So I ended up not doing an affiliate link. They offered it to me, but I didn’t feel it was worth the signup process when in all reality, everything about my other E-bike except the brakes is better, and my other one is significantly cheaper. If you’re looking at E-bikes in this budget price range, I don’t recommend this one. But since it was part of the agreement to do this video, the link their website is www.heybike.com. I will say that the construction quality itself is pretty good, but the actual riding experience is terrible and I have to wonder if they actually spent any time riding it themselves before deciding on the control layout that they did. They are off to a good start, but there’s a lot of refinements that could be made to drastically improve the riding experience. It was a huge red flag to me that they forbid any other bike be shown or mentioned in this video, and that was not a very smart move on their part because it just makes me want to compare the two even more, and now that I have fulfilled my obligations with this video, I can do all I want. So that requirement is really going to backfire on them. The whole reason I even agreed to do this video was because I wanted another fat tire e-bike for my wife, so that we could go out riding together. This much smaller framed bike will be a good fit for my wife. I’ll see what I can do to rearrange the controls on the handle bars to make it work better and not rub both your thumbs raw.
So I ended up not doing an affiliate link. They offered it to me, but I didn’t feel it was worth the signup process when in all reality, everything about my other E-bike except the brakes is better, and my other one is significantly cheaper. If you’re looking at E-bikes in this budget price range, I don’t recommend this one. But since it was part of the agreement to do this video, the link their website is www.heybike.com. I will say that the construction quality itself is pretty good, but the actual riding experience is terrible and I have to wonder if they actually spent any time riding it themselves before deciding on the control layout that they did. They are off to a good start, but there’s a lot of refinements that could be made to drastically improve the riding experience. It was a huge red flag to me that they forbid any other bike be shown or mentioned in this video, and that was not a very smart move on their part because it just makes me want to compare the two even more, and now that I have fulfilled my obligations with this video, I can do all I want. So that requirement is really going to backfire on them. The whole reason I even agreed to do this video was because I wanted another fat tire e-bike for my wife, so that we could go out riding together. This much smaller framed bike, (even though it’s still a 26” frame..) will be a good fit for my wife. I’ll see what I can do to rearrange the controls on the handle bars to make it work better and not rub both your thumbs raw while actually being able to hold onto the grips.
Would maybe her smaller hand not have the issue? The only thing I know about ebikes are you videos but from the two I’d agree the first bike would be my choice.
Replace the handle bars with wider bars. that will get you more room to adjust the controls, allow for longer grips and will make the steering more controllable.
Does this e-bike come with any anti-theft devices such as a proximity dongle? I'm more of a 'city slicker' so If I were to buy one I'd be using it for light errands around town. We don't get much violent crime but crimes of opportunity are a dime a dozen.
I love that you full honesty reviews and not just what the sponsor wants. Most channels clearly just spout the sponsor's line. Ugh. To me it doesn't matter whether the product is good or bad, do a friggin REAL review (like you do).
Being a MTB rider I can answer a few bits for you - Handlebars: yes would be better wider and would also be an answer to some of the control issues. With wider bars you can space your brakes etc to allow your hand to fit better on the grip without hitting, get something like 760mm. Seat post: this in theory is a premium part and is referred to as a dropper post. You could probably switch the order with the brake lever so it is out of the way. Its basically useless for that bike though as it is mostly for off road riding so when you get to a downhill tricky section you drop the seat and then when you finish that and need to do the up hill you just keep going and stand up and press the button to raise the saddle. You wouldn't be doing that kind of riding though with a big fat saddle and narrow bars. Forks: mostly for looks as I doubt they are actually decent triple trees like you would find on a proper downhill bike. You are an adult so you can choose to wear a helmet or not but I never ride without one.
Pretty much my thoughts too. I wonder if with that headset you could throw on a decent Rockshox or something. Their website claims its a legit double crown.
When I am riding my quad, or my duel sport, I always wear a helmet. On my 26" fat tire, hardly ever. If I had to give a reason, I guess that I would just have too say, that in my opinion, they look stupid. 99% of my riding is 0 to 10 MPH. I don't push it with my E Bikes. At 75, I don't push it too much any more with my quad or my duel sport either, but, having a 50 pound bike land on me vs a 800 pound quad or a 300 pound dirt bike land on me, I think that I will take my chances with the E Bike. It amazes me that the majority of Harley riders around where I live never ride with a helmet. I do not feel sorry for them if, when they wreck, they severely injure, or kill themselves. On the same tangent, If I hurt myself when crashing my E Bike, I have nobody to blame but me. I am ok with that.
looks like this company is trying to be seen as a real eMTB with the dropper, but missed the mark with most everything else, they also sent a bike to the wrong guy as Casey is obviously not a MTB rider.
@@jawico On the contrary I think they sent it to the right guy the fact that it didn't work right for him proves it. As a side note dropper post aren't just for mtb riders.
I ride real mountain bikes and use dropper posts there a lot. But I also like to have a dropper post on bikes I use to cruise around as changing seat height often is a godsend for my back. So for me this is a big plus at that price. Triple fork is for show or maybe it was cheaper than a normal fork that can provide that stability. Narrow handlebars are good for storage and fitting on bike racks on car. Layout might be possible to change rather cheaply. Overall this is exactly for what he said: a second e-bike for the family for easy to moderate trails.
That's a dropper seat post for riding trails because you stand up when you ride. You will want it up for reg riding. You are supposed to set up the cockpit when you get the bike. You will get it Casey! I agree that those bars are way too short! Mtbs have wide bars. It seems like fun!
A lot of good information, not just about this bike, but things to consider when looking for an E-bike, especially how it will be used and how it will fit under you. Thanks for the honest, clear information (as always)!
The seat adjust is for cycling, bicyclist (Mountain Bikers) like the saddle adjusted higher for efficient pedaling and lower for going down hill. The thumb lever that hurts has a 6mm allen head fastener that will allow you to adjust it in, out and around, away from your index finger. With even the most lethargic fitness level, any human being with two legs should be able to easily propell the bike upto 15 MPH in spurts without electric assist, ad that relatively easy effort level to the bikes top speed of 25 and you're suddenly going 40... Fourty MPH is way way to fast for an 18" wide ribbon of trail that winds through the forest. As far as motorcycles and or inexperienced cyclists are concerned, this bike may not be for them, otherwise we don't know the battery life, range, the weight of the bike or quality and adjustability of components so i'm not completely convinced that it got a fair or informative review.
I love your 200% honesty reviews! And really your just genuine quality, it’s always cool to just hang with you/ you and the fam! Makes it all feel more personal and get more involved with your channel!
Take it to the local bike shop and have them put a wider bar on it and adjust the cockpit to your liking. The other option is how does that fits your wife and make adjustments based on her feelings. Your honest reviews and videos are great, Casey.
I’m 6’ 6 foot tall so I totally understand what your talking about. Glad you did this review as I’ve gotten a lot more ideas covering some things I might not have thought of on a thorough test ride! I’ve been thinking of getting one or a pair. Interesting terrain on your property! Really enjoy your videos too.
I have watched the first few minutes and I must point out a couple things. 1- when you were riding on the road you had the seat way too low. If the seat was significantly higher it would have been much more comfortable. 2- when you showed the drop post seat you obviously didn’t understand what it is used for. Normally you would have the seat much higher and when you get in to the really rough terrain you release the the seat using you weight to push it down out of your way letting it lock in the low position. This allows you to stand on the pedals allowing the legs absorb the shocks and not your bottom. When returning to smooth surfaces you stand on the pedals allowing the seat to return to upper position for comfortable riding. 3- this type of steering fork is built for high speed off road descents. It is much stronger designed and at higher speeds you don’t need more then 30 to 40 degrees of turn or you will be over the handle bars. 4- the thumb release for the seat post can normally be move towards the middle of the bars by losing a couple of Allen screws and sliding it over and retightening. If you had been a Mt. Biker rather than a motorcycle rider you would have a very different opinion of some of the features. Look into using your e-bikes as electrically assisted bicycles rather than electric motorcycles, I think they will be more satisfying. Full disclosure I’ve been riding bikes for almost 60 years and I Mt.biked for 30+ years. Love your videos but what could go wrong and don’t tell the wife.
I understand exactly what all that stuff is for, which is why I know how dumb it is. Let’s be real here, this bike is horribly thought out by people who have know idea what they’re doing.
