I think it goes without saying that the DYU D3F is a weird little e-bike. We’ve come to call it the “clown car” bike because our testers — especially me at a lanky 6’1” — look a bit ridiculous when riding it.
But despite its weirdness, the DYU has become pretty popular. We actually see this thing in the wild pretty often, and I suspect that’s, at least in part, due to its really cheap MSRP of less than $500. You really can’t get much cheaper than that in the e-bike world, and I think that draws many people to it.
The DYU rolls on a set of 14 inch wheels and is powered by a 240W rear hub motor and a surprisingly large 36V, 10Ah (360Wh) battery nested inside the front triangle of the frame.
We’ll dive into the details of power and handling later, but in short, don’t expect a ton from this super affordable mini bike. That’s OK, especially if you’re buying it as a toy and not transportation, but it’s no sportscar.
Despite its very, very small stature, the DYU D3F’s 265lb weight rating certainly suggests its built with adult riders in mind. Though, this bike has become popular for children — something we actually tested in this review. And there are also suggestions its miniature size has some function behind it.
The bike sports a foldable handlepost so you can tuck the handlebars neatly down by the frame and there’s a grab spot carved out of the battery, so you can carry the bike like a suitcase. It’s just 38 lbs, so there is an argument this could be an ultra-affordable alternative to high-end fast folders like the GoCycle or Brompton, but with a fraction of the performance.
It’s got a single speed drivetrain with a 38x12t ratio that feels a little spinny while you’re cruising but is a nice gear for helping the motor up hills.
The brakes are mechanical disk brakes, and an important note here is that the set on our review bike arrived reversed with the left hand lever operating the rear brake and the right lever operating the front brake.
This is something to be aware of the first time you ride the bike, but luckily this can be fixed relatively easily.
And that’s about it. The gist of this bike is it’s very cheap, very small and very simple. None of those facts make this a bad e-bike by any means, but it is important to keep all of them in mind when buying. This bike is for fun, and in that sense it does a great job.
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