Being a bit of a bike snob, I was a bit skeptical when my partner came home with a Dahon Folding Bike. One ride later, I was hooked!
I’m a bit of a bike snob. In Boston, where I make my home, I’m wedded to my daily ride, a Redline 925. It’s a no nonsense bike, which I’ve outfitted for carrying books and laptop to the art school where I teach and groceries for the trip home. With a front basket and side panniers, it’s a real workhorse and has carried me through several icy New England winters.
Enter the Bike Snob
I was quite dubious when my spouse brought home a Dahon Boardwalk. Dahon makes folding bikes. I’ve been familiar with their designs, seeing people on occasion riding foldies around our fair city. I was biased and had the idea that they were useless for anything more than riding a short distance to the coffee shop or perhaps in a circus act. With the small wheels and frame, the Dahon seemed more like a toy bike rather than a real bicycle.
My Time on a Folding Bike: Relax and Smell the Flowers
The next morning, for whatever it’s worth, curiosity got the better of me and I left the Redline at home, deciding to give the Dahon a try. The Boardwalk S1 is one of the least expensive bikes the company makes; it has no frills, one speed (hence the S1 moniker) with tiny 20″ wheels.
From the start, one of the first things I noticed is the pace was so much more relaxed than my big bike, more akin to jogging. On my way, I felt less stressed and worried about traffic than I did on the speedy Redline. There was something immediately fun about the experience. The Dahon is light, and the small wheels made the bike very “flickable,” a term I picked up when I used to ride motorcycles. Riding reminded me of being on a scooter; the bike was perfect for maneuvering and weaving around big city traffic.
In addition, when stopped at a light, people would look at the bike and break out in a big grin. This might have been due to my snappy spring outfit, but I think it was the novelty of the folding bike. Here I was on my somewhat boring daily bike commute and I was having a blast.
“Don’t Know Why, There’s No Sun up in the Sky, Stormy Weather”
For those of you unfamiliar with New England weather, we usually say, ” If you don’t like the weather outside, wait a few minutes.” Sadly, the reverse is also true.
When I started out for the day, the temperature was in the low 50s, gray sky, and I was dressed fairly light. After a very absorbing day where I barely looked out the window, I walked down the hall to the exit and noticed students running inside, miserable and soaking wet.
Heading to the bike parking area, I was hit with a stinging blast of ice-frozen rain. Standing in the rain, I worked out two scenarios in my head: ride home in the rain and suffer frostbite or walk the bike to the subway stop two blocks away and see if the Dahon would fold down small enough to fit on the crowded train during rush hour. Arriving at the station a bit soaked, I discovered the true virtues of a folding bike: it folds!
I Become a Convert to the Church of Folding Bike
Within less than a minute, I was on my way to the platform with the bike collapsed down to a smallish cube not much bigger than a breadbox — OK, a large suitcase. The subway car was crowded with disgruntled, wet Bostonians, yet I managed to find a seat and placed the bike discreetly on the floor in front of me. When I got home, I was fairly dry and the rain had let up. It was a simple task to carry the Dahon up the station steps and unfold it on the sidewalk outside. Next to me were two rough-looking guys eyeing my bike.
“So how much did that cost ya?” one asked.
“About $250 bucks,” I exclaimed, “and you can take it with you into a bar!”
They both cracked up as I rode away, happy to be a folding bike convert on my Dahon.