I am 73 and still ride a Versys 650 motorcycle. That throttle control is an accident waiting to happen. I should mention my wife got on a quad and had a terrible time with the throttle, same thing, herky-jerky. Basically, all your points are correct. As you said, a red flag not wanting to compare. A real eye opener, thanks for posting, you have saved countless subscribers big $$$$$
Love the fact that you are honest. And do not give into greed. It is great to see people with a platform like yours. Being true to themselves and not caving to corporate greed. Have a blessed and wonderful day.
Thank you! Finally! Somebody has the guts to really go off-roading with one of these! I'm so sick of the reviews where they stay on a paved road or at worst, a gravel road. You were taking that bike through some hard core lava! That's the only way we are ever going to know if a bike holds up. Love your honesty. Love your thoroughness. Love your "what's it gonna take to break this" attitude!
The dropper seat post is very important when riding trails with a lot of steep elevation changes. I drop the seat for steep descents then raise it back up when the trail levels back out or for climbing. I can easily raise and lower the seat post a hundred times on a long ride. For flat trails it's not necessary.
I like that while you didn't like it, you did point out the good points as well as the bad. AND you said why, allowing us to reach our own conclusions. If you are a tinkerer looking for a bike for a smaller person you might like it. Being a larger guy, I'm totally on board with your conclusions though 😁😂
Casey, I guarantee they have different size frames. 26” is the wheel size. That one looks like a small or medium. You need a XL. It’s crazy that it has hydraulic disc brakes and a dropper post, but has those tiny handlebars. Wider bars would make it a lot easier to set up that cockpit more comfortably and it would handle a hell of a lot better.
Come on man, you're Riding that bike over places I wouldn't even Walk. I think you made the bike look pretty tough. Gave it a years worth of ride in 20 mins!
Seems like with some simple allen keys, you could slide the "dropper post" lever over a few cm/mm to give you more room for your left hand, and I would swap the throttle and the shifter position on the handlebar so everything is easier to access. Also, a simple plain aluminum flat handlebar 720mm or wider (the size you were mentioning your other bike has) only runs about $20 online. These sound like relatively easy fixes. The frame size being small for your height can't really be helped. Hope that helps bit!
I plan to do all of that. But I sure as hell am not going to put a bunch of work and effort into making it decent before doing a review. This is the bike they sent me, so this is the bike they get reviewed.
Dude I’m in bend and have some wider carbon bars you could have, you probably need a longer stem and figure out the the correct seat height in the raised position.
I read some of reviews of your review here, It must be one of the most difficultest things to do is read these yourself. I'm gonna look for the video of the first bike you got. Thank You for the review :)
Casey, it is sad that you will be judged in the comments by all these keyboard experts. I thoroughly enjoyed the review while riding around your own property and appreciated the straightforward attitude. Ignore the trolls and stay fun.
It's not a review unless it's an honest review! I believe the "Size" of 26" is the wheel size, so the tires would be something like 26" x 4". The frame size is the distance between the middle of the pedals (the bottom bracket) and the bottom of the seat post clamp. Typical frame sizes range from XS to XL ~ 13" - 21" I didn't realize you we so tall! The "Dropper Post" is mostly handy with aggressive riding when you drop the seat but stay seating say going down steep rooty trails. I usually find moving the controls on the handle bars in towards center an inch or so gives one more room on the grips. I enjoyed a little variety on the upload with this one Casey.
manufacturers pay big bucks for this type of feedback. Great review, in the end the manufacture can really improve this product and could be a win for all. Wait until their next sponsored video when you're feedback is positive with some of the changes. Seems they got a good deal here.
I noticed the short handle bars at the beginning of the video and thought it strange.. also the electric seat is unnecessary in my view, set it once and lock it in place. Simple. I enjoy your honest opinion and thoughts. And for me to be honest I haven't ridden a bicycle in 35 ish years. Thanks for your videos. Keep up the great content.
Hi Casey, Part of your problem is that you are riding the bike as a motorbike.. it is actually designed as a power assisted bicycle, not a motorbike. If you were pedalling it you would appreciate the dropper seatpost as it allows you to raise the saddle for efficient pedalling uphill or on the flat, then lower it for technical and downhill sections where you are standing on the pedals, and a high saddle gets in the way. I sell and service e-bikes. I agree with most of your comments about the setup around the handlebars: those Tourney shifters are very inconvenient, and bars that narrow are a pain. Get some wider bars, swap the Tourney shifter for an Acera or Alivio 7 speed shifter, and get the controls set up properly to suit you (or your wife, if she will be using it mostly). It is absolutely normal to adjust the position of brake levers, shifter and other controls to suit the rider and the way they use the bike, and anyone buying a bike in a box and assembling it themselves is assumed to have some knowledge of bike assembly and adjustment.. of course they often don't, and that can result in problems and disappointment. The "26 inch frame" dimension refers to the wheel size. Major manufacturers produce bicycles in different frame sizes to suit different heights of rider because they know that one size doesn't fit all. Lucky that they didn't send a bike that suited you, as it then would have been too big for your wife to ride safely and comfortably. You say that the bike seems fairly well made, and it certainly seemed to perform well while you were riding it, so a few minor changes around the handlebars and it could work well for your wife. Love the honest reviews you do, keep up the good work.
Love the honest review. Love how they are paying you but you won’t pander to them and tell everyone how amazing it is. I was considering this until you really pointed out that steering. The other things I could have probably lived with but that and the shifting have lost me on this bike. Thanks.
Im all for honest reviews but the complaints bout the shifter and the seat adjustments, all can be moved. They’re detachable and or just take it off if your never going to use it again or have it facing outwards so it’s like a trigger, for the shifter, move the reflector to the other side of it and it’ll be closer to pull, and more accessible
Hey man. First of all, just like people have mentioned, the 26" you mentioned is just the wheel size. It's not the frame size. Most mtbs come in different sizes and this one doesn't. Let's now talk about your gripes. What I see here is an ebike that was built for the person who has no bike skills or cardio but wants to go off pavement sometimes. It's not meant to do things that regular downhill mtbs would do. Your right, the bars need to be wider but they did that so the buyer would feel like it maneuvers better between trees. The reason they put those forks on it is to make it look more beefy because you could not take that bike down trails that regular mountain bikes with those forks would be doing. And number three that dropper post is a huge thing in the mountain bike world and if you don't have one you're basically shunned lol. But again this bike does not go on trails that need a dropper post. All this to say it's probably an okay e-bike for the money. It looks to me like buying this bike means your paying for the Electric ability (obviously) and the "LOOKS" of a real mountain bike. But most of your problems come in the form of it not being the right size bike for you. Also you typically don't just jump on a new bike and have it feel comfortable right away.(especially not before adjusting everything) For example I'm pretty sure you have the seat too low.
Casey 26 inch is wheel size. To measure the frame you measure between center of crank set to where the seat post enters the frame. That looks like a 18 inch frame. Have a great day.
If they responded to your review by actually fixing those items, that would benefit their company a lot. They NEED that feedback. Getting that information from an ergonomics engineer would have cost them much more than the cost of shipping you one eBike. Keep up the honest reviews. They are rare on RUclips, and I salute you for them.
love to hear honesty man. bring it to a local bike shop and see what parts they have on hand to upgrade it. they should have longer bars and a better shifter for the right side
Love your honest reviews. Completely refreshing. Out of curiosity, do any of the companies that get less than stellar reviews ever comment back or ask for your suggestions. Have any asked for the product to be returned? "If you don't like it then you can't have it." lol
I looked at a lot of eBikes and ended up choosing the HeyBike Brawn. I’m 5’11 and the seat dropper control didn’t give me any ergonomic problems. I like the narrow handlebars for getting through tight spaces. My bike mechanic was the former head mechanic for a large bike shop and he thought the build quality was quite good. I had him do a brake and gear alignment and the bike is quiet and smooth. I easily get 45-50 miles on a charge with no pedal assist. I’ve got a number of GoPro videos on my channel riding the eBike. I’ve had it for almost two months and I’m very happy with it!
Love the honest review and I would imagine if someone believes in their product they will have you review it because people can trust you. Just don't send Casey your proto type that has a bunch of bugs to work out.
Being an e bike I am interested in the battery performance new and over time, looking forward to more real feed back on the e-bikes journey. The controls on this one certainly seem to be an opportunity for improvement. On a positive note the tires seemed to perform well and no flats, additionally the power or torque seemed to do well.
