# Dahon Folder owners comments please



## Crackle (6 Apr 2008)

Read through a few of the posts and it seems a few of you have got them.

As I'm looking for an occasional use folder to go away with I was thinking the Dahon fits the bill on price and foldability. I read they can be a bit fiddly to keep in tune and are a bit down on quality compared to others; anything else to add apart from that?

Oh! and which one I think £300/£400 is my budget?


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## Twenty Inch (7 Apr 2008)

Should be fine for occasional use.

They need more adjustment and care than a Brompton, and are heavier and bulkier to carry. Their fold isn't as quick or easy as a Brompton which is a pain with 8 folds a day (UNfold at home, ride to station, fold at station for train, arrive dest-n, unfold, ride to office, fold for storage, do it all again in the evening).

You've also got to keep the seattube lubricated for the fold, which means risking oil all over your clothes, although some people clean.

They can be a bit gimmicky - mine had a seatpost pump. Great idea, but it didn't last more than two demonstrations, let alone any use. Sometimes I feel they are continually innovating, and never consolidating.

On the plus side - great ride, very fast, comfortable, good for heavier riders like me, feels like a real bike, you can get full-size panniers on some models instead of having a great big bag on the front like a Brompton.

They're ok. I hardly ride mine now. Do you want to buy it?


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## Crackle (7 Apr 2008)

20", maybe. Can I get back to you, just considering my options at the moment.

Which one is it?


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## Twenty Inch (7 Apr 2008)

It's the Dahon impulse in red. 24 gears - SRAM hub. Needs a new front wheel thanks to a blind taxi driver, but otherwise in good order.

Have a think, and I shall too. Probably don't want to sell it really, but would get loads of brownie points from Mrs TI.


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## Origamist (9 Apr 2008)

Crackle said:


> Read through a few of the posts and it seems a few of you have got them.
> 
> As I'm looking for an occasional use folder to go away with I was thinking the Dahon fits the bill on price and foldability. I read they can be a bit fiddly to keep in tune and are a bit down on quality compared to others; anything else to add apart from that?
> 
> Oh! and which one I think £300/£400 is my budget?



Dahon puts a lot of money into R&D, hence the annual upgrades - however, the technology does not have a lot of time to bed-in and problems have arisen with certain proprietary parts/components. 

That said, they offer good value for money and there is a wide range of folders to choose from. The folded size of the 20" models is reasonable, but not on par with Bromptons, Mezzos etc. 

You can get pretty good deals on 2007 Mu P8s, but without knowing more about your needs it's difficult to recommend specific models.


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## Morrisette (17 Apr 2008)

I have a Vitesse (I think a 2006 model). I paid £325 for it a year ago, including a set of lights. To be honest I'm not sure how useful this will be as I've hardly used it. However!

I bought it so I could have a bike that I could keep inside at home, and for this it is perfect. The fold is awkward if you're small, I have to lay the bike down to do the frame fold but I have seen it done properly. It's heavy - I couldn't carry it more than a platform length. I've taken it on trains with no problems. I wouldn't want to do it day in day out but for occasional use/the odd bike-train commute it is fine.

It rides nicely, good brakes, and the pedals are strong enough to stand up on (for me, I'm not very big) I did have problems with the gears and they still aren't great (they never ran smoothly, tried to fix this myself and snapped the cable - I think this was to do with the shop set up rather than something intrinsically wrong with the bike though - though it was hard to resolve).

You could certainly fit a rack bag onto it, not sure about panniers. The rack is quite sturdy though, I have carried a week's food shopping on it. It actually rides better with something on the back.

Not sure I would recommend this particular model wholeheartedly because I did have problems with it - I wouldn't say it would be that great for a daily commute. For occasional use, it's fine.


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## mickle (20 Apr 2008)

There's Dahons and there's Dahons. They use four different factories. Also, loads of 'manufacturers' sell rebadged Dahons as part of their range; Raleigh (spit), Dawes, er, and some other ones. So you don't need to have a Dahon dealer nearby in order to purchase one.

Buy a Brompton.


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## mickle (20 Apr 2008)

stevew said:


> I have a Jetstream P8 which I got new off ebay for 360 quid. Excellent value for money, rides well, folds reasonably...........in fact I would say I like it, but it's not worth 600 quid which is the normal retail in the UK. I would suggest you keep your eye in ebay and buy from Germany maybe. Only proviso is that you must be willing/able to assemble it yourself.
> Also worth checking out the Dahon Forum http://www.dahon.com/forum/index.php



To be fair they require very little assembly, Dahons are so well built that they are virtually fit to ride straight out of the box.


