Dengfu E55 (Emtb) and E56 (Fat Bike) - New selection of DIY frame

[Jon A]

Thanks for the info, Ben. But I agree with TQFreak. That bottom cover is a frame specific cover--not motor specific as no other bike using that motor uses that cover. It should really come with the frame as many already have a motor and there's no way the paint will match if it isn't painted with the frame.

Next question: Are you planning to release the suspension kinematics as you have for the other frames (with a graphic like this)?

They are really useful in giving potential buyers an idea of what to expect with the bike, assist in shock selection/tuning (coil rates!), etc.

Thanks.

 

[Ben Rides]

Thanks for the info, Ben. But I agree with TQFreak. That bottom cover is a frame specific cover--not motor specific as no other bike using that motor uses that cover. It should really come with the frame as many already have a motor and there's no way the paint will match if it isn't painted with the frame.

Next question: Are you planning to release the suspension kinematics as you have for the other frames (with a graphic like this)?

View attachment 103261

They are really useful in giving potential buyers an idea of what to expect with the bike, assist in shock selection/tuning (coil rates!), etc.

Thanks.

DengFu E55 EMTB geometry parameter and curve

DengFu E55 EMTB geometry parameter and curve as shown below: DengFu E55 EMTB Geometry Parameter winice E55 EMTB_000 winice E55 EMTB_010 winice E55 EMTB_020 winice E55 EMTB_030 winice E55 EMTB_040 winice E55 EMTB_050 winice E55 EMTB_060 winice E55 EMTB_070 winice E55 EMTB_080 winice...

www.dengfubike.com

The shock absorber structure and relevant data of E55 have been published on the official website blog. This link can be viewed.

 

[Jon A]

Thanks Ben! That's very helpful. It looks to me like a coil will work (might want a progressive coil though) on this frame.

 

[TQFreak]

Painting the frames.

Look carefully, they also paint the bottom covers which again brings me to the conclusion that the bottom cover is part of the frame

 

[Ben Rides]

Painting the frames.

Look carefully, they also paint the bottom covers which again brings me to the conclusion that the bottom cover is part of the frame

View attachment 103315

This is an example. This is the painting process of E55 and E56 sample bikes. We made carbon fiber motor bottom covers ourselves. For some orders, we will customize carbon fiber motor bottom covers. Bafang is still used by default. In the near future, we will launch vehicle promotion activities for E55 and E56, with great discounts. You can follow our official website news and Facebook group.

 

[bram.biesiekierski]

This is an example. This is the painting process of E55 and E56 sample bikes. We made carbon fiber motor bottom covers ourselves. For some orders, we will customize carbon fiber motor bottom covers. Bafang is still used by default. In the near future, we will launch vehicle promotion activities for E55 and E56, with great discounts. You can follow our official website news and Facebook group.

This is an example. This is the painting process of E55 and E56 sample bikes. We made carbon fiber motor bottom covers ourselves. For some orders, we will customize carbon fiber motor bottom covers. Bafang is still used by default. In the near future, we will launch vehicle promotion activities for E55 and E56, with great discounts. You can follow our official website news and Facebook group.

Will you be releasing large frame sizes?

 

[Ben Rides]

It is planned that there are only 17 "and 19" sizes. In the future, we may open larger sizes, depending on the market demand. At present, the demand for these two sizes is relatively large, so we will open these two sizes first.

Will you be releasing large frame sizes?

 

[TQFreak]

My 17" Dengfu E55 frame is arrived and it looks amazing!

The box with the frame

Everything is packed very well

And here is the beauty! The finish is mazing. I ordered the frame with the battery, the headset and the rear axle option. When you order it with battery it comes with the battery attaching hardware. Please note the motor bottom cover is attached too (it is carbon fiber part too).

Here are some picture if the details

The headset goes with a cable routing slot

I'm still waiting the battery. The battery was sent separately.

