Fresh Goods Friday 729: The DJI E-dition

It doesn’t happen very often in the modern era, but this year there has been a bike released that will probably go down in history as one of the key g …

By ben_haworth

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Fresh Goods Friday 729: The DJI E-dition

Ok I will be first.
£10 for a dip stick!

Plenty of dip sticks on here for nowt!

I’ve got an old bike with a one-bolt bar-clamp stem, so there, FSA

There are more than 2 bolts in that FSA stem.

Nice to see the old handlebar scratching design back.

i am always impressed with Muc-Off’s ability to make products that dont need to exist. Bravo.

The valve design looks interesting and should mean fewer clogged valves. The dipstick is definitely a product looking for a need

We imagine there are loads of folks out there who were on the verge of getting an ebike from an established bike brand with a Bosch/Shimano/Brose/Yamaha etc motor. And now these folks have moved their finger from the ‘Order Now’ button. All because of this Amflow PL.

I’m assuming this is what the new mug slogan relates to?

The same DJI whose drones are being used by Russia to kill civilians, right?

Don’t see DJI doing much to prevent that.

The one time I did a software update for my EP8 the Bluetooth connection dropped out . Instead of reverting back to existing mode it shuts down completely and I had to take the bike to my LBS because the motor said no ! As mechanic said in the future if it’s going ok best not to fiddle with it !

Also stumping up over 8 grand to be an early adopters of an untried / unknown system seems a heck of a gamble .

Finger hovering over order button….

Looks a price- finger retracts in horror

Looks for history of longevity of expensive system and history of warranty – finger wags back and forth in a no no no no gesture

Looks for history of not effectively being and arms dealer.

Maybe in a few years when the price has come down and they have worked out some bugs on early adopters. And not been a weapons delivery system

Probably not going to go for one of those.

Right then: I’m aware that drones are being used in Ukraine to deliver weapons, often on civilians. Clearly some of those are DJI drones.

But are DJI actively selling their drones to Russia, advertising their grenade carrying abilities or otherwise encouraging this type of use?

Not trolling but I’m surprised by the strong reactions here; I genuinely only associate the brand with drones rather than warfare and potential war crimes.

But are DJI actively selling their drones to Russia, advertising their grenade carrying abilities or otherwise encouraging this type of use?

A quick Google suggests they have come out publicly condemning the use of their drones for military purposes and have stopped sales in Russia and Ukraine.

Ignoring that side of things it’s pretty impressive how they’ve come out of nowhere with a decent offering when car companies (with a similar lack of cycling background) have often made some criminally bad bikes. I’d live to try one out.*

* Confession, I have also just bought a DJI Neo.

Does all this extra power mean that they rip the trails up even more than a less powerful ebike?

I don’t ride an e-bike so I’m prepared to be educated here, but is more torque really important and why? Is there any danger to trails from higher levels of torque?

I can’t get excited about the claims of a “game changing” e-bike which hasn’t been ridden in the wild yet by any paying customers.

Let’s see what the reliability, repairability and warranty experience is like first.

Something about the DJI seat tube says maverick to me

@oldfart the app/Bluetooth connection used to be less stable than is ideal. Much improved now – shouldn’t give any problems.

@sillyoldman interesting thanks for that.

Has Guy Kesteven tested the DJI yet?  He’s already called the Cotic ebike a “disrupter” when it, quite clearly, isn’t.

I’d be grateful if you (Singletrack) didn’t keep key details of products (e.g. wheelset weights) out of the text of the article in preference to your YT channel.

By all means create super-duper extra content in video form, but please can you keep the key points in the text?

I much prefer reading info. That’s why I’ve subscribed to a magazine after all. 😉

 

A quick Google suggests they have come out publicly condemning the use of their drones for military purposes and have stopped sales in Russia and Ukraine.

I’m just a bit sceptical on all that tbh. A successful company in China making drones and cameras won’t be doing so without ties to or influence from the government and with Russia and China relationships the way they are, well call me sceptical but a public statement condemning the use could be just PR. They kinda have to say that don’t they?

