jagatron

Don't forget that Dahon's can have a lifetime warranty on the parts for which you can't find replacements. For the other parts, even using Dahon spares, the prices are really reasonable. Any company offering a warranty like this isn't going to offer a slew of junk. Why do more people complain about Windows OS than Mac? Because there are 20 times more people using it.

foldie

in my opinion, stock dahon, especially vitesse and below in term of price, are optimum for commuting and leisure riding..if you're looking for a smooth ride..change the damn parts..the wheel set, drive train, brakes etc..

chagzuki

The amount of extension determines the force exerted on the hinge. . . though there's loads more flex at longer extensions so perhaps that's a counteracting factor(?).

Abneycat

With how long the extension of the stem on some folding bikes can be, I would personally believe it would be bad for the health of the bicycle and rider to pull on, or put large amounts of weight on the handlebars with any model - thats a pretty long pry-bar.

Personal experience, had difficulties with a Dahon Mu p8 which was purchased earlier this year. The frame's hinge was very poor right out of the store and continued to develop play in use, despite adjustment. Since then I have met two owners of the Mu (one an XL, one a P27) whom have had no problems with their bicycles in that regard, so I presume this was simply a defect issue. Aside from the frame difficulty, the Mu was a very quick little bike.

However, last month I purchased a Speed d7 and have found it to be a very stable and enjoyable bicycle. The level of componentry isn't spectacular, but it is satisfactory and the bike is a comfortable ride. I have made only two changes to the bicycle, switching tires to Schwalbe Marathon and changing grips to Ergon. The steel frame of the speed is very nice to ride on considering how small the bike is.

chagzuki

I had no problem with play developing in the handlepost latch for a long time. Eventually the factory threadlock went and it required re-threadlocking. Threadlock went again after about a month and I've applied a more generous amount this time; seems to be holding fine.

vinpizzle

try the turtleneck clamp that is available on their higher end models

https://www.thorusa.com/dahon/accessories/special.htm

chagzuki

Aha, I'd seen that and not registered the functional difference. Though surely to work it'd have to be manufactured to fit the bike with such a degree of precision. . . does anyone here have one? Ah, hang on, there's an adjustment screw of some kind to make sure it fits?

mosquito

Dahons are crap, period. Flexy frame, crap dahon components. I've owned 4 Dahons and couldn't stick to one. That said, I liked the Jack.

jur

That depends entirely what you are comparing them to.

Bacciagalupe

A word on proprietary parts....

I wouldn't consider this a deal-breaker, but it is something to consider. Dahon changes many of those proprietary parts every 2-4 years, so it may not be possible to get replacement parts a few years down the road. Also, with some bikes (particularly the low-end ones) it can be difficult or impossible to upgrade components. E.g. it is not possible, afaik, to replace the cheapo Neos derailleur on my old Mariner.

By the way, I have not had any problems getting warranty service from Dahon.


Looks to me like they only offer a 5 year warranty. (Which is decent IMO)

GTALuigi

if you want some true information about Dahon bikes you should read their forum
https://www.dahon.com

Otherwise you are only seeing 1 side of the coin, which is pure bashing.

which is ironic, since other folding bikes has similar if not more problems.

it is all about compromises

coloneltigh

Here's my experience. I've owned a Dahon D3 Curve since May. Since then, I've commuted every day to and from work (about 4 miles each way). One day a week, I teach Spinning and that day my total mileage is 12 miles instead of 8. In that time, I've accumulated almost 750-800 miles on the bike. Here's my experience:

