Dahon Boardwalk 6-Speed - A Smaller Chainring is a Winner

Dahon Boardwalk 6-speed with new 48T chainring.

After riding the Dahon 6-speed for nearly two years and struggling up hills near home, I wanted to lower the gearing with cost effective changes. It was rather fortuitous that Beth of bikelovejones had recently upgraded a Dahon of similar gear range, so when I was ready, I contacted Beth to find out particulars.

Dahon with original chainring.

Armed with information, I left my Dahon with Old Spokes Home, but also gave them the opportunity to come up with an alternative solution. The mechanic agreed that swapping the front one-piece crank arm/ring assembly was the best bet and would first take a look in their parts bin before ordering new parts. A couple days later a mechanic called, failed to locate suitable used parts, but could order the new parts, offering my requested 48T plus a 38T alternative. Of note: I regularly only used the lowest 4 of 6 gears, so switching from 52T to 48T made sense, whereas drastically lowering 12 teeth seemed too much of a change. I worried that had I chosen the big drop, then riding on flat terrain meant I would be coasting rather than picking up speed. What I particularly love about this bike (among its varied versatile features) is its surprisingly smooth ride - the bike rolls well and zips along, often keeping up with or passing other riders on descents.

Two weeks into riding with a 48T chainring has made a world of difference! I climb much easier and use gears 1-5 regularly, with only occasional drop into gear 6 with tailwind/and or when I need to get somewhere fast. I think the only other change I might explore in the future is whether the drive train could accommodate a larger freewheel, which might further enhance gearing for optimal range. But that's splitting hairs for a 6-speed, so-to-speak, and I'm perfectly happy with the new setup.