Who builds the most durable Chinese e-bike frames? Dengfu vs SZZS vs light carbon etc.

[ArmyOfEvilRobots]

I’m looking for some feedback on relative durability for these Chinese manufacturers (or advice on the ones I missed). I’m a big guy at 100kg, and while I’m not going to be racing the red bull hardline any time soon, I do ride aggressively, and live in a place with a lot of mandatory big amplitude lines (carry enough speed for the creek gap, but don’t overshoot off the cliff) in southern BC. I’ve broken nearly every frame I’ve ever owned over the last 30 years, except for a Santa Cruz nomad a few years ago which somehow survived 4 years of hard riding.

Anyhow, background aside, which of the Chinese carbon builders above make a frame that will last a reasonably long time if it’s ridden aggressively? I’m looking at the E82, the CEF69, and the LCE 971. I’d consider a Kun Lun v2 as well, but there seems to be a lot less written about it.

TL;DR: if you were gonna buy a Chinese enduro emtb for a big guy with both skills and poor impulse control, which would it be?

 

[ebsocalmtb]

you answered it yourself, buy a santa cruz. If you're on a budget, buy one used and roll the dice and leverage their crash replacement for second owners grace that they typically give.

 

[ArmyOfEvilRobots]

There are basically no Santa Cruz e-bikes for sale under 10k, used or otherwise, near where I live. The ones that are have Fazua motors, and they’re on sale for a reason (on top of fazua being effectively out of business).

And I have a spare Fork, wheel set, and drivetrain just laying around, so…

 

[Ndanger]

I think Jim at Light Carbon at one point claimed that they were producing frames for Teewing, which has been denied but an interesting dynamic. My question is which brand will be adopting a main stream motor. Did I see Dengfu mention a possible avonix frame? I think that the order of preference imo would be Light Carbon, Dengfu and then SZZS although I think each company would be adequet.

 

[ArmyOfEvilRobots]

I think Jim at Light Carbon at one point claimed that they were producing frames for Teewing, which has been denied but an interesting dynamic. My question is which brand will be adopting a main stream motor. Did I see Dengfu mention a possible avonix frame? I think that the order of preference imo would be Light Carbon, Dengfu and then SZZS although I think each company would be adequet.

Apparently Dengfu just dropped the E134 which takes the M2 motor: Shanghai Bike Show 2026 (about 3/4 of the way down).

I am on the fence about those motors. I'd like something I can service, and the Bafangs actually fit that bill. Not sure how repairable the Avinox motors are as they're so new. Everything I have heard about the Avinox is that the power delivery is superior to everybody except Bosch. I'm not looking for maximum power; I'd way rather be able to hold a wheelie, and climb technical stuff without skidding out.

 

[patdam]

I've had a DENGFU E10 for over 6 years. No problems. I've upgraded the motor as Bafang has evolved, and I changed the battery this year. It's still a pleasure to ride and remains superb.

I've had an SZZS CEF50 for 3 years. No problems either, and no modifications so far. My son took it over and has wrecked it more than I ever could. And he loves it too. In fact, I ordered a CEF69 for myself, and they offer an XL version.

I had a LIGHTCARBON LCE971. The rear triangle cracked on the third ride. They refused the warranty with flimsy excuses and "generously" offered me a "good price" on a new triangle. I threw the frame away.

I should add that lightweight carbon frames require significantly more assembly work. They are designed to use Bafang batteries (which are hard to find and more expensive), while Dengfu and SZZS supply their frames with batteries they developed themselves. I should also add that SZZS pre-assembles the motor/wiring and battery, then ships them in a cardboard box with custom-cut foam inserts.

Finally, contrary to those who claim without any evidence that LIGHT CARBON is a major manufacturer of high-quality products, producing for major brands, I am convinced that it is primarily a public relations agency that relies on other Chinese manufacturers for production.

 

[ArmyOfEvilRobots]

I've had a DENGFU E10 for over 6 years. No problems. I've upgraded the motor as Bafang has evolved, and I changed the battery this year. It's still a pleasure to ride and remains superb.

I've had an SZZS CEF50 for 3 years. No problems either, and no modifications so far. My son took it over and has wrecked it more than I ever could. And he loves it too. In fact, I ordered a CEF69 for myself, and they offer an XL version.

I had a LIGHTCARBON LCE971. The rear triangle cracked on the third ride. They refused the warranty with flimsy excuses and "generously" offered me a "good price" on a new triangle. I threw the frame away.

I should add that lightweight carbon frames require significantly more assembly work. They are designed to use Bafang batteries (which are hard to find and more expensive), while Dengfu and SZZS supply their frames with batteries they developed themselves. I should also add that SZZS pre-assembles the motor/wiring and battery, then ships them in a cardboard box with custom-cut foam inserts.

Finally, contrary to those who claim without any evidence that LIGHT CARBON is a major manufacturer of high-quality products, producing for major brands, I am convinced that it is primarily a public relations agency that relies on other Chinese manufacturers for production.

Thanks! This is the kind of (anecdotal, I know) feedback I was looking for.

I'd heard about the LCE971 having some failures, so it was already on the bottom of the list. I was already uncomfortable with the design just looking at it too, with that big unsupported lever arm sticking out of the rear triangle.

And yeah, the XL on the CEF69 is a big temptation. I am only 6'1", but I've gotten used to the 510mm reach on my Chromag, and I think it makes me a faster (if slightly less agile) rider. It's especially nice on really steep rock slab stuff. Might be the placebo effect, but I like it.

