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Change the rules - the DUOTTS C29 750 watt e-bike test

Change the rules - the DUOTTS C29 750 watt e-bike test

DUOTTS C29 is the biggest surprise of this spring for me.

Change the rules - the DUOTTS C29 750 watt e-bike test


Check out the bike in our video test while in use!

 


 

Introductory

I love my job, I'm a lucky person. I've been writing articles and tests for 23 years now, and I admit there was a time when I didn't even want the next video card, notebook or tablet in the middle of my back. I'm burnt out.

However, in the last six years, since I have been testing Chinese stuff, there is no sign of burnout, as if they were blown away. My work is so diverse, it holds so many surprises almost every day, test after test, that you can't even imagine. Of course, there would be bad surprises as well as the good ones, but fortunately not too many.

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I think you can guess why I wrote this, the answer is in the first sentence of the article. I received an electric bicycle, one that I already felt would be good based on the paper form, but the reality far exceeded my expectations.

In this article I will tell you why!


 

Packaging, accessories, assembly

The DUOTTS C29 is a big bike. Not because of the frame, it is essentially average, but the 29-inch wheel size is not at all usual in this category. Since the wheels are large and the frame cannot be folded, the box it came in is also large. Above average even with the front wheel obviously not bolted in place.

The shock protection in the box is minimal, but still sufficient. From this point of view, the ADO D300 tested at the beginning of last year was a deterrent example, which was packaged at a level that approx. After unpacking, I had to find a place for a cubic meter of waste. Well, I don't want to see that anymore.

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Anyway, everything was packed in the usual way, as is the case with other bikes. Everything was held together with thick plastic quick ties, with impact protection next to and between the metal parts. The packaging withstood the test, there was no damage, not a single scratch anywhere.

There are some accessories, although I couldn't find one like the one I had in my previous bike test (cover), there was something else instead. We get a fairly low-quality pump, which will come in handy in case of a big problem, but I don't think it will be the product of the century. We get front and rear fenders, which deserve a big red dot, because these are usually sold at an extra cost by distributors. We get tools, charger and phone holder, and a lamp in advance. So there is everything, as in farewell!

Of these, the one that should definitely be highlighted is the phone holder, which instead of the usual version that breaks off from the first wind, is a very good, strong, healthy piece, which also has a USB connector as an addition. In other words, the holder can be connected to the bicycle's electrical system and there is also charging for the phone. That's why I'm already awarding the second very big red dot to the manufacturer, even though I haven't even started the test!

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Regarding the assembly, I have to mention two things that are not completely normal. One is that the seat tube mounting bolt fell out of place, but luckily I didn't spill it out of the box into the grass, so that was it. The other is that the screw of the rear fender was screwed into the front fender for some reason. I looked for a while to see how I should put this together, before I realized that the screw was in the wrong place.

Well, these are really little things!

Installation is not too complicated. The rear wheel is already in place, as is the seat, for the latter only the fallen screw had to be put back. The steering rod is also in place, all we have to do is fix the steering horn in place with 4 screws and its bracket, then straighten the wheel, tighten two more screws, and the steering wheel is in place.

The next step for me was to install the front wheel. This is also done in the usual way. We take out the screw that secures the fork, then insert the axle into the wheel. So we put the wheel in place, tighten the screw and we're done.

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The rest is installing the phone holder, bolting on the pedals, bolting on the front light and fenders. When we are done with these, the bike is ready!

In other words, not yet, as with all scooters and bicycles, you have to go through all the screws and tighten them if necessary. The tire must be inflated because there is only as much air in it as is needed for transportation. Check and, if necessary, adjust the brakes and gearbox. You have to try the lamp. Now we are ready!


 

Paper form

The usual paragraph comes with the factory data, which is necessary so that by the time you get to the experiences you have an idea of ​​what the manufacturer promises!

So, I already mentioned the size of the wheel, it's 29 inches, the thickness is 2,1 inches, so it's an MTB wheel, not a road racing tire. The total length of the bicycle is 184 centimeters, the total height is 113 centimeters. That is, as I said, quite large. The seat height can be adjusted between 89 and 100 cm. The bike weighs 26 kilos, the entire package that comes to you will be slightly more than that, 28 kilos.

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The frame is of course made of aluminum. The elements of the electrical system are the battery, which is 48 volts and 15 Ah. I have to add here that the battery is larger than usual, the usual values ​​for the category are 36 volts and 2,5 Ah, so the C29 exceeds this as well.

You also need the extra cocoa, because the biggest bang is not the battery, but the motor, which here is 250 watts instead of the usual 750 watts. Of course, this has some disadvantages, but I will write about that later.

