A couple of packages arrived this week. One was the spring B67 Brooks for the touring bike and the other was the folding bike. The pictures of the D7 are uploading now. Oh, and the trekking handlebars.
The Brooks saddle feels great. Much better than the Narrow B17. I can feel the spring and the much (twice?) wider back end. It also feels like it would be less comfortable ride in the drops, but I haven’t tried it yet. It makes the Bianchi look better. Older, more classic, laid back,.. It’s hard to say exactly, but I like it.
I’ve spent a bit of time with the Dahon assembling it and outfitting it. The initial tires seemed Ok, but the back one got a flat or something. The chain and gears are completely dry, which is a first for me. The seat is good, a well padded rubber covered seat. No need to change it.
Changing things is what I’ve been doing. Front and back lights, a small bag on the rack, and most of all the tires. It came with some rather nice looking 1.5″ wide tires that I upgraded to Schwalbe’s. A 1.75″ on the front and a 2″ Big Apple on the back. Also, the back tube since it didn’t seem to hold much air.
The ride. That’s what it all comes down to. It’s completely different from any bike I been on. The wheel base feel shorter, like there’s hardly anything behind you. It accelerates much faster than most bikes, but hits a max speed pretty quickly. A lot of internet posts mention a harder ride, but that’s not how I would characterize it. You can feel more bumps, but they are pretty well muted by the tires. You get much more feedback about the road surface than a regular bike. Surprisingly, turning at speed isn’t as tight, because the bike is so low you can’t peddle through it. It feels really light. I can feel that I’m not pushing a wide surface area and I wouldn’t be as afraid about being able to stop or running into things. Stops and starts are much quicker and easier. Gearing is good. You do need it. Or at least I do.
The most striking aspect is the lack of bike you are riding. My Bianchi is in my face. Unavoidable. On long rides I stare a the front tire for hours. This guy is about 1 foot or more lower, on the edge of my peripheral vision. The front tire is hardly there. I feel a bit silly on it. Maybe not silly, but self-conscious. It looks like an odd toy bike or something from a circus. That’s just my bias. It should pass. The size means that it’s a naturally pass-through frame. No lifting the legs or beating my unborn children’s DNA on a steel bar.
It was 40F during the warm part of the day, so riding was limited to around the block. I need to find the right clothes that would make this feel relatively comfortable.
Oh, one immediate positive was the trunk space. I worried over how to attach my yoga mat to my touring bike most of last night. It’s too wide, massey/heavy, and too thick. What the D7 lacks on side space for panniers it makes up in a huge trunk space. A normal bike would have about 10″ from the top of the tire to the top of the saddle. This is a high center of gravity over a bouncing wheel. The D7 has maybe 2 feet of space in the same area. The yoga mat easily fits on the rack by itself and doesn’t look like it would fall off.
I look forward to testing out the spring saddle and the trekking handlebars. Now, I just need to figure out how to attach and wrap the new handlebars.