We have waded through a mountain of entries and want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for taking the time to write to us. It’s amazing and so rewarding to hear about all these adventures. It was a tough call! Allow us to introduce our five new Explorers below:

   Enes Sensoy – Turkey

“When I bought my DAHON I realized that it is more than just a folding bike. My DAHON makes transportation easier in big cities with limited bike paths. It accelerates quickly and has great maneuverability. When I started using my DAHON in the city, I realized that public transportation can also be enjoyable and comfortable. If I am taking an automobile trip, the bike can be ready to cycle in 20 seconds – a lifesaver at unexpected moments. On cycling trips it could be loaded on a bus or a train and you do not have to cycle a boring road. Moreover, hitchhiking with a folding bike would make your trip all the more fantastic. I call my DAHON bike a ‘Swiss army knife for public transportation’.

The more I used my DAHON, I realized that it is stronger than it seems. I cycled up to 2,300 mt above sea level with a trailer attached to my folding bike. I love being on the road. My DAHON will take me to the high mountains in Eastern Turkey for a chilly sleep in my tent, to the Mediterranean coast with great sunshine, to ancient Anatolian cities with fabulous architecture, to welcoming European cities and hopefully to far Asia with great adventures.”

   Jody Brooks – USA

“I LOVE folding bikes (it’s now all I ever ride). I bike commute, not just in urban settings but, in suburban settings. I ride my folding bike up 900 feet of vertical to get home – rain or shine, night or day. I also fly with my DAHON. I’ve landed into every single airport in the LA region with nothing but a folding bike to get around. What makes the commute to work exciting? 41 miles is not a trivial distance to do in a short time and the mix of trains, buses, cars and bikes it requires really highlights how folding bicycles are essential to do real world bicycle commuting. I really try to use nothing but a bike to get around town. That showed me the realities of cycling in the sprawling, freeway-ladened, U.S.: the bicycle and cyclist have to be adaptable. It may simply be impossible to get certain places without, at the very least, a bus ride. Buses may have racks but typically only a handful or less. When those are full, then what? Folding bicycles are welcome inside and that means your ride can truly go anywhere. No other bicycle can do that. I am a huge fan of DAHON bicycles. There are other folding bicycles out there but nobody beats DAHON’s engineering, style, max weight specs, and price.”

   Ahmad Asraf – Malaysia

“I’m a 33 year old flight attendant from Malaysia Airlines. As you know as a flight attendant I’m always on the move from one country to another. I  have a DAHON Dash P18 and the moment I bought the bike, I tested it and cycled from Petaling Jaya to the border of Thailand. The journey took me 6 days. I also bring my Dash every time I go for work. To travel with my DAHON  bike everywhere I go and to see the response from people around the world is so amazing.

In 2012 I got knee injury (ACL) that prevented me from working for 7 months. I couldn’t walk and cycle. I used the DAHON bike for my physiotherapy and I’m glad now I managed to cycle again and always share my experiences with my DAHON bike with anyone who I met during my travelling.”

   Bianca Starr – USA

“I am a 37 year old extremely active mother of 3 living in the heart of the Mission District in San Francisco.  I enjoy taking rides to Sausalito and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.  From there I usually take the Ferry.  I also commute on BART 4 times a week. I have two kids like I mentioned and we ride to school. I also hate driving and depend on my bike to run errands such as light grocery shopping, getting my hair done etc.  CITY LIFE!”

   Mario Marlon Schumacher – Canada

“My DAHON bike gave me the possibility to explore the city in completely new ways, hopping bars or festivals at night, or getting to sports events during the day – I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I even enjoy doing my errands with it. If the weather gets too rough or the distance is too long, I fold it up and take it with me into the bus or the subway. It’s the only means of transportation that gives me the total freedom to go wherever I want – whenever I want.
As an international researcher I often need to work for short-term missions in other countries. My Speed P8 became so much part of my daily life that I could not imagine being without it, in particular when I’m traveling overseas, where I need to quickly adapt to new environments, and find my individual paths through the urban landscape. Whether I travel by plane and bring it with me in a suitcase or by car on the backseat, or by train – it is always there when I need it. For one of my recent business travels it was an extreme bliss to have the DAHON with me. I had to work at IRCAM (Centre Pompidou), Paris, and travel at day and night times through Paris – where traffic is hell and the subway often completely packed – if not on strike. When you travel in another city you often don’t know in what area or apartment you might stay –no problem with my DAHON. For example, although at first I was not allowed for safety reasons to enter with a bike in a government institution, I packed the DAHON into a carry bag –now it was luggage- and brought it into my office where I kept it right underneath my desk. All my co-workers were stunned seeing me walking out of the building with a bag, unfold the bike, and going my way – taking shortcuts through the romantic streets of Paris – smelling fresh croissants – while they were inhaling the smog of cars in the traffic .

Using the bike as a means of transportation and daily companion I have been able to experience my surroundings in new ways which would have been impossible otherwise, e.g. by car, public transport or with a regular bike.
DAHON bikes have truly inspired me to overcome any limits. No matter what: winter snow (I got tyres with spikes), de-icing salt (I wash the bike in my shower), rain (I got mudguards and rain pants), travels to other continents (bring it in a suitcase)… you name it. The DAHON bike has turned my travels into adventures and discoveries.

I can do a lot of talking here, but the truth is, what I’ve been describing cannot be read – it must be experienced. I hope I could give you a glance into the life of a DAHON Explorer.”

Stay tuned to our social media channels to see what’s next for the DAHON Explorers…