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## stevew (21 Apr 2008)

Whilst I agree that assembly from the box is not hard, the adjustments can be a little daunting for technophobes. My P8 had very badly adjusted head bearings and it's not that obvious how it all works in that area, and no instructions !!
Also many ordinary cyclists rely on their LBS to do jobs like gear index adjustments. So for some it's no problem sorting those sort of problems out but for others it may be the differance between a bike they actually use and one that stays in the shed.
IMO 600 quid spent and a useable bike is better than 360 quid spent on a shed filler !!


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## byegad (7 Jun 2008)

My 2002 Speed-Pro is a corker. DualDrive 24 speed and goes very nicely.


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## gpx001 (25 Jun 2008)

I've a Dawes Kingpin and my wife a Boardwalk Lite, which are both re-badged Dahons. The Kingpin is a little more expensive than the Boardwalk, but the overall quality of tyres, gear shifters and other components is better. We are happy with both bikes.


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## Wraithand (22 Jul 2008)

I have a Dahon Jack one of the best bikes I have ever had. It gives a very comfortable ride and is reasonably fast, I would recommend it to anyone. Although it folds it has large wheels which I think makes it better, not for those who want a smaller easy to handle "parcel" though and it feels light enough to carry to me.


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## Riding in Circles (24 Jul 2008)

I have a Dahon Jack for sale that I have upgraded to 27 speed so new rear hub, new powerspline BB, new crankset, new derailleurs front and rear, new chain, new rack and rear light, all serviced of course as I sell cycles, I only ride recumbents now. £200 or best offer.


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## eeyin (Amsterdam) (28 Jul 2008)

I was looking for some faster tyres for my 2007 Jetstream P6 (original Spec is Schwalbe Marathon Runner 20"x1.5") on looking at the internet found some 20" x 1 1/8" Schwalbe Stelvio but after ordering its obvious the new tyres are too big in diameter .... where have I gone wrong????


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## Origamist (28 Jul 2008)

eeyin (Amsterdam) said:


> I was looking for some faster tyres for my 2007 Jetstream P6 (original Spec is Schwalbe Marathon Runner 20"x1.5") on looking at the internet found some 20" x 1 1/8" Schwalbe Stelvio but after ordering its obvious the new tyres are too big in diameter .... where have I gone wrong????



20" Stelvios come in two 20" variants: ISO 406 and 451. Sounds like you've got the 20" 451s. Dahons come with 20" 406s as standard...


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## jethrotull (11 Sep 2008)

i have a Dahon jack and the seat-tube has cracked after less than a year's daily communting! Second time as well - previously I had a Dahon badghed as a Rabbit folder and it broke after about two years. The new Jack seemed much sturdier than the Rabbit but still died - giving up on folders now!


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## B13 (26 Jan 2009)

I've got a Dahon Jack that I absolutely love to bits!

The only quibble I have is that there's no front suspension. I use it for 50km rides with my cycle club, both off- and on- road so a bit of suspension on the front to smooth out the lumps 'n' bumps would be nice!!

The place where I bought it from suggested Rock Shox Dart 2s...

Has anyone here put suspension forks on their Jack? If so, which ones and how much weight did it add? Any problems?


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## arallsopp (27 Jan 2009)

Mrs arallsopp rides a Cadenza 8 with hub gear. Folds small enough for her to lift it into the car, drive out with arallsopp jnr, find a pub car park, unfold, mount child seat, buy a drink and wait for me to whizz by on the 'bent. 

Is a lovely ride too. Very smooth with those balloon bike tyres and rock solid frame. Not massively light, but feels very safe. Only bike she'd let me put Jnr on the back of (he's coming up to his first birthday next month).

Works well for us, as I can do a 60 miler at the weekend, with her joining for the flat bit in the middle.


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## Crackle (27 Jan 2009)

I'm finding all the comments very useful. My original reason for one went away for the moment but it may return.


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## jay clock (27 Jan 2009)

I have a Dahon Speed P8 circa 2005 model. I bought it in the US and paid £303 allin when it was listed as £499 in the UK

I have not done much mileage on it, but it is a superb bike to own, and it is nice to know it is there on the odd occasion I need a folder (eg taking a train trip and their is doubt as to whether I will get a normal bike on)

I once did a hilly-ish 40 mile road trip and it coped fine.

The only issues are that the handlebar/stem always feels a bit flimsy like it could come undone, but never has!! Also if you want the neatest folding mechanism for daily commuting it would not be ideal

In summary I cannot imagine ever wanting to sell it!


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## Twenty Inch (28 Jan 2009)

I met up recently with a fellow Dahon commuter - daily user. He has had two Dahons fail catastrophically with seat-tube failures. He's now on his third, which Dahon gave him for nothing. This may be an issue for the bigger rider.

