Dahon Jetstream: Above and beyond...

The enduring Dahon Jetstream..

Based on what I found with limited resources, the first Dahon Jetstream surfaced sometime around 2006 - 2007.

It was a bike that features a rear suspension and a rigid front fork.

Since its debut, the bike was given a few upgrades and one of the most successful incarnation of the Dahon Jestream is the Jetstream P8.

This bike features an 8-speed drivetrain with premium components. And most distinguishable: is the Dahon Q suspension designed by German A.

With some tweaks, the Dahon Jetstream P8 is one of few folding bikes that is capable of taking on light and medium offroad trails.

One such guy in the US who lived on a motorhome since 2003 Debbie & Carey's site had taken the Jetstream to the extreme by riding offroad.

Carey, the owner of the Dahon Jetstream XP, had ridden the bike hard and fast until it's frame actually failed.

His site is a reference for all aspiring Jetstream owners.

Early models

The Dahon Jetstream XP in its early years

A 2008 Dahon XP featuring the German A Kilo suspension fork

The Dahon Jetstream XP made its way to the shelves sometime in 2006 or earlier.

Future upgrades includes a redesigned frame which is blockier than its predecessor. The XP maintains its front kinetic pro rims and later models included an active shock absorber where its positive or negative rebound can be set according to user-preference.

2011 Dahon Jetstream: as good as it gets...

The 2011 Dahon Jetstream EX

Shipped in July 2011, Malaysia received a shipment of 10 Dahon Jetstream EX.

They were the last of Dahon's high-end full-suspension folding bikes ever to leave Taiwan.

It was discontinued that same year.

This bike features a 27-speed drivetrain, full-suspension (German A Kilo front fork and an SR Suntour adjustable shock absorber).

For the last-run, Dahon used the Ashima PCB hydraulic dish brakes. Previous version of this bike came with an Avid hydraulic disk brake system.

The 2011 Jetstream EX was the finest folding bike Dahon has ever built to cater for high-end users.

Dahon Jetstream P8 - the bike that won't bleed your wallet..

The 2010 Jetstream P8 featuring an RST suspension fork

If you want a full-suspension folding bike and are a bit tight in terms of budget, the Dahon Jetstream P8 would be the solution.

It has a retail price of RM3.8k (cheaper than any full-suspension bikes in its class) and packs some really interesting features.

The front and rear shocks actually travels to yield a softer ride on bumpy roads.

It could even take the rigors of light and medium offroad trails.

I've tested this bike and have good things to say about it.

The golden years..

I would say that 2011 was the best year for the Dahon Jetstreams.

Why? The frames were made in Taiwan and premium components were given.

They didn't cut corners as later variants of the Jetstream P8s had cheap components.

The 2010 Dahon Jetstream was packaged with SRAM components and Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires. 

You won't find that in the current version.

The 2014 Dahon Jetstream P8, now, with mechanical disk brakes

2015 Dahon Jetstream D8, continuing the legacy..

What to expect in 2015? 

Dahon had re-designed the Jetstream to give it a fresh look. You can expect the "Return of the King" with a much more competitive and premium components.

Rather than having cheap parts, Dahon has paired the Jetstream D8 with Shimano groupsets - particularly the shifter and rear derailleur.

Next year's model has a slightly different frame and is much sleeker in terms of design.

Dahon has also given the Jetstream D8 a nicer colour scheme compared to its 2013 and 2014 versions.

Even the tires are much better than the cheap Dahon Rotolos. For 2015, Dahon is packaging the Jetstream D8 with 

On availability and price, I am not sure if the new distributor is going to carry this model. But am hopeful that they will continue to do so.

Batang Kali Backpacking Ride - Part 1

The forum's activity..
Since 'Malaysian Foldies' has gone live on Facebook, there were some encouraging responses.
This is an offshoot from the Forums and so far, we have more than 200 members. 
The active ones have never missed a single ride organized for the domain.
Which goes to the case of a recent bikepacking ride from KL Sentral to Batang Kali in Selangor.

