Dahon SUV D6 Folding Bike - 6 Speed - Aluminum Frame - 20" Wheels - Black

Video Transcript for Dahon SUV D6 Folding Bike Review

Hi, everyone. It's Evangeline here at Etrailer. And today, we'll be taking a look at our Dahon SUV D6 folding bicycle. So this is a folding bicycle that can be compact for when you need to store, and you can fold it out for when you need to ride it. So we'll take a look at some of its features, and help you decide if this is gonna be the best fit for you and your adventures. So there's a bunch of different Dahon bicycles.

There's also some different folding bicycles that we have here at Etrailer. So it can be tricky with figuring out what's the difference between the different bicycles, which is gonna be the best fit for me. So here for the SUV, this is gonna be one of the lightest of the folding bicycles. This is also an entry level folding bicycle. So if you want something that's not as pricey as let's say an electric folding bicycle, but still sturdy, and relatively easy to carry and fold up, that's what the SUV is for.

So the key part of a folding bicycle isn't actually the folding part. It's how quickly or how easily is it to get ready into the riding position So let's say you got off the bus, you got off the train, you're at the campground, and you took this out of your RV. How quickly and how easy is it for you to get ready to hit the trail So you can see here, we have the pedals folded in, our handle bars are down, it's in the nice compact position. Let's unfold it. So first we're gonna bring this apart.

There we go. And bring that clamp all the way out right there. Snap that into place. Push that tab in. Set up our handle bars.

Bring this up. Turn that the right way. Pull that in there. That's nice and secure. And then let's bring the seatpost or that stand down. Pedal is out. Now the seat post goes up into your riding position. And then secure. There, we're done. Don't forget to set your seatpost. It's a very quick and easy process to your preferred riding height. And just like that, you'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. So as you can see this rides a little different from a regular bicycle. This has smaller wheels, 20-inch wheels in fact. So that's more compact when folded down. You also have a different style of a frame here. And your gears are a bit smaller. So if you're looking for more performance-based bicycles, you would go with something that is more traditional, a regular bicycle. If your focus though, is something compact and lightweight, that's where folding bicycles come in handy. So don't expect the same performance, while we do have larger gears and enhanced systems with Dahon bicycles. It's not gonna be the same experience. So get the right bike for the right adventures. So this is an entry level bike. We do have some different components compared to our fancier bikes that Dahon offers like the Launch, or the Briza, or even the electric bikes. So we have a trigger shifter up here. This is six-speeds. That's what the D6 is for. We also have these style brakes, so not disc brakes. Another feature is this nice, sleek frame. So notice we do not have the Deltec cable, which adds extra support while we do have a strong frame. You'll see that cable in the other bicycles with heavier weight capacity, like the Dream D6 or the HIT bicycle. I do like the clamp design on the SUV. Notice how it looks good. It matches the entire frame. And it's easy to use. This also has an included cargo carrier for all of your extra items as you ride around. Remember, your weight capacity for this bike is gonna be 220 pounds. So keep that in mind. Also a good rule of thumb is to include your cargo in that way capacity too, just to make sure everything's evenly distributed. So I have my folding bicycle and John, my usually videographer, has a normal bicycle with a bike rack. So we're gonna do a quick comparison of what is it like, how is it different between a folding bicycle and a regular bicycle. So we're gonna time ourselves, and see who is fastest. Ready, set, start. I'm done. I'm done. Pretty much the same time for us actually. Yup. So you can see the folding bike is stored inside my Prius V, and I have plenty of cargo space in my hatch, so we can neatly store away. Definitely something worth considering when you're storing inside your basement or inside your vehicle. Now, some extra tips and tricks I've learned from dealing with folding bikes. One is I personally like to put down a quilt underneath it, if I have it stored inside my vehicle. Just for extra cushion. Another thing is it's best to figure out the best way for you to carry your bike. You need to hold it by the right spot. So it doesn't flip out like this. You wanna make sure everything is nice and secure. I recommend holding it by the frame, just like this. And then since it does weigh almost 30 pounds, keep that in mind when boarding buses, trains, and when you have to think about how far do you have to carry your bike. So another good use for this bike is at the campground. Your showers are spaced far away. Your other RVs, your other fifth wheelers, maybe wanna visit friends while you're parked there. So what you can do is you can store the bike right inside of your RV's basement, just like that. So when you're on the road, this is stored. When you're parked, you're ready to go. This is the MORryde cargo sliding tray. So this allows us to store items inside of our basement. Now, for the dimensions that you need inside of wherever you're storing, your bike is gonna be 30x13. So that's 30-inches long, 13-inches height. As for the width, our tray is about 26-inches wide. 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 is 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 are more of someone who likes to hit the trails, but you still want a folding bicycle, this is gonna be the one for you. 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, 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 there are 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 are 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 when choosing the best bike for you. As a summary of that, my personal thoughts about the SUV is it is great for the campground, or for if you're RVing and you need a foldable bicycle that's easy to store inside of your trailer, your fifth wheel, your camper. Since this has those nice clamps, it was very easy to use. And I wasn't worried about accidentally pinching myself, or getting caught up in the clamps, which is great. So hopefully this video helped you out with picking the right bike for your adventures. And that was a look right here at our day hunt SUV folding bicycles here at Etrailer. My name is Evangeline, and I hope you enjoy the journey..