Dahon Dream D6 Folding Bike - 6 Speed - Steel Frame - 20" Wheels - White

Video Transcript for Dahon Dream D6 Folding Bike Review

Hi everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer. And today we'll be taking a look at our DAHON Dream D6 folding bicycle. So this is gonna be the entry-level folding bicycle. It's a little different from your regular traditional bicycle. So we'll take a look at those different features right here at etrailer. The question with folding bikes is not only how quick is it to fold up, but how easy is it to unfold So let's say you just got off the bus, you just got off the train, you're at your campsite and you're ready to ride.

So we're gonna do a quick look through of how to unfold it and get ready to hit the road. So we have this here with our pedals folded in, our seatpost is twisted around to make space for our handlebars. So to start off, we're gonna start by bringing this apart and then setting this out. So notice we have this clamp here holding that all in place. It's a metal clamp.

So just make sure that's secured. There we go. And then that tab goes on top of it. And we'll set up the handlebars. Those go up and are secured.

And while we're here, drop that stand. The seatpost was holding this up, but now we're gonna lift this seatpost up to our ideal height. Put that in place. Get those pedals out. One, two.

Stand goes up and we're ready to ride. So riding this bike is pretty fun. I definitely feel like I'm moving forward especially with the different speeds on this bike. Speaking of the speeds though, notice how this has a trigger shifter. We have a little bit of a delay with the shifter, but I am still able to move through speeds one to six pretty well. As you saw, it works pretty much like a regular bicycle with all of our different features and our different shifters, our speeds. This has a kickstand, that way you're ready to just set it up. And let's talk about what it's made of. So this has a steel frame pretty much straight across. It's a round frame, so not as sleek as some of our other bikes from DAHON. What's giving us that great weight capacity though is this Deltec cable. So this works as the support beam for the bicycle, that way we have weight capacity and stability. Some highlights of this bike are gonna be the fenders for our front end rear wheels, that Deltec cable we talked about earlier and this rear rack. So this will work for your panniers. In fact, I use the cargo bag from DAHON. That works perfectly with this rack. With this being an entry-level bike, in fact, the most affordable bike in DAHON's lineup, there's gonna be some managing of expectations. It does the job though. It does fold up. It is lightweight. It is compact. We have some DAHON features like the Deltec cable as well as a nice 6-speed derailleur. The clamps and other features aren't as premium as some of the other bicycles in the DAHON lineup, so that's just something you're gonna have to work with. So let's take a look at what it does best which is it folds up to be nice, compact, and lightweight. So we'll do a quick comparison of a folding bike versus a regular bike. So I have John here. He's usually behind the camera, but this time, he'll be putting a bike up onto his car as I fold this and put this into my car. So let's do a little race, shall weYeah. So let's start in three, two, one, go. So this pops down just to get that ready as I bring this up, then I fold this down. There we go. This should pop out. There we go. So once that's all in place, you can just bring it up and into my car. And that's it. I'm done. I'm done. Oh, pretty close. So as you saw, it was pretty much the same amount of time to fold up a bike as it was to put it up onto a bike rack. The main difference was the process. As you saw, you need to have a bike rack first. And if you have an easy one, like the Kuat Sherpa, which my videographer was using, it is easy process. Now, if you don't have a bike rack or you don't have a hitch, this allows you to store this inside your vehicle and you don't have to worry about security too. You don't have to get something with locks, this just folds up, secures away. So I'll go through some tips and tricks just to help you out with this whole process of using a folding bicycle. So some things that have helped me out with folding bicycles. One is I like to put down a quilt or a blanket wherever I store the bicycle, that way we have a little bit of cushion. Another thing is to figure out how you're gonna carry this. For the Dream, we don't really have a magnet that's holding it together. So you're gonna have to hold the bike together. So find a spot on the frame that's easy for you to carry so that you don't push this apart when you're lifting it around. This is gonna weigh 32 pounds. So definitely keep that in mind when you're thinking about, do I have to walk a long way from my car to the train Just things like that. Folding bikes are pretty popular among the RV crowd. Yes, you do get the option of getting an RV approved bike rack on the back of your RV, or what if you're flat towing, what if you don't have a hitch There's other things considered there. But if you have a folding bicycle, you can store it right inside your basement. So you just open that up and you can see. Ta-da, we have a bike hidden inside. So we are using the MORyde Cargo Sliding Tray. This fits right into our basement. And you see how we have plenty of space for our bicycle. So how much space do you need to clear off Well, for width, this tray is 26 inches wide. The space it's taking up inside that tray is about 33 or 34 inches long, and the height is 13 inches tall. So that will be a little different depending on how you arrange it. But that's a general rule of thumb for how much space you're gonna need to store this safely. So I have the top three entry-level DAHON folding bicycles here. So I have the Dream D6, the SUV D6, and the HIT D6. What's the difference between the three So my quick and easy summary and then we'll go into the details right after this. The Dream D6 is your easiest way to enter into the folding bike world. This is the most value bicycle. So if you want something affordable but does the job, that's the Dream D6. Now, the SUV is gonna be a little bit lighter than your Dream D6 and you have some sturdier components here. So this is gonna be great if, let's say, you're at the campsite or at the campground and you want something that helps you out there. Then finally, we have our HIT. This is gonna be sturdier, more durable. You don't have the same cargo features though. So if you're more of someone who likes to hit the trails but you still want a folding bicycle, this is gonna be the one for you. So let's talk about the clamps. So that's gonna be the big difference between your value bike and your other bike. So notice how the clamp on the Dream D6 has a metal finish. You don't have that nice black finish here. In fact, I've noticed there's a little bit of rust on some of the sides where we have this exposed to the elements. So that's gonna be a difference compared to the nice sleek finish on the SUV or the HIT. Now the Dream D6 is great for urban riding though. So for your students that don't have that much of a budget or for people who live in teeny-tiny apartments, this is gonna be great. So this and the SUV have this rear pannier rack. So notice how we can add our bags here. We can put stuff on top of that. That's something that the HIT does not have. You can add something though, but that's gonna be a little extra cost added onto this because this does not include fenders or that rear rack. Speaking of addition, so the HIT though is the only one that you can actually upgrade. So notice how you have those three holes in front, that works perfectly with the DAHON accessories. So just like this, you can add a basket to your bike. That's something that the SUV and the Dream D6 do not have. So both the Dream D6 and the SUV D6 use the trigger shifters. And I actually like the trigger shifters. I think they're a lot of fun. You go up, you go down, while the HIT uses a grip shifter. Now the grip shifter is a little bit more responsive than the SUV or the Dream, so if you're someone who shifts a lot, that might be something you're worried about too. So in terms of comfort and ease of riding, I really prefer the HIT. I think it was the best overall. We definitely had those upgrades there, like the saddle. The saddle was more comfortable. I mean, that could also just be a male versus a female saddle. But other than that, you have more stability. You have more weight capacity. I think you do get the best value for an entry-level bike rack with the HIT. Now, the SUV and the Dream still have their perks too. So hopefully, this video help guide you through that in choosing the best bike for you. I just wanna make sure you get the best bike for your adventures. This is gonna be the start, the entry into the folding bikes world. This is the DAHON Dream D6 in white, but you can also get it in black. It's gonna work the exact same way, just a different color for different types of people. And that was a look right here at our DAHON Dream D6 folding bicycle right here at etrailer. My name is Evangeline, and I hope you enjoyed the journey..