Thanks for an honest review ! As far as helmets, NEVER wore one and am 66 years old. I learned HOW to ride and watch where I am going and look out while riding ! Some people need body suit bubble wrap with their helmets !!
I am also 6'4" tall and around 225lbs. As explained in some of the other comments, the 26" is the diameter of the wheels not including the tires. Adult mountain bikes generally come in 26, 27.5 and 29" wheel sizes. I ride a Specialized non-e hard tail 26" wheel 21.5" size frame. I wish I had a dropper post on it for steep down hills. I would assume you can loosen the seat binder clamp to raise the seat to the proper height for your cycling. In general when your heel is on the pedal and the pedal at the furthest stroke from the seat, your knee should be straight. That makes your seat at the proper height for your knees to extend with a slight bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke with your food positioned on the pedal with the pedal axle directly below the ball of your foot. I would also like to put narrower handle bars on my bike. I'm tired of catching them on trees while bombing through the woods here in central Indiana. I would also always put a rear rack on with a bag a panniers before a basket on the handlebars. It puts your weight lower for a lower center of gravity and it works well as a rear fender. Thank you for sending my shirt order out so quickly. I didn't really expect it to go out for another week or two. Keep up the great work Casey.
Definitely need wider bars. I was going to say a longer stem too, but it seems long already. Slide the seat back on the rails if you can. A few little things to better fit you.
When you said you were cramped, the seat wasn't adjusted up all of the way. I agree that adjustment is a bit funky. Maybe to accommodate different regular riders. I had the flip handle one that only takes a few seconds to adjust. I lower the seat for my daughter. 6' 4" usually means you will need a custom seat that adjusts taller than the base model offers. Of course they should have given you that since you are reviewing it for them. Handlebars almost always need replaced with ones that are raised higher too. I'm 5' 11" and the stock bars are always a little low for me. It is very common to need to replace those 2 items according to the size of the rider. I'm not a bicycle expert but I did have the opportunity to walk in to the Giant Bicycle showroom in Taichung Taiwan. I bought a full carbon fiber mountain bike with my colleague's employee discount. I had to adjust the seat all of the way up, and the handlebars are lower than I'd like, but still comfortable for me. My Taiwanese colleague is my same height, and he got raised handlebars on his to make it more comfortable.
Converting from the thumb throttle is a really simple mod. Go to the ralley bicycle shops for a better handle bar set up to reconfigure the lay out. I don't want to deal with those chessy sprocket switching cable shifters. CVT is ALLWAYS in the right ratio. Dandahermit.
This will be a better bike once the ergonomics are sorted. I'll probably get an e-bike to have in my ute when I'm moving around but budget will be the deciding factor, not so much features.
It’s the default lay out you can get wider handle bars and set up the cockpit the way you want when setting it up but de did a default from factory review
Casey I real ly appreciate all you do in your area with helping people in recoveries and cleaning up and keeping your area nice. In regards to this Ebike, I think the specs and design are more about style and gimmicks than being a good bicycle that has electric assist. Which by the way I don't know why you don't just take the pedals off. I did not see you use them other than as foot pegs! LOL. The gearing on this bike looks wrong for actual trail riding with the 48 tooth chainring on the front. I could not tell what the cassette gearing was. Keep up the good work with the roll back and wrecker!
I've come to the belief that manufacturers should hire you to beta test their products before releasing them to market. I like how you push things beyond their intended limits and are up-front fair and honest with your opinions. This video is a prime example. They could use your critiques to fine tune their product. Guaranteed, if you have issues with the bike, others will, too.
Nothing wrong with the triple tree fork arrangement. The problem is the geometry they chose. I ride trials bikes which have the same setup. They will turn through about 75 degrees either side. Anything more will have you over the handlebars.
Adjust that seat before your knees scream for mercy! It might help your comfort level Legs should be at just before full extension when pedal is all the way down. Great review Casey. Keep up the awesome videos !
I'm a year-round cyclist myself (Canadian prairies) and I just discovered your great channel a few days ago. I've been consuming all your backlog of videos, so having this video pop up is strangely appropriate for me. I've never been all that interested in e-bikes, but the idea of them is somewhat interesting. I may look into one someday, so it's nice to get this kind of information on just what is out there. I think battery life and recharge time is probably the one important thing that is missing from this video. Other than that, It's good to see people who are honest and down-to-earth in their reviews. A good company will appreciate constructive feedback like you gave much more than a overly glowing review. A puff piece may make them more money in the short run, but better design, quality, and customer satisfaction will win out in the long term. So don't ever sacrifice your integrity with the justification that you don't want to "hurt" a business. Your honesty helps everyone, Heybike included. Regarding the shorter handlebar width: my summer commuting bike has a very short wingspan on the handlebars, while my winter bike is much wider, and one of the differences I find is that it can take more energy to turn the wheel with shorter handlebars. The physics of torque mean that you don't get as much leverage, and the inertia from the rolling wheels can require a lot more effort to turn the wheel at any significant speed. I usually find that works out fine for me when biking in warm weather, since the normal way of turning then is to just lean to that side and let the physics of the bike's spinning wheels move it in that direction. Of course, in the winter leaning is never a good idea, so having the wider handlebars not only helps with stability, but it also reminds me to slow down and use that turning method instead.
@@CaseyLaDelle I completely understand about the will to keep riding. I've had saddle sores and thumb rubbing that have turned what should have been an enjoyable day of cycling into pure misery. No problem!
I think you did a well balanced / honest review of the product. If the company is smart they will use your review to improve the product. Many of the changes that need to be made are very inexpensive from a manufacturing basis. Suspect that the product was designed and constructed in a foreign land and they do not know their customer well. I suspect that the fork design with top and bottom triple tree arrangement is far more robust but not the best as you say for the technical stuff. I rode motorcycles longer than you have been around and I also wondered why paddle throttles on ATVs. Once I got used to them I stopped wondering. The twist throttle causes a need to change grip for different throttle settings but it is easier to maintain precision throttle position.
I had to stop the video at around the 3 min mark. Casey complained about being cramped, but we just saw that the seat could be higher. Wouldn't a higher seat help with the comfort level? But what do I know, I;m just 5'10"
Thank you for your honest feedback. I am a grandmother, and don't ride a bike like you. I think this bike will work well for me because I'm a bit more casual of a rider, and compact in stature. I am also looking for a bike as a gift, for my 6" 1', 33 year old son. Can't wait for your review on the other bike.
Hey Casey !! Remember the wheel powered generator that produced the power for the headlight ??? Get 1 of those & hook it up to charge the BATT on your E-Bike !!! Maybe you could get a "'Patent "" for it ??? 🤠😎🙄🤔
I'm an avid MTB rider in WA state, so a few things... 1. 26" refers to the wheel size, not the bike/frame size. You can buy a bike for a 5' or a 6'6" rider with 26" wheels but have significantly different frame sizes. Unfortunately it appears that Hey Bike doesn't offer different frame sizes so they engineer for a common size. Weird. And they have listed a "minimum inseam length" of 33.5"? I don't know anyone under 6' tall with an inseam over 32" so that one puzzles me. I'm 6'3" and I typically ride a 61cm or size XL bike. 2. That type of seat post is called a "dropper post" in MTB land. You drop the post all the way down when you want to go downhill so it doesn't hit you in the butt when you shift your weight backwards. And then at the bottom you can then raise it up again to sit while pedaling/climbing. On steep descents I am sometimes putting my butt BEHIND the seat entirely. 3. Those forks are really weird. I have never seen that type of fork on anything but a downhill MTB where your turn radius may be quite large. Most MTBs have the type you describe (single tube into the stem, junction and compression tubes below the stem). 4, That shifter SUCKS and is incredibly cheap. They cut a major corner on that one even though they could have spent $10 more for a much better shifter (a better shifter is literally $20-30 by itself). 5. Handlebar width - in some countries they have laws dictating the max width of MTB bars (i.e. Australia limits bars to 700mm). The bars I typically use are 740-850mm. Those bars appear to be much narrower than 700mm so the manufacturer cheaped-out on the bars. Which leads to... 6. It appears they may have mounted the dropper post control too close on the left and didn't align the controls on the right either. Was this bike assembled by the company when you received it? 7. I agree that this bike would be a great ebike for your wife, assuming she is shorter than you. 8. This bike would be great for beginner trails or riding on dirt roads (i.e. forest service roads). There are a LOT of beginner trails (greens and blues) in the area between Bend and Mt Bachelor. Like miles and miles and miles of trails. My best source for trail maps/locations is trailforks.com. 9. If you want to look at a serious MTB ebike for comparison, check out the Specialized Turbo Tero or Turbo Levo (probably a lot more expensive than the Hey Bike). I'm sure there is a local bike shop in Bend where you can do a test ride.
