F-Wheel DYU D1 E-Bike Review - A budget electric bike that won't spare you
Spring is approaching and soon after, summer will come, seasons in which nature awakens giving us the bright colors of flowers and the intense scents of the earth. What better opportunity for stay outdoors and enjoy the most beautiful the world has to offer and if we do riding an electric bike like the one proposed by F-Wheel, the fun will not be missed. So at a time when you often hear about ecological vehicles we present our personal full review of the F-Wheel DYU D1, sent from the store Gearbest.com, unbeatable in prices and in the variety of products in the catalog.
In the video unboxing some time ago I showed you the contents of the sales package about our ecological vehicle, giving you also proof of how much it is easy assembly of DYU D1 allowing an immediate use of the same, but briefly you will again list the content that is naturally made up of ours electric bicycle, rear fender that will be mounted through the Allen key Supplied, battery charger with European socket and output of 42 V - 1.5 A, which has a small LED on the front that is colored red when we are loading our product and green light when the charge is complete. We also find a small user manual in English which lists some features of the product and advice on correct use. A precisely negative what I have to do though is related toabsence of communication about the Bluetooth password for blocking an electric bike. Anyway the standard password is 123456 that you will need to set the block and / or proceed to change the password with a personalized one.
Our electric bike DYU D1 has a really elegant appearance donated by the use of aluminum alloy that makes up the entire frame of our vehicle. The first point in favor is given by the really compact dimensions equal to 1020 x 940 x 505 mm (1020 x 720 x 200 mm when the bike is folded up on itself) and a weight of only 12 Kg that allow an extreme portability, lift the bike easily for example if we have to make some stairs or for load it in our car without any problem thanks to large bow-shaped handle really ergonomic for one firm and comfortable grip with one hand.
In fact, it is possible to always carry the DYU D1 e keep it in the trunk of your car ready to use, because our smart bike can be folded on itself simply acting on lever located on the neck of the front tube which allows one quick release and sure of the whole handlebar which will be folded to take up less space. The release lever is made of plastic but not I saw weaknesses as the material used is of good workmanship, strength and consistency even if a pinch of attention does not hurt. Remaining on the frame another feature that makes gain points to our DYU D1 is the presence of the IP54 certification thus allowing theuse of the electric bike even in the rain without being afraid that the motor and the electrical components will be damaged.
Our ecological vehicle is equipped with two wheels from 12 inches that adapt to various types of terrain such as sandstone, ramps, bumps, uneven ground, cobblestones etc .. At the first use the wheels will be inflated even if there is not a clear indication of the correct pressure to be applied, but on the other hand which bike gives you this data? Although apparently the wheels are very small these they can support a weight up to 120 Kg without particular problems even on not particularly linear terrains and even if no form of suspension is absent, the DYU D1 does not return any negative feedback while driving, maybe even about the large saddle slightly cushioned and well padded, on which to rest your ass is really relaxing.
On the rear wheel pin on the left is also anchored small easel covered with a semi-rigid plastic sheath, which allows you to park and stabilize your vehicle without it falling. Be careful, however, to remind you to remove it starting because the really minimal dimensions of the tripod as well as the color that is camouflaged with the entire structure could lead you to forget it. One is positioned on both the front and rear wheels fender that should safeguard from possible splashes arising from crossing puddles or small pebbles on the road.
The DYU D1 electric bike is available in two colors, white and black, the latter from us in tests that I think gives a sporty character to our vehicle by marrying perfectly with i contrasts in red color placed on the wheels and on the engine container which also houses white lettering on the sides.
Frontally we find an LED light that is possible operate manually through the application or you can set it automatically so that at the first darkness it turns on by itself. The beam is well uniform and the parable does not disturb any bystanders or motorists who cross our path. Also behind we find a LED rear light red to indicate the STOP when you brake or the position when the front light is activated.
On the front wheel there is no need to make special considerations while the rear wheel can be said to be enriched by a disc brake which makes braking safe by means of the only lever on the left side of the handlebar. The reaction time of the brake is fast and safe enough and I did not have to make any adjustments whatsoever, this operation is still possible by acting on the terminal above the metal disc. However, for a greater security there is also a enhanced model with double disc brake and increased battery.
The handlebar can be adjusted slightly as an angle and hosts the on / off button and a little one acustic signal next to the left knob, which is reminiscent of the old Piaggio type Hi or Si motors. On the right we find the throttle grip and a small LED display blue color that indicates the charge status of our bike. Below the display we find a further small green color button used for the function of Cruise Control, which allows once activated to proceed at a constant speed without having to act on the accelerator. For deactivation, you can push it again or simply operate the brake lever.
The strong plate gives it to us brushless motor with power of 250W 36V able tackle slopes up to 15 degrees, but above all to push our DYU D1 up to 30 Km / h. On this point we must do two clarifications: the first is related to the fact that the speed of 30 Km / h can be activated via the app only after running 10 Km because the initial preset maximum speed is 20 Km / h. The second clarification is that of course speed is conditioned by several factors including the main ones the weight of the person driving the vehicle ed the type of terrain in which we find ourselves. In fact, the company declares that these values can be obtained with a maximum weight of 60 Kg and on unpaved terrain and imbalances like small damage on the asphalt, in short we are in Italy and so it is almost a miracle to find a road or bike path with these characteristics. Seriously I managed to get this speed only downhill considering my weight "shape" of about 100 Kg.
