Dahon Passes the Quarter Century Mark
Source: Dahon
News Posted 23 Aug 2007
Twenty-five years of folding bike innovations
Here at Everyday Cycling, were keen supporters of cycle technology that makes it that little bit easier to integrate cycling into your daily life. And folding bikes really fit the bill – they stash away really small, to fit under your stairs/desk/behind the couch, in the boot of your car or in the luggage rack of the train. Folders bring you one step closer to that holy grail of inhindered multi modal door to door transportation. So we’re happy to see leading folder guru David Hon celebrating 25 years of Dahon bikes. 
Dahon, the world leader in portable bicycles, today announced celebrations for its twenty-fifth anniversary amid record sales. The 2008 model year marks twenty-five years since Dr. David Hon founded Dahon in what he calls a humble drive to transform global transportation. Since 1983, Dahon has produced over 3 million folding bicycles. Today, folding bicycles are one of the fastest growing product categories in the bicycle market with 15% market share in some countries.
“I started out as a small guy with a big idea,” stated Dr. David Hon, Dahon President. “My goal was nothing less than a transportation solution that was affordable and could alleviate the world’s dependence on oil. I developed a folding bike prototype and flew around the world to the big bike manufacturers hoping to license my idea; but none of the big bike manufacturers were interested. So I decided to do it myself and moved to a new country and built a factory because of my belief in the importance of the product. In retrospect, I was pretty fool-hardy, not knowing how difficult it would be to make the transition from academia to business. But it has been a rewarding journey.”
Today, over 95% of folding bicycles on the market utilize portions of the technology originally pioneered by Dahon while Dahon continues to push the technology envelope forward. Dahon’s team of research and development engineers develop new patented technologies at a rate of 20 per year. In addition the company sets the goal of improving its bikes by at least 15 percent year after year. Dahon actively licenses many patents to other companies in keeping with its vision of making folding bikes accessible to everyone.
“Looking back, it’s amazing how far we’ve come in twenty-five years,” continued Hon. “When I started, folding bikes were largely considered novelties that weren’t serious bikes. Now folding bikes are playing such an important transport role and so many people depend on them every day.” Dahon will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a limited-edition bicycle, the Mu XXV. Only 250 will be made worldwide and it will be introduced at Eurobike. Other special activities will be announced as the dates draw closer.
Prior to starting Dahon in 1983, Dr. Hon was employed at Hughes Aircraft Research Laboratories as a Senior Staff Physicist. Dr. Hon was a global authority in solid state lasers and during his time there, authored numerous papers and was awarded ten patents related to his research. Prior to joining Hughes Aircraft, Dr. Hon was a Physics professor in the California State College system.
For more info on the 25th anniversary and the wonderful world of Dahon folding bikes, go here:
www.dahon.com