For the shifter, Shimano makes a what is called trigger shifters, they can be easily installed in your application, but you need to have a minimum of 7 gears in your rear cluster, not sure if you are aware of this, but back in the olden days, mountain bikes, used to have a, what are called thumb shifters, just like what you have on your E bike, except for the fact that you don’t have a plus button to tap, you, just with your index finger, pull the lever back with each click with index shifters and with friction shifters, you just wait for the chain to change gears and make sure that the Raillear is aligned properly with the selected gear, the shifter that is on your current eBay, I really like, especially for 18 speed bicycles, 3 x 6, 3 at the pedals and 6 at the rear wheel, imagine your driving a semi truck with an Eaton transmission
The increduloluser is right. Installing wider bars and adjusting the controls as well as raising the entire dropper post would make a world of difference for you. It is a cheap ebike overall but if sized and adjusted correctly would work for you if the frame isn't too small. BTW the wheel size is 26", not the frame. A 26" frame would be for Shaq. You probably want a 19" frame. Anyway, I'm in Madras if you'd like a full tune and adjusting sometime, to fit you or your wife. You've been to my house before, to rescue a broken U-Haul in Dec 2021! Haha
that handlebar is mega skinny, holy moly. Totally agreed the layout of the handle bar is awkward AF. It is almost like an electronic BMX bike sorta. A friend is getting a super cheap electronic dirt bike, curious to see that quality. Even when I use the throttle only on my E bike I still adjust the gears to help the motor a bit. Glad it was warm enough to test ride this new one. Keep up the rad videos Casey, so much fun to follow along
My guess is the bike frame and handle bars are designed for compact packaging ans shipping . I noticed this back in the 80s with motor cycles from japan . Tall guys just could not ride them .
Not going to lie, there is a dude in PA (locally) who does Timbertrail Ebikes and I think you would LOVE it but I dunno if he would do free for advertisement. It is 2wd, and it is amazing, I have one, and I paid a pretty penny for it and LOVE IT!
All of your gripes are warranted. Once you got to the handlebars and controls I also realized, it needs a serious redesign. In other words, it's a POS.
I have a "Large Frame" mountain e-bike and the seat tube measures 20". L is the new nomenclature and 20" is what they used a few years ago. It's the distance from crank center to the top of the seat tube where the post goes in. HeyBike may call your bike a 26" but it obviously isn't according to industry standards.
Dropper posts are for downhill MTB. It allows you to set it at two positions; one for riding uphill or flat, and the other for downhill. Good dropper posts can be rather pricy. Regarding the rest of the cockpit layout, the shifter and thumb throttle are something I'd reverse positioning on for the reasons you pointed out. But Class 2 ebike cockpits are usually a mess regardless from everything you need to cram onto the bars.
Heh heh heh, just flipped back from watching the Rattan bike review to remind myself why that Heybike didnt come up to scratch. Your honesty does you credit Casey, and you don't need to do a review comparison, you're three videos do that already, I don't think HeyBike had thought that bit through properly when they forbad comparisons.🤣
Something to consider if you riding any e-bike out in your neck of the woods: On any of the COTA trails, e-bikes are prohibited. You are fine on any fire roads and such, but the trails are for pedal power only. It was said below, but I'll say it again. Damn, those bars are dangerously narrow. They barely stretch past the fork crown! Dropper post is for clearance when descending. And those shifters are crap. :) And, for me, e-bikes. Nah. I'd rather pedal when I want to pedal. When I want to go faster on two wheels, I'll just ride my Triumph.
Your downstroke leg should be almost straight for pedaling power, then dropping the seat out of the way on technical drops would make sense. Right now when you stand up to go over rocks, your seat is where you would normally drop it to. Very strange choice of narrow bars especially for trail riding where wide bars give you more control; even a 5 foot tall person benefits from wide bars. You could clean up the cockpit with wider bars for sure. I would think gearing down might give you more control when dinking around off the trail which it looks like you love to do :D
Excellent review, I'm not a bike person but, if I was, your review certainly opened my eyes to the obvious drawbacks to buying this bike. As you say, there seems to be a lot of need to rearrange the controls. The bike itself, appears to be powerful and very well made. Obviously, more thought, and perhaps, the designer's of this bike, should have consulted a real bike user. Great job.
Thanks for the great review on this bike. I would like an E Bike as my second bike. I live in a town that is full of steep hills and it would make it much easier for me.
Casey, Thank You for the honest, in depth review!!!! I absolutely hate thumb throttles!! I have arthritis in my hands and fingers. Having to hold pressure on a thumb throttle makes for a painful, non-enjoyable ride. 😒. ( I hate most four wheelers for the same reason.) Thanks again for the great review!!
Hey Casey !! If you remember ,,Lee Iacocca started E-Bikes back in '97 !!! At that time he was "CEO" of today - Mopar !! Hope you Wife enjoys her ""NEW"" Ride to town,, but DON"T forget the BATT CHARGER !!! HAHA 🤔🙄😃😲🤠😎👀👀👍👍👍👍👍
It looks like your seat post could be adjusted at by loosening the clamp at the top of the frame. It should be set to max out at ride height, then you lower the seat via that lever to allow better maneuverability clearing obstacles. The 26" frame is probably refering to wheel size in the case of that bike. I am 6'1 and ride a 20-21" frame size. An xxl only equates to a 24" . Levers on a bike are something usually set up by the rider, or your local bike shop, so it is hard to blame a manufacturer for that. It is a reason to support a local retailer as opposed to an online retailer. That being said, an online retailer could make a better effort at placement not knowing the end users capability. Thanks for your chanel, I like seeing real people doing real things instead of made-for-the-tube drama and challenges.
Do riders wear gloves of any kind to protect against rubbing? That would be my guess to keep the rubbing to a minimum. I like that you speak your mind and stick to your guns when it comes to what you feel is right, another great job Casey, keep ‘em coming
As others have said, the seat positioning would help you no be cramped. You being taller need the seat higher by default. That would keep you not so cramped as your legs will be more straight and the seat post being at an angle backwards will get your arms further from the bars and not be cramped as well so it's likely just fine for taller person with the seat higher. I'm curious if you'd feel more comfortable with a higher seat positioning. That's just biking. The thumb throttle is from ATVs so yeah you being a more of a motorcyle person likely wont like it. Great points you've brought up though. Thanks!
I respectfully disagree with some of this review. The hydraulic seat switch lever can be slid over a little to give you more hand room. By raising the seat I think you would not feel so cramped, but maybe you have tried that. It looked like your seat was set kinda low. I love my Brawn bike. I use mine on and off road through the woods and I really like that the handlebars are narrower. I am a motorcycle rider too and thought I would like the twist throttle but once I got used to the thumb lever it does just fine. I pedal my Brawn though, so if you don’t pedal then a twist throttle might be better. All in all I think the Brawn is a well constructed bike for the money and I always look forward to jumping on and riding it. Thanks for your review.
You can move the drop seat lever and the gear shifter toward the middle of the bar. Or exchange the bars for wider ones. Respectfully. I had been a bicycle mechanic most of my life. I’d love to help ya out my friend.
It's pretty hard to take a bike off the rack and have everything fit, especially for someone your height. I ride motorcycles and bicycles and have replaced and or adjusted all controls and contact points on both to be comfortable for me. Maybe visit a bicycle shop with a good mechanic to set it up for you and give it another try. I haven't tried an ebike yet.
In other words Casey, the bike is supplied for you to get after market parts to really work well and fit a specific rider. If 24in. tires I think it would be a youth or small frame person bike.