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According to factory data, thanks to the powerful engine, we can overcome slopes of up to 45 degrees and reach speeds of 50 kilometers per hour. I had strong doubts about these values.

The Shimano gearbox, which is present on both the front and rear sprockets, helps to overcome big climbs and reach a speed of 50 kilometers, which is extremely unusual for cheap electric bikes. There are 3 sprocket sizes at the front and seven at the rear, so 3 x 7 = 21 gears. This is not very common in this price category either!

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But that's still not all. The IP54 protection against water and dust is commendable, although I wouldn't call it an extra, even though quite a few manufacturers don't even have that much. What's extra is the front shock absorber!

I would by no means say that locks with lockable and adjustable preload are common on 300 bikes. Okay, I have one on my own bike, but it costs about twice as much. It was also at last spring's ADO, but it also costs twice as much. So here we can witness something magical, since instead of the usual simple, spring solution, an adjustable, lockable piece was added.

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The only thing that the DUOTTS C29 does not follow the current trend is the placement of the battery. Most manufacturers already try to hide the battery in the frame, which either results in a very thick frame, or the battery will be weak. There is not much of a middle ground, battery technology is where it is, so there are no miracles. For this reason, I don't condemn the external battery of the C29, if you look at the box it's hard to guess where it could have been put.

In addition to the external battery and controller, the cabling is also not the usual one. Usually the problem is that the manufacturers leave the chicken intestines too short, but here it is maybe a little too long. Let's say it doesn't spoil the experience of cycling.

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What I haven't mentioned yet is the brake, it's completely normal, we get the usual mechanical disc brakes. In addition, there is of course an on-board computer, it knows everything, but nothing extra, we find this type on a thousand and one machines. Of course, this is also an advantage, because in the event of an error, replacement will not be a problem later, on the other hand, there is a decent service menu, although in the case of the C29, it is completely unnecessary to adjust anything. I will come back to this! Now, however, there is a topic that I should not leave out of this article.

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What rules apply to this bike?

What counts as an electric bicycle and what counts as a moped is determined by an EU regulation. According to this, the maximum power of the electric bicycle can be 300 watts, it cannot have a purely electric hair (throttle lever) and the assistance can work up to a maximum of 25 km/h.

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In short, the DUOTTS C29 is a moped.

As a moped, it is subject to different rules than an electric bicycle. If you follow the rules and don't want to be punished by the police, you need the following things to use it:

Crash helmet, front and rear lights, motorcycle license, mandatory insurance, and you can't use the bike lanes either.

These sound like silly things, but in the case of DUOTTS C29 they are not at all, I will write about these reasons in the next chapter!

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Experiences

I'll start with the fact that it was mentioned that I could try the bike. I looked at his profile and smiled at him. It's okay that it's 750 watts, but the top speed of 50 kilometers per hour and the distance that can be covered in electric mode of 50 kilometers seemed funny.

I liked the lockable shock absorber, the big wheels, and of course the 21-speed gearbox. This is a truly wild MTB, with the addition of a 750 watt motor. So I got curious about it and said, come on, I'll give it a try!

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Then it arrived, I unpacked it, assembled it, but you can read about it above. I had to adjust the brakes a little, on the rear, but it wasn't terrible. The shifter is like butter, it doesn't rattle, it doesn't click, it didn't shift, I didn't have to do anything with it. I set everything up, a little air in the wheel, and off I went.

I didn't have much time after the installation on Sunday (family lunch), so I could only go for a short ride with it. This little circle was enough to make me impatiently wait for Monday, when I can get on it and do a bigger circle. I became impatient because the C29 went so far that I searched the state.

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Then came Monday, in the morning I plugged it into the charger, and in the afternoon I headed for the forest and then the city!

Here are the real experiences! It turned out that on the slightly muddy forest road leading to the city, the wind is blowing at 45-48. Damn, it was such an adrenaline rush that my knees were really shaking afterwards. The shock absorbers work pretty damn well, and the engine has insane torque.

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Imagine the feeling when your foot is still down at the start, you hold the steering wheel, press the throttle and the C29 lifts its front wheel into the sky and wants to run out from under you. Okay, it was only once, and then I expected it, but it was a little surprising at first!

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I was also very surprised that the brakes didn't squeal at first. Anyone who has ever tried a cheaper bike knows that these single-cylinder disc brakes tend to make a screeching sound that makes everyone look at you on the street. At the end of the test, there was a very minimal brake noise, but it wasn't nerve-wracking madness either.

