Dahon Taurus (Ford special edition) – An Ultimative Great Bicycle
0Contents
- 1 General
- 1.1 How much does the “Dahon Taurus” weight?
- 1.2 How much does only the frame weight?
- 1.3 What are the dimensions of the “Dahon Mu P8” when folded? How small can it be folded?
- 1.4 In which colors is the folding bike available?
- 1.5 Is the seat adjustable? How comfortable is the seat?
- 1.6 How much body weight can this bike hold? Can the “Dahon Taurus” hold a person with 250 lbs or around 114 kg?
- 1.7 Is this bike for men or for women?
- 2 Speed
- 3 Assembly
- 4 Usefulness
- 5 Travel
- 6 Conclusion
General
How much does the “Dahon Taurus” weight?
The special Dahon Taurus edition by Ford has a steel frame. Hence, it weights much more compared to the steel framed Dahon Mu P8. Its shipping weight is 43.15 pounds or around 20 kilogram. According to dahon.com/ the fully functional bike weights around 40 pounds or 18 kilogram.
How much does only the frame weight?
As pointed out, the frame is made of steel. Hence it is one of the most heaviest parts of the Dahon Taurus. To get the frame weight we unclipped all parts of the Taurus. Our result is that the frame weights around 22 pounds or around 11 kg. Compared to other bikes, this is much heavier, however a steel frame make the bicycle also much more stable.
What are the dimensions of the “Dahon Mu P8” when folded? How small can it be folded?
Above you can see a picture of the Dahon Taurus folded. The dimensions are 30 x 79 x 66 cm or 11.8″ x 31.1“ x 26″.
The Dahon Taurus is pretty simple to fold. If this is your first Dahon, here is a short description how you can do it:
- First fold the pedals to the side
- Then open the clip to put the saddle down
- In the next step fold the handles
- Finally fold the steel frame
- Then you have successfully folded the bike
To unfold the bike start at 5 and go to 1.
In which colors is the folding bike available?
The Dahon Taurus is available as limited edition of Ford. Hence, the bicycle is branded with the ford logo on the frame, which compared to other dahon bikes is extremely unique. Besides the logos the bike comes in dark black and looks in our opinion extremely stylish!
Is the seat adjustable? How comfortable is the seat?
Yes, the seat of the Dahon Taurus is adjustable. Compared to other folding bikes the seat of the Taurus is not very comfortable. If you are overweight, then we highly recommend to buy a comfortable gel seat. One of the most comfortable seats is the Sunlite Cloud-9 saddle. It comes with a gel foam padding and is designed to be comfortable. Further its coil springs suspensions help to smooth out bumps, which are not covered by the bike itself.
The saddle is extremely easy to install. Just remove the fixtures of the standard saddle and mount the new saddle.
How much body weight can this bike hold? Can the “Dahon Taurus” hold a person with 250 lbs or around 114 kg?
The bike has an extremely robust steel frame. Hence, it can hold 231 lbs or 105 kg. If you have more than 231 lbs we do not recommend that you buy this bike. Instead, the Stowabike a city bike with an extremely robust frame is probably a better choice for you.
Is this bike for men or for women?
Even though the Dahon Taurus is branded with a ford logo, the bicycle is for both man and woman. All Dahon bicycles are made both for man and for woman.
Speed
How many gears does it have? How fast is the “Dahon Taurus”?
The Dahon Taurus has 7-speed gears, which are from the high quality brand Shimano. Compared to other Dahon bicycles the number of gears is standard. For example, the Dahon Mu P8 or the famouse Dahon has the same number of gears.
The picture above shows the Shimano circuits of the Dahon Taurus, after unpacking it. As you can see the gears are already on the bicycle. However, you have to set them up correctly. We recommend that you go to your bicycle shop of trust.
How does the bike perform on hills and old/bumpy pavement on the streets?
The Dahon Taurus, has 2 dampers on the front. Furthermore, the saddle itself is damping against bumpy old pavements. However, during our test we clearly saw that the Dahon Taurus is a street bike. Hence, we do not recommend to use in the countryside. Still, you can make long tours with the Taurus, because the bicycle itself is super handy and easy to fold.
How well does the bike go uphill?