1. Here for the helmet comments? 2. Dropper post for actual mountain biking is a game changer. Downhill its great to have that saddle down and out of the way. You set the saddle at best ride height while fully extended. Then you can drop it when you want. That said, this dropper is probably cheap and cheesy and will fail. 3. That shifter is... what?!? Why? I mean thumb /index finger looks to be the intent, but its mounted totally the wrong place. Looks like its e-motorbike first, bicycle second. 4. The 1990s want their handelars back! Looks more for city cruising use to get between things, in doorways, etc. Those narrow bars would be junk out on the trails. Narrow, less control and too twitchy! 5. The "26 inch" probably refers to the wheel diameter and has not to do with the frame size. A "one size fits all" bike frame is a BS gimmick. I think any actual trail use would destroy that thing. Looks like cheap chineese junk. If you want a true MTB, one, get oedal assist, not throttle! Its going to cost you 5 grand minimum! Don't buy some $800 ebay quality ebike and think you can hit any trails with it. Just don't.
@Casey.LaDelle haha, I hear that often. It's a hobby. You pay to play. I have a modest $2400 bike. Some folks I ride with have $7k plus bikes. Kinda like Jeeping, it can get expensive really quick! That said, you can buy an entry-level bike for $500 and still get out and enjoy nature!
"if you're a six foot four person" Over the 70+ years I know what that means... I often lament that most engineers are 5' 8" and do not want us to be comfortable...
Try being 5’-21” as I tell people when they ask me! Ceiling fans can be a challenge! As are automatic door closers on some commercial doors - right at my eye level! 😡
1. You have the seatpost set too low for a person your height. It should be at a height where your leg can fully extend flat-footed with a pedal at the bottom most point. The way you have it causes knee joint fatigue and wear if you attempt to pedal the bike. 2. But yes, the wheel base of the frame is showing it's on the small size. 3. The handlebars are indeed too narrow for a MTB. Riser style bars would be more comfortable for taller riders. 4. The suspension seat post is silly for this bike, as those are meant for serious downhill riding, and this bike is not designed to handle such rides.
The fitment issue is a common thing with ebike companies that aren't real bicycle companies. It isn't just because your 6' 4". Just as a example Giant make frame in a small, meduim ,large and extra large.
After seeing this video, my thought is that if this is being promoted as a mountain trail capable bike, it seems to need improvements. If it is designed more as a street bike, it seems to fit the role of a street bike better.
i love mine, i moved that lever over and have a mirror in that spot now. the shifter position dont bother me, its a rear hub motor so the gear its in only matters if your pedaling. since the bike weighs 100 pounds, you dont do much actual unassisted pedaling. so put it in 5th gear and forget it. i put 1500 miles on mine before i even got my first flat tire. (because i was riding on the side of the road, dont do this unless you have too) and as for the front forks...every bike ive ever owned has been bound up by the cables in about the same spot regardless of the type of forks it has.
Good review all but the seat was operator error on you having the seat too LOW 😂. PS you drive like a mad man & I wanna come up and camp by you ! Take care !
Casey, please do another video but with your wife reviewing the bike. might be a very different review and since its for her it would be very interesting
Looks like a lot of sage brush. We're covered by it up here in NE Oganogan county. You're all flat ground and we're rolling hills. I'm 80 and would prefer an electric quad. I'm 6'2" but really skinny now. I have a shaft drive four tracks that I think about mating an 8 or 10 HP e motor. Pretty sure I would have a lot less money in it. I would likely run a CVT drive to the drive shaft. Just don't know where to hang the batteries. I figure a big battery bor on the rear luggage rack.
So I ended up not doing an affiliate link. They offered it to me, but I didn’t feel it was worth the signup process when in all reality, everything about my other E-bike except the brakes is better, and my other one is significantly cheaper. If you’re looking at E-bikes in this budget price range, I don’t recommend this one. But since it was part of the agreement to do this video, the link their website is www.heybike.com.
I will say that the construction quality itself is pretty good, but the actual riding experience is terrible and I have to wonder if they actually spent any time riding it themselves before deciding on the control layout that they did. They are off to a good start, but there’s a lot of refinements that could be made to drastically improve the riding experience.
It was a huge red flag to me that they forbid any other bike be shown or mentioned in this video, and that was not a very smart move on their part because it just makes me want to compare the two even more, and now that I have fulfilled my obligations with this video, I can do all I want. So that requirement is really going to backfire on them.
The whole reason I even agreed to do this video was because I wanted another fat tire e-bike for my wife, so that we could go out riding together. This much smaller framed bike will be a good fit for my wife. I’ll see what I can do to rearrange the controls on the handle bars to make it work better and not rub both your thumbs raw.
Well now they know what they need to work on and How to make it better.😎
What's the other bike that you have that you like better?
So I ended up not doing an affiliate link. They offered it to me, but I didn’t feel it was worth the signup process when in all reality, everything about my other E-bike except the brakes is better, and my other one is significantly cheaper. If you’re looking at E-bikes in this budget price range, I don’t recommend this one. But since it was part of the agreement to do this video, the link their website is www.heybike.com.
I will say that the construction quality itself is pretty good, but the actual riding experience is terrible and I have to wonder if they actually spent any time riding it themselves before deciding on the control layout that they did. They are off to a good start, but there’s a lot of refinements that could be made to drastically improve the riding experience.
It was a huge red flag to me that they forbid any other bike be shown or mentioned in this video, and that was not a very smart move on their part because it just makes me want to compare the two even more, and now that I have fulfilled my obligations with this video, I can do all I want. So that requirement is really going to backfire on them.
The whole reason I even agreed to do this video was because I wanted another fat tire e-bike for my wife, so that we could go out riding together. This much smaller framed bike, (even though it’s still a 26” frame..) will be a good fit for my wife. I’ll see what I can do to rearrange the controls on the handle bars to make it work better and not rub both your thumbs raw while actually being able to hold onto the grips.
Would maybe her smaller hand not have the issue? The only thing I know about ebikes are you videos but from the two I’d agree the first bike would be my choice.
How many rattlesnakes per mile do you get?
Thanks for the always honest, LaDelle reviews!
Replace the handle bars with wider bars. that will get you more room to adjust the controls, allow for longer grips and will make the steering more controllable.
Does this e-bike come with any anti-theft devices such as a proximity dongle? I'm more of a 'city slicker' so If I were to buy one I'd be using it for light errands around town. We don't get much violent crime but crimes of opportunity are a dime a dozen.
I love that you full honesty reviews and not just what the sponsor wants. Most channels clearly just spout the sponsor's line. Ugh. To me it doesn't matter whether the product is good or bad, do a friggin REAL review (like you do).
Thats what i like about Casey & this channel, he keeps it Real in every way superb skill mistakes & all....
I’m agree with you 😊
if u think about it Casey is NOT A SELL OUT BRUTAL HONESTY TRUTH!!!!!!!! I WISH WE HAD MORE LIKE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The guys knows NOTHING about bikes. This is NOT an honest review.
Being a MTB rider I can answer a few bits for you - Handlebars: yes would be better wider and would also be an answer to some of the control issues. With wider bars you can space your brakes etc to allow your hand to fit better on the grip without hitting, get something like 760mm. Seat post: this in theory is a premium part and is referred to as a dropper post. You could probably switch the order with the brake lever so it is out of the way. Its basically useless for that bike though as it is mostly for off road riding so when you get to a downhill tricky section you drop the seat and then when you finish that and need to do the up hill you just keep going and stand up and press the button to raise the saddle. You wouldn't be doing that kind of riding though with a big fat saddle and narrow bars. Forks: mostly for looks as I doubt they are actually decent triple trees like you would find on a proper downhill bike. You are an adult so you can choose to wear a helmet or not but I never ride without one.
Pretty much my thoughts too. I wonder if with that headset you could throw on a decent Rockshox or something. Their website claims its a legit double crown.
When I am riding my quad, or my duel sport, I always wear a helmet. On my 26" fat tire, hardly ever. If I had to give a reason, I guess that I would just have too say, that in my opinion, they look stupid. 99% of my riding is 0 to 10 MPH. I don't push it with my E Bikes. At 75, I don't push it too much any more with my quad or my duel sport either, but, having a 50 pound bike land on me vs a 800 pound quad or a 300 pound dirt bike land on me, I think that I will take my chances with the E Bike.
It amazes me that the majority of Harley riders around where I live never ride with a helmet. I do not feel sorry for them if, when they wreck, they severely injure, or kill themselves. On the same tangent, If I hurt myself when crashing my E Bike, I have nobody to blame but me. I am ok with that.
looks like this company is trying to be seen as a real eMTB with the dropper, but missed the mark with most everything else, they also sent a bike to the wrong guy as Casey is obviously not a MTB rider.