Since it's a MTB, I gave it to him properly. I took it after a rainy day in such mud that I almost dropped the bike several times. I raced wherever I could, and I drove it on a MTB track, that's for sure. It had everything that a bike like this could need, it did, and I kept thinking that there was a better job than what I was doing. There aren't many for sure.

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I wrote from the computer that there is no need to claim. Why is this interesting?

It is interesting because most manufacturers, even those who put throttles on their bikes, try to sell the product as EU compliant. In other words, the operation of the throttle lever is disabled and the assistance is set to work only up to 25 km/h. Then the bike arrives and the owner's first task is to turn off the restrictions.

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Well, with the DUOTTS C29, they don't even try to keep the appearance of being an electric bike. Nothing is restricted here, they say that the buyer is an adult, and then he decides what he wants. If you want, for example, you can limit the assistance to 25 kilometers per hour.

Okay, so I trotted through the forest road, reached the asphalt. Since the C29 is very strong and goes very well, I like to take advantage of this, so I didn't even try the bike path, I just used the regular highways. And here comes the part why it's not a problem.

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Well, it's not a problem, because the speed limit in the city is 50 km/h, and with the DUOTTS C29 you can drive at a speed of 50 km/h. There was a place where I could have specifically pushed the car away from me if I was that stupid or wanted to die. I didn't, but I could have. So it's not bad at all to drive between cars with the DUOTTS C29.

We must not keep silent about the fact that this speed cannot be maintained for a long time, and not because of the weakness of the engine, but because the transmission ratio is insufficient. In other words, you have to turn the pedal too quickly, which is not very comfortable. But it is bearable in the short term, if only because of the experience factor.

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It's not bad just because it's bad. That was pretty shit, whatever. So it has a throttle and you can go without pedaling. What's nice about it is that the bike accelerated with me to 42 km/h with pure electric drive even without any kind of slope (it's also in the video), so that I'm going crazy. I don't even know what it would be like if I only weighed 75-80 kilos...

It's also very good that you can really tackle bigger climbs with this bike. We have a medium one here on the public road, I went up it at 35-40 like the wind. Okay, muscle strength was needed here, but since I'm not a cyclist, I don't have oversized thighs and calves.

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And finally, the range. Unfortunately (or rather not) I have plenty of work, so I covered a good 30 kilometers during the test. As you can see from the test video, this happened in mixed road conditions, there was everything from asphalt to ankle-deep mud. There was no gentle mode.

During the test, I used maximum assistance almost the entire time, and roughly 30-10 of the 12 kilometers were in electric mode, without pedaling. Where possible, this was also done with the throttle fully pressed to drain the electrons from the battery.

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The result was that three of the 7 blinkers on the battery charge indicator disappeared. In other words, maybe it's half drained, or not even that much. I say, it's under 30 kilometers, and I'm 97 kilos. You can count. With a 75-80 kilo person, if the gas is dosed a little more sparingly, it is indeed possible to reach the 50 kilometers given as factory data, using only electric mode!

Going back to the beginning of the chapter, I have to say that the C29 was a strong surprise, because the factory data, which I smiled so well at, turned out to be true. And this is more than surprising for an electric bicycle. It's a Mission: Impossible!

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Summary

The great thing is that the C29 carries everything. Seriously! The structure is quite amazing in essentially every way. I really didn't spare it, I rode it in places where I wouldn't even think of using a plain electric bike.

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It could only be connected to the battery, which is not hidden, but bolted to the frame, but perhaps the dollars saved here are what make this bike beat the competition in the mud. What's missing is the rear light, but luckily it's a cheap item, especially from China, so I'll look into that. I would change the mechanical brakes to semi-hydraulic ones.

That's pretty much it, and the bottom line is this:

At the moment, I don't know of another bike like this in the HUF 300 category. There are plenty of hidden battery 250 watt, equipped with 26 inch wheels. There are one or two 27,5-inch ones, and some that have a more expensive Shimano shifter, but these compete in the 500-600 thousand category without any joke.

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So, all in all, I can say that if you want a powerful, large bike that doesn't make you look like a monkey on the grindstone, and that you can really go fast with, then you shouldn't miss the DUOTTS C29. You will have a constant smile on your face every time you sit on it!

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If you want such a bike for yourself, you can order it from the EU warehouse by clicking on the link below. Use the 7QLXDNIK coupon code with which you can buy it for HUF 327.

 

DUOTTS C29 750 watt MTB bike

About the Author

s3nki

Owner of the HOC.hu website. He is the author of hundreds of articles and thousands of news. In addition to various online interfaces, he has written for Chip Magazine and also for the PC Guru. For a time, he ran his own PC shop, working for years as a store manager, service manager, system administrator in addition to journalism.