1. Bike was out of service for about 3 weeks due to a striped drive-side rear axle nut. Granted I inflated the Big Apples up to 100psi trying to go faster which led to 20 flats in 4 days and lots of tube changes with a substandard wrench which probably contributed to the striping. But to be fair, that nut was made of almost-tin-like metal. I checked that's the SRAM standard axle-nut and it sucks. My boss's M-series Brompton uses the same hub but Brompton replaced that nut with some much more substantial.
2. Buy local and bring it back there for repairs. So being the home mechanic I am, I tried sourcing the axle-nut myself and fixing it (which led to the 3 week shop time waiting for parts to be shipped). I bought the bike from Brands in Wantagh, NY. As a convenience, they shipped it to me direct instead of me having to take the train to pick it up. I know my way around bikes but these things are unique (no matter which brand you buy) and getting it set up right would have helped. In any case, I took the train on weekend and they fixed it for free with a heftier axle nut in 15 minutes.
3. Overall, I like the bike for what I use it for: commuting and short trips instead of taking the subway. I have no illusions that it's very comfortable or a replacement for a proper full-sized bike. But the ability to take it up to my office and not hassle with freight elevators is worth the trade off. Let's face it, most MTBs have 3 sizes and road rigs many more. A folder has one size across most people, it's not gonna be very comfortable for long rides.
4. My routes are mostly flat. The long route has rolling hills. I find the 3-speed hub is fine for what I need. I tried the 8-speed hub as well as a derailleur-based bike. I just like to keep it simple.
5. Hinge takes a while to dial in. It took about 500 miles for my hinge to get to a point that I didn't have to adjust it. Kinda annoying but hey how many parts do you adjust 4 times a day on your "regular" bike.

Overall, I don't think Dahon's are crap. But I think depending on how much you use it, it's going to require some tweaking (better parts, more maintenance) than perhaps a Brompton. For me, it took some time to understand the nuances of maintaining it as well as understanding that I need to do more maintenance when this bike runs 2 sorties a day versus my other bikes which maybe get 1 ride a week.

As much as I hate to admit to my Brompton-riding and Brompton-loving boss, they are somewhat better thought out in some aspects. However, I don't understand the underpowered sidepull/dual pivot brakes when linears are more powerful especially given the decreased leverage of smaller wheels and why Brompton had to ship over a $450 tool from the UK to perform 3000-mile service on my boss's bike.

Tommy C

This is the original clamp that comes on the bike and so far I had no luck.

Tommy C

This clamp came on my Mu P8, the screw is just to keep the clamp from moving, besides destroying the paint underneath I don't see any use for that screw, maybe my case is different because I had to remove the clamp so many times trying to resolve the seatpost slippage.

Overall I think Dahon offers great bikes, I took a Brommie for a spin and it was ridiculous compare to the Mu P8, even the Curve D3 is a much better ride by far. The Brommie felt like a bike from the mid 70's to me.

My case could be a warranty, the other Mu that I have got is fine, I need to give it a little tune up once a month but overall it's ok and pleasure to ride.
Dahon offers 5 year warranty and you can bump it up to a lifetime.
Brompton 5 year
Downtube 1 year
So it tells something about the quality.

somnatash

Hi, I am curious, was it just a general feeling or could you figure out, what exactly made you feel the brommie was 70's when comparing it to the Dahons?

datako

Yet you bought 4 of them?

What are you riding now?

Tommy C

Hi, so basically my wife and I took 2 Brommies for a test ride, she got the M shape handlebar and I got the S post,The flat handlebar was way too low for me and I am only 5'6, there isn't a way to adjust the height ... Too bad. The brakes power was poor, it maybe enough for cruising but not for serious riding- like 15-20 KPH.
The gears are hard to operate, there are so many nice shifters nowadays I can't understand why they are still using those ones. Overall I felt like the ride quality compare to my Dahon Mu is like night and day.
I tried the bike with the M shape handlebar, it was more comfortable but there is no way I will pay $1500+tax for a Brommie. I was very disappointed.... I have to say is folds nicely, but my wife and I didn't enjoy the ride at all.

chagzuki

No handlebar height adjustment? Blimey. That's a no-go.

I've not ridden a Brompton but given that on my 20" folder with big apple tyres the ride is still on the harsh side, I can't see that I'd be happy with the Brompton's limitation in terms of tyre size.

folder fanatic

+ 1 for pulling on the handlebars. I never do that on any of my folders. I have noticed a huge difference between the quality of the aluminum frame and the steel frames of the Dahons. To be fair, I have only the steel frame Dahons, but I have tried the aluminum ones on occasion. While the components might be better quality than the lower priced ones I have on mine, I am not that picky about parts except for durability.
I hope that Dahon does not switch completely over to aluminum frames as that company will be just another cheap bike manufacturer-not a serious alternative to the serious steel frame preferring customer.