@@jawico On the contrary I think they sent it to the right guy the fact that it didn't work right for him proves it. As a side note dropper post aren't just for mtb riders.
I ride real mountain bikes and use dropper posts there a lot. But I also like to have a dropper post on bikes I use to cruise around as changing seat height often is a godsend for my back. So for me this is a big plus at that price. Triple fork is for show or maybe it was cheaper than a normal fork that can provide that stability. Narrow handlebars are good for storage and fitting on bike racks on car. Layout might be possible to change rather cheaply. Overall this is exactly for what he said: a second e-bike for the family for easy to moderate trails.
That's a dropper seat post for riding trails because you stand up when you ride. You will want it up for reg riding. You are supposed to set up the cockpit when you get the bike. You will get it Casey! I agree that those bars are way too short! Mtbs have wide bars. It seems like fun!
i think an honesty review with you pointing out flaws is a big benefit to the company
A lot of good information, not just about this bike, but things to consider when looking for an E-bike, especially how it will be used and how it will fit under you. Thanks for the honest, clear information (as always)!
The seat adjust is for cycling, bicyclist (Mountain Bikers) like the saddle adjusted higher for efficient pedaling and lower for going down hill. The thumb lever that hurts has a 6mm allen head fastener that will allow you to adjust it in, out and around, away from your index finger. With even the most lethargic fitness level, any human being with two legs should be able to easily propell the bike upto 15 MPH in spurts without electric assist, ad that relatively easy effort level to the bikes top speed of 25 and you're suddenly going 40... Fourty MPH is way way to fast for an 18" wide ribbon of trail that winds through the forest. As far as motorcycles and or inexperienced cyclists are concerned, this bike may not be for them, otherwise we don't know the battery life, range, the weight of the bike or quality and adjustability of components so i'm not completely convinced that it got a fair or informative review.
I love your 200% honesty reviews! And really your just genuine quality, it’s always cool to just hang with you/ you and the fam! Makes it all feel more personal and get more involved with your channel!
Nice balance Casey. I was into trials bikes growing up and watching you just stall like that and not put your foot down totally reminded of that.
Take it to the local bike shop and have them put a wider bar on it and adjust the cockpit to your liking. The other option is how does that fits your wife and make adjustments based on her feelings. Your honest reviews and videos are great, Casey.
I’m 6’ 6 foot tall so I totally understand what your talking about.
Glad you did this review as I’ve gotten a lot more ideas covering some things I might not have thought of on a thorough test ride!
I’ve been thinking of getting one or a pair.
Interesting terrain on your property!
Really enjoy your videos too.
I have watched the first few minutes and I must point out a couple things.
1- when you were riding on the road you had the seat way too low. If the seat was significantly higher it would have been much more comfortable.
2- when you showed the drop post seat you obviously didn’t understand what it is used for. Normally you would have the seat much higher and when you get in to the really rough terrain you release the the seat using you weight to push it down out of your way letting it lock in the low position. This allows you to stand on the pedals allowing the legs absorb the shocks and not your bottom. When returning to smooth surfaces you stand on the pedals allowing the seat to return to upper position for comfortable riding.
3- this type of steering fork is built for high speed off road descents. It is much stronger designed and at higher speeds you don’t need more then 30 to 40 degrees of turn or you will be over the handle bars.
4- the thumb release for the seat post can normally be move towards the middle of the bars by losing a couple of Allen screws and sliding it over and retightening.
If you had been a Mt. Biker rather than a motorcycle rider you would have a very different opinion of some of the features. Look into using your e-bikes as electrically assisted bicycles rather than electric motorcycles, I think they will be more satisfying.
Full disclosure I’ve been riding bikes for almost 60 years and I Mt.biked for 30+ years.
Love your videos but what could go wrong and don’t tell the wife.
I understand exactly what all that stuff is for, which is why I know how dumb it is. Let’s be real here, this bike is horribly thought out by people who have know idea what they’re doing.
I am 73 and still ride a Versys 650 motorcycle. That throttle control is an accident waiting to happen. I should mention my wife got on a quad and had a terrible time with the throttle, same thing, herky-jerky. Basically, all your points are correct. As you said, a red flag not wanting to compare. A real eye opener, thanks for posting, you have saved countless subscribers big $$$$$
Love the fact that you are honest. And do not give into greed. It is great to see people with a platform like yours. Being true to themselves and not caving to corporate greed. Have a blessed and wonderful day.
Thank you! Finally! Somebody has the guts to really go off-roading with one of these! I'm so sick of the reviews where they stay on
a paved road or at worst, a gravel road. You were taking that bike through some hard core lava! That's the only way we are ever going to know if a bike holds up. Love your honesty. Love your thoroughness. Love your "what's it gonna take to break this" attitude!
Really good review. Very well balanced. Would like some information about power, endurance and recharging but this was a riding experience video.
The dropper seat post is very important when riding trails with a lot of steep elevation changes. I drop the seat for steep descents then raise it back up when the trail levels back out or for climbing. I can easily raise and lower the seat post a hundred times on a long ride. For flat trails it's not necessary.
Putting the lever where it cuts your thumb is also not necessary.
I like that while you didn't like it, you did point out the good points as well as the bad. AND you said why, allowing us to reach our own conclusions. If you are a tinkerer looking for a bike for a smaller person you might like it. Being a larger guy, I'm totally on board with your conclusions though 😁😂
Casey, I guarantee they have different size frames. 26” is the wheel size. That one looks like a small or medium. You need a XL. It’s crazy that it has hydraulic disc brakes and a dropper post, but has those tiny handlebars. Wider bars would make it a lot easier to set up that cockpit more comfortably and it would handle a hell of a lot better.
Come on man, you're Riding that bike over places I wouldn't even Walk. I think you made the bike look pretty tough. Gave it a years worth of ride in 20 mins!
Thanks for the honest review 😊. Would your wife be willing to a review on this bike to get her opinion on it from a smaller framed person?
Seems like with some simple allen keys, you could slide the "dropper post" lever over a few cm/mm to give you more room for your left hand, and I would swap the throttle and the shifter position on the handlebar so everything is easier to access. Also, a simple plain aluminum flat handlebar 720mm or wider (the size you were mentioning your other bike has) only runs about $20 online. These sound like relatively easy fixes. The frame size being small for your height can't really be helped. Hope that helps bit!
I plan to do all of that. But I sure as hell am not going to put a bunch of work and effort into making it decent before doing a review. This is the bike they sent me, so this is the bike they get reviewed.
Dude I’m in bend and have some wider carbon bars you could have, you probably need a longer stem and figure out the the correct seat height in the raised position.
I read some of reviews of your review here, It must be one of the most difficultest things to do is read these yourself. I'm gonna look for the video of the first bike you got. Thank You for the review :)
Casey, it is sad that you will be judged in the comments by all these keyboard experts. I thoroughly enjoyed the review while riding around your own property and appreciated the straightforward attitude. Ignore the trolls and stay fun.
It's not a review unless it's an honest review! I believe the "Size" of 26" is the wheel size, so the tires would be something like 26" x 4". The frame size is the distance between the middle of the pedals (the bottom bracket) and the bottom of the seat post clamp. Typical frame sizes range from XS to XL ~ 13" - 21" I didn't realize you we so tall!
The "Dropper Post" is mostly handy with aggressive riding when you drop the seat but stay seating say going down steep rooty trails. I usually find moving the controls on the handle bars in towards center an inch or so gives one more room on the grips. I enjoyed a little variety on the upload with this one Casey.
manufacturers pay big bucks for this type of feedback. Great review, in the end the manufacture can really improve this product and could be a win for all. Wait until their next sponsored video when you're feedback is positive with some of the changes. Seems they got a good deal here.
I noticed the short handle bars at the beginning of the video and thought it strange.. also the electric seat is unnecessary in my view, set it once and lock it in place. Simple. I enjoy your honest opinion and thoughts. And for me to be honest I haven't ridden a bicycle in 35 ish years. Thanks for your videos. Keep up the great content.
Hi Casey,
Part of your problem is that you are riding the bike as a motorbike.. it is actually designed as a power assisted bicycle, not a motorbike. If you were pedalling it you would appreciate the dropper seatpost as it allows you to raise the saddle for efficient pedalling uphill or on the flat, then lower it for technical and downhill sections where you are standing on the pedals, and a high saddle gets in the way.
