Dillenger is an Australian company that has been assembling and selling electric bike kits since late 2007. Their products are value priced and use industry standard parts like 8Fun / Bafang motors but feel a cut above cheaper options because of the excellent packaging, solid year-long warranty and little extras including wire management brackets and brake levers with integrated motor inhibitors. The 350W Geared kit seen here is exactly “standard” in my mind in terms of power, range and quality. It allows you to convert almost any bicycle you already have into a respectable electric powered ebike with pedal assist and throttle… as long as your bike uses 24″, 26″ or 700c ~28″ wheels. It’s front mounting which does change the steering dynamic slightly but is also the easiest, fastest way to go. If you live in Australia or the EU this bike will only offer 250 watts of power but is otherwise very similar to what’s shown here. The big upsell here for me is the downtube mounted battery pack and easy-install pedelec disc which does not require you to remove crank arms or unscrew the bottom bracket. While it’s not the zippiest drive system I’ve ever tested, it is very capable and visually appealing.
The motor is a 350 watt (or 250 watt) geared hub that’s laced into a double walled aluminum rim with 13 gauge stainless steel spokes. You don’t get a tube and tire with this kit like you might with others but that keeps the price down, makes it easier to ship and saves materials. The only drawback is the extra work you have to do transferring your existing tube and tire back and forth. The good news is that your tires will match perfectly! The bad news is that if you decide to switch back for some reason (like if you leave the battery off the bike and just want a light-weight pedal powered bicycle again) then you have to do more work switching tube and tires. The motor is made by Shengyi which is a company I’m not super familiar with but is obviously Chinese. It’s small, silver in color and fairly light weight. Depending on the drive mode you choose the motor can make a whirring noise as demonstrated during the ride test in the video review. It’s fairly generic but gets the job done and the size and weight are nice for active riding. It’s freewheeling which means you can coast efficiently without motor power and it’s not so heavy or powerful as to feel dangerous on a thinner fork or one with suspension as shown here, but that’s just my opinion and they recommend using a solid steel fork for best results. Note that if you do use a suspension fork, the motor will be pulling forward and this will make the up and down motion of the suspension less smooth or completely lock it up.
Powering this kit is a beautifully packaged 36 volt ~11 amp hour battery pack. Honestly, on the pack it says 10 amp hours but the company has told me 11 and both sizes are fairly standard and should get ~20 miles on throttle power only. The bike can only be operated in pedal assist mode and there are five levels so if you choose to pedal along your range could easily double (especially in the lower two levels of pedal assist). The chemistry of the cells here is Lithium Manganese Cobalt which is one of the lightest weight, most durable types (similar to what’s in cell phones and electric cars). You should see upwards of 1,000 cycles before the capacity really drops off and you can extend the life by storing the pack in a cool dry place and keeping 20% to 80% full at all times. I love that this battery mounts mid-frame because it keeps weight low and center for improved stability. On the right side of the pack you’ve got three rubberized sections and the first will activate an integrated LED charge level indicator that works on or off the bike (as long as the pack is powered on using the silver button on the left side). The other two rubber tabs on the right are for the charging port (you can charge this pack on or off the bike which is nice) and a USB power port for your portable electronic devices. The pack locks to the frame with a key but the key does not have to stay in while riding which is nice. Taking it off is pretty easy, just flip the plastic lever on the top side of the pack and slide the whole thing forward. Nice.
Once the battery is charged, mounted and locked to the frame you just press the silver light-up button on the left and then press the mode button on the middle of the handle-mounted button pad. The J-LCD display (which perhaps stands for Junior?) will come to life and show your charge level, speed, range and assist level. Again, there’s no zero level here and no throttle only mode but level one is so smooth and gentle that it works well enough for that type of riding. The throttle seems to offer 100% power output in all levels of assist which is great because it’s a variable speed design. You can request a trigger throttle instead of the standard twister if you’d like and this might work better for mountain bikes or other applications where you want to keep your custom grips, avoid compromising your hand position or plan on mostly using pedal assist. I personally prefer trigger throttles for all of these reasons. The pedal assist sensor is quite good and surprisingly easy to install! It’s a plastic circle with twelve little magnets embedded which are designed to pass by a sensor that you mount near the bottom bracket. The two half pieces clip together around your crank spindle and are held tight by a circular metal clip. I found that fitting all of the sensors and wires was pretty easy and the system “just worked” without much issue. If you do notice that pedal assist is inconsistent I recommend checking the disc (make sure it’s straight and not wobbling in and out as you pedal) and the sensor alignment.
These Dillenger kits are really clean, professionally packaged and well supported. I’ve tested several similar kits like the Leed 30k and Clean Republic Hill Topper which are much cheaper but also less powerful and use ugly battery packaging and lack pedal assist by comparison. There’s also the E-BikeKit 350W Geared but if price were no issue the Dillenger would definitely be my first pick. I love the color coded wires, the extra mounting clips, the downtube battery and the different throttle options. The company is responsive, have run successful crowd funding campaigns (for a folding ebike) and seem to know their way around all of the different parts that can go into kits. They offer a wide range of systems including rear-rack mounted, gearless hubs and mid drives. You’ll be dealing with a bit more clutter than a purpose built electric bike but you might save some money and get to revitalize a bike that hasn’t been getting much use or one that you already love in terms of fit and style.