But are DJI actively selling their drones to Russia, advertising their grenade carrying abilities or otherwise encouraging this type of use?

I expect the civilian markets in Russia and Ukraine is worth little compared to the military demand on both sides. Investigations have traced exports to Russia from production companies linked to DJI or it’s parent company which continued some time after DJI said they’d stop selling there. China is arranging supply of parts and aiding set up of the drone factories in Russia and their sanctions make it more difficult for US done makers to supply Ukraine. The majority of military tech used by Russia now is said to be coming from China, so with DJI being such a key maker of dual-use tech like this and so much of it ending up in Russia still, statements from DJI look a bit like plausible deniability.

Dunno, I’m no expert in all this obviously. Not trolling either. I’m just not comfortable with the murky links between the CCP and industry there when it comes to companies making a mix of bike kit and useful military kit, not when there’s other options to buy from.

Anyone got an idea of the replacement battery cost for the Amflow PL, as is says on the website, down to 80% capacity after 500 full charges. That’s possibly a couple of years for a busy rider, Shimano suggest 1000 and Giant 2000. But there’s no mention of battery replacement cost, a Shimano 8010 is £484 at current best price, so that every couple of years is a fair chunk of cash.

so that every couple of years is a fair chunk of cash.

Your assuming that there won’t be new standards making them obsolete & unsupported after a few years

DJI AMFLOW – the biggest selling point for me is the weight (5kilos lighter than my own full fat alloy ebike), then the battery capacities then the tech (touchscreen and wireless controls). I share concerns over dealer network (limited) and after sales being unproven but of the many tests out there I haven’t heard about an issue yet. I’d be interested in the lower spec version. In terms of reliability my club mates and I ride through all conditions all year round day and night in testing Peak District conditions though and over stuff that challenge the bikes and nearly all the e-bikes have had at least one motor replacement whether Bosch, Specialized or Shimano, any manufacturer that betters this reliability will surely do well.

The weight of the Amflow is intriguing – the motor is (based on quoted weights) only 100g lighter than the Shimano.  And the batteries aren’t any lighter than the latest versions of anyone else’s.  So just comparing it to, say, an Orbea Rise it should logically be heavier (as it has bigger batteries).  But the quoted weights I’ve seen look lower.  They’ve only got the same parts options as everyone else, and on the frame you’re balancing strong/stiff/light.

The other question is range – unless they’ve really made the motor much more efficient you’d expect that power/torque to eat battery if you actually use it.

Reviews (and longer term reports) will be really interesting).

Personally I’m dubious about the desirability of ever more torque/power on e-bike – the 60nM the Rise was limited to has always felt plenty (very rarely even use boost) but I’m just a luddite on this stuff.  What would be good to see was – Reliability, repairability and light weight (ie use extra efficiency to enable smaller, lighter, batteries).

An e-mtb made by a drone manufacturer that doesn’t even fly? I’m out…

DJI are on the US entity list, so they can’t sell in the US.

Are Amflow a separate enough company they’ll be able to sell to the US market or are they blocked from it, which I’d imagine must be quite a major market?

I know I can go check the entity list but maybe some journo would like to dig deeper? Worth a comment in the review at least?

I’m not a huge fan of Muc-Off chemical products, mostly clever marketing but not very different from some other suppliers in the bicycle trade. However, those new valves  have intrigued me enough to order a pair! Other supposedly high flow valves have just tinkered around the edges with the original traditional valve design but this is a completely new approach, no fiddly little removable valves with the associated tiny springs and and inbuilt clogging facilities. I’ve ordered the hybrid design with the Presta base and Schraeder top which will enable direct connection to a compressor (if required) without having to use an adapter. I’ve not seen a test anywhere (apologies if I’ve missed it) so I’ll report back. Anyone else tried them?

Valves arrived today so I’m fitting one tomorrow and will give my feedback… Initial thoughts are that they are a very nicely made product, they come complete with a fitting spanner, two sets of spare seals for the base of the valve and a plastic tube to help with adding sealant. The only downside was that Muc-Off sent me an email the day after my order was made – announcing 25% off everything, very annoying!