Naturally the weight, the cruising speed and the ground conditions will also affect the battery life which according to the manufacturer under typical conditions guarantees a variable duration from 15 to 21 Km. A battery that powers the entire circuit and has one capacity from 4400 mAh, which comes reloaded in poco more than 2 hours (to be exact 2 hours and 18 minutes). In my tests of use with my weight of about 100 Kg with average speed of about 15 Km / h on land not properly smooth, with the presence of tiled and with gradients I managed to get a maximum of 10 Km. The situation changes radically if you try to use it for example is my daughter of 11 years with a weight of at least 2 / 3 lower than mine, which was able to bring the bike DYU D1 at peak performance. It will be enough for the refill insert the plug of the power cable into the entry hole located in the lower part of the hull and protected by a double silicone cap.
Battery life would not be a big deal if you do not have to pay special attention to effective autonomy that you will be able to get from the DYU D1 because once finished unfortunately you will have no choice but to push the vehicle by hand. Yeah, my friends, this is the sore point of this product that sins in the lack of pedals and relative gear wheels, replaced by two robust foot rests made of shiny metal in black with silver aluminum inserts. This involves further problems related to legislation poco clear and confusing that exists in our country, which makes this electric vehicle "illegal" for use on the street, cycle paths, etc. .. A real shame because this aspect limits a lot of the fun that the DYU D1 can give us, but fortunately the company has also thought of a variant defined as DYU D2 which integrates pedals, chain and other to align with our legislation. Find the link in our offer boxes that you find when reading the article or clicking here.
Finally we need to analyze the smart aspect of our e-bike, which interfaces with theDYU application available for both iOS and Android systems, with the difference that Apple users can download it directly from the store while Android users will have to download it from official website of the company. The application for DYU D1 is essential, perhaps even too much in some respects, but It is in English and therefore understandable by anyone and offers all the features we could expect on such a product. I state that the company still needs to refine its app, in fact often I found sudden crashes due to some sort of conflict with Bluetooth. In fact, if you try to start the application having already activated the Bluetooth of your smartphone, you will almost certainly go to the block of the app, therefore you must make sure before connecting to turn off the Bluetooth on the smartphone and activate it at the request of the application.
Once started you will find a screen with a blue background with some sort of button to plug on to start the search for your electric bike. Once identified you will have available information concerning residual charge level and temperature, which in principle should never become red, in case it becomes meaning that we should temporarily stop so as not to incur damages due to excessive overheating of the cells.
Above the button we have a sort of arrow and tapping on it we will access the information about thecurrent distance traveled, the total kilometers of all our journeys and the time of activity of the bike referred to the activity in progress. Both from this screen and from the main screen if we are running we will have the speed with which we are proceeding. Instead, click on the lock symbol we could lock our bike: the lock will act on the motor and therefore the DYU D1 can not be started until we enter the password.
From the main screen at the bottom there are two buttons: the first gear will allow us to access the DYU D1 settings through which we could set the maximum speed (minimum 5 Km / h max 30 Km / h), decide whether to start the gear simply by turning the throttle grip or by a small push, rename the Bluetooth, change the Bluetooth password, choose to Activate or deactivate Cruise Control, decide whether to operate the headlight illumination automatically or manually.
The voice related to the Power Assisted Gears on the D1 model does not work as indicated by the app itself, but continuing we have the basic information of the bike as the ID and finally a sort of self-diagnosis called Self Checking able to determine any malfunctions about brake, battery etc .. The other icon on the main screen, shaped like a compass will allow us to record our trip on the map to be consulted with the related data supplied.
PROJECTED IMPACT
Difficult to find a defect to our electric bike, which has been able to prove to have a sporting character and above all to keep up with a heavy weight like mine, although autonomy and speed are reduced but without giving up the fun. Unfortunately what it makes poco attractive the DYU D1 is the lack of pedals which could cause some problems due to legislation poco clear. The fact remains that the F-Wheel vehicle is a excellent purchase in the vicinity of spring / summer, also useful for small urban movements, maybe in the city center, where getting out with the car is a real problem. Personally I highly recommend it to everyone, small and large, so you can make the purchase at the best online store, Gearbest.com where you will find in addition to the version without pedals that too with pedals taking advantage of the discount code FDYUD2IT. On the other hand the same Riccardo Cocciante sang:
Strolling by bike next to you,
pedal without hurry on Sunday mornings,
a drop of frost in his hair
but what a red face as a child,
make a comic breathing,
while I'm falling in love.
I would like to buy the D2 for the fact that it has pedals, but I have a doubt about the comfort that the bike offers for tall 1.87 people like me. If I'm not mistaken, the saddle is not adjustable, right?
The saddle is not adjustable and of course not having your height I can not give you opinions on comfort in this sense, but on the net I found several people who use it and one in a video seems very high and yet it gives positive reviews in all that that uses it to make some small BMX amateur races.