tkmeister

I just came back from a store checking Dahon bikes. The store sale people weren’t as helpful as I hope them to be. There was a guy who was shopping and has an old Dahon who ended up helping me the most.

I’ve been told by a sale’s person that Mu will probably get beat up more because it’s the lightest and also more fragile. I am not sure if his claim is true. I am leaning toward Mu because of its clean design and color. If his claim is true, I’d probably get a Speed P8. But I am also wondering if I really gain much with all the premium components and just get a Speed D7 and save money.

I’ll be using it mostly for commuting in NYC about 30 blocks and for weekend excursions to nearby parks. I’d really appreciate opinions from you guys. I’ve been checking this site like a crazy maniac trying to decide what works the best for me.

Thanks!

giskard

I wouldn't say the Mu is more fragile because it's light - the sales guy is talking nonsense.

I test rode a Speed D7 and found it to be very "flexy" and not very confidence inspiring. OTOH, the Mu was a much better ride and so after a few hours test ride, I bought one. I'm very happy with it. I dunno what the Speed P8 is like but the curved frame of the Mu means more stiffness. I use my Mu to cycle through London city at rush hour 3 miles each way and find the premium components make for a nicer feel - other than the telescopic handle-post, the bike feels rock solid. If you're lucky, you may be able to pick up a 2007 MuP8 at a discount price close to that of this year's Speed P8.

mjw

I tried each of these bikes and liked the Speed P8 the best mostly because I liked the shifter and extra gear but will probably end up with a downtube after reading these boards.

Loch

Personally, if it's a choice between the 2008 mu p8 and speed p8, I'd go with the Mu.

The Mu frame hindge is a very nice upgrade. I prefer the faster lighter tires (some might not). I like aluminum because it doesn't rust (steel requires more attention). I think the Mu looks a little better.

I got rid of my downtube IXNS for a mu p8, a much better bike.

I have a 2007 speed pro, 2007 curve SL, and 2008 Mu p8.

chuyim

I own a 2007 D7 (1 year old) and a 2008 P8 (1 month old). I was quite excited when test rode the P8 for about 2 minutes before buying it for my husband, I think the big apple tires did the trick. Now after a month of riding on both of them, I think if I would go back on time, I would just get another D7 and upgrade it with big apple tires and save the $200

Reasons:
1) the frame is the same.
2) gears are pretty much the same, the highest gear on P8 is only tiny bit faster than that of the D7. It's like D7 gear 6= P8 gear 5.5, something like that
3) D7 is fully equipped (with fenders and rear rack) while P8 is pretty "sporty" bare bone (you do get the seat pump which I haven't got around using it yet). I have spent almost $80 just to add these 2 accessories on my P8.
4) I used them mostly on commuting on city roads, I actually have found my D7 dahon tires rolling faster and swifter than the P8 big apples. The big apples offer great cushioning but they are also a bit heavy. I am not rushing to upgrade my D7 to big apples at this point, will wait until the D7 original tires wear out.

all in all, the D7 is very well built entry bike and is indeed the best value of Dahon's line.

brakemeister

how much you weigh ?
just a silly question really .... lets say you are beyond the healthy dahon upper limit in the weight category i would go with the Speed P 8 .. mainly cause it has a steel frame and big apple tires, both will have some shock absorbtion which " help" the frame survive the extra pounds...

if this is no issue I would go with the Mu P8 as it is the much newer design and a stiffer frame.
:-)

thor

tkmeister

thanks everyone!
I think I am gonna go look at Mu P8 again. I agree that Mu is definitely a better looking bike, at least to me. I am thinking to get one for me and another for my gf, maybe I'll buy her a Speed P8

How much money can you really save by buying D7 and upgrading tires and various components? It seems that by the time I upgrade, it'll be about the same?

tkmeister

oh, I weigh 170-175lb and my height is 6'. I looked at Curve D3 but it felt a bit too small... and I didn't like the idea of tires being too small.

mjw

In what ways is the mu a better bike? What made you decide to change? Thanks.

Loch

First of all the IXNS was advertised as 24lbs without rack and fenders. This was not true. It is probably closer to 26 lbs. The mu p8 is pretty close to the advertised weight maybe .5 lb over if that.

Second, the geometry of the Downtube just never really worked for me it was too short for me. I'm 5'11" with a pretty long upper body. The mu has a much better geometry, I can get it to fit me nicely and with some small adjustments it is comfortable for my wife who is 5'4".

Third, this is related to First and second. I put over $700 into the downtube trying to get it to lose some wieght and fit me better. I finally got it under 24 lbs and so it fit me pretty good, but this severly compromised the speed and size of the fold. The mu P8 is a $600 bike that is 24lbs with a frame that fits me well. It's hard to describe without seeing but it is much more refined and has a higher quality feel to it.

I never trusted the long 27.2 mm seatpost (I've heard this has been upgraded in the 2009 models). I never really like the frame and handlepost hindges. They work okay but are pretty low tech. I was never really happy with the clumsy fold and the folded size.

The downtube is not a bad bike and if you are under 5'9", prefer a very upright riding position, or don't mind compromising/slowing the fold, then it will work well. It is also a good bike if you don't plan on folding often. If you plan to ride it stock then it is a fairly good value but if you want to upgrade to lose weight I think the Dahon is actually a better value.

I am also much more comfortable with the Dahon warranty.

The Downtubes are not bad bikes and if my circumstances were different I might have been completely happy with it.

