DLBroox

I am comparing the Tern Eclipse P18L to the Dahon IOS D9. I want a folder with 24 inch wheels, so those are the two that are in my price range. The Dahon is 400 dollars cheaper than the Tern. I think the Tern looks like a nicer bike, but that's aesthetics.

My Dad always says if you are ready to pay the thousand dollars, than you are only talking about the 400 dollar difference, so my question is, is Tern really the better bike with better components and folding mechanisms? 400 bucks worth?

ThorUSA

Dahon should only be 300 dlr cheaper... lol
Tern has led lights, hub generator, fenders ...18 speeds 26-111 gear inches.....
Dahon has disc brakes 9 speed gear ratio ?

Tern in stock available from many dealers who can order
Dahon .Not in stock at Dahon, maybe some dealers have some left

HGR3inOK

Have you personally inspected and/or test-ridden either bike? I have inspected the IOS 9 and other Eclipse models, but have test-ridden neither. IMHO, they are both high-quality items. Thor may be one of the few participants in this forum who has some first-hand knowledge of both models. And, as he states, if you are wanting to buy a new bike, availability of the IOS may make that issue moot.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

Amt0571

Only if you consider breaking in half as a feature

semaler

downtube

Dahon is much better than Tern!

Thanks,
Yan

RidingMatthew

@downtube why do you say that? just curious as to reasoning.

DLBroox

I've not seen either in person. They are not available around me. I have a Dahon curve and have never had a problem with it but because I'll probably buy one without riding it I wanted some input about quality.

fietsbob

As I understand Its a family Schism , Tern founded by David Hon's Son ..

Tern is out of Taipei , the old man has Mainland PRC factories ..

downtube

There is a big ebike summit going on all day today. I will respond tomorrow....I have a lot to say.

Thanks
Yan

ThorUSA

get ready
set
go

popcorn ready ....

ttakata73

I like the hinge locks on Terns better.
They seem more robust yet easier to use.

tds101 

DLBroox

Ok...

BruceMetras

If I were you, I'd go with the Dahon.. here's why .. you live in Miami and there are no hills, so you don't need the extra gearing of the Tern .. and if you ever did need lower gearing on the Dahon, you could add a Mega-range cassette in the rear and continue with the single up front and maintain the simplicity.. the Dahon has disc brakes.. I have disc brakes on my 26" Dahon Zero G and they have been great for years, and no rim wear .. the frames of both are generally the same with a massive main hinge .. the short steerer/stem of the Dahon won't suffer from flex like some of the small-wheel longer stem models, and hence won't need the beefier stem clamp of the Tern... and then there is the dough savings.. so my money would go to the Dahon, even if they were priced the same.. hope you have actually lined up one to buy, because they are not plentiful this time of year ..

tds101 

How about a trouble free Tern Node D8?

Tern Node D8 - do everything folding bike – NYCeWheels.com

DLBroox

Thank you! That's very helpful.

DLBroox

To tell you the truth, I like the aesthetics of the other one better.

downtube

I like almost all my competitors, however Tern is not to my liking. I read the Tern v Dahon complaint many years ago, and I felt sick to my stomach. A copy of the decisions on the complaint is at DAHON NORTH AMERICA, INC. v. HON | Leagle.com . It still gives me chills.

I can not understand how anything good can come from such a beginning. Then in Dec 2013 a thread starts on their forum, about a frame failure, many people add to the thread and then it is made private ( so you need to login ), then they started audit it ( some posts were restricted ) and finally they take down the whole forum around Sept 2015. It reads like a horror story, much of it has been saved by someone online at Tern Link D8 frame shearing in two . I have saved the ENTIRE forum to my hard drive, the link I gave does not have the entire thread saved...I think the bot saving it was eventually blocked or something.

Tell me what you think after reading this stuff......

Thanks,
Yan

bargainguy

I have no experience with Tern, but I do have experience with Dahons, still have a couple. Used to be a member on the old dahonforums.

I don't know how Dahon is doing these days with parts, but back in the dahonforum days, stories of parts non-availability were legion. Apparently it had something to do with the numerous model changes every year and a meager store of parts to supply all those different models. A lot of those parts were proprietary, so you couldn't source them elsewhere.

Anyone know how Dahon is doing parts-wise these days?

Aubergine 

I dunno about the bike parts, but I recently ordered a rear rack (a tall one, more like a standard bike would have) to replace the itty bitty one that came with the bike. The rack came from Dahon quickly.

Azreal911

They still have alot of different models and fold types you so still might run into problems depending on what you get. If you get one of their more standard platforms like the Mu or Speed lines you will be ok for parts. but if you buy a jifo or eezz which arent' usually sold in high numbers you may have a problem with sourcing new parts for latches and stuff. It really depends where you bought it from, if you have a local dealer you shouldn't have a problem at all but they will just have to order it and would have a wait time. Not sure if they would carry spare parts for the low volume items which would then take up space and probably get lost also in their massive inventory.

Tern on the other hand tried to minimize their fold lineup which most of them are of the same type of folding mechanism where the latches are interchangeable from an eclipse to a verge to a link. Stores that sell them would probably need to keep just a few spare parts on hand before ordering more because it would work with any of the bikes in that lineup.