Superbrain3000

I've found very little information online about the Dillenger Hunter Off-Road electric bike and figured I should post what I'm learning so that other people know what's up with it. I just ordered one despite never seeing a video of it in action and seeing a total of 4 pictures of it, all on the Dillenger website. None of the pictures show the side of the bike with the battery mounted in the frame or up close of shots of the components beyond the hydraulic brake lever. I did find some complaints about their customer service online and one guy who threw a fit over having to pay return shipping on a broken part started a website to beat up on the company. I've looked at the warranty details from a bunch of electric bike companies and most if not all require the buyer to cover shipping. Seems standard. I also know that people tend to post when they have either something really negative or really positive to say. In short, I think Dillenger deserves a chance.

Why did I order this particular bike? $1899 with free shipping from their California warehouse (the company is located in Australia) for a rig with 750 8FUN mid-drive motor, roughly 420 Wh battery hidden in the frame, 180 mm hydraulic brakes and other decent components seems like a great deal. I have to admit I love the look of the 2016 Biktrix Juggernaut and for a few hundred dollars more you get the fat tires and a 1000 watt mid drive and 600+ Wh battery. In addition, I've had some great experiences interacting with the owner of Biktrix. I've never waited more than 10 minutes for a response to my questions about the Juggernaut. Serously. But, in the end, I decided against a fat tire bike. I'm already a big dude and I think the fat tires combined with my largeness (6'2" and 260 lbs) might not be the best combination for the kinds of miles I'll be putting in. The Hunter looks like it's built for speed and, according to Dillenger, can handle my size no problem. And, as an off road only bike, the speed limit isn't capped at 20 mph.

My experience so far has been mixed. I'll update as things unfold. I ordered the bike last week, so it's only been 6 days. In the first few days I had lots of questions that I probably should have asked before ordering. These guys are in Australia and so they're open from 6pm-9am my time in EST here in the States. I received prompt responses for the first few days, though usually some of my questions in a given email weren't answered. I was told the bike would require 4-5 days to arrive from the California warehouse. I was not told, and still haven't been told, how long the delay is before shipping. I know they aren't Amazon.com, but I do need an estimate so that I can schedule to take off of work to receive the package. And I guess I'm getting a bit nervous about spending $1900 on a bike I know almost nothing about and have never read a review for or seen a video of. So, I emailed yesterday and asked when they expected it to ship. I didn't heard back. I wrote again today to let them know they're making me nervous and I intend to cancel the order if they don't respond with an estimated ship date today.

It's worth mentioning that they do have a 60 day return policy for the bike, which seems nice. However, the fine print makes it clear that you can only return it if their technicians can't find a way to fix whatever problem you might be having. There are no returns because you change your mind or just don't like it. This is dicey given the lack of pictures and absence of video of this thing in action. Hopefully this won't be an issue and the machine is as pristine as those four pictures and the specs make it look.

My hope is the bike arrives and is outstanding. It should be based on the specs. I'll post pictures and video of it in action and give a thorough review after riding it. That way the next person whose interested in one won't be as much in the dark as I am. So far I have to give Dillenger a solid C for communication. I'm hoping that improves, as well. I'm sure these are busy folks but customer service is the key to keeping any business afloat and drives word of mouth sales. For instance, while I'm not buying a Biktrix, I can vouch for their fast response times and general politeness and would be comfortable ordering from them. I'll keep this thread updated. Cheers.

NoPhart

Duplicate thread...

Dillenger_AUS

Hi there, I've replied to your other thread

Sam

drumnjim

I 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. Still don't have the part as of writing 16 Nov 2016 - reported the fault mid August.

powell

'
"bulletproof" Dillenger runoff-the-mill China hub motor?
they must be kidding.

nimbuzz

I would ever buy anything under those conditions because I've already learned from bad experiences. If you are in the usa why not just get a Prodeco or other proven and reviewed ebikes?!? Or ebikes CA for a kit--there are soooo many why go this route?

Superbrain3000

I was looking for a bike that had a middrive, no speed limiter, and beefy components that could handle my height/and weight as a daily rider and for light single track use. The Hunter had those features on paper at an excellent price, maybe $1785 or something. Plus the battery fit into the frame and the from forks were cool. It really was a sweet bike. I came close to a Prodeco Outlaw but wanted a middrive. Those are beautiful bikes, too. There really are so many options.

You mentioned kits and that's what I'll be doing next as a winter project. It is so easy get components now and plenty of advice out there for good frames, etc.

nimbuzz

You mentioned kits and that's what I'll be doing next as a winter project. It is so easy get components now and plenty of advice out there for good frames, etc.[/QUOTE]

Yep, I like mid drives too--I currently ride one mid drive and one hub--both are nice but mid drive climbs better and is more efficient but hub works well and is silent!

The bfang 1000 watt can go into many frames. Even an older frame & bike can be very strong, an excellent bike and inexpensive. A standard triangle frame can accept a pack in the triangle--I think you may know all this. If you do get a kit from a good company it should fit together and work together well. Mis matched components can be a pain to modify & troubleshoot and these situations erase any money savings from trying to go cheap. Good luck, have fun & keep us posted!