Tern Link D8 Folding Bike Review

Reviewed by Gwendal Castellan

$600 USD, $700 CAD

ternbicycles.com

The Link D8 is an eight-speed, 20-inch wheel folding bike with a single pivot point midway on the frame. The kickstand is included.

Folded Dimensions: 14.96 x 31.1 x 28.35 inches

Weight: 26.68 pounds (12.1 kilograms)

Wheel Size: 20 inches

Pros

The Tern Link D8 has a familiar feel with slightly different folding clamp mechanisms, but also has what they call the N-fold, which allows you to line up the front and rear wheels without lifting the wheels off the ground. This is a quick and smooth way to fold the bike that does not require lifting. The handlebar post folds down on the outside to complete the fold, which I could do in almost 10 seconds.

Cons

The folded bike dimensions are decent, but not ultra small, mostly because the wheel size is 20-inches. This means that the bike will take a little more room in the trunk of a car or on subway train. When folded, the bike must be carried, which requires some arm strength.

Ideal Rider

This folding bike is great for people who need a bike that rides well, but that don’t have any bike parking in their apartment building. It can be stowed away easily in any small apartment closet. The price point also makes it an attractive choice.

Overall

The eight-speed derailleur has a comfortable range of gears (32 to 85 gear inches), which helped me ascend some of the steeper hills with relative ease. The frame was stiff and responsive and the oversized seat post had very little flex. The handling is stable and the v-brakes worked flawlessly during testing. This bike is a very good value for what you get.

The fender option is recommended for people living in rain-prone regions. Tern also has a range of racks and a luggage truss adaptor that works with KLICKflix handlebar bag systems, which would add to the functionality of this folding bicycle. The Link D8 requires some disassembly to fit into your average airline suitcase. However, the Airporter and the Airporter-mini suitcase, available through Tern, conform to the airline baggage maximum allowable dimensions and also have the length and width to accommodate the disassembled bike.