DYU T1 E-Bike Review – A Decent Budget Daily Commuter

The DYU company has been around for quite a while. This Shenzhen/Hong Kong based company was founded in 2013 with the express purpose of developing and producing e-bikes and scooters.

But that’s the case with literally all e-bike manufacturers. What makes DYU different is their unique approach to design as well as more than an affordable pricing model.

For instance, DYU’s D3F e-bike frame looks like something from a sci-fi movie thanks to its unique battery placement. 

I’m not here to talk about the D3F. In this article, I’ll tell you all about my experiences with DYU’s latest e-bike -  the T1.

The T1 doesn’t feature a wacky sci-fi frame, but it does feature a pretty decent motor and battery (for the price) and is pretty comfortable to ride.

And on top of that, the T1 is also foldable, meaning you can pack it just about anywhere you want since it takes almost no space.

Frame

Although the frame on the T1 isn’t as futuristic as the one on the D3F, it will turn heads when you roll by.

The frame is essentially a single tube in the shape of an L. Besides the cool factor, this design approach also serves a practical purpose. 

The frame’s geometry plays a huge role in how well it handles road shock. 

The frame acts as one giant spring. So, as you hit a bump, the excess shock gets absorbed by the spring action of the frame.

There’s only one problem in this entire equation - the aluminum isn’t that flexible. This is why the DYU T1 frame is built out of a magnesium alloy. If you didn’t know, magnesium alloys are lighter, stronger, and more flexible than aluminum. 

In other words, the T1 is pretty comfy to ride, although it doesn’t have a traditional suspension.

With that said, the frame isn’t enough to absorb all the shock.

Thankfully, the seat comes with a spring suspension. It took me some time to get used to a springy seat, but once I did, I hardly noticed it.

When it comes to its folding feature, the T1 is one of the most compact e-bikes I had the pleasure of riding. When folded, this e-bike measures only 25x25x18 inches!

I don’t want to sound like a dude from the infomercials, but the T1 is so compact that you can easily store it under your bed.

And don’t worry about the bike suddenly folding in the middle of the ride. The security latches are pretty, well, secure. I'm pretty sure that if you threw the T1 from a roof, the latches wouldn’t budge.

I also like how light the T1 is. Sure, it still weighs 49 lbs, but that’s substantially lighter than other foldable e-bikes.

Unfortunately, there are no carrying handles, so you’ll still have to lug it awkwardly. At least you won’t get as much tired.

Motor

The T1 features a pretty underpowered motor. The rear hub motor on this e-bike is rated at a measly 250 watts. This is pretty underwhelming when you take a look at the competitors that put in 350W and 500W motors on their budget models.

With that said, the motor does its job pretty admirably. It doesn’t produce that much torque, but you’ll feel it helping you reach the top speed of 15.5 MPH.

Sure, this ain’t no breakneck speed, but it’s more than enough to get you from point A to point B reliably.

There is no throttle, which is fine when you factor in the price. After all, this bike isn’t designed to come with all the bells and whistles. It’s designed to be affordable and reliable.

Controller

DYU T1 doesn’t come with an LCD screen with advanced riding data. Instead, you get a button for turning the motor on and another button for the light. Both buttons are located on the left-hand side of the handlebars.

There are no pedal assist levels, either. Instead, the DYU T1 relies on special torque sensors to figure out how fast and strong you’re pedaling to signal the motor how much power it should output.

Battery

When it comes to the recharge time, it takes around 5 to 6 hours for the battery to fully charge. So, if you’re planning non using the T1 for daily commuting, I recommend you get a spare to eliminate any downtime.

Brakes

The T1 comes with 180-mm disk brakes.  As for their quality, they’re on par with the price. In other words, they’re not good, but not terrible either.

They’re not pretty responsive but have enough bite to get you to a full stop in just a couple of feet. I wouldn’t trust these brakes on an offroad trail, but then again, the T1 isn’t built for that.

I’ve tested the brakes on both wet and dry weather and haven’t noticed any significant difference. 

The only downside to these brakes is that you’ll have to retighten the cables every now and then.

I really wish they at least used Zoom brakes since they’re the go-to budget brand for brakes - but I guess that’s one of many compromises the engineers at DYU had to make when designing this e-bike.

Wheels And Tires

The wheels on the T1 take me back to my childhood. I used to have a dinky little BMX bike with plastic wheels that looked exactly like those on the T1.

Unlike your normal e-bike, the T1 features a big wheel design. This essentially means there are no spokes, and the wheel holds its shape thanks to three large aluminum plates. 

This type of wheel design isn’t anything new and is here mostly for the cool factor.

When it comes to tires, they’re a bit underwhelming. Although they are pretty thick, measuring 20 x 2.125 inches, they don’t have any bite in them.  They’re designed for city riding, and I would test my luck with them on an offroad trail. You would probably slide all over the place.

Comfort

The T1 is pretty comfortable even with its shortcomings. I’m a bit on the taller side, and I had no problems assuming a comfortable riding position.

Although there’s a suspension spring under the seat, I could still feel some road shock - but nothing you can’t get used to.

I did get a bit annoyed with the handle guards. They refused to stay in place and kept twisting whenever I would turn or move on the bike.

I also noticed the front light is a little bit too dim for my taste. Thankfully, you can easily fix that by adding a couple of cheap battery-powered bike lights.

Another thing that annoyed me was the lack of a carrying handle. But even higher-tier folding e-bikes don’t come with one, but I hope manufacturers start adding one. It’s not like it costs an arm and a leg.

All in all, DYU T1 is a pretty comfy e-bike. It doesn’t go fast, but it’s pretty reliable for short trips around town.

What I Like About DYU T1

There’s really quite a lot to like about the DYU T1 e-bike.

For starters, it features a pretty unique frame design that isn’t just for show. It also doubles as a shock absorber.

The T1 is also pretty easy to store. Since it takes almost no space when folded, you’ll be able to store it just about anywhere - even under your bed.

Although this is a budget e-bike, the ride is pretty smooth. Sure, the T1 can’t go faster than 15.5 MPH, but at least the ride is smooth and enjoyable.

On top of that, you get a pretty decent battery that provides around 30 miles on a full charge. Other bikes in this price range are struggling to provide even 15 miles of range.

What I Don’t Like About DYU T1

Just like with all budget e-bikes, the manufacturer had to make some concessions to keep the cost low.

With T1, the DYU design team decided to opt for a pretty underwhelming motor. 250 watts of power won’t get you over steep hills. Well, it will, but you’ll have to pedal like crazy.

The T1 is also pretty heavy. If you live anywhere where you need to climb a set of staircases, you’ll get tired of lugging a 49-pound e-bike pretty quickly.

The tires are also pretty basic. They’re okay for pavement, but if you want to visit a local offroad trail, you’re going to slide all over the place.

However, when you factor in how cheap this bike is, you’ll have no problems dealing with these little annoyances.

Advice To Buyers

If you’re looking for an e-bike you can use for commuting to and from your work or for short trips around town, DYU T1 is made for you. 

It ain’t fast, but it’s reliable and affordable. I would also recommend this e-bike to newbies.

Why?

Because it takes less than a minute to get comfortable with the motor helping you with your pedaling. As you get more comfortable with riding e-bikes, you can leave this one to the kids and get yourself a more expensive one.