I've still got mine in the cellar, it still needs a new front wheel.


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## Origamist (28 Jan 2009)

I've had seat post cracks on three folders. I blame the following: high mileage, a long seatpost and my weight...


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## upsidedown (4 Feb 2009)

I bought a 2007 Cadenza last weekend.
Lovely bike, very well specced, race-blades, conti tyres, avid brakes etc - but -

first ride the magnet on the rear half of the frame fell off, so now have to use velcro to hold the frame together when folded.

rear wheel felt very weird on the way home tonight, checked it on the train and at least a dozen spokes were loose enough to be able to tighten them by hand, don't know if this is down to the builder or the dealer, but first time i've seen it in any bike i've bought.

Other observations:

A bit big for very crowded trains, but that's the price you pay for a "normal" bike feel.

Locking mechanism on the frame feels very strong, no flex at all.

Overall a great bike, let down by poor initial wheel build or pre-delivery inspection.


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## Twenty Inch (5 Feb 2009)

The magnets on mine were never very useful. 

That wheel issue is shocking. Have you let the shop know? You may be doing them a favour by alerting them to an issue.


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## ChrisKH (5 Feb 2009)

upsidedown said:


> I bought a 2007 Cadenza last weekend.
> Lovely bike, very well specced, race-blades, conti tyres, avid brakes etc - but -
> 
> first ride the magnet on the rear half of the frame fell off, so now have to use velcro to hold the frame together when folded.
> ...



Ditto on both faults for mine. I lost the rear magnet on the first ride and had to have the front wheel re-built as the spokes were loose or fell out. Where did you get the bike from? Watch for the cables at the fold, I pretty much sliced one in half when I put the bike together once.


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## upsidedown (6 Feb 2009)

ChrisKH said:


> Ditto on both faults for mine. I lost the rear magnet on the first ride and had to have the front wheel re-built as the spokes were loose or fell out. Where did you get the bike from? Watch for the cables at the fold, I pretty much sliced one in half when I put the bike together once.



Would rather not say where it came from as it was my first dealing with them so might just be unlucky, and they were very busy so obviously have a good name locally.

I have emailled them to let them know of a potential problem with the wheels, thanks for the suggestion Chris and Twentyinch


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## upsidedown (20 Mar 2009)

Gave up on the rear wheel as the spokes kept coming loose. Took it to LBS who said that the reason was that the spokes weren't crossed, so it would never stay tensioned. Bought a £25 wheel and it's been fine since.


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## Crackle (20 Mar 2009)

The bike shop near me has started selling Dahon folders. I'm very tempted to take a shufty.


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## DrMekon (23 Mar 2009)

I have a 2008 D7HG. It rides really nicely as long as you don't mind spinning when the wind is behind you. I am right at the limit of the bike it terms of height, so I gladly signed up to the extended warranty on the frame. If it didn't have the warranty, the relatively small amount of seatpost in the frame relative to the amount out of the frame would give me concerns about the stress on the frame. The kit on it does the job, and the mudguards and rack are nice. The chainguard setup needs tweaking (I moved the rear mountpoint behind the frame tab). and the grips are like anti-Ergons and appear designed to increase hand pain. I'll be getting some Ergon GC2s very soon. The handling is brilliant fun. It's not relaxing, but super nippy. It all moves around underneath me very quickly.


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## Owch (27 Mar 2009)

*Gearing*

I've just bought a D7HG and I've got one question about it. The gearing seems a bit low for Lincolnshire - with a decent wind behind I soon run out of gears so I was wondering what the smallest practical rear sprocket for the hub gear might be? Or would increasing the chainwheel size be a better option (though I'd also need a new chain too...).

It has crossed my mind that having relatively low gears might be a useful safety feature - 20" wheels don't cope with pot-holes as well as 26" ones but the bike seems reasonably steady at speed so I'd like to give it a go.


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## vandatubes (29 Mar 2009)

me too I ve bought a D7HG and paid £265 for it.It s and very handy bike to have and I love the hub gear and its a stronger back wheel.Need it as I 'm 6ft and 17 stone. To help I put some Swarble Big Apples on it and its a good sturdy ride not fast or nifty but very very handy to have, buy one


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## jay clock (29 Mar 2009)

I have a Speed P8 about 3 years old. Lovely bike and it gets used very very rarely but I do not think I will ever sell it as it so ideal for what it is designed for. I even did a 45 mile ride on it in the US


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## TimP (17 Apr 2009)

I've got a Mu SL. Doesn't fold nearly as neatly as the Brompton but the Brompton's ride was so poor against the Dahon's which can be thrown around like a real bike.

(The bikes in question were equivalently priced and test-ridden back to back)


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