Upon first look, its silhouette still gives the Dahon Clinch D10 away as a folding bike but you may have to peer a bit closer to find the hinge mechanism itself. No stranger to manufacturing folding bikes, Taiwan’s Dahon has created a high performance folder with one of the cleanest hinge systems seen yet.
Dahon’s Lockjaw hinge technology is designed to hold tight but be almost unnoticeable when in riding position. The Clinch D10 recently won the company a 2015 Taipei Cycle Design and Innovation award, and as a result their winning bike will be on display at this year’s Taipei Cycle Show, from March 18-21st.
Click past the jump to see how the Clinch D10 folds up…
Dahon’s Lockjaw hinge system is designed for use on tubular frames. The top and down tubes feature toothed connections at their hinges to fit together snugly and securely, but it’s amazing how little hint is left from the outside of the tube as to what’s going on inside. There are no extra tacked-on parts, just smooth tubing with a small protruding boss for the pinch bolt. The system does require a 6mm allen key to fold down the bike, but it only takes a half-turn to open or close the hinge. Dahon also makes life easy by cleverly building the allen key tool into a bar end cap, so it’s always handy.
The Clinch D10’s frame is made of patented double-butted Dalloy tubing, which Dahon claims is 20% stronger than 6061 aluminum. It’s equipped with a 1.5” head tube and BB30 bottom bracket. Dahon’s fork is made of strong and reliable hi-tensile steel.
The Clinch D10’s handlepost employs Dahon’s inverted clamping system, which they claim saves weight and stiffens the bike’s steering. The handlepost is made of their Dalloy tubing, is height adjustable and can be switched between two riding positions, one more aggressive and the other more upright and relaxed.
The Dahon’s component set up is typical of most folding bikes, but features some high-end touches. The Clinch D10 rides on Dahon’s 20” Controltech Carbon Clincher wheels with sealed bearing hubs. Stopping power is provided by Dahon’s dual pivot alloy caliper brakes, and the ‘quick draw’ pedals easily pop off and store in the seat tube holster. It’s a single ring up front, with 10cogs in the rear negotiated by a Sram Red derailleur. The complete bike weighs in at 21.2 pounds, and folds down to the following dimensions- 27.2” x 15.7” x 34.3”. The frame comes in brushed silver only.
The Clinch D10’s high performance setup and slick folding system brings the MSRP to $4999.00.
To see how the Lockjaw system works, check out Dahon’s Youtube video.
For more information visit Dahon’s website here.