Purpose
From the uninitiated, there has been a lot of complaints about KTMB's Komuter service.
Yes, its a fact that bicycles are not allowed onboard.
But things are changing.
With a folding bike which is properly bagged, you can now commute and travel around the Klang Valley and to towns as far as the Singapore and Thai border with your bike.
Hence, the exercise is to promote travel with a bicycle and for newcomers to experience bikepacking.
I've done this numerous time and when it comes to organizing a ride as such, there are logistics involve.
So, I planned the meeting place in KL Sentral and from there, we travel to Batang Kali and ride towards Hulu Yam Baru.

Destination: Sungai Sendat
I've been to the Sungai Sendat waterfalls near Hulu Yam Baru.
This is a picturesque tourist spot which is packed during weekends.
And its also a straight-forward 12km ride from Batang Kali train station.
The return fare from KL Sentral to Batang Kali is RM9.80.
I was lucky that CK Toh, one of our regular folding bike kaki had offered to car pool to KL Sentral where we met six other riders.
On this trip, I cycled with Andrew Ng and his wife including old-timer Sin Tai Lim and television personaly Chris Ng for the first time.
The regulars were Roger Teoh, Radzi and Toh.

Blending in: the foldies and commuters enroute to Rawang

We started the journey from KL Sentral to Rawang before switching onto a train to Batang Kali.
Lucky for us, the timing was impeccable.
We arrived in time to wait for another 30minutes before the connecting train to Tg Malim arrived.
It takes about one and a-half hours for the commuting journey and we reached Batang Kali at 10am in the morning.
After setting up the bikes, we rode towards Hulu Yam Baru.
To my surprise, the rural road had lanes which is wide enough for bikes to cycle.
Traffic was a breeze as we cycled towards our destination.
At Hulu Yam, we made a stop for tea and packed our lunch.

At the Batang Kali train station

Near the Genting Highland alternative route

I had my Jetstream EX's Ashima PCB brakes fixed and this was the first time the bike was taken on a train.
So far, no issues on boarding the train and traveling to Batang Kali.
While we were at KL Sentral, the group did attract some attention from the onlookers.
The foldies and their bikes became an ice-breaker.
From Hulu Yam, it was a breezy 6km ride to Sungai Sendat.
There were several climbs along the way, which was not bad as most of us had no issues riding the hilly road.
And to my joy, the picnic area around the falls was not crowded.
We found a hut to settle down and parked our bikes.

No sweat: climbing the slope to Sg Sendat

Arrival at destination

 After the short ride, I worked out an appetite and had my packed lunch.
The rest of the guys went on to survey the falls.
And for some strange reason, the weather started to play up.
It rained and we took shelter on the hut before calling it a day..

A Terning point?

The endearing couple

I am pretty much done with folding bikes.
The last three years, I spent a lot of time soul-searching.
We love our Dahons and will never part with them. There's no reason at all for me to ditch my Dahon Curve SL, Speed P8 and Jetstream EX.
I love ALL of them and I am having a helluva time riding them.

A matter of luck and timing
There's a lot of hoolabaloo and jibba-jabba about Dahon's current QC standards.
 Most of their bikes are now made in China and with a higher number of claims, I don't think I would be getting any new Dahons.
But I must say this: We were very lucky to get bikes that are trouble-free.
The Curves, Speeds and Jetstreams have held up.

Short-distance utility and performance
Our Dahon Curves hardly gave any problems.
We used them as short-distance bikes and with a modded rear rack, the bikes are also able to haul a set of Ortlieb frontrollers.

The long-distance machine
My Dahon Speed P8, is with no doubts, a long-distance hauler. This bike had proven itself and will be the centrestage for next year's adventures.
I don't want to waste time talking about places I want to go, but rather - going there.
This is one of the best touring foldies I've ever rode.
There is no issue about 'image' problems and handling.
The Speed P8 is there to do the job no matter how tough the situation can get...

The proud and the few
Getting a full-suspension folding bike was the pinnacle of my quest.
Now, I know how comfortable it can get - gliding through potholes.
Like I said earlier and I will say it again: The Jetstream EX is built to survive. It will take you there and back in one piece.


