Heybike Hero e-bike review: a commanding look with a soft ride

When Heybike first contacted me about the , I was intrigued by their plans for a mountain bike with a carbon fiber frame and huge tires. After a preliminary look at a preproduction model, I tested the final version of the Hero, which Heybike now categorizes as an all-terrain bike.

Heybike Hero e-bike: purpose and best use

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The Hero is an attractive, solidly built fat tire e-bike that will go pretty much anywhere thanks to its powerful hub drive motor. It has plenty of torque and the massive 26-inch diameter, 4-inch-wide fat tires ride smoother than I expected. Using carbon fiber for the frame allowed Heybike to create a unique step-through design that is sufficiently rigid and much lighter than conventional aluminum. Heybike claims the frame is 36% lighter than an equivalent aluminum frame.

So, it’s a very good, all-purpose e-bike for both on-road and off-road adventures and cruising. However, it’s heavy, and the wide tires are possibly a bit much for sufficient agility on tricky mountain trails. As equipped, notably without fenders, taillights, or mirrors, I wouldn’t suggest the Hero as a city or commuter bike.

Heybike claims the Hero weighs 75 pounds, but it measured 76.8 on my digital scale. Carrying it up one flight of stairs would likely convince anyone not to want to do it again. You can remove the 10.6-pound battery for charging, storage, or transporting.

Heybike Hero e-bike: by the numbers

The first three questions people ask about e-bikes (and quick answers for the Hero) are:

• How much does it cost? $2,499
• How fast can it go? 35 mph
• How far can it go? 60 miles

But the better answers are a bit more involved. The powerful rear hub motor exceeds the 750-watt limit for riding e-bikes on public roads in most states. The Hero’s electric motor produces up to 1,000 watts of continuous or 1,800 watts of peak power. It also puts out a maximum of 100 Newton meters (Nm) of torque, which is essential for starting smoothly and quickly with a heavy load or handling a steep incline.

Battery power can be used with five levels of pedal assistance or a thumb throttle on the left side of the handlebar (the manual shows a twist throttle on the right side, but it’s wrong). Using the throttle only, the default configuration limits the top speed to 28 mph, but with pedaling power assistance in PAS (pedal assist system) 5, the claimed top speed is 35 mph.

The combination of the seat, the front fork, and the mid-frame and rear suspension work wonderfully.

I don’t doubt that number, although I only got it up to 32 mph while pedaling; I’m not much of a pedaler and usually rely on the throttle only. You can change many PAS level settings and speeds with an app, but I stuck with the defaults.

The correct answer about the maximum range is tricky because it depends on rider and cargo weight, posture, maximum speed, constant speed, road surface, incline, air temperature, battery charge level, and much more.

You can pedal the Heybike Hero manually, with no power assistance, using the Shimano 9-speed gear shifter, but because of the bike’s weight, few would choose to do so. I did not.

Heybike Hero specs

Heybike Hero e-bike: comfort and convenience

Bruce Brown / Digital Trends

That’s a big bicycle seat (in the photo above). Heybike equips the Hero with what the Heybike website describes as an anatomic relief high-density saddle that’s quite comfortable. But that’s not all Heybike does to soften the ride. The minimum seat height is 33.9 inches. I’m 5-feet, 8-inches tall, and I felt most comfortable keeping the seat at its lowest position. Heybike rates the Hero for riders 5-feet, 3-inches to 6-feet, 6-inches tall.

An adjustable hydraulic front suspension fork lets you set the resistance and preloading. A four-link Horst rear suspension (with articulating pieces on the frame seat down tube, swing arm, and axle) connects to a hydraulic monoshock. The moving parts react to resistance, such as when the rear wheel hits a pothole or curb.

Bruce Brown / Digital Trends

The combination of the seat, the front fork, and the mid-frame and rear suspension work wonderfully. You could also deflate the fat tires for more flexing with the sidewalls, but I didn’t find it necessary. All I had to adjust was to set the front fork to the softest setting, and the ride was surprisingly and pleasantly smooth.

The Hero’s handlebar has a crisp, easy-to-read integrated color LED. A three-button control pad is on the left side beside the thumb throttle. The bike’s two-level headlamp is also integrated on the front of the handlebar. Heybike  alsodoes an excellent job of gathering and wrapping the e-bike’s many exposed cables.

When I took it into the fields around our neighborhood, I found I pedaled more than on roads because the pedal assistance torque sensors worked so well.

There are a few things missing, possibly because the initial concept for the Hero was as a mountain bike. The Hero has no fenders, so riding in the rain, snow, or mud will result in wet or dirty pants or legs. More importantly, there is no taillight or brake light. If you’re trail riding, you may not be concerned about signaling a stop to anyone behind you, but it makes a difference on streets and roads.

There aren’t any mirrors, either, which is a pet peeve for e-bikes that will be ridden on streets with car traffic. Heybike does sell optional mirrors. For city riding, however, the lack of a taillight, brake light, and fenders, even as an option, are bigger issues.

Heybike Hero e-bike: Riding impressions

Bruce Brown / Digital Trends

The absence of fenders makes the Hero’s 26-inch fat tires look even larger, which made me prepare for my initial ride more cautiously than usual. Despite the slick-looking carbon fiber frame, it looks like a beast, and I wanted to be ready. Perhaps I thought it might be set up to instantly deliver its full 100 Nm of torque. That didn’t happen.

The Hero is easy to ride, whether using the five levels of pedal assistance or the thumb throttle. There is a slight delay in either power assistance mode before the power kicks in. The Hero’s torque sensor adds power to your pedaling effort based on the PAS mode and the force of your pedaling. It’s equally easy to modulate the power using the thumb throttle. When I tested the torque from a standing start at the bottom of our driveway, it pulled the hefty bike and my 160 pounds without hesitation.

I generally rode the Hero with throttle control. Most of my riding was in and around town on secondary and neighborhood streets. When I took it into the fields around our neighborhood, I found I pedaled more than on roads because the pedal assistance torque sensors worked so well. Riding on roads, I usually stayed between 22 and 25 mph, but I was slower off-road, typically in the 12 to 15 mph range.

Stopping power is very good. The Hero has RSX single-piston hydraulic brakes with 180mm rotors, which is a good match for a heavy bike traveling at 35 mph. I would like larger rotors, but that’s not a complaint. The brakes grabbed forcefully during testing, especially the front brake.

I rode the Hero on streets, grass, fields, and moderately rocky and sandy trails. The step-through frame design helps keep the center of gravity low, and I found the bike to be exceptionally stable at speed, even when I was sitting on it, fumbling with the mail at our neighborhood mailbox.

Heybike Hero e-bike: Options and accessories

Heybike sells only limited accessories for the Hero. The Hero has front and rear fender mounts, but they aren’t standard, and Heybike doesn’t sell them as accessories. There is also an optional rear rack that can accommodate a large basket. The most important accessory is a pair of mirrors, which should be a must-buy if you’re going to ride the Hero on the street.

Our take

Bruce Brown / Digital Trends

The Heybike Hero is a good choice for a large, dual-purpose e-bike. If you are primarily riding off-road, especially on particularly rough terrain, also consider the Lectric XPeak. The XPeak has a superior RST Renegade front fork that can take a beating off-road. At $1399, it costs much less than the Hero. However, the XPeak has no rear suspension, and its top speed is 28mph. The $1,699 Himiway Cruiser Long Range Fat Tire e-bike is another bike to consider. The Cruiser has fenders, a rear rack, and a taillight, but the trade-offs are mechanical brakes and a 25 mph maximum speed. The Hero is a distinctive adventure-style bike that is sure to attract conversation.