Review: Dahon Mariner D8

Dahon is a well-established brand in the folding-bike space. The company was started in the early 1980s by David Hon, a U.S. aerospace physicist. The brand soon rivalled England’s Brompton, which had launched roughly 10 years earlier. Dahon has steadily gained popularity throughout the past 40 years. The folding bikes are for people with precious little storage space and/or for folks mixing modes of transportation. It’s easy to take a Dahon on a commuter train or to stow it in the trunk of a car. This particular machine, the Mariner, is an urban touring bike for a rider who’s also getting around by boat.

The bike feels surprisingly snappy with solid power transfer through the frame’s reasonably rigid aluminum tubing. Many of the bike’s components—hubs for the 20” rims, rear derailleur, trigger shifter, saddle and folding pedals—are by Dahon. The SunRace 8-speed, 11-32 tooth cassette combined with the single 52-tooth chainring provides enough gearing for my city, where hills are small. When I’m hauling behind a courier who’s on 700c hoops, the gearing can come up short. But, you don’t get a folding bike for speed. The steering is designed around the 580-mm-wide handlebar: it’s fun in corners and straightaways, but can also feel twitchy. The Mariner D8 relies on V-brakes to slow you down. The stopping power is fine. If disc brakes are an important feature for you, you can find them on other Dahon models.

The Mariner does come stock with fenders (something that I think is a must) and a kickstand, which isn’t necessary on a bike of this size. (I’ve used the kickstand once. Maybe.) The rack over the rear wheel is essential for carrying a lock, however, because of its small size, it can’t accommodate standard panniers. The bike also comes in at a reasonable 12.7 kg. Sure, it’s heavier than my road bike, but easy enough to move around.

As you’d expect, the Mariner packs up well. Fold in the pedals. Then, undo a release at the bars to fold them down. Next, you use releases to lower the bars and saddle. A latch at the top of the head tube lets you hinge the bars toward the ground. Another hinge in the top tube lets you fold the bike in half. Finally, you have a compact package. When it’s time to set up the Mariner once again, its wide fit range will work with a variety of riders.

Overall the Dahon Mariner D8 provides great value, a solid ride and top portability for flexible transportation.

Dahon Mariner D8 specs