Dahon MuSP: Outward Folding Handlepost and External Cable Routing

The Dahon MuSP is a really nice drop bar folding bike that I assembled back in 2018. It's a rarely used bike, but it is always available as an option if you need to transport a folded drop bar bike to another location.

As shown below, when folded, it can be placed on the backseat of a car, or in the boot if the boot is large enough. On this Dahon MuSP, I chose an inward folding handlepost for a more compact folded size. Most of the time, it works, but it can also be rather awkward during folding.

The problem with the inward folding handlepost with a drop bar is the difficulty of actually folding the handlepost and drop bar, without the saddle or other parts of the bike getting in the way.

Another issue is that the shifters protrude from the folded bike quite significantly. For storage it is fine, but it barely fits in the backseat of the car, as the shifters are already touching the windows.

Folded Dahon MuSP on the backseat of a car. Shifters are right up against the window.

After much consideration, I decided to try a more conventional outward folding handlepost for this drop bar folding bike. Although the folded size would be wider, at least it would be shorter and perhaps easier to place into the car.

New outward folding T-shaped handlepost on the right, just a tiny little bit taller. Shorter ones are practically impossible to find.

Focus Paralane: Phase 2 Assembly Completed

After finally getting the 12 speed Dura-Ace crankset, I can complete Phase 2 of the 12 speed upgrade to the Focus Paralane. Previously I had all the new 12 speed components except the crankset.

Dura-Ace R9200 12 speed crankset, with 50/34T chain rings.

Focus Paralane: Dura-Ace 12 Speed Crankset R9200

On the Focus Paralane all-weather commuting bike, I had already upgraded most of the groupset to a 12 speed Dura-Ace system. Only one component was missing, and it was the 12 speed crankset. Due to production delays, I was not able to get the crankset at the same time as the rest of the components.

During Phase 1 of this upgrade, all the components have been changed to the latest Dura-Ace R9200 groupset, except for this crankset. Even so, there is no issue with using the older R9100 crankset in the 12 speed drivetrain, as they are mostly compatible, although you may not get 100% of the function.

Now that I have this 12 speed R9200 crankset, I can complete the upgrade in Phase 2 of this project.

Unboxing the new Dura-Ace R9200 crankset! New packaging design for Dura-Ace.

I chose the 50-34T chain ring combination, and a crank arm length of 165 mm. According to my own experience and also bike fitting, this length is good for me.

Most of the box is actually just air, as the crankset has a shape that takes up quite a bit of space.

Dura-Ace R9200 crankset!

Fnhon DB12: Dura-Ace R9100 Crankarms and PRO Stealth Saddle

A few months ago, before I converted the Focus Paralane from a 1x11 speed to 2x11 speed road bike, I had the Dura-Ace R9100 crankset available and not in use on any of my bikes. This is the original R9100 crankset that I had on the Canyon Endurace, since year 2017.

Therefore, I decided to put this Dura-Ace crankset on the Fnhon DB12, because it is black and matches the frame well. Prior to this, an Ultegra 6800 crankset was in use.

Dura-Ace R9100 crankset with the Wolf Tooth 44T chain ring for AXS 12 speed chain.

Looking good with my signature 4 colour chain ring bolts!

Shimano HG vs Microspline vs Road 12 Speed vs SRAM XDR Freehub Body

Nowadays, there are so many different types of freehub bodies, mainly due to different manufacturers and also different cassette requirements.

The most common one is the HG spline standard, or the Shimano spline that has been in use since 8 speed cassettes. In fact, 8/9/10 speed cassettes use the same HG spline. 11 speed cassettes have the same spline pattern, just that it is 1.85 mm longer.

Then, there is the SRAM XD and XDR standard. This are radically different from the original HG spline, as there is only a short spline section. It is originally designed for MTB cassettes with a small 10T sprocket. I first used it on the Fnhon DB12 wheelset, when I changed to the SRAM Force 10-36T 12 speed cassette.

There is also the Shimano Microspline freehub, for Shimano 12 speed MTB cassettes. I have not had the chance to use a Microspline cassette on my own bike, but this is the Shimano alternative to the SRAM XD/XDR freehub.

The most recent addition to the freehub collection is the new road spline for Shimano 12 speed road cassettes. Once again, another design that is different from existing designs.

 

Microspline and XD/XDR can accommodate cassettes with a small 10T sprocket, which is useful for a wider gear range without going to even bigger sprockets at the other end.

The new Shimano road spline cannot have a 10T sprocket, as it is designed just to fit 12 speed Shimano road cassettes with a small sprocket of 11T.

From left to right: Microspline, standard HG (11 speed version), and XDR freehub bodies.

Shimano GRX Di2 vs SRAM Force eTap AXS: Rear Derailleur

Traditionally, rear derailleurs are either road type or MTB type, and were designed quite differently to meet the different requirements.

Road rear derailleurs are small and lightweight, and have short cages to match the road cassettes. On the other hand, MTB rear derailleurs are built to be tougher and thus heavier, and they also have long cages to match the wide range MTB cassettes. Most importantly, it is equipped with a clutch to prevent chain slap and chain drop when riding on bumpy terrain.

Then, in comes gravel riding, and neither road nor MTB rear derailleurs are completely suitable. Road rear derailleurs are a bit too delicate for gravel riding, and the absence of a clutch causes the chain to bounce too much and result in chain drops. MTB rear derailleurs work a bit better, but are also not completely suitable as they are not suited for closer range cassettes.

Shimano has their GRX range of gravel rear derailleurs, while SRAM has the Force 1x series for gravel setups. Here is a comparison between the two different gravel rear derailleurs by Shimano and SRAM.

There are 4 types of gravel rear derailleurs by Shimano. Either mechanical or electronic shifting, and either front single or front double drivetrains. Pick the one that matches your setup!

GRX Rear Derailleur RD-RX815, which is for 2x11 speed gravel drivetrains, up to 34T cassette size.