Trunk Time

As the winter rains approach, it is time to add a rain gear trunk to the red tiny Curve. This is a TransIt trunk bag from Performance. It fits well on the rack and when put on backwards adds a caring handle. It is big enough for a rain jacket and some pants.

Tiny Red Bicycle

Behold the tiniest folding bike I could find used in the area. It's a 2008 Dahon Curve D3 with 16" (305) wheels. It is quite fun to ride but the main reasons that I have added it to the stable is:
A: It folds so it can go on BART any time. It is actually small enough to fit between my legs while standing.
B: It has 16" tires which is the minimum allowed on AC Transit bus racks. Plus AC Transit is suppose to allow folding bikes (and strollers) on the bus. I may need to try this if the 2 bike racks are taken.

The 3 in the D3 is presumably because it is a 3 speed rear hub. The gearing seemed good for flat riding up to probably 20 MPH. Which I have got to say is slightly sketchy given the short wheel base and small wheels. However 1 ride around my hilly neck of the woods proved a bit too challenging for my lazy man style. So I got a 18Tooth rear cog to replace the stock 13T. This seems to be much more reasonable in the hills. So accordingly to Sheldon Browns calculator the gears went from ~35/48/65 gear inches to 25/34/46 gear inches. This is slightly off because his calculator uses a 16 X1.5" and the stock tires on the D3 are 2.0". Changing the cog is fairly easy mater of pulling the wheel out of the frame and pulling a lock ring off. Of course a slightly longer chain is required.