An electric bike kit that includes everything you need to get rolling aside from an inner tube and tire (consider buying in advance or using the one off of your target bicycle). Available in 20, 24, 26, 27.5 and 28 inch wheel sizes! That means you can…...
A powerful electric bike kit designed to replace your existing rear wheel (works with 24", 26" and ~28" wheels). Offers throttle mode and five levels of pedal assist, locking removable battery, great wire management...
David Huckabee
9 years agoDillinger has lowered their prices somewhat offering US street legal 350 watt kits at $550 (8 amp battery), $619 (10 amp), $699 (13 amp) and $849′ the new Arc Street – 350W – 520WH Electric Bike Kit (14.5 amp). How about a review of the Arc Street?
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoAwesome! Yeah, I’m in touch with Dillenger and hoping to do some updated reviews for 2016… might even travel to Australia to see their headquarters and get the full scoop. I tend to leave old models and pricing alone to provide a historical reference but your comment adds value to those who might be wondering about the changes, thanks for chiming in David :)
Reply[email protected]
8 years agoHi Court is this the same kit as this? do you have any info on the Arc?
ReplyCourt Rye
8 years agoIt looks similar, perhaps this is a branding update because the name I used was more of a description. I wouldn’t expect that every detail is the same because Dillenger tends to iterate and improve their products ongoing. Might be worth reaching out direct to them via email or phone to check. They have always been responsive with me, feel free to chime in with what you learn to help others as well!
Eman
9 years agoGreat Review and considering purchasing one myself. Just a question on the last point – “you are always in some level of pedal assist” – Can you ride the bike freely without having the pedal assist enabled and is there any drag? I only want to enable pedal assist for hills.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Eman! Basically, if the system is turned on it automatically goes to some level of pedal assist. You can choose lower or higher levels but there is no “zero assist”. If you just turn the system off then there will be no assist but you also won’t have throttle or any other sort of support. Some electric bike systems have this “zero assist” or sometimes I call it “throttle only mode” but that’s not present here so it’s a minor gripe. Sometimes I like to pedal freely but still see the LCD turned on showing speed, distance, battery etc. like a little cycle computer and still be able to boost with the throttle if need be. You can approximate this by using the lowest level of assist on the Dillenger 350 watt kit but when you pedal the motor will kick on gently. Hope this clears things up, in my opinion Dillenger is still a great company and this kit is a good deal :)
ReplyMichael Walsh
9 years agoIt was not this kit from Dillenger. I asked about their least expensive 250W geared kit for 20″ wheel with lead acid batteries earlier this year, 2016. Dillenger neglected to check if what I wanted was in stock. They accepted payment and then found they didn’t have the item. Since then Dillenger has been slow to respond to emails, have not provided the item and have not returned the payment.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoBummer! Thanks for the update, I hope it gets resolved for you soon and that your next experience is much better :/
ReplyMichael Walsh
8 years agoAt the time I first complained I also contacted Dillenger’s Customer Care. Dillengerthen took the honourable path and sent me what they had in stock: an upgrade free of charge. Not what I was looking for but hopefully, it will do.
ReplyCourt Rye
8 years agoThat’s great, I hope it works out well and appreciate you passing along this story. I feel like Dillenger works hard on customer support and is expanding in exciting ways :)
ReplyDan
8 years agoHas anyone purchased a Dillenger bike? Either a folding or cruiser style? I’m debating between the ebike kit and a full bike or folding bike. I’d like to hear a bit about the full bike options they offer and how they compare. Also, I need to be able to pull a trailer that connects via a connector on the rear axle.
ReplyCourt Rye
8 years agoHi Dan, I haven’t tried any of their full sized ebikes yet. Most other purpose-built bikes I’ve tried will work with bike trailers one way or another, I have seen custom connector plats but you can usually fit it on the axle or in the triangle area where the seat stays connect with the chain stays. The big thing to consider is how large is the axle? Normal is 11 mm but now there are 12 mm and even 15 mm setups on some mountain bikes. Hope this helps!
ReplyDrummond
8 years agoI bought a Dillenger Hunter Hub 2016, in summary, the ‘bulletproof’ hub motor broke after about 200 miles of gentle use not offroad. Dillenger took 2 months to diagnose the problem, then offered to deliver after a further 2 months or deliver faster for 150gbp. The bike is under warranty only 3 months old. The marketing proudly pronounces this bike is based on their popular and proven tried and tested kit, using exactly the same motor. However Dillenger say they cannot send a motor from the UK (where I’m based) from one of their kits which are in stock. So overall 4 months to send another ‘bulletproof’ replacement motor or pay alot of money. Sent tens of emails to sort it out, and had to take the bike apart for their diagnosis, in total messing about probably over a week’s work.
ReplyCourt Rye
8 years agoOuch, I’m sorry to hear about all the hassle you’ve gone through Drummond. Thanks for sharing here… and waiting to do so until you tried working with them a bit to find a solution. I hope that your problem is resolved soon and that they are able to avoid this type of situation with other customers in the future :/
Replydouglas hall
8 years agopurchased from you on special small electrick bike approx 2 years ago, hardle been used,now the battery has failed,i do not now much about them ,its a big long one very heavy, very disapointed as it will not fully charge,any help appreciated.
ReplyCourt Rye
8 years agoHi Douglas! I just review bikes here but perhaps you can order a replacement battery from Dillenger? In my experience, it’s best to charge a battery or at least check on it every month or two so it doesn’t completely drain as this can be hard on the chemistry and ultimately ruin it :/
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