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My Dahon foldable bike makes a huge noise whenever I fold the frame and unfold it. I tried spraying a lubricant into the joint. I do not know if the problem is continuing because the lubricant went around the joint and didn't enter it, or because I used the wrong lubricant.

Has anyone else had problems with the fold across the frame with their Dahon bikes? How did you lubricate this fold?

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  • Can you post a picture of the damaged joint? – Neil Fein Apr 1 '13 at 17:44
  • The joint looks fine. It takes only a microscopic misalignment to ruin it. – MultiplyImputed Apr 2 '13 at 18:10
  • I believe standing up when cycling, eg uphill or starting up from traffic lights puts extra strain on the joint and is to be avoided. – user7301 Jun 24 '13 at 17:23
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For similar things on cars I use white lithium grease (e.g. this stuff on Amazon)—it is a good lubricant and sticks around the joint that you apply it to.

Any similar thick grease should work for this joint, but the crucial thing is getting it into the right place. Taking the joint apart and applying grease to the mating surfaces is the best bet.

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My bike is Dahon Mu D8 and I have creaking noises coming from the frame (hinge lock)

This is an embarrassing sound when other people hear it.

So I solved the creaking noise with 3M electrical vinyl tape which has good quality adhesives. I cut four pieces and put 2 in the notch and 2 in the latch.

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Whether or not you used the wrong lubricant depends a lot on just which lubricant you used...

A large load bearing joint like that deserves some teflon grease or some pedro's grease, I don't think regular lubricant is going to cut it here. Head to your LBS and ask what type of grease they have for you and how much to apply ( it shouldn't take much ).

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I took my bike to two different bikeshops, to hear what the professionals had to say. They both said that the joint was out of alignment. No lubricant will fix the problem. Furthermore, because the joint was welded to each half of the bicycle, I cannot install a new one. The bicycle will break if I continue to fold it and unfold it. They recommended that I leave the bicycle unfolded.

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    Did you bring your bike to shops that are familiar with Dahons? I ask because I've found that many shops not familiar with folding bikes will misdiagnose problems. – Neil Fein Apr 1 '13 at 17:44
  • I think they are familiar with Dahons. Both bike shops sell large quantities of them. – MultiplyImputed Apr 2 '13 at 18:08

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