Dahon Mu P8: Hints and Tips

After riding my Dahon Mu P8 for a few months and over 200 miles, I have a few hints and tips to help prospective buyers and fellow owners.

• Folding and unfolding the Dahon Mu P8 is quite straightforward, after a bit of practice. I can now fold/unfold it in just under 15 seconds. Ten seconds if I am going to miss the train!

• I find that if I I turn the saddle back to front when folding, I have a much better grip when transporting the folded package:

• The front light does not need to be detached when folding: the handle bar twists so that the light is out of the way, just like the brakes:

• The Magnetix system that holds the two halfs together when folded works for me, but there are two caveats to be aware of to make sure of that:

1. the telescopic handle post must be raised all the way until the red dot is visible;
2. with the kickstand fitted, the handle post must be raised an inch more, just so that the handle bar bracket doesn't interfere with the kickstand.

• The handle post folding hinge also needs to be greased or lubed in order to   prevent a creaking sound when pulling onto it while pedaling.

• The bike can be rolled on its wheels when folded, but it is not the most comfortable way of transporting it I must say. I now prefer to just unfold it and push it.
  Or, if going shopping, placing it in a shopping trolley! Picture to follow...

• Occasionally the handle bar hinge needs to be tightened, to prevent the handle bar to twist when operating the grip shift.

• I also find it useful to mark the preferred seat post and handle post height with a marker pen. I also mark the 'straight ahead' position with a dot to make it quicker to position the saddle.
  

• The handle post can sometimes twist along its axle: this is due to the telescopic handle post design. There are several techniques to stop this from happening; I simply tighten the handle post quick release very tight and lube the quick release shims so that it is easier to tighten: I only had to do that once and never had to tighten the quick release again.

• The SRAM 8 speed grip shift is perfect for a folding bike: due to the process of folding and unfolding, the gear shift cable tends to have some slack which affects the alignment of the rear derailer. Fortunately, the SRAM grip shift comes with a barrel adjuster positioned immediately to the front of the handle grip, in addition to the more standard barrel adjuster at the derailer end.
  If after unfolding, the shifting to higher or lower gears is not as precise (it either skips a gear or fails to engage), then one or two quarter turns of the handle barrel adjuster is usually enough to rectify the situation.