tds101 

I'm awaiting the delivery of my new Mariner i7, and it's killing me. I'll share some pictures tomorrow, and a small user review after a weekend ride.

3speedslow

Thanks! Who is sending it to you?

tds101 

Sports By Sager on eBay,... I received it today, and installed some pedals, and adjusted all the fixins. I'll still pass by a bike shop to get it checked out (for warranty purposes) before I ride it, but it's already set up correctly. Then, after inspection, I'll test ride it, and post some picks and my opinion. The folding is definitely different than the regular Dahon fold, that's for sure. Seems more secure, with no frame flex. Having a 250lb weight limit surely helps.

wesgreen

I can't believe they're still sending those out with those Mickey Mouse 46 T integrated cranks. Anyway, you're getting a great frame, and can upgrade crank and bottom bracket later, if desired. Congrats!

tds101 

Here's a little review, based on my shoddy breathing after having Covid 19 at the beginning of the year.

Straight out the box, all I needed to do was install the pedals, tighten a few screws and such, adjust the brakes & tune the shifting. Took me a few minutes to figure out how to tighten/loosen the lockjaw hinge latch. Simple enough,...

Folding/unfolding is definitely, different. The Deltec cable has the other cables wrapped up with it, making it a slower process. The handlebars need to be unlatched to be able to move, so you can get them into the correct position, then close the latch, locking them in place. Otherwise, it's almost the same. The latch on the underside of the frame's lockjaw hinge does need to be watched , so you don't catch the cables when opening or closing the thing. The magnets are fantastic, so far. I carried the bike a little, to see if they felt like they'd separate. Feels good.

I immediately swapped pedals for some Wellgo folding pedals I have, and the seat/seatpost was removed also. I think the current seat would be just fine, but there's one small issue with the seatpost. Most folding bikes that I own use the seatpost to stand on, as the bottom of it is designed be utilized in such a manner. This seatpost is stamped with an advisory that there's a maximum insertion point, and apparently it's not supposed to be used in such a way. And to top it off, there's no end cap, which would protect the end of the seatpost from being damaged on the ground. Now, some bikes have an extra part attached to the frame on the bottom bracket, extending past the chainring, that's used to stand the bike on when folded, preventing damage to the chainring. This bike doesn't have it. Why Dahon decided to omit the proper seatpost is beyond me. Luckily I have a few in the basement,...

Ride quality wasn't what I'd expected. It rides like a minivelo/non-folding bike. There's no frame flex (as expected with the 250lb weight limit + Deltec cable), but it's something I was pleasantly surprised about. I'm used to some flex/noise, and this was a solid feeling ride. The handlebar stem does has the standard minimal flex, but it so small it's something I probably should have just stayed quiet about it. The Schwalbe Citizen tires (20"x1.75" w/K-guard & reflection) seem decent enough, and I didn't feel bumps and such all too much with them. I thought I'd be having my teeth chattering, but combined with the aluminum frame, it's a surprisingly plush ride.

Lastly, I will discuss the gearing. As mentioned, the chainring on the Mariner i7 isn't the largest, but adding a bigger chainring isn't necessarily an option here, at least not for me. The gear inches are 30" - 90", so a larger chainring would mean that hills would be a chore (again, for ME). The speed is decent, but this is no speed demon, that's for sure. I find it acceptable for my needs. I'd been dying to acquire an internally geared Dahon for YEARS. This is a total WIN for me. When riding it's a nice, easy experience. The Mariner i7 also coasts fantastically well. You really don't experience excessive drag from the Shimano Nexus 7 speed IGH. That was another welcome surprise. It's not [size=13px]excessively[/size] loud when coasting, and that's another plus. And after a few squeaky minutes, braking was quiet too.

Overall, I'm pleased with my current new addition to my bike family.

If I missed anything, please ask. I'm techie enough to answer some questions, but I'm not well versed enough to discuss the minute details.

tds101 

tds101 

tds101 

downhillmaster

I just picked this up today. Was at my LBS for a part and it was just sitting there on the floor like it was waiting for me to come in lol. I had to buy it.

tds101 

Congratulations!!! These bikes are a total winner. The solidness of the frame is surprising. I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

PS: pictures are definitely welcome.

downhillmaster

Thanks.
Have never ridden a folder before so can’t wait to take it out over the weekend.

downhillmaster

What’s really crazy is that after I bought the bike today I went online to Dahon’s site to check out the specs, etc... and the bike was listed in their lineup but now its not showing anywhere on their site.
Kinda weird

tds101 

These bikes seem to be selling out decently quick. And the price was, I believe on sale, $749. The last I saw it's back up to $799 and up. It's a really solid, easy to maintain bike.

tds101 

weonot

Hello.
I bought the same model.
But don't you find the front reflector neck(or arm) somewhat getting in the way of the front brakes?
^^

2_i 

This is unlikely to affect the quality of the braking as the cable under tension will be stronger than the plastic(?) holder. It is not uncommon to have some conflict in that area on bikes. You could presumably loosen the bolt securing the reflector holder and try to move it around a bit. Eventually you could replace the holder with a reflector with some other one and a bike shop could do it for you while you were waiting.

weonot

Thank you for sharing your views. Before reading your reply, I didn't realize that this is not uncommon. I thought I should get a little more flexible and grab some tools and start moving things around, instead of just sitting and complaining.
Thank you. ^^

ijayzen

Hi, any update on how the bike is riding 2 months out?

tds101 

As mentioned above, the reflector doesn't cause any problems with braking.

Unfortunately I haven't been riding since I've originally had the bike. I'll post an update once I get some more ride time in.

3speedslow

Not familiar with these models but those that can walk into a LBS where they live and see these folders are lucky buggers! Certainly not in my area!

tds101 

Sadly, I've yet to see this model in an LBS. Seems most bike shops are staying w/lower cast alternatives. They sell so fast it unbelievable.

weonot

Think my bike's doing fine. I took them to the roads and almost everywhere. Also fits well inside the trunk of the car. FYI There could be two or more sellers on Amazon, so always compare the price tags for a better deal.

ijayzen

The Mariner has been around for a long time so you would figure the bigger bugs should have been ironed out. How is the Nexxus 7 going? Is it efficient, etc.?

3speedslow

The only bug my early 2000’s Mariner had was the screaming need for better components.

easily done!

weonot

Hi. What components would you like to point out?