Terning over
Some folks have speculated that Michelle and I would jump at the first opportunity to snag a Tern bike.
We love the Dahons and will spend some quality time with them. We don't need anymore 20" and 16" foldies. All our bikes have met our expectations.
Now, with Tern bikes in horizon, I must say that things are getting really exciting.
I am looking at the Verge series. 
But at the moment, our Dahons are holding up.
I don't really need a new bike.
But I certainly am looking at getting something larger than a 20" wheeler for a sense of variety. 
And I found that on the Tern Eclipse S11i.
This bike fits the bill and since its a 24" ride, the experience will be different.
So, will I be Terned? 
Not yet. Not this very moment. 

OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2011 Part 2

Cyclists doing their lap at Dataran Merdeka

Friends and some kiasu buggers
I made plenty of friends and most of them are foldies. There were some whom I had shunned due to conflict of interest.
I met some at Dataran. Seems that they were in the Kiasu Racing Team who took part in the 21km Polygon Foldie Challenge. 
These guys paid top-dollar to enter the challenge and their ring leader, to my surprise, was still riding his old bike. 
By now, I guess he might have gotten a new and better performing bike. But seeing as it is, they guy was cycling his bike that was plastered with some crappy stickers..  I wasn't wrong when I said he is a stingy bugger... Hhahaha!
While making a trip to the mobile toilet, I bumped into CH Lee, a bicycle dealer in Kota Kemuning. He was with his family.
We exchanged some information and snapped photos.
At the big flagpole, I met two of the Stormriders - Rita Wong and her friend who were both taking part in the foldie challenge..

Michelle, at the starting line

The long wait...
Like cattle, we were herded onto the pen. 
There, I waited and struck a conversation with a fellow foldie. I couldn't recognise him because the last time I met this guy, he was riding a red Dahon Speed P8. This time, he was on a blue coloured MuP8.
While waiting, the crowd started to swell in the pen.
My colleague Low Boon Tat, who dropped out of the 52km challenge had joined me.
"Eh Sam ah! That Kenny Hills stretch was bad la, a lot of people crashed there!," he warned.
I wasn't worried at all. We had our Jetstreams. The tires had good road-holding qualities and my Ashima disk brakes would take on any terrain.
Our 'secret' weapon, were the front and rear suspension.
While most foldies were riding light, we packed some equipment.
The Jets were like a Boeing FA-18F Superhornet - multi-role and multi tasking.. It will get us in and out alive. 
Word of the day: Survivability!

Cyclists eager to go.. (pix by Cycling Asia)

Blast-off! And Fat man's climb..
After all the speeches and bla-bla-bla, the airhorn blared. 
It was time to leave the pen.
The first section of the ride was towards Bank Negara. This is a long stretch of hills and I can see that the strong cyclists were pulling away, leaving the unfit lot struggling to pedal uphill.
I kept my cadence at 60rpm and a steady speed of 8-9km/h. The strategy was to conserve energy for the second lap.
As the road slowly winds towards a drop near the remote-sensing centre, I saw for myself how easily one could get hurt.
Its an 'S'-shaped curve and the thin road tires wouldn't give enough traction.
My Jetstream's Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires worked its wonder. The Ashima disk brakes gave the stopping power needed to avert potholes.
What made the descent so smooth, were the German-A fork, Kilo front shocks and the Suntour epicon rear shock absorbers.
The road-handling was superb and the Jetstreams had proven its versatility in the 82km Penang Round Island ride in September.


Madness at Jalan TAR
A brief part of my life was spent on the road cycling to work.
Like it or not, I had to ride along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. This is the worst stretch in the city centre.
The ride organizers had cordoned off a section of the road to allow cyclists to pass through. Great job on their part.
The traffic cops were keeping things in tow and line.
This wasn't bad as I kept my speed at 25km/h.
Unlike the lighter Dahon Vector X10 and its high-performance cousin: the X20, the Jetstream wasn't meant for speed.
Its ability to sprint was sacrificed for comfort...
After a left-turn towards Jalan Sultan Ismail, many cyclists were already struggling with the undulating terrain.
This course led us towards KLCC and down Jalan Sultan Ismail again.
There was a water station in front of Life Centre.
Like Penang, the ugly Malaysian scene rears it face, cyclists were dumping water bottles on the street.
I felt no need to hydrate as I packed my Camelbak Octane 24 hydration pack.
The road in Jalan Sultan Ismail is a gradual climb and as the course banked towards Jalan Raja Chulan, its a downhill roll.
On my high-gear, I picked up speed and headed towards Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
Again, this is the busiest section in the city with plenty of hidden hazards like potholes and motorcycles....