I purchased this frame on eBay (the seller is carbon-cycle carbon-cycle | eBay Stores)

Dengfu BAFANG M620 Motor 1000w 29er Ebike 17" Carbon MTB bike frame E55 black | eBay

BAFANG M620 G510 1000W 48V. For E55, we have /M(17") as options. E55UD Matt black ，Glossy black ， Without Peugeot， Unification is black. 17" ,120mm travel. UD Matt black. Lithium-ion 48V 20Ah 960Wh. Warranty 5 years.

www.ebay.com

Please note the description is vague and not completely correct. It is not a fat bike frame, it is regular size MTB wheels frame (148x12 mm thru axle, I clarified it with the seller prior ordering the frame).

 

[bram.biesiekierski]

The more and more I think about this. The more and more I want one.

Firstly comparing this to the e22, I think the larger battery compartment is a clear improvement for most users. The e22 does tend to suffer with battery capacity. Not because the e22 battery is small, 840wh is already bigger than most other eMTBs. But when you pair it with a motor that is also twice as powerful as a most other eMTBs, (and then go and use all that power), you soon find that battery capacity lacking. The other thing that I think will be important moving forwards, will be the option to build custom higher voltage batteries, for modified / tuned motors etc, and still keep a respectable AH rating and parralell cell count.

Yes, the weight does increase with more battery But this is a full size eMTB, using the biggest motor in Bafangs mid-drive line up. The target demographic is clearly not weight weenies.

I am a little disappointed that Dengfu have opted to only make 2 frame size options. I just don't think that is a enough to properly size a bike for alot of people, without having some compromises. The e22 has 3 frame sizes, and the e10 has 4 frame sizes. 4 is nice, but 3 is probably as few as you would want to go and still comfortably be able to fit most riders. Ofcourse there will always be outliers from the bell curve that will struggle for a perfect fit no matter what size options are available, (giants and dwarfs.) But atleast with 3 size options, you can size up the majority of people pretty well.

In a perfect world, you would also size the rear triangle to each frame size. But I do understand the finacial flipside, where more component moulds, cost more money etc. I'm sure there is a juggling act to balance production cost, vs expected sales. Ofcourse not everyone wants a bike with the heavy and powerfull Bafang ultra. And not everyone wants a more DIY approach bike, sold via direct sales from a lesser known Chinese manufacturer. So although the e55 may look amazing to some potential buyers, like myself, sales may not be massive when compared with more mainstream brand offerings, or even other Dengfu offerings like the e10 with the more conventional 500/510/600 motor size etc.

Looking at the 19" e55 geometry numbers compared to the 20" e22. There is some similarities, and some improvements.

With the stack / reach sizing, comparing 19" e55 with 20"e22, they are actually pretty close. The e55 has a slightly longer reach and a slightly shorter stack, at 480mm / 682mm. Yet with the diagonal / hypotenuse measurement, the 19" e55 and 20" e22 are basically identical. Ofcoarse the difference in stack and reach, yet with the same diagonal distance can easily be attributed to the slacker head tube angle difference, which I will discus later.

(On MTBs, I much prefer to look at the diagonal measurement between stack and reach to judge sizing. Stack and reach will vary wildly from advertised depending on variables like wheels, tyres, fork, suspension sag, and even the angle of the terrain your riding over. Yet the diagonal measurement from crank axis to the top of the head tube will ALWAYS remain constant. So IMHO, this is a better metric for judging frame size / fitments.)

The next aspect that I would like to discuss is the seat tube angle. Dengfu have steepened this up nicely by 5° on the e55 vs the e22. Which brings it up to 77°. This is less important on a eMTB than perhaps a regular MTB because of the motor assistance. But it is still somewhat important. A steeper effective seat tube angle will help with pedalling efficiency and climbing characteristics. It isnt such an issue on the e22 because the long effective chainstay length already put the riders CoG nice and central. Which reduces the tendency to unweight the front, and even loop out backwards on steep climbs. But seeing it steeper on the e55 is a nice improvement in my opinion. But then this does introduce other potential issues, especially when combined with the limited frame size options.

The steeper seat tube brings the rider forwards in the frame in the seated position, which could give a more cramped feeling while seated for larger riders on the 19". Again more frame size options would be nice here.

