Bike Check: Breezy’s “Xiaohon” Dahon 412
You could say the Shanghai bike scene is really colorful: bright paint, anodized parts, neon decals, everything to make your ride as loud and unique as possible. So you can imagine how curious I was when I spotted a tiny flash of silver in the distance, moving so fast I could barely catch up in Shanghai’s intense traffic. No joke: Breezy is so agile on this thing that keeping pace behind her was one of the most challenging parts of this trip. How can you be that fast on 14” wheels? Well, let’s dig in.
When Breezy moved to the suburbs but kept coming back to the city using a mix of high-speed trains and subways, she quickly began hunting for a lightweight folding bike that would still offer a smooth and agile ride on urban streets. After some research and a few test rides, she narrowed it down to three options: a Brompton, a Birdy, and a Dahon 412.
The Dahon 412 is already a great, fairly lightweight, base. But with a few smart modifications, there’s potential to build one that hovers around 5 kg. The newest version of the 412 came with too many unnecessary details for Breezy’s taste, things like a quick-release lever on the head tube to adjust handlebar angle, bottle mounts on the top tube, fenders, and other extras bits that made this simple bike feel bloated. So she sourced an older model, the one with the big logos, as the platform for her build. On top of that, this version has a cleaner look and is apparently made from lighter “aerospace-grade” aluminum.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Dahon 412
Chainring Stronglight ZICRAL 46t
Crank Shimano FC-6400
Seatpost and Saddle
Titaniu seatpost and Brooks C17 saddle
Steam and Handlebar
Ritchey WCS 4 Axis 120mm, Easton Monkey Lite xc, SQlab 710 grips
Wheels
Mialobikes 14", with CULT×VANS 14" tires
When she first picked it up, the bike still had many of its original components, like the one-piece headtube, the rear circular reflector, and the matching silvery-gray quick-release levers. So she used those elements as anchors to upgrade to more custom parts while keeping a sense of harmony throughout the bike.
Since this needed to be a lightweight daily commuter, Breezy wanted something subtle enough to leave locked on the street without attracting too much attention. So every modification focused on portability and functionality, with a restrained color scheme. The upgrades started with a lighter wheelsets coming with this paired-spoke configuration reminiscent of Rolf wheels. These apparently reduced weight and noticeably improved ride quality. She also swapped in a Brooks saddle, Tektro brake levers with a built-in bell, which is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen by the way, and MKS magnesium pedals, along with plenty of other new parts.
Breezy also told me, that this is one of the rare bikes she bought and started riding almost right away, as a forever evolving project, instead of stashing a frame and parts until a full build was ready. By the time I did this bike check, she had already gone through four sets of tires (and it’s not like there are many 14” options out there) and two cranksets, just testing and trying to find parts that felt the best for this bike. The latest version even has a tiny front rack that she actually uses for small packages.
In short, this was my favorite bike of my 2025 Shanghai trip. Small bike rocks, and everything that isn’t an overpriced maxed-out Brompton has my full attention. And if you think the bike by itself wasn’t cool enough, Breezy and her partner Dai are creating some awesome cycling wear for their brand @bcmng_apparel, so you should totally check out what they’re doing.
Small for all!
🎞: Kodak Color Plus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Shanghai