As the Taurus has 7 gears it is extremely easy to uphill with the bicycle. However, you have to clean your bicycle properly, so that it runs even after several trips as smooth as it ran on the first day. For tooling we recommend the Repair Kit from Zammys Gear. The kit includes 16 different tools and is widely used by folding bikers.
Assembly
Does the “Dahon Taurus” require assembly? How hard is this bike to put together?
The Dahon Taurus is not hard to assemble. As every Dahon folding bike, it follows a similar scheme.
First fix the handle and tighten all lose screws..
In the next step install the rear rack. In the below video you can see how you can easily do that:
Finally, you are ready to ride your bike!
Which tools do I need to assemble the folding bike?
We definitely recommend that you are using the proper tools to assemble the folding bike. A faithful companion for each folding bike lover is the Multi Bicycle Toolkit from Crank Brothers. The kit includes 19 tools and comes with a tool flask, two Phillips and two flathead screwdrivers and a universal chain tool. The largest advantage of the Multi Toolkit from Crank Brothers is that it is super small and you can store it in your pocket. However, if you would like more than 19 tools we recommend the BIKEHAND Complete Bicycle Repair Tool Kit. A lot of professional repair services are using this toolkit, so you are basically saving a lot of money, if you switch to this kit.
What do I have to do to fold the bike? Do the pedals fold?
Folding and unfolding the Dahon Taurus, is extremely easy. Like every Dahon bike, open the clip and clap the handebars down. Further push the saddle down and clap the pedals to the side.
The following video shows the above written instructions in detail:
Usefulness
Can I safely attach a child seat to this bike? Which seat would work best?
Yes you can safely attach a child seat to the Dahon Taurus bicycle. We highly recommend the Schwinn Deluxe Child Carrier, which has the large advantage that the feet of your child will be kept save from the turning wheels.
Another option is to attach a Bicycle Trailer, such as the highly recommended InStep Take 2 Trailer. In this trailer you can accommodate up to two children with a maximum weight each of of 80 lbs or 37 kg. The 16-inch pneumatic tires provide a smooth ride for your child.
Does it come with a storage bag? Which storage bag can I use for my bike?
The Dahon Taurus does not come with a bicycle bag. However, we highly recommend to buy an extra storage bag for the bicycle. The advantages are numerous. One is for example, that your bicycle will always be secure against rust and other long time damages. The Dahon Stow Bag is an excellent choice for a storage bike. This bike was specifically made for Dahon bikes and keeps your bicycle save and secure.
Which bike bags or baskets can be used on this bike?
The best bicycle bag for folding bikes is the Topeak Trolley Tote Folding Basket. Its main advantage is that it can be folded and has a volume of 25 liters. Hence, it is excellent for shopping for groceries.
If you need further volume we highly recommend the Bushwhacker Omaha Basket. This basket is has a double volume and therefore extremely fine for large families.
Is it possible to convert the folding bike to an electric bike?
The Dahon Taurus can easily be converted into an electric bike. The easiest way to convert your bicycle is with a converter kit. The Electric Bicycle LCD Display Motor Kit is ideal for Dahon bikes. We recommend that you are using front kit. This will help you when you are riding your bicycle uphill. The kit comes with a whole wheel with tire and it includes a motorized wheel, controller and speed throttle. On average it takes around 4 hours to convert your bicycle to a full electric bike.
Travel
Can I take it into an airplane? Can I take it into a train?
In general you have to check in your bicycle before you board the plan. Therefore, we recommend that you are checking it in as heavy luggage. Compared to the airplane you can easily take your bicycle to a train. However, beforehand you have to check if the train has an extra section for bicycles.
Can this bike fit into a trunk?
You can easily put this bike into your trunk. As shown above the bicycle can be folded extremely small hence, even if you have a small car it is possible to take the bike with you.
Conclusion
The Dahon Taurus is a special edition by Ford. This makes it extremely valuable to bikers who either love car brands and folding bikes. Besides the brand the bicycle is excellent. The steel frame makes the bicycle extremely robust and a valuable companion in the everyday life. Hence, the topfoldingbike team highly recommends to buy this bicycle!
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9.6/10
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9.4/10
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9.2/10
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8.6/10
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9.2/10
Summary
The Dahon Taurus is a special edition by ford. The highest score is in the general category of this bicycle. However, this folding bike is not self-explanatory in terms of assembly. However, Dahon published recently explainer videos. Our team and I definitely recommend this bicycle as it is also a highly limited edition!