Reviews of Dahon Vitesse D7 HG Folding Bike, Shadow

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $799.00
Sale Price: $749.00
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My local bike shops' suppliers dropped Dahon, so Amazon was the best way for me to get this bike. As a Prime member, I had this bike on my porch within two days of ordering it. The bike is fully assembled inside its box, just folded and covered in packing material. Dahon also includes manuals and touch-up paint. To activate your warranty with Dahon, you have to have the bike adjusted and inspected by a bike shop. I paid $50 for that.

This bike is an attention-getter, and as far as folders go, it's loaded. The info and picture are unclear about this, but the bike does ship with a rack and fenders already installed. The internal hub allows the bike to have seven speeds without a visible derailleur and cogset, and it also means that you get a chain guard that covers the entire chain. The chain guard is a bit noisy, but it's tolerable, and it's worth having the chain guard to keep your clothes clean.

The ride on this bike is surprisingly... normal. You may feel big bumps a bit more than on a bigger-wheeled bike, but the bike is quick and nimble. For commuting, it's great to have tons of stand-over clearance (and I'm only 5'2"!) and to be able to adjust it to sit a little more upright to see and be seen in traffic.

I'm riding this in Lincoln, Nebraska, where folders have yet to catch on. It gets lots of looks and questions. But this is not just a bike for urban, highly congested areas. Being able to park inside or toss a bike into a car is great anywhere!

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So first I stalked this Bike on the Internet. After researching many different folding bikes I settled on this one.

I bought this bike through a local shop to get lifetime maintenance tune ups.

This bike is great so here goes my list.

Pro's;

the bike folds and unfolds in 15 seconds

Bus drivers don't have a problem with me bringing it on the bus.

this bike gets the Looks!

this bike fits under my desk at work.

the gears work really well and changing gears while stopped at a light is easy.

I am a little bigger than the weight limit and this bike rides just fine.

It is comfortable to ride.

at 26 pounds soaking wet it is very easy to carry.

CONS;

None yet!

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My Dahon clearly exhibits high quality and manufacturing pride. It was extremely easy to unfold and ride and stow on the rear seat of my Ford Fiesta at the end of the ride.

Dahon requires setup by a professional bike technician to qualify for a longer warranty. This requirement made sense to me. I complied.

I was seriously ill when my bike arrived and didn't have the time or focus to carefully check all the parts in the box or to familiarize myself with the parts.

After a couple of days in the hospital, I carefully read all the literature that came with the bike.

It is too generic. I never found a parts list for my specific bike. If the bike shop had tried to do a parts check, it's technician would have had the same problem.

As a result, the bike shop tossed out the BioLogic Freedrive Chain Cover. They thought it was just a chain protector for shipping. I thought the same thing.

http://www.amazon.com/BioLogic-Freedrive-Chain-Cover/dp/B005I68HNS/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1348484196&sr=1-1&keywords=biologic+chain+guard

Another issue, for me, is whether it's supposed to have a brush guard on the crank. I can't tell.

By the way, Dahon requires a code to start the online registration process. Owners are supposed to get this code from the store that sells them the bike. I can't imagine Amazon providing a code or even how to request one from Amazon.

One other thing a bag for the bike. Because I stow it in the car, I consider it an essential component. Dahon makes bags, but I don't see them on the Amazon Web site. Too bad. I've ordered a generic, but would have preferred a Dahon bag. Sure I could order one from another vendor, but Amazon is so convenient and reliable.

Despite these small deficiencies, the bike is fabulous and just what I wanted. It is easy to give this produce a five-star rating.

Honest reviews on Dahon Vitesse D7 HG Folding Bike, Shadow

Lots of choices on the market. It a tough one. I went for this one in the end because of the other positive reviews, the provided accessories and the brand's history. In truth one could probably go a little less expensive (with this brand or similar) and still get a great bike without the mudguards and so on, however, having said that, it's well built, easy to manage, fold / unfold, and it fits well in the car. It does not fit in any standard suitcase as best as I can tell, so you'll need the custom one from Dahon for flying with it etc. Although its pricey, in the greater scheme of things, I'm getting the value out of it because of its sheer portability.