Folding bike

lardyninja <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know why this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-Magnesium-Titanium-Alloy-Folding-Bike-6-Gears_
W0QQitemZ140153487932QQihZ004QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQc
mdZViewItem

magnesium and titanium folder is soooooo cheap. The seller seems to be
genuine.

Well magnesium alloy has a poor history in bicycle frames and it doesn't
say which parts are which.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

Tony Raven said:

Well magnesium alloy has a poor history in bicycle frames and it doesn't
say which parts are which.

Really wow I was under the impression magnesium was the mutt's nuts.
Thanks for the info, guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy a
branded product I know I can rely on.

LN

lardyninja <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1189158867.845996.74410@
50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

Tony Raven said:

Well magnesium alloy has a poor history in bicycle frames and it doesn't
say which parts are which.

Really wow I was under the impression magnesium was the mutt's nuts.
Thanks for the info, guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy a
branded product I know I can rely on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_frame#Magnesium

(not a problem on spaceships)

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

lardyninja said:

Tony Raven said:

Well magnesium alloy has a poor history in bicycle frames and it doesn't
say which parts are which.

Really wow I was under the impression magnesium was the mutt's nuts.
Thanks for the info, guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy a
branded product I know I can rely on.

LN

Have you seen this thread, looks like the same thing:
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=339408

Am Fri, 07 Sep 2007 02:17:17 -0700 schrieb lardyninja:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know why this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-Magnesium-Titanium-Alloy-Folding-Bike-6-Gears_W0QQitemZ140153487932QQihZ004QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

magnesium and titanium folder is soooooo cheap. The seller seems to be
genuine.

The bike looks quite like some of the Dahon designs, it's probably
manufactured by them. The claim that the frame of this bike is made from a
magnesium/titanium alloy sounds rather unlikely considering the price.
Dahon just announced a limited special edition of their Mu-model with a
magnesium frame, weighing just 7.5kg, yet at a price of about 2500 Euros.
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/dahon-launch-lightest-ever-folder-12312?img=1
You can ask in the Dahon forum if anyone recognizes the model advertised on
epay: http://www.dahon.com/forum/index.php?

Andreas

Andreas Schulze-Bäing <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

The bike looks quite like some of the Dahon designs, it's probably
manufactured by them. The claim that the frame of this bike is made
from a magnesium/titanium alloy sounds rather unlikely considering the
price.

Maybe its a magnesium alloy frame in the same sense as scandium alloy
frames i.e aluminium with a bit of magnesium in it.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

Andreas Schulze-Bäing said:

Am Fri, 07 Sep 2007 02:17:17 -0700 schrieb lardyninja:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know why this:

Quoted message said:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-Magnesium-Titanium-Alloy-Folding-Bike-6-Gear...

Quoted message said:

magnesium and titanium folder is soooooo cheap. The seller seems to be
genuine.

The bike looks quite like some of the Dahon designs, it's probably
manufactured by them.

I wouldn't assume that because it looks like a Dahon, it is. There's a
lot of copying of designs goes on in China.

My partner's son recently went to China on a school trip, came back
with a "Specialized" frame that cost him £19. Can't remember the
model, bikes built round it go for around £1200. He spent a lot of
time researching it when he got home and the only way he could tell it
was a fake was that the Specialized name was a transfer, not sprayed
on. Otherwise it was externally a perfect copy. The weight was right
as well, but I assume this was achieved by using thin tube throughout
rather than the clever variations that goes in to good frames.

It's in the garage at the moment, he's open to offers if anyone's
interested. Don't think I'd want to ride a bike built round it any
further than the shops.

Rob

[email hidden] wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

My partner's son recently went to China on a school trip, came back
with a "Specialized" frame that cost him £19. Can't remember the
model, bikes built round it go for around £1200. He spent a lot of
time researching it when he got home and the only way he could tell it
was a fake was that the Specialized name was a transfer, not sprayed
on. Otherwise it was externally a perfect copy. The weight was right
as well, but I assume this was achieved by using thin tube throughout
rather than the clever variations that goes in to good frames.

Quite often such stuff comes out the back door of the factory making the
real McCoy.

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

In article said:

lardyninja <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know why this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-Magnesium-Titanium-Alloy-Folding-Bike-6-Gears_
W0QQitemZ140153487932QQihZ004QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQc
mdZViewItem

magnesium and titanium folder is soooooo cheap. The seller seems to be
genuine.

Well magnesium alloy has a poor history in bicycle frames and it doesn't
say which parts are which.

They seem to be saying the frame is an alloy of magnesium and titanium.
Now that's not _absolutely_ impossible
(e.g. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1990JMatR...5.1880S
http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=1993012262
http://www.materials-edge.net/html/print.php?sid=277 )
but frankly I find it rather implausable that a £99 eBay bike with
resin brake levers is going to be using exotic aerospace alloys
"as used on the (unspecified) spaceship".

On the bright side, http://www.physorg.com/news89369874.html suggests
it means you might be able to make the bike switchable from shiny to
transparent :-)

(Alan Braggins) said:

On the bright side,http://www.physorg.com/news89369874.htmlsuggests
it means you might be able to make the bike switchable from shiny to
transparent :-)

My regular steel bike already does a very good job of making itself
and me completely invisible on the road :o)

LN

POHB said:

Have you seen this thread, looks like the same thing:http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=339408

Thanks for that, might give this bike a miss although the Kent looks
ok if I can find a UK supplier.