The seat tube is also shorter on the e55 19" than the e22 20". So this will allow for a more slammed seat post and possibly even a shorter stand over. Due to the bent top tube design. Hopefully enough seat tube insertion depth to allow a large dropper and appropriate saddle hieght for larger/taller riders.

This brings me to the rear chainstay effective length. This has slightly shortened on the e55 vs the e22. Which is interesting, as to my eye, it looks like the rear triangle is still the same part / mould as used on both the e10 and e22. (Looking at the photos.) So I'd guess the difference is in the placement of the pivot point on the front triangle relative to the motor. This probably won't have much of a bearing on the 19" frame (Especially taking into account the steeper seat tube angle). But it will be nice on the smaller 17" frame. One issue with small frame size and long effective chainstay, is that it is mismatched to the overall wheel base, (and crank position within that wheel base.) It works well on the large frame size e22, though, because it's more in proportion to the overall size. Again, this is why having size dependant rear triangles is a nice feature. But I dont want to keep harping on about this. Ofcourse this increases production costs, and eats into profit margins. And there will always be a finacial balancing act, dependant on expected sales.

The next obvious difference between the e22 and the e55 is the head tube angle. The e55 has slackened out 2°. Bringing it up to 64°. Which is a pretty big jump. This is gonna be nice for more descent and speed orientated riders. It will be more sure footed on steeper descents. Plus the added front length and overall wheelbase will make it a nice and stable platform at speed. But this will negatively impact more technical trail orientated riders, with the longer front / longer wheelbase generally making it a bit more pig-ish on tight technical switchback type riding, and especially on tighter switch back single track climbing.

It is also interesting to note on the geo charts, the longer suggested axle to crown measurement on the e55 vs the e22. This means they have a 160mm 29" fork in mind. Which IMO is definitely a better match than the suggested 150mm of the e22. I personally think a full size / power eMTB is better suited to a largish fork maybe 170mm-ish, especially once you factor in the heavier motor and larger battery than most other eMTBs. There isn't really any weight / nimbleness benefits not to, as there is on manual MTBs. The bike is already gonna be a big rig with that motor and battery. And the motor is gonna push the speeds on trails. Which means what would have been a moderate hit on a regular MTB, is gonna be a big hit on this bike because your doing more speed when you hit the feature. So expect to go deeper on jumps. Blow through more travel on drops. And bounce into rocks and holes harder. The other issue is generally smaller forks use thinner tubes to keep weight down. This big bike is not only gonna want to eat up the limited travel, it will also want to flex those smaller forks more.

I was a little concerned when I first saw the e55 64° head angle, thinking about where it would end up with a 170mm-ish length fork. But they have also slightly increased the suggested axle to crown aswell when compared to the e22. So it won't be too extreme if you want to run that size fork. But you definitely won't need to run an angle set on it with a big fork.

Obviously that slacker headtube, and longer fork is gonna push the front out further for a given reach measurement. So its going to have a longish wheelbase at 1.3m on the 19". I don't think this is nessisarily a bad thing, obviously depending on the type of trails and terrain you will be using it on. Horses for courses I guess. Although, it will be an annoyance for some people on some trails.

I personally would like to see a little more rear travel. I think bumping it up another 10 or even 20mm would be nice. Again, this is gonna be a heavy bike. And a little more travel would be nice insurance for those times when 150mm just isn't enough.

Overall I think all these changes compared to the e22 play to the bikes and motors strengths, perhaps at the expense of its weakness. It looks to be a fast, fairly capable, trail / mild enduro rig, with the added bonus of the powerful Bafang Ultra power, and large battery to suit. Words like "light, poppy and playfull" won't be used to describe this bike. Instead I think "solid, planted and sled" are probably more suited.

As for the styling. I'm not 100% sure. I think I prefer the e10 and e22 lines more. Although, you shouldn't really buy a bike based on how it looks. So I reckon I could live with the styling. And to be honest, everytime I look at it, I think I like it a little more.

Now I just need to justify the purchase to my partner haha.