When you were assembling those bikes, how did the carbon layup look? Did you see any obvious voids or delamination in either brand? Rough surfaces, epoxy sags, etc?

 

[xtraman122]

Haven't really heard of any frame strength issues on the E82, I have one and weigh about the same as you, although I'm admittedly not nearly as hard of a rider as it sounds like you are. The Kun Lun is would probably be a good option based on the type of riding it sounds like you do, that's one of the few options that's really geared towards harder higher flying type riding.

I wouldn't worry much about the LCE971 either, there's one weirdo on here that managed to break his frame due to incorrectly installing some part on his bike and he takes every opportunity possible to mention it and trash talk Light Carbon. Other than him I've never seen anyone say a bad thing about LC and they stand behind their frames very well. These guys are local to me and have all their frames by LC, the bike here is an LCE971 frame, I haven't heard of anyone having issues.

 

[patdam]

Thanks! This is the kind of (anecdotal, I know) feedback I was looking for.

I'd heard about the LCE971 having some failures, so it was already on the bottom of the list. I was already uncomfortable with the design just looking at it too, with that big unsupported lever arm sticking out of the rear triangle.

And yeah, the XL on the CEF69 is a big temptation. I am only 6'1", but I've gotten used to the 510mm reach on my Chromag, and I think it makes me a faster (if slightly less agile) rider. It's especially nice on really steep rock slab stuff. Might be the placebo effect, but I like it.

When you were assembling those bikes, how did the carbon layup look? Did you see any obvious voids or delamination in either brand? Rough surfaces, epoxy sags, etc?

I can't say there are any visible differences in quality between my frames, whether it's the appearance of the (internal) carbon fiber or the paint quality. They're all high quality. I can only say that LIGHTCARBON is more expensive than others for a custom color (one of the reasons, among others, that makes me think they must outsource this work). I also saw (like you probably did) a customer who received a DENGFU frame that looked very bad. End of production run? Quality control failure?

 

[Carty78]

I'm 110kg (ride weight) and an aggressive rider with reasonable skills that like to find shit lines that challenge the rider/bike rather than that are quickest/ smoothest.
I bought the Markor Kunlun V2 and built it up as a full 190/190 and I'm currently running it as a 29er (have both 29 & 27.5 wheels and dropouts to suit) Frame and bat/motor system all run well and haven't shown any signs of any issues.
Built the bike heavy/robust to handle the abuse that I dish out, and the whole bike looks to be handling it well (I've only had the bike 8mths).
The Bafang M560 motor is a weapon, 140nm/1400w (it out performed the Avonex, not sure about now as i haven't come across the M2 out on the trails yet ) and I rarely use anything past tour mode - unless I want to have some real fun but that thing in angry mode can drain the battery in a heartbeat (nothing unusual about that) Normal riding in tour gets a good day out on the bike, and it's nice to have the extra power if needed. There is nothing that it cannot climb with all that power. It also gets a decent speed up before the motor stops helping (45-50kmh) which allows you to hit the fastest of lines with assistance when you want it (that's straight out of the box).
The only fault I've found with the Kunlun frame is minor one, is the plastic motor cover as all it takes is a light glance on a log or a decent size rock flick up and it disintegrates. I spoke with Markhor and they sent me a bunch of them to replace them. Markhor are really good to deal with and are very helpful in designing your frame (which they offer full custom paintwork that the quality is mint) and are great at helping with any questions/issues.
I'm thinking about possibly getting a stainless or aluminum bash cover made up (like I've done on previous bikes, photo attached) to protect the plastic guard etc. Apart from that it's been a rock-solid frame/bike.
If ordering, note that they are a long bike overall, which I do love for its handling in the rough and fast stuff, but it's a bit of a pig to turn in the very tight stuff but it still gets it done, I'm 180cm and I ordered their largest frame (the S3 I think) it fits me well, but the reach and cockpit feel slightly smaller (shorter) than i thought they would feel, I thought he S3 might be a bit bigger for me (which I don't mind also). If I was any taller then the reach etc would nearly be too small (I do run 35mm headset so that could be bigger if needed).
I do love this bike, Big travel, Big Power, Big Fun.

 

[ncs]

My father ride Dengfu E10 , 98kg, no jumps but hard terrain, like you say "big amplitude lines". Frame still good.
I ride same E10, but my weight 77kg.

 

[ArmyOfEvilRobots]

The only fault I've found with the Kunlun frame is minor one, is the plastic motor cover as all it takes is a light glance on a log or a decent size rock flick up and it disintegrates. I spoke with Markhor and they sent me a bunch of them to replace them. Markhor are really good to deal with and are very helpful in designing your frame (which they offer full custom paintwork that the quality is mint) and are great at helping with any questions/issues.

Who did you order through? I see a few places that carry the Markhor frames, but I would prefer to avoid third party resellers.
I'm still leaning towards the E82 or CEF69, but the Markhor looks nice too, if a little short on the reach. That paint job in particular is

 

[Carty78]

Who did you order through? I see a few places that carry the Markhor frames, but I would prefer to avoid third party resellers.
I'm still leaning towards the E82 or CEF69, but the Markhor looks nice too, if a little short on the reach. That paint job in particular is

I ordered and dealt with Markhor direct. I emailed Sam and he put me through to Suzy
You pretty well custom build your bike and you can get them to put any design on your frame. They send you update photos and videos of the frame getting built and paintwork progress and also videos of the frame and motor together and undertaking testing etc. I got mine with both 29 and 27.5 dropouts and also yokes for both 170mm travel and 190mm travel.
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