When Heybike first contacted me about the , I was intrigued by their plans for a mountain bike with a carbon fibre frame and immense tires . After a preliminary look at a preproduction model , I test the net edition of the Hero , which Heybike now categorise as an all - terrain bicycle .
Heybike Hero e-bike: purpose and best use
The Hero is an attractive , solidly built productive tire e - wheel that will go pretty much anywhere thanks to its powerful hub drive motor . It has good deal of torque and the massive 26 - inch diam , 4 - column inch - wide fat tire ride smoother than I expected . Using carbon fibre for the frame allow Heybike to make a unequalled step - through design that is sufficiently rigid and much light than established Al . Heybike claims the physique is 36 % lighter than an equivalent atomic number 13 frame .
So , it ’s a very good , all - design east - bikefor both on - route and off - road adventures and cruising . However , it ’s heavy , and the broad tires are possibly a bit much for sufficient agility on tricky mountain track . As equip , notably without buffer , taillights , or mirrors , I would n’t paint a picture the Hero asa metropolis or commuter train bike .
Heybike claim the Hero weighs 75 pounds , but it measured 76.8 on my digital scale . Carrying it up one flight of stairs would in all probability convert anyone not to desire to do it again . you’re able to take away the 10.6 - pound barrage for file , storage , or transporting .
Heybike Hero e-bike: by the numbers
The first threequestions citizenry ask about e - bikes(and quick answers for the Hero ) are :
But the estimable solvent are a bit more involved . The powerful rearward hub motor exceeds the 750 - watt limitation for riding atomic number 99 - wheel on public road in most body politic . The Hero ’s galvanising 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 metre ( Nm ) of torsion , which is essential for starting smoothly and quickly with a heavy load or handle a steep ramp .
Battery power can be used with five horizontal surface of treadle assist or a thumb throttle on the left side of the handlebar ( the manual read a wind throttle on the right side , but it ’s incorrect ) . Using the throttle only , the nonpayment configuration limits the top swiftness to 28 miles per hour , but with wheel power help in PAS ( pedal help scheme ) 5 , the claimed top speed is 35 miles per hour .
Bruce Brown / Digital Trends
The compounding of the rear end , the front fork , and the mid - material body and rear dangling study wonderfully .
I do n’t doubt that number , although I only got it up to 32 mph while pedaling ; I ’m not much of a pedaler and unremarkably rely on the accelerator only . you could interchange many PAS level options and speeds with an app , but I stuck with the defaults .
The correct reply about the maximal range is tricky because it look on rider and load weight , military posture , maximum speed , unvarying hurrying , road surface , incline , aura temperature , battery charge level , and much more .
Bruce Brown / Digital Trends
you may pedal the Heybike Hero manually , with no power help , using the Shimano 9 - speed gear mechanism gearstick , but because of the bike ’s weight unit , few would choose to do so . I did not .
Heybike Hero specs
Heybike Hero e-bike: comfort and convenience
That ’s a handsome bicycle seat ( in the photo above ) . Heybike equip the Hero with what the Heybike web site describes as an anatomic reliefhigh - density saddle that ’s quite comfortable . But that’snot all Heybike does to soften the ride . The minimal seat summit is 33.9 inches . I ’m 5 - feet , 8 - inches improbable , and I felt most comfortable keeping the behind at its down in the mouth position . Heybike rate the Hero for rider 5 - feet , 3 - in to 6 - foot , 6 - in tall .
An adjustable hydraulic front suspension fork lets you set the resistance and preloading . A four - link Horst rear abatement ( with articulating piece on the frame seat down tube , swing subdivision , and axle ) connects to a hydraulic monoshock . The prompt parts react to ohmic resistance , such as when the rearward wheel hits a chuckhole or curb .
The combination of the seat , the front crotch , and the mid - chassis and rear temporary removal work terrifically . You could also puncture the juicy tires for more flexing with the sidewall , but I did n’t find it necessary . All I had to adjust was to set the front crotch to the softest setting , and the drive was surprisingly and pleasantly smooth .
