Heybike Hero Spec Review, 2024 | Electric Bike Report

Heybike Hero Review: Specs & Features

Frame and fork

While Heybike hasn’t released all the specs on the Hero just yet, they have given us some solid details. For starters, the frame weigh 6.2 lbs., which, considering other full-suspension designs, would be without the rear shock. Heybike says the suspension uses a Horst link design; these are known to bob some but tend to offers a better ride experience in e-bikes than standard mountain bikes.

Heybike is offering a 10-year warranty on the frame, which is a level of security we rarely see.

Complimenting the rear shock is a suspension fork, though we don’t have any details on it yet. No word on front and rear travel, but based on the photos, we estimate there is between 100 and 130mm of travel both front and rear.

Motor and battery

The 750W Ananda mid-drive motor is a beast. In producing 750W and 160Nm of torque, the Heybike Hero will have the power to climb any hill an e-bike can hope to ascend. To put this in perspective, consider how Bosch’s Performance CX motor, which we see in many eMTBs produces 250W and 85Nm of torque. It’s like that.

And because this is a mid-drive motor, it uses a torque sensor so that changes in how hard the rider is pedaling result in changes to how much power the motor is producing. We think it makes for a more fun, dynamic and seamless riding experience than riders experience with a cadence sensor.

The 864Wh battery will provide for hours of riding, even in its max PAS. Heybike suggests riders can hope to see as much as 60 mi. of range on a single charge. Heybike reports that they’ve secured UL certification for the Hero; the motor, battery and the rest of the electrical system have been certified to UL 2849, the most stringent standard set for e-bikes in the U.S.

Componentry

With a full-suspension carbon fiber all-terrain e-bike we’d have to say something was amiss if it didn’t have hydraulic disc brakes. No word yet on whose disc brakes are spec’d. They are paired with 180mm rotors to give the Heybike Hero plenty of stopping power.

One frequent failing we see in all-terrain models is an underpowered drivetrain. By that we mean a drivetrain without sufficiently low gears for climbing hills. It’s easy to think that with such a powerful mid-drive motor you don’t need low gears, but the problem there is that sending 160Nm of torque through the drivetrain will cause the chain to wear out prematurely, and unless that is caught in time, running a worn-out chain will cause premature wear in the chainring and—worse—the cassette. Using the lowest possible gear on hills helps cut down on that wear. Heybike gave the Hero a 9-speed Shimano drivetrain, which means smaller steps between gears as well as a wider range of gears.

Like most all-terrain models, the Heybike Hero is built with 26-in. wheels which run knobby 4-in.-wide tires.

EBR’s Heybike Hero First Look Review:

We’re bike nerds here at EBR. We find it entertaining (well, a few of us, anyway) to scour product sheets and to look at every last spec, down to tiny details like suspension travel and cassette range. For a bike nerd, this announcement from Heybike is as fascinating as it is frustrating. They’ve told us lots about this e-bike, but to a nerd’s perspective they’ve left out metric tons of info.

We don’t yet know how much suspension the Hero features, either front or rear. We don’t know the chainring or cassette sizes. Which tire did they choose? Not all fat tires are created equal.

So, there are details we’d like to learn but even without knowing all of the everything, we can say that this is an exciting all-terrain e-bike. No word yet on what it will cost. Those who put down a $50 deposit now will receive $500 off the purchase price when they release it, and a discount that big is nothing to sneeze at. It is safe to say this will run more than $3000, and it may well go for more than $4000, but it seems unlikely to eclipse $5000.