I sell and service e-bikes. I agree with most of your comments about the setup around the handlebars: those Tourney shifters are very inconvenient, and bars that narrow are a pain.
Get some wider bars, swap the Tourney shifter for an Acera or Alivio 7 speed shifter, and get the controls set up properly to suit you (or your wife, if she will be using it mostly).
It is absolutely normal to adjust the position of brake levers, shifter and other controls to suit the rider and the way they use the bike, and anyone buying a bike in a box and assembling it themselves is assumed to have some knowledge of bike assembly and adjustment.. of course they often don't, and that can result in problems and disappointment.
The "26 inch frame" dimension refers to the wheel size. Major manufacturers produce bicycles in different frame sizes to suit different heights of rider because they know that one size doesn't fit all. Lucky that they didn't send a bike that suited you, as it then would have been too big for your wife to ride safely and comfortably.
You say that the bike seems fairly well made, and it certainly seemed to perform well while you were riding it, so a few minor changes around the handlebars and it could work well for your wife.
Love the honest reviews you do, keep up the good work.
Love the honest review. Love how they are paying you but you won’t pander to them and tell everyone how amazing it is. I was considering this until you really pointed out that steering. The other things I could have probably lived with but that and the shifting have lost me on this bike. Thanks.
Im all for honest reviews but the complaints bout the shifter and the seat adjustments, all can be moved. They’re detachable and or just take it off if your never going to use it again or have it facing outwards so it’s like a trigger, for the shifter, move the reflector to the other side of it and it’ll be closer to pull, and more accessible
Hey man. First of all, just like people have mentioned, the 26" you mentioned is just the wheel size. It's not the frame size. Most mtbs come in different sizes and this one doesn't.
Let's now talk about your gripes. What I see here is an ebike that was built for the person who has no bike skills or cardio but wants to go off pavement sometimes. It's not meant to do things that regular downhill mtbs would do. Your right, the bars need to be wider but they did that so the buyer would feel like it maneuvers better between trees.
The reason they put those forks on it is to make it look more beefy because you could not take that bike down trails that regular mountain bikes with those forks would be doing.
And number three that dropper post is a huge thing in the mountain bike world and if you don't have one you're basically shunned lol. But again this bike does not go on trails that need a dropper post.
All this to say it's probably an okay e-bike for the money. It looks to me like buying this bike means your paying for the Electric ability (obviously) and the "LOOKS" of a real mountain bike.
But most of your problems come in the form of it not being the right size bike for you. Also you typically don't just jump on a new bike and have it feel comfortable right away.(especially not before adjusting everything) For example I'm pretty sure you have the seat too low.
great response
Casey 26 inch is wheel size. To measure the frame you measure between center of crank set to where the seat post enters the frame. That looks like a 18 inch frame. Have a great day.
If they responded to your review by actually fixing those items, that would benefit their company a lot. They NEED that feedback. Getting that information from an ergonomics engineer would have cost them much more than the cost of shipping you one eBike. Keep up the honest reviews. They are rare on RUclips, and I salute you for them.
love to hear honesty man. bring it to a local bike shop and see what parts they have on hand to upgrade it. they should have longer bars and a better shifter for the right side
Love your honest reviews. Completely refreshing. Out of curiosity, do any of the companies that get less than stellar reviews ever comment back or ask for your suggestions. Have any asked for the product to be returned? "If you don't like it then you can't have it." lol
I usually never hear another word from them
Thank You for your honest review 😊 Keep up the great videos and stay safe out there! ❤️🙏
I like the bike. I’d make some adjustments on those handlebar mounted items. I’m thinking about buying one of these!
Are you going to modify it and make it a recovery bicycle? Maybe put on some snow Trax?
❄☃🚴🏻♂👍🏻✌🏻🤣
I looked at a lot of eBikes and ended up choosing the HeyBike Brawn. I’m 5’11 and the seat dropper control didn’t give me any ergonomic problems. I like the narrow handlebars for getting through tight spaces. My bike mechanic was the former head mechanic for a large bike shop and he thought the build quality was quite good. I had him do a brake and gear alignment and the bike is quiet and smooth. I easily get 45-50 miles on a charge with no pedal assist. I’ve got a number of GoPro videos on my channel riding the eBike. I’ve had it for almost two months and I’m very happy with it!
Love the honest review and I would imagine if someone believes in their product they will have you review it because people can trust you. Just don't send Casey your proto type that has a bunch of bugs to work out.
Unless you want him on your research and development team.
Being an e bike I am interested in the battery performance new and over time, looking forward to more real feed back on the e-bikes journey. The controls on this one certainly seem to be an opportunity for improvement. On a positive note the tires seemed to perform well and no flats, additionally the power or torque seemed to do well.
OMG, they have actually created an e-bike that can post messages on RUclips!!!!!!!!
Technology is getting way out of control!
Thanks for an honest review ! As far as helmets, NEVER wore one and am 66 years old. I learned HOW to ride and watch where I am going and look out while riding ! Some people need body suit bubble wrap with their helmets !!
I am also 6'4" tall and around 225lbs. As explained in some of the other comments, the 26" is the diameter of the wheels not including the tires. Adult mountain bikes generally come in 26, 27.5 and 29" wheel sizes. I ride a Specialized non-e hard tail 26" wheel 21.5" size frame. I wish I had a dropper post on it for steep down hills. I would assume you can loosen the seat binder clamp to raise the seat to the proper height for your cycling. In general when your heel is on the pedal and the pedal at the furthest stroke from the seat, your knee should be straight. That makes your seat at the proper height for your knees to extend with a slight bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke with your food positioned on the pedal with the pedal axle directly below the ball of your foot. I would also like to put narrower handle bars on my bike. I'm tired of catching them on trees while bombing through the woods here in central Indiana. I would also always put a rear rack on with a bag a panniers before a basket on the handlebars. It puts your weight lower for a lower center of gravity and it works well as a rear fender.
Thank you for sending my shirt order out so quickly. I didn't really expect it to go out for another week or two.
Keep up the great work Casey.
Definitely need wider bars. I was going to say a longer stem too, but it seems long already. Slide the seat back on the rails if you can. A few little things to better fit you.
When you said you were cramped, the seat wasn't adjusted up all of the way. I agree that adjustment is a bit funky. Maybe to accommodate different regular riders. I had the flip handle one that only takes a few seconds to adjust. I lower the seat for my daughter. 6' 4" usually means you will need a custom seat that adjusts taller than the base model offers. Of course they should have given you that since you are reviewing it for them.
Handlebars almost always need replaced with ones that are raised higher too. I'm 5' 11" and the stock bars are always a little low for me. It is very common to need to replace those 2 items according to the size of the rider.
I'm not a bicycle expert but I did have the opportunity to walk in to the Giant Bicycle showroom in Taichung Taiwan. I bought a full carbon fiber mountain bike with my colleague's employee discount. I had to adjust the seat all of the way up, and the handlebars are lower than I'd like, but still comfortable for me. My Taiwanese colleague is my same height, and he got raised handlebars on his to make it more comfortable.
Helmet ⛑️ young man . Head injuries are no joke . Just wouldn't want anything bad to happen . You know better than that. . Dont hate me . 😃
Converting from the thumb throttle is a really simple mod. Go to the ralley bicycle shops for a better handle bar set up to reconfigure the lay out. I don't want to deal with those chessy sprocket switching cable shifters. CVT is ALLWAYS in the right ratio. Dandahermit.
Wow those handle bars are like a child's bike you are right on them being small..
This will be a better bike once the ergonomics are sorted. I'll probably get an e-bike to have in my ute when I'm moving around but budget will be the deciding factor, not so much features.
It’s the default lay out you can get wider handle bars and set up the cockpit the way you want when setting it up but de did a default from factory review
Casey I real ly appreciate all you do in your area with helping people in recoveries and cleaning up and keeping your area nice. In regards to this Ebike, I think the specs and design are more about style and gimmicks than being a good bicycle that has electric assist. Which by the way I don't know why you don't just take the pedals off. I did not see you use them other than as foot pegs! LOL. The gearing on this bike looks wrong for actual trail riding with the 48 tooth chainring on the front. I could not tell what the cassette gearing was. Keep up the good work with the roll back and wrecker!
I've come to the belief that manufacturers should hire you to beta test their products before releasing them to market.