Bruce Brown / Digital Trends
The Hero ’s handlebar has a crisp , prosperous - to - read integrated color LED . A three - button control condition diggings is on the left side beside the thumb gas pedal . The bike ’s two - level headlamp is also integrated on the front of the handlebar . Heybike alsodoes an first-class job of gathering and wrap the einsteinium - motorcycle ’s many exposed cables .
When I take it into the fields around our neighborhood , I rule I cycle more than on route because the pedal assistance torsion sensor worked so well .
There are a few thing missing , mayhap because the initial concept for the Hero was as a heap bike . The Hero has no fender , so riding in the rain , snow , or clay will result in wet or unsportsmanlike pants or leg . More importantly , there is no taillight or bracken light . If you ’re track horseback riding , you may not be concerned about signalise a hitch to anyone behind you , but it makes a departure on street and roads .
Bruce Brown / Digital Trends
There are n’t any mirror , either , which is a pet peeve for e - bikes that will be ridden on streets with car dealings . Heybike does sell optional mirrors . For urban center horseback riding , however , the lack of a taillight , brake light , and buffer , even as an option , are big issue .
Heybike Hero e-bike: Riding impressions
The absence seizure of fenders makes the Hero ’s 26 - column inch fat tires calculate even larger , which made me prepare for my initial ride more cautiously than usual . Despite the slick - looking carbon vulcanized fiber frame , it looks like a wildcat , and I require to be quick . Perhaps I thought it might be set up to instantly deliver its full 100 Nm of torque . That did n’t happen .
The Hero is wanton to rag , whether using the five level of pedal assistance or the thumb accelerator . There is a svelte delay in either power assistance manner before the power kick in . The Hero ’s torque detector adds baron to your bicycle effort based on the PAS mode and the force of your pedaling . It ’s equally easy to tone the power using the thumb throttle . When I tested the torsion from a digest kickoff at the bottom of our driveway , it pull up the goodly bike and my 160 pounds without disinclination .
I generally rode the Hero with throttle control . Most of my riding was in and around townspeople on lower-ranking and neighborhood street . When I took it into the study around our neighborhood , I found I wheel more than on roads because the pedal assistance torsion sensors worked so well . disembarrass on roads , I usually abide between 22 and 25 mph , but I was slow off - road , typically in the 12 to 15 mph compass .
Bruce Brown / Digital Trends
stop great power is very good . The Hero has RSX single - piston hydraulic brakes with 180 mm rotor coil , which is a good match for a weighed down bike traveling at 35 miles per hour . I would like large rotor coil , but that ’s not a charge . The brakes grabbed forcefully during testing , peculiarly the front brake .
I rode the Hero on streets , Mary Jane , flying field , and moderately rocky and flaxen trails . The step - through frame design help keep the center of gravitational force low , and I found the bike to be exceptionally stable at speed , even when I was sit on it , muck up with the postal service at our neighborhood mailbox .
Heybike Hero e-bike: Options and accessories
Heybike sells only modified accessories for the Hero . The Hero has front and rearward buffer mounts , but they are n’t stock , and Heybike does n’t sell them as accessories . There is also an optional rear stand that can accommodate a tumid basketful . The most important add-on is a distich of mirrors , which should be a must - buy if you ’re go to ride the Hero on the street .
Our take
The Heybike Hero is a good choice for a large , double - use e - bike . If you are mainly tantalise off - road , especially on particularly rough terrain , also consider theLectric XPeak . The XPeak has a superior RST Renegade front fork that can take a licking off - route . At $ 1399 , it costs much less than the Hero . However , the XPeak has no rear intermission , and its top velocity is 28 mph . The $ 1,699Himiway Cruiser Long Range Fat Tire e - bikeis another bike to consider . The Cruiser has fenders , a rearward wrack , and a taillight , but the trade - offs are mechanical brakes and a 25 miles per hour maximal f number . The Hero is a distinctive adventure - style bike that is sure to draw conversation .
Bruce Brown / Digital Trends
