DYU D3F E-Bike Review: Assisting Your Ride

Retail Price: $499

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Disclaimer: DYU sent us a unit of the D3F free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this video are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

Product Specs +

14-Inch Wheels
15.5 MPH Top Speed
36 V, 10 Ah Battery
Assisted Pedaling
IP54
Head Lamp & Rear Fog Light
Front and Rear Disc Brakes

Electric bikes come in all shapes and forms. Some of them imitate the body of a motorcycle, while others look like speed bicycles. Then there are the mini-folding bikes that exist for urban commuters. A few years ago we took the Swagtron Swagcycle out for a spin and were very impressed with how much fun that little e-bike was. With so much improvement in not only battery, but technology as a whole, we were so excited to receive the DYU D3F Electric Mini Bike from the Chinese company. On paper, there’s a lot of similarities in form factor, but on closer inspection, these new bikes are on a whole new level. Here’s my full review of this 14 inch folding e-bike!

Battery Benefits

To get the specs out of the way, the DYU D3F houses a 36V 10 Ah battery right on the center of the frame. This is the go to location for storing an electric battery for this form factor. Charging from zero to a full battery takes a few hours and the bike did seem to hold a charge for a substantial amount of time. The port for charging is also located here with a cap that never seems to stay in place. Every single e-bike we’ve owned don’t seem to keep those little plunger caps in place. I rode it around the neighborhood for a couple of hours with plenty of battery remaining. I’ll go in-depth about specific numbers when I discuss the various ways you can ride this bike. As the battery is a bit lofty along with the full metal frame body, the bike does have a bit of weight behind it. At near 40 lbs, it requires some maneuvering to lift it into the boot of a car. By collapsing the handle bars and lowering the seat all the way down, the bike does force itself to be compact enough to fit into most sedan trunks. That’s a big benefit that other larger e-bike form factors can’t match.

Ride Quality

I was surprised by the power hidden inside this little bike. The 14-inch wheels look almost comedic from a distance, but with a 240 W motor powering all of the movement, the DYU zips by a flat surface with intent. DYU says the top speed is 15.5 MPH and while I never actually hit 15 MPH with a fully rotated throttle, I did come close to it. I comfortably rode at 10 MPH and felt safe doing so. I was, however, taken aback by a teeny bit of instant torque whiplash the first time I twisted that throttle. There’s a baby launch feeling of an electric motor lurking in this bike. Seeing as the wheelbase is so narrow and tiny, the ride quality is a bit bumpy. This is something all bikes of this form factor deal with simply because the turning radius is so tight. You’ll feel the dips and bumps of the road that will affect your steering ever so slightly. While it isn’t unmanageable, I do recommend being more cautious about slowing down for intersections.

The most exciting feature about the DYU e-bike is that there are two drive modes. When Alex reviewed his Michael Blast Greaser, we had a blast using pedal assist. It was fun actually using your legs in unison with the bike to travel distances. It makes you feel like you’re actually working with your bike. Folding e-bikes like the Swagtron used to not have pedals as they were fully focused on throttle riding. The D3F has pedals!

Not only does it have pedals, the bike also supports electric pedal assistance! While it isn’t an advanced system that allows for different ranges of assistance, it was still absolutely noticeable and helpful for the inclines I came across. By forgoing the usage of the throttle for assisted pedaling, DYU says you can hit anywhere from 20-40 miles on a full battery depending on the ride quality. I found that the lower end of that estimate is what is more realistic simply because it’s near impossible to find a truly flat road that stays flat for that many miles. With movement only through the use of the throttle, 15-35 miles is the estimate we have from DYU. If you’re topping out at about 10-15 miles consistently on your ride, I’d say 15-20 miles of battery life on normal roads would be a safe number to bet on. All of this is still plenty good enough for a round trip to a market or coffee shop in a town.

Functional Uses

When you add additional aesthetics like a headlamp and a rear fog light, the DYU bike is quite an attractive package. Like I said earlier, this isn’t the first time we’ve explored this form factor, but it does feel so much more refined and functional than the last time we spent significant time on one of these types of bikes. There’s both front and rear disc brakes that work well enough during our one month with the bike. I do feel like that in terms of safety, there is a little bit of caution that needs to be anticipated when applying the brakes. For this type of form factor, there needs to be plenty of wiggle room to work with to reach a full stop. That’s to be expected with such a small wheel base.

Is it Worth It?

The bike was also quite easy to assemble. Alex put it all together in less than 5 minutes at the office. We were both pleasantly surprised at how relatively comfortable the seat was. Some bike seats are just insanely firm that your tush gets wrecked from sitting on it. This seat is cushy enough without being too soft for a bike seat. It actually is really comfortable. Honestly, for $499, this really isn’t a toy anymore. With gas at an all-time high, I can see many people in various situations actually relying on this for commute purposes. The fact that you have assisted pedaling on a bike this compact is a game changer for getting you across town. That was one drawback of using the Swagcycle as a full-time commuter bike; that totally isn’t a problem with this bike. The DYU D3F isn’t the smoothest ride, nor is it the best looking e-bike in the world, but it has a lot of charm and provides plenty of functionality that is worth considering.

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Lida

Always the number cruncher, the former narrative journalist turned data scientist, can’t help but find herself bursting with excitement with each new generation of tech gadgets. After all, predicting future trends is Lida’s forte. Any gadget that survives Lida’s torturous, adult working woman itinerary of over 700 notifications a day deserves praise!