Photograph courtesy of http://www.soarlegs.com
Dodsun is a Taiwanese OEM bike frame manufacturer. One of their products is a relaxed geometry road bike in titanium. What makes this bike stand out is the build. The groupset is SRAM Red 22 eTap with hydraulic disc brakes. The seatpost, saddle, stem and handlebars are Ritchey. The wheels are Ritchey WCS Zeta.
What makes this bike REALLY stand out is the price. Approximately USD3,100 as specified above. In effect, you get a free frame with the SRAM Red eTap hydraulic disc brake groupset.
Pai was the first R@SKL to buy one and bring it to Kuala Lumpur early in the year. After a test ride, Mark bought one. Alfred, Jimmy, Kenix, Simon and TH later put in orders as well. With the understanding that they all would make the trip to Taipei to collect their bikes once they were built.
The plan was to come to Taipei, collect bikes, spend two or three days riding, and then visit the Taipei International Cycle Show. CK and Daniel of Pegasus Cycles would get International Visitor passes for us. Those passes would get us into the show as trade visitors, ahead of the doors being opened to the general public on 2nd and 3rd November.
Pai started working on the logistics in August. By mid-September, ten people had confirmed that they would make the trip. There was just one snag. Jimmy and Kenix were the only ones of the five who had ordered bikes that would be making the trip. The other three had to find people to bring their bikes to Kuala Lumpur for them.
So it was that three of us would not bring our bikes to Taipei with us. We would ride new Dodsuns for a few days before bringing them back to KL for their owners. Pai also did not need his own bike. Mark’s bike had been returned to the manufacturer to repair a defect. Pai would ride Mark’s bike and then bring it back to Kuala Lumpur for Mark.
Pai was in Taipei a few days early to take delivery of the new and repaired bikes and to finalise the logistics for our trip. Ai Lei, Bin Soo, Ernestine, Huey-Ling, Jimmy and wife, and Kenix arrived on Saturday.
Photograph courtesy of Liew Huey-Ling
Photograph courtesy of Khoo Bin Soo
Waiting at Taoyuan Airport to pick them up was Xiao Ger. Our friend from the R@SKLs’ previous visit to Taiwan in April.
Photograph courtesy of Xiao Ger
Xiao Ger would be driving the support van for us during this trip. We would be in good hands.
Old Roots, New Routes 