 

[TQFreak]

PNW LOAM DROPPER 31.6mm diameter 125 mm stroke fits the frame without issues

 

[TQFreak]

Alright, the battery is arrived. The battery was nicely packed.

The battery has charge level indicator

Second latch to secure the battery during detaching from the frame

The 1040 Wh Dongguan battery feels twice heavier than 500 Wh Yamaha battery.

The connector plate

The latch plate

Attached the plates to the frame to check the battery fitment. The latch plate has spring loaded pins to prevent the battery from rattling in the frame. Pretty smart design.

The back side of the latch plate and back side of the connector plate are supported by the ribs molded inside the frame so they rest not only on the screws but also on the ribs.

The battery fits nice and snug with no freeplay and covers the bottom of the frame nicely maintaining nice finished look. I like this battery cover better than it is on the E22 frames where the battery cover is molded flush lid maintains visible not always consistent gap.

This battery cover design also protects better from the mud because of it covers the frame with overlap and forms L-shaped leap with the battery housing around the frame opening perimeter. The water will just slide down the battery lid and drain at the bottom.

I also checked the voltage of the battery. The battery connector plate has switch. When the switch is turned off the battery output voltage is 17.7 V. When the switch is turned ON the battery output voltage becomes nominal (in my case is 54.9V (70% charged). As I understand this is battery connector spark protection system to prevent the battery connector terminals from sparking during attaching the battery to the frame or detaching the battery from the frame so the high voltage will not ruin the connectors. Each time you attach or detach the battery the switch should be turned OFF.

Does anyone know what is that yellow triangle connector on the connector plate?

Here is the battery extraction. You turn the key, the battery drops down a little, then you turn the knob on the battery to disengage the battery completely.

The battery perfectly fits the lithium battery fire and explosion proof case FLASLD Lipo Battery Safe Bag 19.3 x 4.3 x 7in

 

[Bengy22]

Awesome right up on the building process and the issues you are overcoming. Just want to say thanks for putting all that info and photos, interesting to watch you build up the bike and I'm sure someone later on will find it helpful. I'm looking forward to seeing your next progress!

 

[TQFreak]

The larger battery support is a welcomed improvement over the e22 / e23 frames, I think a lot of people will agree this is a good thing. I can't help but prefer the e22's looks over this though, the e22 has a very clean slick look to it that this just doesn't have. Maybe its because of a better more modern geo (this this frame might have idk) but the frame lines on the e22 look better, and I'm not a fan at all of the little triangle at the headtube. I will be interested in hearing peoples opinions on it though once these frames have been built up in the wild

They do new e22/e23 frames for the same increased capacity 1040 Wh battery as for e55/56 frames so if you prefer look of e22/e23 frames here it is

 

[Bengy22]

They do new e22/e23 frames for the same increased capacity 1040 Wh battery as for e55/56 frames so if you prefer look of e22/e23 frames here it is

View attachment 105613

Can anyone confirm this is a dengfu frame you can purchase? I did see this frame but allegedly its not Dengfu and that watt wagons owns the design and will not sell it separately. A conformation that Dengfu isn't the manufacture would be nice. I do really like that frame though, at least from what I can see without seeing reviews yet. Think that's exactly what most people would be after, e22 but larger battery

 

[TQFreak]

WattWagon may be a client of the factory (Dengfu?) who designed and produces this frame modification exclusively for WattWagon.

 

[rezystor1990]

Hey TQFreak how much does the frame weigh with the battery? Can you weigh? If you assembled the whole bike how much does it weigh?​

 

[TQFreak]

I do not have scale to weight the parts. I guess this frame weights close to Dengfu e22 so if somebody weighted Dengfu e22 this should give you an idea.

The 1040Wh battery feels twice heavier than 500Wh Yamaha external battery so if Yamaha 500Wh weights 3kg the 1040Wh battery weights maybe 6kg.

If the difference between the Dengfu e22 and Dengfu e55 is only the battery weight then Dengfu e55 bike maybe will weight 1-2kg more than Dengfu e22 with 840Wh battery. So if you can find an information about Dengfu e22 bike weight you can guess the Dengfu e55 bike weight.