I just don't understand why there are so many folding bikes being sold
by bike shops and yet so few used ones appear on loot/ebay etc. And
the ones that do appear go for a significant percentage of the new
price. Is someone stockpiling against the future oil peak?

LN

lardyninja said:

I just don't understand why there are so many folding bikes being sold
by bike shops and yet so few used ones appear on loot/ebay etc.

Bear in mind the relative production levels of folders are miniscule
compared to standard diamond frames. That's because they're more
awkward to amke and thus more expensive to make and sell, plus the
general market perception that anything with small wheels is some sort
of joke bike. Look in a bike shop, and you'll see 2 or 3 folders
against /dozens/ of diamond frames, and that will reflect sales.

Because they are a niche I think it's entirely possible that they tend
to be bought by people with a mind to ongoing and pre-researched use.
If you've just bought the thing, why would you sell it?

Quoted message said:

And
the ones that do appear go for a significant percentage of the new
price.

That's economics so simple even I can understand it: simple supply and
demand. The 2nd hand demand runs close to or outstrips the 2nd hand
supply, so it's a seller's market (but you'll still lose money if you
sell your new one, so no incentive to sell if you're using it).

Quoted message said:

Is someone stockpiling against the future oil peak?

No, it's simply a niche market. If you don't want/need a fold it just
adds cost, weight and complexity and something else to go wrong. So not
surprising that not everyone's keen.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>,
lardyninja <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I just don't understand why there are so many folding bikes being sold
by bike shops and yet so few used ones appear on loot/ebay etc. And
the ones that do appear go for a significant percentage of the new
price. Is someone stockpiling against the future oil peak?

There are quite a few Bromptons on ebay right now.

I'll be selling a new folding bike on ebay pretty shortly - a
competition prize that I don't need (I already have a Brompton).
--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

Am Fri, 07 Sep 2007 03:46:03 -0700 schrieb [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Andreas Schulze-Bäing said:

Am Fri, 07 Sep 2007 02:17:17 -0700 schrieb lardyninja:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know why this:

Quoted message said:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-Magnesium-Titanium-Alloy-Folding-Bike-6-Gear...

Quoted message said:

magnesium and titanium folder is soooooo cheap. The seller seems to be
genuine.

The bike looks quite like some of the Dahon designs, it's probably
manufactured by them.

I wouldn't assume that because it looks like a Dahon, it is. There's a
lot of copying of designs goes on in China.

Ok, I just thought that because Dahon is producing loads of bikes sold
under a different brand name.
The bikes frame might have been produced by the same factory that produces
the cheapy Kent folding bike frame sold on amazon.com.

Quoted message said:

My partner's son recently went to China on a school trip, came back
with a "Specialized" frame that cost him £19. Can't remember the
model, bikes built round it go for around £1200. He spent a lot of
time researching it when he got home and the only way he could tell it
was a fake was that the Specialized name was a transfer, not sprayed
on. Otherwise it was externally a perfect copy. The weight was right
as well, but I assume this was achieved by using thin tube throughout
rather than the clever variations that goes in to good frames.

You mean, it might not be a double butted frame?
http://www.reynoldscycles.co.uk/buttedtubing.html

Quoted message said:

It's in the garage at the moment, he's open to offers if anyone's
interested. Don't think I'd want to ride a bike built round it any
further than the shops.

Maybe for a very light-weight person...

Andreas

In article <[email hidden]>,
lardyninja
[email hidden] says...
find a UK supplier.

Quoted message said:

I just don't understand why there are so many folding bikes being sold
by bike shops and yet so few used ones appear on loot/ebay etc.

Because it's easy to stick them in the back of a cupboard and forget
about them? :-)

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

My partner's son recently went to China on a school trip, came back
with a "Specialized" frame that cost him £19. Can't remember the
model, bikes built round it go for around £1200. He spent a lot of
time researching it when he got home and the only way he could tell it
was a fake was that the Specialized name was a transfer, not sprayed
on. Otherwise it was externally a perfect copy. The weight was right
as well, but I assume this was achieved by using thin tube throughout
rather than the clever variations that goes in to good frames.

It could have just been spirited away from the production line before
the final lacquer coat had been applied ...

Andreas Schulze-Bäing said:

The bike looks quite like some of the Dahon designs, it's probably
manufactured by them.

It looks _very_ like the 2007 Speed TR: actually so much like it might
be considered counterfeit...

EFR
Ile de France

in message <[email hidden]>, Tony Raven

(') said:

[email hidden] wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

My partner's son recently went to China on a school trip, came back
with a "Specialized" frame that cost him £19. Can't remember the
model, bikes built round it go for around £1200. He spent a lot of
time researching it when he got home and the only way he could tell it
was a fake was that the Specialized name was a transfer, not sprayed
on. Otherwise it was externally a perfect copy. The weight was right
as well, but I assume this was achieved by using thin tube throughout
rather than the clever variations that goes in to good frames.

Quite often such stuff comes out the back door of the factory making the
real McCoy.

And in China I gather there's a popular scam, when you get a contract to
make products for a western company, to set up two factories from the
drawings: one to make 'genuine' products for your western client, the
other to make virtually identical black market copies. These may be just
as good as the real thing, or may use inferior materials and cut dangerous
corners.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

[ This mind intentionally left blank ]

Simon Brooke <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

And in China I gather there's a popular scam, when you get a contract
to make products for a western company, to set up two factories from
the drawings: one to make 'genuine' products for your western client,
the other to make virtually identical black market copies. These may
be just as good as the real thing, or may use inferior materials and
cut dangerous corners.

Its easy to tell the former - they are the ones with the lead paint ;-)

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell