With 26" wheels, the Dahon Matrix is a full sized folding bike manufactured by Dahon. It has 24 speeds (3 spd. front derailleur and rear 8) and weighs about 30 pounds. What makes this bike great, is it has a road bike look and feel, but with folding aspects, ready to be unlocked with the included hex key. The Matrix folding bike I rode was equipped with the 350 watt BionX electric motor kit, which made navigating through the New York streets not only easy, but fun.
The tires and suspension added for a smooth, comfortable ride, and with 24 speeds, it was no problem picking up speed, even with the BionX kit off! When it comes time to fold the bike, you just make about one rotation with the key in two joints, and its done! With the same key used to unlock it, you can also remove the handlebars so that you have more compact of a fold. The pedals are also removable with the assistance of a standard wrench. Although the folding process is both fast and easy, the fold itself isn't as compact or efficient as some of its folding brethren. It is, however, fitting for a rider who's need for speed outweighs a need for space. In other words, if you only need the bike to fold compact enough for the trunk of a car, your apartment, or workspace, the Matrix BionX is perfect for you; you get a full-size fit and comfortable ride.
The BionX kit has 4 possible levels of assistance, ranging from 25 to 200%; this meaning that as I pedaled, it would assist me, up to 200%, or until I hit 20 MPH. The throttle, which is used only for (but not limited to) short bursts of speed, was kept handy for starting out, tight spots, and yellow lights. As slowing down is a priority on this bike, it is obviously befitting for the bike to have a regenerative braking feature as well. If I were to have to progressively slow down, for a hill, for instance, I can just set the regenerative mode to brake for me, and as it slows, it also recharges the battery. If I just need to hit the handbrake,the BionX bike kit system momentarily kicks the regenerative braking mode in until I let off.
Personally, I liked to keep the Matrix electric bike in second (front) gear, and adjust through the 8 spds. and skip to a higher third (front) later; but depending on your strength, you can start out in 1st or 3rd. Riding at a comfortable speed with the 2nd level assist was more than enough to keep me at speed, and the regenerative brakes that recharged when engaged, kept me from speeding past taxi cabs. All in all, this bike is a perfect marriage of comfort from a full-sized electric bike, and functionality from a folding bike.
