Founded in 1982, Dahon has taken the lead as the world’s largest and most innovative bike company, while building a solid reputation all across the globe. The company has over two hundred patents to its name and is focused on staying on top by leaps and bounds.
The Mu P8 is the company’s answer to a mid-level bike, which brings together the amenities of top foldables and the low price of a budget cycle as close as possible.
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Rating:
4.50/5.00
Price:
$$$ on Amazon (August 26 2015)
Warranty:
Standard 2 Year Manufacturer Warranty By Dahon. Warranty Can Be Extended By 3 More Years To 5 Years In Total by Contacting The Authorised Bike Vendor.
Pros and Cons:
Light Weight Not Great For Speed Enthusiasts
Fast With Quick Shifts Might Not Perform Well In Rough Terrains
Excellent Design
Easy To Assemble
Seat Post With Integrated Pump Installed
First Impression:
The bike has quite a sharp look to it with a unique and catchy main frame. It is built for versatility and an all-round performance.
Detailed Review:
The Dahon Mu P8, which comes in Cloud White and Obsidian colors, can be ordered online through the Amazon web store. It arrives in a sealed standard Dahon box with the green Dahon logo on top. The box contains a small accessories and pedal box, a seat post, the Mu P8 in its folded form and your purchase slip. Using a regular kitchen scissor the bike can be unwrapped easily to come to its full shape. The handle bars need to be put up and fixed using the collar on the handle post. The seat post can be installed as easily by tightening the collar on the frame. Next you need to screw in the pedals and you are good to go.
You should get your assembled P8 checked thoroughly by a licensed mechanic to activate its warranty, before you venture out for a first ride.
Once assembled, the bike looks exquisite and sharp. The strong frame is built from alloy aluminium, as is the fork, and is of the highest quality, with an amazing design. This makes the P8 very light, durable and still pretty classy. This ensures that it will deliver top of the notch performance when combined with the 8 speed gear system, which is smooth and allows quick shifts between gears making the bike extremely manoeuvrable. While the bike is set to work in a city environment, the variable gears allow the bike to be tested on the harsher terrains.
The bike also features the Radius Telescope handle bar which can be adjusted to fit need and hence makes the cycle enjoyable to ride for people of most heights.
The Schwalbe Racer tires are constructed to be quick and long lasting and are wrapped on 20 inch wheels, like most of the Dahon creations. They will not be a problem for you if you take care of your bike and maintain it once every four or five weeks.
The seat on the Mu P8 is comfortable and allows you to ride on an upright giving you an optimal view for visibility in traffic, a feature that you will admire greatly when you start riding the bike. The Short-arm Neos derailleur allow fast and cracking shifting, while the low profile aesthetics of the bike protect the derailleur from external damages.
It also features a low profile design to keep the derailleur protected from damage.
When it comes to folding and unfolding, the Mu P8 is very smooth and quick taking only a quarter of a minute to take a compact form. The handle bar level has to be adjusted, the bars rotated and stem folded to get the bike folded. That sounds like a lot to do, but the bike turns itself into a portable bundle very quickly.
The bike is pretty light and can easily be carried by you on the stairs. The shape is small enough to fit into your car trunk, which should be mandatory anyways. This means the bike provides the combination of portability while having superior features to many mid-range bikes.
The plastic locking mechanism can be only considered as a major disappointment and it can get cracked easily when you are folding the bike. This has been a complain made regularly by Dahon customers for many of the bikes, but it seems that they are going to have to bear with it in this model too. The Snap Lok technology is debated across the Dahon fan base, and it would really help if magnetic locking mechanism was introduced in any updated version of this bike.
If you are looking for accessories the Mu P8 brings the lot to you including racks, water bottle holders, covers and carrying bags which can be purchased either online through Dahon’s official website or by calling them. Amazon also has some nice but irregular deals on Dahon accessories which are worth checking out.
Specifications:
- Shipping weight: 34.8 lbs
- Box dimensions: 12.2″ x 33″ x 25″
- Colours: Cloud White, Obsidian.
- Best for rider of height 4’8″ – 6’4″
- BioLogic Post Pump combines a seat post and powerful floor pump.
- 8 Speed System
- Folds In Under 15 Seconds.
- Weight: 27.1 lbs
- Maximum rider weight can be 230 lbs.
- Frame: PA series – dalloy aluminum.
- Fork: Dahon slipstream, dalloy aluminium
- Folded dimensions: 11.7″ × 30.8″ × 25.7″
Verdict:
Mu P8 is indeed a great investment, bring practicality and beauty together to make a great moderately priced foldable. If you are in New York or LA, or any other urban city for that matter, this bike provide you the performance you need to commute in a busy street by combining the factors of better visibility, optimum control and speed. While you can venture off road with this bike, you will notice a significant drop in performance which should be understandable as it has been manufactured for the city, where there are few chances of testing conditions. The bike is perfect for taking school, college or to work with you.
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