Rock & Rolla
Bike review
Rolling with the Legend..
Dahon's Speed P8 is a folding bike with endless possibilities..
HANDS-DOWN, the Dahon Speed P8 is one of the best folding bikes in my keeps.
I first came to know about the bike sometime in 2006 when I visited a bike shop in St Kilda's beach in Melbourne, Australia.
As a matter of fact, I knew about Dahon bikes sometime in the late 90s when I was researching about an alternative way of
transport.
Back in the days, before I owned a Gilera Runner 180SP and a Piaggio Hexagon scooter, I've done some extensive research
on finding a replacement for my Raleigh road bike which I had used for commuting to work.
Six years ago, I took the plunge by purchasing a Dahon folding bike from the Rodalink outlet in Taipan USJ.
It was a black Dahon Speed P8 and I am pretty happy with what I have.
As a matter of fact, I have accessorised it through the years by adding fenders and a Arclite rack.
Later, when I got bitten by the touring bug, I upgraded the Speed P8 with a set of luggage racks which were original
accessories produced by Dahon.
The only parts that I've replaced on the Speed P8 were the Biologic saddle and Suntour folding pedals.
I've retrofitted the bike with a Selle Royal Ergogel Plug-in Gel saddle and a pair of MKS Exim Superior quick release pedals.
These are the best touring pedals money can buy and back then, there were no shops offering it.
I had to source it from www.thorusa.com and had it shipped from the US.
The Speed P8 is one tough no-frills bike which can be accessorised for long distance rides.
It was a bare-minimal bike without fenders and racks and the base price (2008 model) was RM2,095 a pop.
I often been asked why the bike was so expensive?
To get the low-down, you have to inspect the details.
First off, the Speed P8 uses a chromoly frame (steel), it rides really firm and is solidly built.