The Tern Of A Screw: Unfolding Of A Fracas and Other News

Hills Near Tucheng

... or

As The Wheel Turns

More information keeps coming out about Tern folding bicycles; the new folding bike company founded in Taipei by Josh and Florence Hon who are part owners of Dahon.

Questions have arisen as to why the owners might strike out on their own while maintaining partial ownership in Dahon. Originally, Josh Hon tried to imply the two companies were seeking amicable co-prosperity "like Adidas and Puma".

Looking into the latest report from Bike Biz, there may be a deeper family squabble being played out in the battlefield of enterprise.

The first note is that Dr. David Hon, the founder of Dahon, is not a part of the new venture and maintains ownership and management of Dahon China and Dahon North America.

Lastly, there is this little dig hidden in Tern's press release.

“We did some amazing things at Dahon, including kick-starting the entire folding bike revolution,” stated Hon. “But we’ve wanted to take things even further and in recent years we were running into a variety of issues with the Chinese factory that has registered the Dahon trademark in some countries. After a lot of soul-searching, we all decided that it would be better to start with a fresh clean slate, and after seeing the 2012 product line, we know we made the right decision.”

Ouch!

Without speculating too much... Copenhagen smells like my chamois after a double century.

Here are a couple more opinions on the matter. 1. Bike Commuting in Singapore 2. Small Wheels Big Smile

Also:

• Changhua teens come of age on bicycles. Hmm... that's not how I remember coming of age. It's missing the Polish nanny, 68lbs of beeswax and a rock hammer.

• Taiwanese hip-hop artist admits that a lifestyle of drinking beer and doing stupid things made him feel old... so he got into shape and biked around Taiwan. (video)

• Here is my second training ride after 3.5 months of being injured. It is really hard to blog when you aren't riding. 28 miles of evening traffic and stops. Not bad.

And:

• Congratulations to the one of the greatest cyclists EVER! Jeannie Longo, age 52, was crowned the French National Time Trial Champion. Longo took the title after defeating a field of challengers, many of whom half her age.

• Five innovations making urban cycling safer.

• Protected Lanes to encourage cycling without fear.

• I was just sitting here remembering my beloved 1979 Mongoose Motomag. What a fun little bike!

• Lastly, I am happy to hear my co-worker has ponied up a down payment on a new Surly Cross Check. He couldn't have chosen a better bike for his needs. Congrats!