[Archived] Dahon MU Uno Fixed Folder on a Carbon Diet

I got myself a n+1. A Dahon Mu Uno single speed folder.
I always liked the cleaner look of it over something like a Brompton.
The other day a frame set popped up on eBay for cheap and I snatched it. Not that I really need it but you know. N+1.
It came without wheels, handlebars and drivetrain so I needed to figure that out. I initially thought I would throw on some bin parts, buy some wheels and be done with it. But I couldn't really find a wheel set I liked so I started looking into getting one build. While on it why not try to be a little weight weenie and save some grams over the stock wheels.
One problem I ran into was the front spacing of the stock forks, 74mm, which limits the choice of front hubs and fewer shops have them in stock. So I could either pay more for a specific but not necessarily light front hub or find other forks. I went down route number 2 and figured out I could get 20" carbon forks from china! Potentially more weight to save there. I started questioning more and more parts I was about to put on the frame as well as the ones that came with it. I ordered even more china carbon and started to get really excited about this.
I have to leave for work now but I will follow up later with some more pictures and the current parts list. The attached picture is stolen from ebay and shows the bike how the previous owner built it up.

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Silly project. Subbed. Gonna be great.

Ha that is my old bike.

Absolutely loved it, sad to let go, just was sitting unused.

Very interested to see how this turns out.

That picture is from when the bike took a trip to Australia btw.

I generally dislike the look of fold up bikes but this looks very cool. How much does it weigh?

I’ve seen some really interesting minivelos when I was in Japan and always thought that folders had the same potential. Genuinely interested in how this is going to turn out and how much weight you’ll be able to save.

Ha I was almost sure you are on here too ;)

Given that Dahon isn't the safest bike to ride, I'd steer away from spending too much money on it.

Too late I guess :D
But what do you mean specifically?

But what do you mean specifically?

The main hinge on the Dahon/Tern and other licensed frames, can failed without warning, and have happened.

Have handled a dozen of recall, and frame swap due to this, and there's lots of stories about it online.

The biggest issues is simply the clamp being in the centre putting a lots of stress on it than says, nearer to the front/rear.

dozen of recall

Aaaah, good times!

Remember the distributor? kept saying that they'll do it and end up forgetting/not doing it.

..and ending up with half the hooks filled with bikes and receipts taped to every surface turning yellow?

You'd think they been there for years, and you'd be right.

Mine looks fine for now. Not gonna ruin my excitement. And yeah it is to late anyways. I basically bought everything now.

Mine looks fine for now.

They always do.

Just keep an eye on it, the main frame hinges usually the one that gives way without warning, there's a reason why Brompton is the de facto choice of folding bike and not because of how small it folds.

I will. Thanks for the heads up.

Done it. Ages ago.

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Very cool! Did it break ;) ?

Nah but it was about to. It would creak so much and then started to swell at the hinge. I chucked it in the bin.

If it makes you feel better I probably only folded that bike on the main hinge about 100 times. Except for a few flights the stem pillar clamp and seat post hardly got touched.

Replying to a point about weight.
I think the heaviest thing on the whole frame is the integrated seat post pump, which never, ever got used.

I am not overly worried. I am also not going to constantly fold it. It will mostly be a commuter for the 1 mile to the studio.

I am also not going to constantly fold it.

it's less to do with the amount of folding, more to do with the design that's flawed to begin with that likely to result in the main hinge from giving way.

I’ve got one of these and it takes an absolute beating. Might snap and kill me in the future but it’s doing ok so far.

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Wow that looks great. I am aiming for something similar!

Leaving the potential hick ups aside for now.
The whole bike is advertised by Dahon as 9.9kg. Since I don't have the cranks, handlebars and wheels I can't do any comparison there and I guess I'll need to wait until I am done building to have a total of saved weight but here are some first numbers:

Stock seatpost + saddle 1135gr vs china carbon post + Fizik Alliante VS 476gr = 659gr saved
China carbon handlebars 114gr uncut
Stock forks 433gr vs china carbon forks 339gr uncut = 94gr saved (so far)
Taking kickstand off = 205gr saved

= Already 958gr saved

Not that bad for the beginning.
The wheel set is ordered and the current weight projection is about 1.4kg for the set.

Additionally I got a Sugino Pista crankset 48T, some cheap lock on grips and a BLB 13t cog.

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