The first time ever I saw your face

I was preparing my Speed Pro for tomorrow's early morning ride and a feeling of nostalgia hit me. This bike is special because it was my first brand new foldie purchased from My Bike Shop, Singapore in Dec 2006. It retailed at a princely sum of US$1800 and held the honour of being the fastest folding bike that Dahon produced then.


With a X7 RD and SRAM Dual Drive 24 gear system, it had an enviable gear range of 26" - 124" which is massive and even today, very few foldies can match it. It was equipped with 120psi Stelvio skinny race tires on Kinetix Pro rear rim and a Rolf Prima front rim with sexy minimal 14 spoke set up and this baby really flies. Cruises easily 30-35km/h on the flats and I've hit 61km/h on downhill sprints.  


I've since put in fatter tires - a Big Apple in front and a Supreme on the rear for tackling the occasional off road excursion here in Perth and for better stability. The Syntace VRO adjustable handlebar system also ensured a perfect fit for any rider, ingeniously doing away with fixed stems. Matt who is heads taller than I used it recently and it fitted him easily with quick adjustments.

The first time I saw it at the shop with its pearlised racy Orange, I just knew I had to have it. The fit and finish is absolutely flawless and is a testament to made in Taiwan quality.

6 years on, my Speed Pro has only done 3000km (blame it on too many bikes) and has aged relatively well still looking quite beautiful. I'm surprise it manages to evoke something in me after all these years. Call me crazy but I think I'm in love again...

This oldy guy Larry is one of my favourite You-tube singers. His style is magic and sings songs of my era - the 80s. Yes, I'm old...

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Fast forward 2012, Dahon's top of the line Speed Pro replacement is the Vector X27h. It looks very formidable and still keeps the orange racing colour. Handlebar is Speed Pro TT style. Prices have of course gone up slightly at US$2100 (in Singapore) but the weight is still about 10kg-ish so not much improvement in this department.