Lap one.. 
As the group were cycling near the Samad building, I noticed that they were cranking for their lives. 
Its no wonder as the crowd cheered on.
"Come on! You can make it! Pick up speed!"
But wait a minute, I am not racing.. hahahah!!!! 
I pedaled my bike towards the RFID gantry as my buddy Billy yelled across the field! 
He was waiting for us to finish our ride. I raised my left hand and gave a thumbs-up sign, indicating that everything was okay.
Then, I pressed towards Fat man's climb near Bank Negara.
As I was cranking up, I noticed a foldie overtaking the group.
It was Mr Kiasu!
The red bike and all those cheap stickers were unmistakable. This guy did five laps earlier and was pulling away. 
Behind him, a couple in a Giant Halfway made their appearance. They weren't friendly at all and later, Michelle told me that one of them had nearly caused a crash.
At this point, I knew that my fitness level had gone to the dogs. Nearing the half-way mark, I was  crunching gears rather slowly.
I am the tortoise on two wheels.
Barely minutes before the infamous 'S'-curve, another foldie, Will, was catching up on his white Dahon ECO-7.
He was rolling downhill fast! I set up my high-gear and rode past my friend.
Riding downhill is favourable to the Jetstream..
And after clearing the danger zone, it was a final push towards the finish line.

The young dude and his Vector X10

Its over in a flash!
Getting people cheering for you on the sidewalk is certainly a rush.
As I made my way towards the Samad building, the crowd was boisterous. They were yelling out their buddy's name.
I managed to ride under one hour and safely make my way to the recovery area where medals were handed over.
Michelle radioed me and cruised towards the pen area.
I saw Mr Kiasu and some of his friends taking a break. 
And meters away from the scene, there was this young Malay dude with his Dahon Vector X10. What a magnificent bike! 
Michelle and I were glad to have completed our ride. She wanted to check her timing on the 21km Foldie Challenge, but details were unavailable...

With the Metro cycling team guys after the ride.. 

OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2011 Part 1

Team Jetstream

It was early Sunday morning and there were some chores at hand.
First, load the bikes in the car, then, final check on all the gears.
We were packing load, at least 8kgs each for the OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2011 ride in Dataran Merdeka.
Our plan was to rendezvous with my buddy Billy, at the Bukit Aman carpark near Lake Gardens.
We managed to score a light meal from McDonalds to fuel up and met Billy at the planned location at 06:00am.

Cycling towards Dataran Merdeka

It took us less than 10 minutes to get to the venue and people were already starting to pack up the square. 
There, I met Chanson Lau and Ruey Chan from Le Run Industries. 
We chat a little bit and made our way to the pen area where Billy had decided to give the 52km challenge a go.
Michelle and I watched on the sidelines as Guan, a foldie friend of ours made his way. This dude is celebrity in the folding bike world. He was with his friend Alvin.

Foldie with an environmental message: Guan 

These guys had entered the 52km challenge with their little bikes, a minority in a world dominated by 700cc wheels.
By 06:15am, the starting grid was already packed with bicyclists.

Starmetro cycling team captain Kevin Tan and the gang

At the distance, Billy pointed at the Media Prima cycling team. It was unmistakable, orange long sleeved jerseys, mainly riders from Berita Harian. Some of them, I had the chance of being their acquaintance. These were our challengers.
As daybreak began to fill in, I heard my name shouted in background.
It was Kevin and the Starmetro team. They made their way slowly into the pen.
I was surprised that they wore their training jerseys.
When asked, they said: "Aiya! The size too big la!"
The 52km challenge started a bit late.
We were told that traffic conditions were not favourable to the cyclists. 
Many roadies were eager to paint the town red and I as I see it, it was the amateur cyclists who made up a large majority in the group.
Moments later, the airhorn blared as the cyclists slowly inched their way on the road...