 

[rezystor1990]

Znajduje sprzeczne informacje. Na zdjęciach widać ramki E22 i E55, ale są one złożone w różnym stopniu.

 

[rezystor1990]

Now the main question, if the frame is supplied without the battery mounting hardware, where do I purchase it? I can not find anything on Alibaba, AliExpress or eBay.

In this store, mounting elements for the frame + battery housing for $ 81 with delivery.

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/3664017?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.1000001.12.3ef6544aDRXg8W

 

[TeoElFeo]

„Teraz główne pytanie, jeśli rama jest dostarczana bez postępowania do gabinetu, gdzie ją kupić? Nie mogę nic znaleźć na Alibaba, AliExpress ani eBay”.

W tym sklepie źródłowym i elementy mocujące do ramy za 81$ z przesyłką.

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/3664017?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.1000001.12.3ef6544aDRXg8W

This is an English speaking forum. It is common sense to use common language

 

[Mabman]

TQ/Moderator, wonder if it is possible to move all your build posts to their own thread? It would probably better serve those that are building up a bike rather than having to sort through here as well as make this thread easier to navigate for those that aren't?

 

[Moderator]

TQ/Moderator, wonder if it is possible to move all your build posts to their own thread? It would probably better serve those that are building up a bike rather than having to sort through here as well as make this thread easier to navigate for those that aren't?

@TQFreak's build posts have been moved to their own thread :

TQFreak's Dengfu E55 Build Thread

My 17" Dengfu E55 frame is arrived and it looks amazing! The box with the frame Everything is packed very well And here is the beauty! The finish is mazing. I ordered the frame with the battery, the headset and the rear axle option. When you order it with battery it comes with the...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[TQFreak]

Here are the empty battery cases and battery mounting hardware for Dengfu E55 frame if you want to build you own battery and use the standard hardware

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804908415601.html?pdp_npi=2%40dis%21USD%21US%20%2477.00%21%2443.12%21%21%21%21%21%402103239b16768377981851328e8d78%2112000031636290521%21btf&_t=pvid%3Aba2426a2-55d5-4813-973b-b9da53322735&afTraceInfo=1005005094730353__pc__pcBridgePPC__xxxxxx__1676837798&spm=a2g0o.ppclist.product.mainProduct&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US

 

[rezystor1990]

I received my frame. I ordered on 07/02/2023 got it on 14/03/2023. I didn't get the lower part of the frame I will have to design a 3D print... Painting the frame is low quality.

 

[Ben Rides]

The motor bottom cover is shipped by default. If it is not received, contact the sales department to reissue it. In terms of coating, this is UD matt coating, not black matt. It looks ugly. Secondary coating is recommended. Or choose other colors to paint when placing an order. Recently, we have activities to paint red, white and black monochrome for free.

 

[rezystor1990]

Thanks Ben for the answer. I wrote to the sales department a request and sending the missing part.

 

[TQFreak]

New video with pictures

 

[TQFreak]

I have UD Matt finish frame too and it is not ugly at all. What you see is not paint, it is fabric. They take part out of the mold and cover it with satin clearcoat so you can see the fabric. I like this finish most because of the fabric weave looks cool, it looks like black camouflage. When you cover it with helicopter tape it makes the fabric weave very noticeable and I like this effect.

Painting carbon fiber frame is like painting nice wood, you just ruin the beauty of carbon.

 

[TQFreak]

White frame pictures


Far version


With downhill fork

 

[TeoElFeo]

So for a custom project with this frame I am trying to figure out some stuff and maybe somebody can help me.

1. What is the chain stay growth at 100% travel? Dengfu posted this video, but the info is contradicting. At 0mm travel chainstay length is indicated as 461 but according to the charts it's 478
2. Need to figure out the width of the motor mounting part including the frame It self, not just in between.
I am planning to potentially have a custom motor made for this frame and it will be mounted on the outside rather than in-between i.e frame sandwiched between the outer motor plates.