Dahon Vitesse D8

[GeekDadZoid]

I had a big bike clear out earlier in the year to rationalise my fleet as my leisure riding has had to reduce due to various reasons.

However I found myself with 4 very nice bikes

Brompton M6L
Dawes Super Galaxy
Boardman Team CX
Carrera Subway E2.0 ( ebike )

Which when I am out and about and need to lock a bike up I find myself reluctant to lock the ebike or Brompton up and if I do, I have to carry a big chunky lock.

So I decided I needed something to be the bike I could lock up on errands with a basic ulock. After a few months of FB Marketplace hunting I stumbled across this Dahon Vitesse D8 for £50.

So far I have enjoyed it, it needs some work tightening the stem and needs a new saddle. It also needs a service and some replacement mudguard mounts. But all in all it will do the job nicely.

8 speed with a decent shifter makes it good for any future upgrades.

I'll hopefully get time to service it this weekend and maybe order some new tyres, I am a Scwalbe Marathon devotee.

However this afternoon it will be taking me to a meeting and yesterday helped me run some errands so already earning its keep.

 

[sevenfourate]

There’s something about a much loved / lived-on beater you’re not afraid to take and then leave anywhere. And it often becomes more compelling to do so - leaving the more expensive rides sitting still. **I must try me a folder. Enjoy yours !

 

[Drago]

There's something about a decent 20" folder that appeals to me. Biggish bike ride, swift, hilarious fun to ride, and the fold is good enough for anything I've yet encountered (coach, rail, subway, even taking it into the doctors.)

 

[a.twiddler]

Looks like a bargain with potential for easy upgrades. The thing is, after adapting it and making it "yours", how keen will you be to leave it locked up and unattended when it has come to be valuable to you due to the time and effort you have invested in it, even if it has no great financial value? A bike like that can be a handy thing to have, low step over, can just hop on and off, fold it and sling it in the car for errands etc without the feeling, as with a Brompton, that you have to watch it like a hawk all the time, or keep it with you at all times due to its nickability. I love my Brompton, but I always feel that I have to guard it all the time as someone else might love it even more.

I had a Viking Safari for a few years, a pretty much nondescript and anonymous 20" folding bike but it had a very nice ride. By the time I'd upgraded it to a 7 speed with a trigger shifter from my bits box, a Shimano Megarange rear freewheel, some nice grips and bits and pieces I felt quite protective about that, too. A Dahon is probably recognisable to the average member of the public, but Viking has lost its identity amongst the mass of other far East produced bikes with once well known British brand names. I only sold it because once I had proved the Brompton's worth, I thought that I couldn't justify two folders, and could do with the space in the garage. I think from time to time that something like that could still be useful even though my main interest lies in recumbents nowadays.

It's a paradox. We fill our lives with things, but if we're not careful, the nicer they are, the more likely it is that they end up owning us!

 

[FrankCrank]

Never underestimate what a casual thief will steal.
Had a Decathlon single speed folder stolen from Reading town centre a few years back, a bike that cost me a mere 50 quid.
Just a heads-up, don't leave it locked up somewhere if it's of any great value, or even little value.

 

[fossyant]

Decent looking bike that.

 

[GeekDadZoid]

Never underestimate what a casual thief will steal.
Had a Decathlon single speed folder stolen from Reading town centre a few years back, a bike that cost me a mere 50 quid.
Just a heads-up, don't leave it locked up somewhere if it's of any great value, or even little value.

Absolutely someone tried to bikejack a £15 rusty eastern European three speed off me a few years ago.

I don't over worry theft but it just creates a barrier to a more sustainable life which this will hopefully help overcome.