CFAL3 part 01

Highway star: A cyclist transporting his ride to Penang on the N-S highway on Saturday

Michelle and I had signed-up for the 'Campaign For A Lane' ride in Penang since May.
We were pretty stoked about the prospect of cycling round island with 3,500 people from all over the country.
As it is, the CFAL series has been a runaway success.
Its aim was to equip Penang with bicycle lanes and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had stated this at the flag-off on Sunday.
Since returning from China on Friday, I had very little time to sort out the logistics.
We were to ride as 'Team Jetstream' at the third series of the CFAL.
And like any other rushed trip, I tend to forget things. This took a heavy toll on my post-ride recovery.
So, that said, there we were, packing up, loading our bikes into the car.
Our kids were throwing tantrums again.
Queenie had shown signs of seperation anxiety by protesting with her whine.
Sir Naughty, well, he's fine.
We hit the road at about 10.30am after filling up with breakfast.
The road conditions were bad as it rained heavily.
On the highway, we saw plenty of cars with bicycles mounted on their roof racks.
By 1.30pm, we reached Nibong Tebal.
We checked out Cheang Kee restaurant which is said to be one of the best makan places around by the food gurus....

A disappointment: Cheang Kee

All the years I've experienced as a reporter is not to take hyped matters at face value.
I've read blogs and even food critic's articles on the newspaper about 'Restoran NT Cheang Kee' and how good their food were.
So, with plenty of enthusiasm, I tried their boiled baby octopus and deep-fried snapper.
The octopus was okay, but the fish, very disappointing.
And at RM40 a pop, its a lesson paid in full.
Cheang Kee left a bitter taste in my mouth and the food guru who raved about this place, well, I think he's a bogus! Hahahah...
Anyways, when we were done, we drove all the way to the Penang bridge and made our way to G Hotel to pick up our CFAL3 Jerseys, meal and medal ticket including some crappy door gifts.

Cyclists registering themselves at the counter in G Hotel

While making a beeline at the Powerbar counter, I heard a conversation between the salesman and a cyclist.
When he turned around, it appears that I was standing next to my old friend PC Lim.
Lim took my wedding photo and I've known him for more than two decades.
He rented a mountain bike to ride the 82-km course.
Later, we checked-in at the Red Inn and met one of the folding bike gurus. 
He gave us the low-down and said that the KL group including a large entourage from Singapore had arrived a day earlier.
Since the fallout over mailing lists and who's in and who's out, its now down to a level of professional courtesy and strict observation of diplomacy.
Its like closing an embassy and leaving behind a small trade mission in a hostile country.
That said, Public Relations must be observed...

Team Jetstream at Red Inn in Love Lane, Penang

Prior to arrival in Penang, Michelle had made some arrangements with the Goh family to pick up a child seat for her God Daughter who will be visiting Malaysia in December.
As for me, I was supposed to meet my buddy Echo Charlie who is in Penang at the same time.
We made our way to Ayer Hitam and spent some time with the Gohs before heading back to the hotel to freshen up and prepare for dinner.
Michelle and I had walked to Georgetown from the hotel to pick up some supplies.
The plan was to get some bananas and a loaf of bread to make tuna sandwiches.
We found a corner coffee shop at Carnavon street and savoured their Lor Mee, stewed chicken feed and Horr Chien. 
The food was excellent and a well-deserved treat after a long day on the road.

The corner coffee shop and its excellent hawker fare

Chicken feet for the soul

Back at Red Inn, we bumped into Wey and Ming, our old foldie friends and were introduced to Alvin, Patrick and his wife.
They survived the Ko Lanta tour and are now among the few and the proud 'Storm Riders'.
I saw Master TT Siang's photos of the tour where the cyclists had to endure gail force winds and heavy rain. Well, that was simply amazing....
After catching up with them, we were back at our rooms, checking emails and doing the internet stuff before meeting up with Echo Charlie for some beers.
When we walked out from our room, the foldies were lounging at the Inn's hall.
We told them we needed our daily dosage of Vitamin B.
Wey shooked her head as we sauntered away from the crowd.
We had three jugs of beer before calling it a night in anticipation of the big day that looms ahead...

Getting our dosage of Vitamin B