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Techaeris Review: Serious fun for fun-loving kids
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These days, you are more likely to find kids sitting on the couch playing video games than outside enjoying the fresh air and sun. With tech advancements such as VR and AR, video games have been taken to another level of interactivity. But some parents and even some kids still believe that physically playing outside among nature can’t be beaten. The Droyd Blipper and Weeler are two electric bikes that bring serious fun to fun-loving kids.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
The Droyd Blipper and Weeler are similar, so we’ve combined the review to include both models. The Droyd Blipper is intended for riders 13 and up, while the Weeler is designed for riders 6 to 12. Let’s jump into the full review.
DISCLAIMER: ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GEAR WHEN RIDING ELECTRIC BIKES
The Quick Take
The Droyd Blipper and Weeler are, without a doubt, a ton of fun. My kids enjoyed zipping around on these electric bikes for hours, and we’ve had to actually say no a few times when they’re trying to get out of chores anyway. LOL.
Both of these electric bikes are built tough, and they are simple to assemble. The seats are comfortable, although the riding position can be awkward for some. The company says the Weeler is made for ages 6 to 12, but my 10-year-old had a hard time using it. Of course, this will highly depend on the child’s build. My 12-year-old is six feet tall, and the Weeler was far too small for him.
The Blipper was more comfortable for him, but he was still pushing the limit of it. My 10-year-old also was not comfortable on the Weeler, but she fits perfectly on the Blipper. Ultimately, my 8-year-old was thrilled with the Weeler, and my 10-year-old was happy with the Blipper. All that to say be aware that not all kids will fit into the recommended age parameters.
Battery life was decent, but it does drain far faster on steep inclines and hills, which is to be expected. We got less than advertised battery life, but I do not blame Droyd for this; our hills are seriously steep.
The Droyd Blipper and Weeler aren’t cheap, but these are seriously fun bikes for parents who would rather invest money into outdoor play than video games.
Specifications
The Droyd Blipper and Weeler have the following features and specifications:
Droyd Blipper
- Durable steel frame
- Accelerator lever
- Brake lever
- Power switch
- Ignition key
- Pneumatic tires
- Battery level indicator
- LED headlight
- Foldable foot pegs
- Kickstand
- Rear drum brake
- Brushless DC motor (24V, 250W)
- Lithium-ion battery pack (24V, 10Ah)
- Tire diameter: 16 inches (40.64 cm)
- Max speed limit: 12.5 mph (20.1 kph)
- Max ride time: up to 60 minutes
- Max range: up to 12.5 miles (20.12 km)
- Max weight capacity: 165 lbs (74.8 kg)
- Assembled product dimensions (LxWxH): 52.4 × 22.1 × 33.1 inches (133.1 × 56.1 × 84.1 cm)
- Assembled product weight: 43.7 lbs (19.8 kg)
Droyd Weeler
- Safety feature: automatic slow-start throttle
- Parental control feature: speed limit key
- Low-speed setting: 6.2 mph (10 kph)
- High-speed setting: 10 mph (16 kph)
- Durable steel frame
- Throttle twist control
- Brake lever
- Power switch
- Ignition key
- Speed limit switch
- Pneumatic tires
- Battery level indicator
- LED headlight
- Footrests
- Kickstand
- Rear disc brake
- Brushless DC motor (24V, 200W)
- Lithium-ion battery pack (24V, 8Ah)
- Tire diameter: 14 inches (35 cm)
- Max speed limit: 10 mph (16 kph)
- Max ride time: up to 45 minutes
- Max range: up to 8 miles (12.9 km)
- Max weight capacity: 132 lbs (59.9 kg)
- Assembled product dimensions (LxWxH): 44.8 × 21.3 × 26.8 inches (113.8 × 54.1 × 68.1 cm)
- Assembled product weight: 40.3 lbs (18.3 kg)
What’s In The Box
- Droyd Blipper or Weeler
- Tools and Hardware
- Manuals and Documentation
Design
The Droyd Blipper and Weeler are similar in constriction; the Weeler is just smaller. The frame is made of steel, and all welds look clean and solid. They both have a very nice cushioned seat that is comfortable and offers enough room to accommodate various-sized riders.
