diff --git a/mithril.js b/mithril.js
index 9c385395..4a1ad840 100644
--- a/mithril.js
+++ b/mithril.js
@@ -764,12 +764,11 @@ var m = (function app(window, undefined) {
 		deferred.promise = propify(deferred.promise);
 		return deferred
 	};
-	function propify(promise) {
-		var prop = m.prop();
+	function propify(promise, initialValue) {
+		var prop = m.prop(initialValue);
 		promise.then(prop);
 		prop.then = function(resolve, reject) {
-			promise = promise.then(resolve, reject).then(prop);
-			return prop;
+			return propify(promise.then(resolve, reject), initialValue)
 		};
 		return prop
 	}
@@ -1022,7 +1021,7 @@ var m = (function app(window, undefined) {
 
 	m.request = function(xhrOptions) {
 		if (xhrOptions.background !== true) m.startComputation();
-		var deferred = m.deferred();
+		var deferred = new Deferred();
 		var isJSONP = xhrOptions.dataType && xhrOptions.dataType.toLowerCase() === "jsonp";
 		var serialize = xhrOptions.serialize = isJSONP ? identity : xhrOptions.serialize || JSON.stringify;
 		var deserialize = xhrOptions.deserialize = isJSONP ? identity : xhrOptions.deserialize || JSON.parse;
@@ -1051,7 +1050,7 @@ var m = (function app(window, undefined) {
 			if (xhrOptions.background !== true) m.endComputation()
 		};
 		ajax(xhrOptions);
-		deferred.promise(xhrOptions.initialValue);
+		deferred.promise = propify(deferred.promise, xhrOptions.initialValue);
 		return deferred.promise
 	};
 
diff --git a/tests/mithril-tests.js b/tests/mithril-tests.js
index e3dca1e5..336bc8c6 100644
--- a/tests/mithril-tests.js
+++ b/tests/mithril-tests.js
@@ -2417,6 +2417,17 @@ function testMithril(mock) {
 		mock.XMLHttpRequest.$instances.pop().onreadystatechange()
 		return prop().url === "test?foo=1&foo=2"
 	})
+	test(function() {
+		var value
+		var prop1 = m.request({method: "GET", url: "test", initialValue: 123})
+		var val1 = prop1()
+		var prop2 = prop1.then(function() {return 1})
+		var val2 = prop2()
+		var prop3 = prop1.then(function(v) {value = v})
+		var val3 = prop3()
+		mock.XMLHttpRequest.$instances.pop().onreadystatechange()
+		return val1 === 123 && val2 === 123 && val3 === 123 && value.method === "GET" && value.url === "test"
+	})
 
 	// m.request over jsonp
 	test(function(){