Dahon Classic III EP 203 Folding Bike Part 2: New Tires, Inner Tubes and a Bike Spa

In our previous report, we set to work on a Dahon Classic III EP203 folding bicycle that was given to us for FREE by Jericho Jamasali, the brother of our marketing boss, Shawie Dizon. The folding bike was bought used at a garage sale in 2019 for P6,500 for Jericho to ride when he commutes from his condo in Mandaluyong City to his job in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and back. After a while, the 20-year-old-something Dahon became a bit troublesome with the tires going flat on a regular basis, so Jericho bought a brand-new folding mountain bike and gave his old bike to us.

When we got the folding bike, it was dirty and bore some mud from Jericho’s last ride. (He narrated that he had to ride through some roads near construction sites where the mud was oozing onto the streets.) We delayed work on the bike until our order of a pair of brand-new bicycle tires and inner tubes were delivered. When our order arrived on the last day of 2020, we decided that the best course of action is for us to disassemble the bicycle first so we can wash and clean it more thoroughly.

Cleanliness is Next to…

After we got the Dahon disassembled, we took the frame and washed the grime off it with a lot of soap and water. Needless to say, we got dirty getting the dirt off the bike. The hardened mud needed some muscle to come off but once the caked grime was sprayed with water, it eventually loosened. As the bike became cleaner, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the metallic crimson paint was still glossy despite of its age and some small scratches.

Changing the Tires

We took delivery of the Philippine-made Leo 16 x 1.75 inner tubes a full week before the Indonesian-made Swallow Super Trac gum-wall tires arrived. We excitedly took the old tires and inner tubes from the folding bikes stainless steel spoke wheels, cleaned the rims to a nice sheen, and placed a layer of tape to protect the inner tube from any sharp contact with the spoke nuts. Anyhow, we think the following photos speak for themselves:

After mounting the new tire and inner tube to the front wheel, we did the same thing to the rear wheel. We took care in removing the old Leo 16 x 1.75 tire and inner tube because these were still serviceable and can still be used by someone who needs just one 16-inch tire for his bicycle. Anyhow, we also cleaned and lubricated the Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub gear, which was polished to a very bright shine. We also temporarily removed the spoke-mounted reflectors to clean all the spokes.

Deliberately Careful Reassembly

We took our time reassembling the Dahon because we felt that we should NOT reinstall parts that are broken (like the front and rear fenders/mud guards) or those that need to be replaced. But since our folding bike is more than 20-years-old, we kept some broken parts attached to it until we can locate a suitable replacement part. We would like to have everything chromed and polished but because of budget considerations and the pandemic situation, we just kept our reassembly procedures as close to stock as possible.

Mounting Other Parts and Accessories

After the front and rear wheels were securely bolted on, we moved our attention to working on other parts, such as adjusting the cable for Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub gear, reinstalling the folding side stand, chain guard, and rear carrier rack.

Broken Pieces and Finished Assembly

We made a list of the broken parts that we need to find and purchase to return this Dahon Classic III folding bike back to its former glory. In the mean time, we made do with what we have and stopped to admire our handiwork. Not bad for a half-day’s work before the year ends, eh?