 for 300.00. Interstingly, CW seems to mix up the pricing a bit store vs internet.
While I appreciate pinching pennies as much as the next guy (until I added lights & fenders to my commuter bike, I had about $30 in it - half a tank of gas) I've seen other threads like "Brand XYZ is junk. I ordered it through the mail because it was really cheap, and I didn't adjust it or anything, but it fell apart."
Considering that a bike makes excellent basic transportation, a useful way to look at it is return on investment. A thousand dollar bike that you use to replace a car for short trips around the campground, to the store, or around town can pay for itself in a surprisingly short time.
A $300 bike or even a $150 (new) bike that gets used only as a toy will never ever pay for itself. And that can be ok, but it's best not to set expectations very high - it's something that one "has" rather than something one intends to "use."
Now old bikes - like old Airstreams - are an entirely different matter.
The Bike Forum (linked above) is an excellent community - Now, not as good as THIS forum (no community is as good as here!!). I found the Bike Forum has good info and links - which will save you time, answer your questions, etc.
I ended up buying a Dahon (Pro, 21 speed). Did a lot of research before buying (lots of product out there). It has turn out to be a great bike and I am most pleased that I got a 'folder'.
peter
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Last edited by azflycaster; 03-11-2008 at 07:54 PM.
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