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Dahon Flo Folding MTB | $1999.99
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BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"The best 'folding' MTB on the market that still rides like a great hardtail"

By BikeRadar

Folding bike specialist Dahon, with a little help from Ritchey and MTB pioneer Joe Murray, have created a great looking well equipped MTB in the Flo, that almost completely disguises the fact you can break it in two and put it in a 80x70cm carrying case. Okay, 'break' is a poor word choice here...

Ritchey's 'BreakAway' concept involves a very simple Allen key coupling ring joining the down tube to the bottom bracket and twin seat post clamps fixing the front and rear triangles together: the seat post is an integral part of the frame design. Three cable joining devices allow you to separate the front and back of the bike for packing. After a couple of practice runs, where you feel like you need an extra hand, it's surprisingly quick and easy to dismantle/reassemble.

A 'travel anywhere in the world' ride

Joe Murray is responsible for frame geometry on the Flo, and the Reynolds 631 air-hardened steel tubing, make for a predictable and neutral-handling ride, comfy and lively enough to make you appreciate the value of quality steel and good design. Dahon says its design team wanted this as a 'travel anywhere in the world' ride. It does the job. The complete bike weight is 24lb, but still tough enough to totally forget about its foldability until you need it. It rides as well as a similarly spec'd high performance MTB, but rack mounts, Avid cable disc brakes and NVO's adjustable stem emphasise a low maintenance and adaptable do-itall character that few well-spec'd MTBs offer these days.

You'll pay a premium for this, but you could save lots in airline baggage fees on normal bikes in bags. Dahon's own nicely partitioned 'Airporter' bag weighs 11.5lb, costs £170, and most airlines will accept it as a conventional suitcase.

Manufacturers description

A steel hardtail for anything from flowing single track, to epic allday rides, to quad-busting climbs. We called up our old friend Joe Murray, mountain bike hall of famer, two-time U.S. mountain bike champion, and probably the most respected name in steel hardtail design, to help us design the Flo. Our goal was to build the ultimate go-anywhere-in-the-world ride. With Joe’s frame geometry and Reynolds’ 631 air-hardened steel tubing, the Flo delivers a ride that’s so smooth, yet lively, that it’s hard to believe if you’ve only ridden aluminum mountain bikes. Fifteen minutes (ten if you’re good) is all it takes to pack the Flo into a suitcase for easy travel, whether you’re jumping on a plane for Mallorca or into a car for a road trip to Mexico. With the Flo, you’ll never again have an excuse to leave your bike at home - you slacker.

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Specification

Name:
Flo Folding MTB
Built by:
Dahon
Price:
$1999.99
Cassette:
SRAM PG-980
Fork Model:
Skareb Elite
Frame Material:
Butted Steel
Frame Model:
Reynolds 631
Front Derailleur Model:
SRAM-X9
Rear Derailleur Model:
SRAM X-9
Rims Model:
SpeedDisc
Shifters Model:
X-9
Weight (kg):
11.3
Available Colours:
Blue, White
Available Sizes:
L, M, S
Fork Brand:
Manitou
Front Derailleur Brand:
SRAM
Front Hub Brand:
American Classic
Front Tyre Model:
Racing Ralph
Front Tyre Size:
26x2.1
Handlebar Brand:
CarbonLite
Rear Derailleur Brand:
SRAM
Rear Hub Brand:
American Classic
Rear Tyre Model:
Racing Ralph
Rear Tyre Size:
26x2.1
Rims Brand:
WTB
Saddle Brand:
SDG
Shifters Brand:
SRAM
Stem Brand:
NVO
Tyres Brand:
Schwalbe
Frame Brand:
Reynolds

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