Product Review: 2008 Dahon Speed D7 Folding Bike

I have been riding the Dahon Speed D7 folding bike for a little over a month now. In that time, I have put in just shy of 130 miles on it. Dahon has been in the business of folding bikes for 25 years now. And the Speed D7 model is their best-selling folding bike. It was also awarded BusinessWeek’s Best Value Folder Award.

The Bike Specs:
Weight: 25.74 lbs.
Speeds: 7
Folded Size: 33 x 64 x 81 cm (13″ x 25″ x 32″)
Tire Size: 20″

I have been commuting about 3 miles during weekdays. I have taken the bike out for a longer run of 8 miles and the ride was still quite comfortable. It is a bit challenging on the steep hills when compared to a standard 26″ mountain bike.

In the past month, I have run into a few problems with the bike.

Every now and then, the quick-release for the handle-bar will loosen.
In addition to that, the handle-bar post loosened as well. The latter is much harder to adjust without the appropriate tools. The quick-releases are quite easy to tighten, so that’s not too bad.
There is a wheel magnet that aids in holding the bike together when folded. The magnet sometimes would either fall out or come out when unfolding the bike. Again, this can be remedied by applying superglue.
The elastic bands on the back rack lose stretchiness fairly quick. It can be adjusted, but replacements cannot be purchased.
It is very hard to mount a water bottle on the bike. But it can be done.

All said, there is quite a list of great things to say about the bike.

The bike folds very small. It’s small enough to fit under my cubicle desk at work.
The bike is fairly light. You can carry it on the bus if you’d like. Dahon does have other lighter bikes also.
The small wheels allow you to accelerate fairly quickly.
The rack on the back of the bike is very handy. (Some models do not come with this. It is a separate accessory.)
It is a great conversation starter. You will get a lot of people inquiring about it.

Dahon has a Flickr group where you can meet other Dahon bike owners and also see various pictures. On their own website, Dahon has a forum and picture gallery which you can contribute to.

This is a wonderful bike to start commuting to work and zipping around town. There are special baskets that fit perfectly on the front of the bike for going to a farmer’s market. I highly reccommend this bike. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, I would take a look at the Mariner. It’s essentially the same bike as the Speed D7, but comes with a tire pump built into the seat and is made of Aluminum (making the bike rust-resistant NOT rust-proof!!!)

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