A nice addition for my Dahon.

[Silent Bill]

Hello Dahon Owners, Looking at Dahon sites there are some extra's listed that one has no chance of obtaining..like for instance the item known as the..."landing gear"...This item allows you to push a folded Dahon along (for instance) on a station platform and bolts to a bracket situated under the bottom bracket...like on my 2013 Dahon Vitesse 8 speed. I do not know if I will ever need one but I decided to see if I could make one. Tonight in my garage  after a fair bit of knocking up things I found my effort to be a great success! The main part is 35mm plastic drain pipe plus a tube of wood hand shaped to fit into the pipe made from a Willow log off the local hills. The pipe goes over the end of the seat post at the bottom near the ground. A mention here thanking 'Kim' who suggested to me to use a Jubilee clip with a large wing nut on another subject in this folder forum...the Jubilee clip is at the top of the above drain pipe to clamp it to the seat tube...Wow!..what a great success and many pounds cheaper than the possible store brought item!!

[Kim]

Glad my suggestion was useful.  Not that I actually remember making it   

[Silent Bill]

Today I was testing the two folds I use on my Dahon along with the seat tube bottom wheel along attachment, as I have things on my Dahon like bar end grips and a mirror plus a S.P. Brompton bag holder that do not give me the 15 second fold time I have seen on YouTube! When the train companies say a folder should be folded right down do they enforce this ruling?? I ask as apart from the 'Right Down Fold' with my Dahon I also have a fold with leaving the handlebar erect and unfolded. The floor area of this fold is the same area as the complete fold....

[Kim]

I think the rule for train company enforcement of any cycle policy is that it all depends on the attitude of the members of staff involved.  Pragmatically, I suppose it depends on whether you're standing in the vestibule with it or trying to fit it in a luggage rack.

Some discussion of this sort of thing here: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=95263.0

[jsabine]

When the train companies say a folder should be folded right down do they enforce this ruling??

This sort of thing is invariably down to the individual members of staff you encounter (and sometimes to your own attitude to them) - some will let you get away with anything as long as you smile, others will be awkward in response to shirtiness, and with still others, you won't be able to do anything right.

If it's fairly conspicuously Out Of The Way, it should be OK, but if there are pointy bits that look as though they might annoy other passengers then staff might have words. (My only experience is with a Brompton, and while I generally leave the handlebar up for pulling it around, I normally fold it down when I'm getting onto a train or tube.)

[drossall]

A Dahon struggles to meet the technical maximum size for a folded bike on the line into Kings Cross. This limit is really a fraction larger than a Brompton. My Dahon is slightly larger still, with handlebar attachments and a larger rack. However, it still folds properly. It's never been questioned. I've also seen Airnimals (bigger than Dahons when folded) and disassembled full-size bikes (both wheels out and stack the parts against the carriage wall), which have not been questioned either to the best of my knowledge. Personally I think calling a road bike with its wheels out a folder is pushing your luck. An Airnimal mostly takes extra vertical space, which is not really an issue, so I can see why that is accepted.

[Silent Bill]

Thanks for the replies...I thought after I posted the message that it was a bit pointless asking about the fold area, as most of my train assisted ride take place after rush hours when most trains seem empty and there's plenty of space for a half folded Dahon!