I hope this is helpful and doesn't sound like I'm just bad-mouthing Downtube. I don't mean it to sound that way. I personally think the downtube is a good bike. I just prefer the Dahon.

mjw

Wow thanks for the informative response, especially about the weight and frame quality issues. The Mu P8 I tried seemed to have some gear shifting problems. (In the 10 minutes I road it, the chain came off twice). Would you say that was just a problem with the test model? The Speed D7 I tested also was noisy when shifting and didn't have the best "feel". The Speed P8 I tested was smooth as silk and was great but it weighed a bit more. This is why I turned toward the downtube.

I am going to test a downtube 9NS at the LBS this weekend. While I will be keeping in mind that the 2009 version is improved, I will take your comments into account when making my decision. I am at most 5'9" with shoes (and wear rare 29" pants) so I don't think height should be a problem.

chuyim

MU is higher end, by default it should be better than D7 and P8. Upgrading to big apples costs you about $30 something for the pair of tires plus labor. Other than that, I am happy w/ my D7. Also check out Dahon's community forum if you want more tips on Dahon folders specifically. I bought my D7 brand new last year for $329. Paid $520 for my P8 this year, plus the upgrade of fenders and racks ($80).

Loch

Our Mu shifts great. After about 3 weeks the cable stretched a bit and I tightened it up on the shifter (common with all bikes). The shifting is wierd with the neos because it's backward (no resistance to shift to lower gears), but after a couple days it's second nature. The speed 8 and mu 8 drivetrains are the same so they should run the same if the set up is correct.

FYI, a set of Big apples will run you about $75 per pair (They are $35 each). Marathon racers are about $40 each if I'm not mistaken. I suppose you could change to big apple for little extra cost if you could sell your marathons for $25-30 each. Heck, if someone has some marathon racers that they don't like and have switched out for big apples, I'll buy them for $25 each.

tkmeister

I think I am gonna have to go with the Mu P8, my LBS has it for $600. Would you recommend getting it through an online retailer to save some money? I see Sunrisecycle and Brandscycle have it for $569, 2007 models are sold for $530. that's a quite bit of saving there, especially with free shipping.
thanks for helping me out a noob! folding bikes are totally different beasts from the other kinds. it's great to hear from people who own them.

chuyim

I bought both of mine from brandscycle, quick and well packed. Sunrise should be good too but i've only bought parts from them.

giskard

Whaaatt??!! In the UK the Mu P8 costs £499 which equates to nearly $1000!!
I guess that's what shipping costs and the rip-off Britain effect does to the price of imported US bikes.

But then I guess you guys outside the UK find Bromptons very expensive compared with the UK price?



Good choice with the Mu - you'll like it

4cmd3

Sounds like whoever setup the bike needs to tune it properly, there is no reason for the chain to come off on a brand new bicycle. Particularly a Dahon which usually has an inner chain guide and an outer chainguard. If the shifting was notchy/noisy/clunky etc then someone probably just needs to setup the indexing properly - it is not an inherent design problem or anything.

mjw

I tried out a Downtube 9NS yesterday and it just didn't feel as well-made as the Dahons so I picked up a Vitesse D7HG which works well. I don't think I'll have to replace anything besides maybe the seat.

The vitesse is a model you might want to consider as it comes with the rack and fenders/chain guard and internal maintenance-free hub. It also looks great. They weighed mine at the store and it was about 29 pounds.

brooklyncyclist

I just bought a 2008 Vitesse from a Dahon online retailer. The initial cost may be lower, but Dahon requires you to have the bike checked by a mechanic before your first ride to validate the warranty, so factor in the cost of that check-up. The bike is more expensive at the shop due to the service the shop provides, and if you plan to bring the bike back to that shop for tune-ups, repairs, whatever, it may help if you bought the bike there.

Yes, Bromptons are quite expensive here by comparison.

tkmeister

Thanks for this info. So, you have no choice but to go to a LBS to get an effective warrany coverage from Dahon. If you don't get an inspection, your warrany is not valid, correct?

4cmd3

Please refer to:
https://www.dahon.com/support/warranty.htm

Be advised that any helpful forum interpretations or experiences may not be valid, unless you are speaking to an authorized Dahon dealer or Dahon directly. I'm just sayin'...

brooklyncyclist

So it seems, according to the instructions inside the box. The LBS will have to verify by stamp or signature (and receipt) that the bike has been inspected. Hopefully you'll never need to use the warranty, but if you do I suspect Dahon will ask for proof of inspection. Normally I would buy from a shop, but because of timing (I wanted to get the bike by a certain day) and work schedule (I didn't have a chance that week to get to the shop) I decided to give it a try. It worked out fine, especially because the bike--in its box--was delivered to my workplace, which gave me an opportunity to assemble it and test it indoors. Had I bought it from the LBS I wouldn't have gotten it in the door.

brooklyncyclist

Right you are. I make no assumptions on anyone's behalf except mine. Contact Dahon for the real answers. I offer my experiences so others might prepare themselves for unexpected costs, paperwork, etc.

Loch

It it's not too late. If you are deciding between the 2007 and 2008 models.

The 2008 Mu P8 has the new frame latch/hindge, it has a stiffer larger handlepost diameter, and it has the very nice aluminum fork. I was originally just going to get a 2007 for cheaper, which is still a very nice ride, but saw these upgrades and decided they were definately worth the extra cost.

tkmeister

I just ordered 2008 Mu P8. I've been doing so much research on this, it was driving me insane. My sleepless nights are finally over. I almost bought Speed P8 because I felt like it might offer a bit more cushy ride in this rough NYC road but I opted for a little more speed and lighter frame. I can always switch the tires, if I don't like Marathon Racer.
Thanks all for your suggestions.