The handlebars can be adjusted to fit the rider’s comfort, and the handbrake is easy to manipulate. The Droyd Blipper has an excellent thumb accelerator that can be easily operated. The accelerator on the Weeler is operated by using the right-hand grip. Twisting back accelerates the bike, and letting up decelerates. My eight-year-old did not like this design and said she would rather have the thumb-style accelerator. I agree with her.
The front-mounted LED headlight is very bright, which is helpful when the girls go for a dusk ride. Be aware that using the LED headlight will impact battery life. Another difference between the Droyd Blipper and Weeler is that the Blipper has fold-out foot pegs, while the Weeler has a small platform on which the rider rests their feet. My girls preferred the foot pegs and didn’t like the platform on the Weeler, though she did get used to it.
The tires are a good size and suitable for riding on grass and gravel roads. The Weeler has a rear disc brake, and the Blipper has a drum brake. The Droyd Blipper we tested came in white, while the Weeler came in blue; both colors are nice and look good.
Overall, the design of these electric bikes is solid. They are robustly built and provide good comfort for my girls. There are a few quirks that amount to personal preference in the design, you may agree with me, or they may not bother you at all.
Assembly
Droyd deserves a big thumbs-up for the assembly process. They provide all the tools needed to assemble the Droyd Blipper and Weeler. But, if you have tools, use a ratchet and socket for assembly; it makes it that much easier. Still, kudos to Droyd for providing tools that do work.
Droyd provides a good guide for assembly, and it is honestly straightforward. The only part of these bikes you must put on is the handlebars. You must ensure other parts of the bike are tight, but only the handlebars come unbolted.
It helps to have two people put the handlebars on, I had my girls hold the bars while I placed the clamp and bolts in place. Using two ratchets, one to hold the nut on the bottom and the other to tighten the bolt on top, I had these assembled in 10 minutes. I recommend cross-tightening; this will help stabilize the handlebars in the position you need them in.
The brake lever and throttle are the only things that need adjustment or tightening. I went over the entire bike to check all the bolts to ensure everything was snug and in place, which is best practice for safety reasons.
Overall, the Droyd Blipper and Weeler are straightforward to put together. If you don’t have tools, Droyd provides essential tools to do the job. Though they aren’t the best, I still recommend using your own.
Performance
Let’s talk battery life of the Droyd Blipper and Weeler. The Blipper is rated up to 60 minutes of ride time, which is just about accurate. We got about 45 minutes of ride time, but I attribute that to the very steep hills in our area. The Blipper could make it up the hills, but the Weeler was not. The Weeler is rated up to 45 minutes of ride time, which is also about accurate. We got about 30 minutes; again, steep hills are not friends of batteries.
I believe that if you live in a flatter area, you will get the advertised numbers for battery life; I do not knock the company for natural terrain that impacts battery. The brakes work very well on both bikes and the tires perform well on grass, concrete, asphalt, and gravel. Though you need to be careful on gravel, like any other vehicle, gravel is loose, and you can lose control quickly. My girls are adventurous and took a few tumbles on gravel; they are fine and got back on to riding.
The bikes themselves took the spills very well. Nothing broke or came loose, and everything functions perfectly well.
As for speed and performance, the Droyd Blipper is rated at 12.5 miles per hour (20.12 km/h) max speed, and the Weeler is rated at 10 miles per hour (16.09 km/h). The Blipper is peppy and moves at a good clip; it is serious fun. The Weeler is also peppy but just a bit slower, and there is a safety feature on the Weeler that allows parents to reduce the speed to 6.2 miles per hour (9.98 km/h).
Overall, the performance of the Droyd Blipper and Weeler is outstanding. The speeds may seem like a lot to some parents, but it’s not as fast as you think.
Price/Value
The Droyd Blipper is priced at $479, and the Weeler at $349. That’s a high price, but for the right buyer, the value is there. These are well-built and robust and offer good safety features. My kids loved them.
Wrap Up
Like any other product, the Droyd electric bikes aren’t for everyone. Some buyers are going to scoff at the price tag, but for those who are seriously considering these, they’re fun! Battery life could be better; that’s just with anything that has a battery; we always want a longer run time. I think if your kid is a rider and loves it, they will have a blast with these bikes. Just measure your kid and check the measurements of the bikes before you buy.
Original Article: https://techaeris.com/2023/05/01/droyd-blipper-and-weeler-review-serious-fun-for-fun-loving-kids/