My Boardwalk already passed the 5th year of it's existence. I am planning to keep it until the major parts (the folding latches and levers) fail. Then I will discard it. I feel that I already got my money's worth out of the bike at this point. So I did not lose anything in the process.

You might be only seeing one viewpoint at that site-whatever the people over there wants. I find it more accurate there. Folding bikes are compromises in of themselves.

To each his or hers own. Owning and using both bike brands gave me a unique view on what works and what does not. Dahons are great “starter” bikes-an introduction to the world of folding bikes. They are very affordable and nice-except for all those fussy little adjustment screws and levers and latches the bikes were made of. I learned to live with them but I am not a great fan of them. The Brompton is more simple and direct in their approach to their bike design. This simplicity has made their bikes more easier to maintain. And a more compact fold. Being handbuilt makes them a solid individualistic feel for me which a mass produced product like Dahon lacks even in it's higher priced line.

I fixed that problem on my Brompton's brakes-and it is the single pivots ones-by simply rotating the brake levers up a small amount toward the top of the handlebars so my smaller hands and fingers can reach them and give me more leverage. I even take the bike on hilly terrain with no problems in the braking area now. I changed the shifters to a simple Sturmey-Archer metal one which matches my rear hub. I chose the bike for the ride quality as you found out for yourself. And the M handlebars are the best as far as luggage carrying and comfort is concerned. For most, the price of the Brompton is the major put off of the bike.

Tommy C

Sorry if it wasn't clear but I meant that the ride on my Mu is much better than the Brompton, on top of that I paid $550 after tax for the Mu while the Brompton is $1500 before tax, if wanted to upgrade gears, shifters and other stuff it will be so pricey. For my needs Mu SL would probably work better.
The Mu P8 is pleasant to ride and it is 1/3 of the Brompton's price tag, so yes... it doesn't fold small like the Brompton but it is a much better ride.

GTALuigi

Mu folds way faster than anything available out there.

Jerrys88

Just to be clear, since I am the originator of this thread, while I love my Brompton, I have never been under any illusion that it is the *best riding* folder out there, nor do I think that most people purchasing one believe that either. I am very aware that there are lots of folders that excel in quality of ride, but for me fold size was a top priority and I find the Brompton's ride perfectly fine for my needs and in fact very enjoyable (I will add in response to the one post criticizing its brakes that I find the dual-pivot brakes that came standard on mine to be as good as I could ever want.) Anyway, the purpose of my post was not to compare Bromptons to Dahons in terms of ride. I fully expect my partner's less expensive folder to ride better than mine, since as stated in my original post, folding size is a secondary consideration for his bike. As many have stated, it's all about compromising to fit personal needs.

Once again, I thank everyone for contributing to this thread. My purpose was not to disparage Dahon bikes, but rather to seek an explanation for negative comments made by others about a bike I found very attractive and enjoyable to ride. Comments made here have lessened my apprehensive about their mid to high range models, although I'm reserving final judgment for when we can check them out again in person.

Tommy C

Fair enough.... Just wanted to add that I honestly believed that Brompton, by its price tag will be a much better ride than Dahon and this is why I went downtown to test a Brommie.
In the way I see it, folding bike is a good folder if it fits your needs....

TC

striegel 

The cure for the Dahon slipping seatpost is to remove the turtleneck clamp, pry out the shim that sits inside the seat tube and grease the outside of the shim, then re-install.

My 2007 Mu P8 suffered from the problem from the time it was new until I followed this advice. Before trying it myself, I could hardly believe it would have that much of an effect, but it really works. Apparently this helps even out the force of the clamp around the seatpost instead of concentrating in only a small part of the surface.

jur

It is indeed hard to see how that would work but somehow it works at least for some people.