Best Dahon Lightweight Folding Bicycles

Folding bikes are a great option for commuters. From our experience, they generally suit people that:

• Need something to commute to the train and then continue riding to work
• Have limited storage options at work to store your bike
• Want something different

This post looks at the Dahon range of folding bicycles where you're bound to find something that will suit your commute.

We recommend the Dahon Mu Uno which is available at Amazon for Price not available

Buy on Amazon

Why Buy a Folding Bicycle? 

Do you live quite far from work where commuting on a bike is almost too far? 

Enter folding bicycles. They're easy to disassemble, stow away, assemble and carry around if needed. Thanks to their lightweight design, folding bicycles are a great option for anyone that needs to ride to the train station and then ride to work once they get off the train. As they are quite small once folded down, storing them away once you get to work is a breeze.

Lastly, who doesn't like something that's stylish and different to your every day bike that most people ride? 

What to Look for When Buying a Folding Bicycle

Weight

Folding bicycles use various different materials including titanium, carbon and aluminium to keep weight down. While also using low weight components such as single speed gearing to further keep weight down.

Getting the most lightweight bike really comes down to how much you are willing to spend with the lightest bikes fetching the high price tags.

Wheel Size

Generally lightweight folding bikes use a smaller sized rim which are lighter and more compact when folded down. The downside of having smaller rims is that they aren't as fast rolling on the road compared to full sized rims. 

The question is... How important is weight for you? If you're happy to go a little bit more weight, we'd recommend bikes with full sized rims as they're faster and replicate the feeling you would get on a normal bike.

If you find the difference in wheel size confusing (don't worry, it can be!) we've included this video below which helps explain:

Adjustability

You want something that you can easily make adjustments on the fly and not need to pull out a toolset to adjust to fit your body shape. For this reason, look for bikes which includes a wide range of adjustments that are easy to adjust (e.g. quick release levers).

How Easy it Folds Down

If you're in a rush, you don't want something that takes considerable time to fold down when you're about to jump on a train.

We'd recommend going in store and trying for yourself to see how easy it is to assemble or dissemble the bike.

Mudguards

Are you someone that isn't deterred by riding in the rain? Good news, Dahon folding bicycles come with mudguard options in some bikes. 

Disc Brakes

Disc brakes or rim brakes? The answer ultimately comes down to your commute conditions.

If you see yourself riding in wet conditions often, we'd recommend getting a bike with disc brakes to the better stopping power compared to rim brakes. If your commute is more a gentle commute, we'd recommend rim brakes.

Panniers​

Do you prefer to carry your belongings on your bike rather than your back? Good news. Some Dahon folding bicycles include panniers which allow you to easily attach bags to your bike. 

We'd recommend not carrying too much weight on the bike as it can affect how the bike rides.

Why Choose Dahon? 

Dahon is one of the world's biggest folding bicycle companies who were first to enter the market.  

Founded by Dr David Hon who gained a Ph.D from Berkeley and spent many years working in the Aerospace area. Dr Hon found a gap in the folding bicycle market for bicycles that are well made, bring owners many years of enjoyable use and most importantly, have great looks.

While there are several other great options in the market including Tern, Montague and Brompton, we've decided to focus on Dahon. The reason largely being as they are one of the biggest and oldest folding bicycle manufacturer in the world. With this history comes proven experience and capability.