I like how you push things beyond their intended limits and are up-front fair and honest with your opinions. This video is a prime example. They could use your critiques to fine tune their product. Guaranteed, if you have issues with the bike, others will, too.
Nothing wrong with the triple tree fork arrangement. The problem is the geometry they chose.
I ride trials bikes which have the same setup.
They will turn through about 75 degrees either side. Anything more will have you over the handlebars.
Adjust that seat before your knees scream for mercy! It might help your comfort level Legs should be at just before full extension when pedal is all the way down.
Great review Casey. Keep up the awesome videos !
Thank you for showing the e bike, that's the first time I seen anybody actually use one. Would have been nice to know what the ranges on thing.
I'm a year-round cyclist myself (Canadian prairies) and I just discovered your great channel a few days ago. I've been consuming all your backlog of videos, so having this video pop up is strangely appropriate for me. I've never been all that interested in e-bikes, but the idea of them is somewhat interesting. I may look into one someday, so it's nice to get this kind of information on just what is out there. I think battery life and recharge time is probably the one important thing that is missing from this video. Other than that, It's good to see people who are honest and down-to-earth in their reviews. A good company will appreciate constructive feedback like you gave much more than a overly glowing review. A puff piece may make them more money in the short run, but better design, quality, and customer satisfaction will win out in the long term. So don't ever sacrifice your integrity with the justification that you don't want to "hurt" a business. Your honesty helps everyone, Heybike included.
Regarding the shorter handlebar width: my summer commuting bike has a very short wingspan on the handlebars, while my winter bike is much wider, and one of the differences I find is that it can take more energy to turn the wheel with shorter handlebars. The physics of torque mean that you don't get as much leverage, and the inertia from the rolling wheels can require a lot more effort to turn the wheel at any significant speed. I usually find that works out fine for me when biking in warm weather, since the normal way of turning then is to just lean to that side and let the physics of the bike's spinning wheels move it in that direction. Of course, in the winter leaning is never a good idea, so having the wider handlebars not only helps with stability, but it also reminds me to slow down and use that turning method instead.
I didn’t include anything about the battery because I couldn’t stand riding the thing long enough to even use up a single battery
@@CaseyLaDelle I completely understand about the will to keep riding. I've had saddle sores and thumb rubbing that have turned what should have been an enjoyable day of cycling into pure misery. No problem!
I think you did a well balanced / honest review of the product. If the company is smart they will use your review to improve the product. Many of the changes that need to be made are very inexpensive from a manufacturing basis. Suspect that the product was designed and constructed in a foreign land and they do not know their customer well.
I suspect that the fork design with top and bottom triple tree arrangement is far more robust but not the best as you say for the technical stuff.
I rode motorcycles longer than you have been around and I also wondered why paddle throttles on ATVs. Once I got used to them I stopped wondering. The twist throttle causes a need to change grip for different throttle settings but it is easier to maintain precision throttle position.
I had to stop the video at around the 3 min mark. Casey complained about being cramped, but we just saw that the seat could be higher. Wouldn't a higher seat help with the comfort level? But what do I know, I;m just 5'10"
Thank you for your honest feedback. I am a grandmother, and don't ride a bike like you. I think this bike will work well for me because I'm a bit more casual of a rider, and compact in stature. I am also looking for a bike as a gift, for my 6" 1', 33 year old son. Can't wait for your review on the other bike.
Hey Casey !! Remember the wheel powered generator that produced the power for the headlight ??? Get 1 of those & hook it up to charge the BATT on your E-Bike !!! Maybe you could get a "'Patent "" for it ??? 🤠😎🙄🤔
I'm an avid MTB rider in WA state, so a few things...
1. 26" refers to the wheel size, not the bike/frame size. You can buy a bike for a 5' or a 6'6" rider with 26" wheels but have significantly different frame sizes. Unfortunately it appears that Hey Bike doesn't offer different frame sizes so they engineer for a common size. Weird. And they have listed a "minimum inseam length" of 33.5"? I don't know anyone under 6' tall with an inseam over 32" so that one puzzles me. I'm 6'3" and I typically ride a 61cm or size XL bike.
2. That type of seat post is called a "dropper post" in MTB land. You drop the post all the way down when you want to go downhill so it doesn't hit you in the butt when you shift your weight backwards. And then at the bottom you can then raise it up again to sit while pedaling/climbing. On steep descents I am sometimes putting my butt BEHIND the seat entirely.
3. Those forks are really weird. I have never seen that type of fork on anything but a downhill MTB where your turn radius may be quite large. Most MTBs have the type you describe (single tube into the stem, junction and compression tubes below the stem).
4, That shifter SUCKS and is incredibly cheap. They cut a major corner on that one even though they could have spent $10 more for a much better shifter (a better shifter is literally $20-30 by itself).
5. Handlebar width - in some countries they have laws dictating the max width of MTB bars (i.e. Australia limits bars to 700mm). The bars I typically use are 740-850mm. Those bars appear to be much narrower than 700mm so the manufacturer cheaped-out on the bars. Which leads to...
6. It appears they may have mounted the dropper post control too close on the left and didn't align the controls on the right either. Was this bike assembled by the company when you received it?
7. I agree that this bike would be a great ebike for your wife, assuming she is shorter than you.
8. This bike would be great for beginner trails or riding on dirt roads (i.e. forest service roads). There are a LOT of beginner trails (greens and blues) in the area between Bend and Mt Bachelor. Like miles and miles and miles of trails. My best source for trail maps/locations is trailforks.com.
9. If you want to look at a serious MTB ebike for comparison, check out the Specialized Turbo Tero or Turbo Levo (probably a lot more expensive than the Hey Bike). I'm sure there is a local bike shop in Bend where you can do a test ride.
For the shifter, Shimano makes a what is called trigger shifters, they can be easily installed in your application, but you need to have a minimum of 7 gears in your rear cluster, not sure if you are aware of this, but back in the olden days, mountain bikes, used to have a, what are called thumb shifters, just like what you have on your E bike, except for the fact that you don’t have a plus button to tap, you, just with your index finger, pull the lever back with each click with index shifters and with friction shifters, you just wait for the chain to change gears and make sure that the Raillear is aligned properly with the selected gear, the shifter that is on your current eBay, I really like, especially for 18 speed bicycles, 3 x 6, 3 at the pedals and 6 at the rear wheel, imagine your driving a semi truck with an Eaton transmission
The increduloluser is right. Installing wider bars and adjusting the controls as well as raising the entire dropper post would make a world of difference for you. It is a cheap ebike overall but if sized and adjusted correctly would work for you if the frame isn't too small. BTW the wheel size is 26", not the frame. A 26" frame would be for Shaq. You probably want a 19" frame.
Anyway, I'm in Madras if you'd like a full tune and adjusting sometime, to fit you or your wife. You've been to my house before, to rescue a broken U-Haul in Dec 2021! Haha
that handlebar is mega skinny, holy moly. Totally agreed the layout of the handle bar is awkward AF. It is almost like an electronic BMX bike sorta. A friend is getting a super cheap electronic dirt bike, curious to see that quality. Even when I use the throttle only on my E bike I still adjust the gears to help the motor a bit. Glad it was warm enough to test ride this new one. Keep up the rad videos Casey, so much fun to follow along
My guess is the bike frame and handle bars are designed for compact packaging ans shipping . I noticed this back in the 80s with motor cycles from japan . Tall guys just could not ride them .
Everything you mentioned in the review has a valid point. Clearly no research and development.
Not going to lie, there is a dude in PA (locally) who does Timbertrail Ebikes and I think you would LOVE it but I dunno if he would do free for advertisement. It is 2wd, and it is amazing, I have one, and I paid a pretty penny for it and LOVE IT!
All of your gripes are warranted. Once you got to the handlebars and controls I also realized, it needs a serious redesign. In other words, it's a POS.
Ergonomics have left the building!
Hey Casey thanks for your honest review.. I’m 6’6 and larger built and I’ll probably not be getting this bike .
I have a "Large Frame" mountain e-bike and the seat tube measures 20". L is the new nomenclature and 20" is what they used a few years ago. It's the distance from crank center to the top of the seat tube where the post goes in. HeyBike may call your bike a 26" but it obviously isn't according to industry standards.
Dropper posts are for downhill MTB. It allows you to set it at two positions; one for riding uphill or flat, and the other for downhill. Good dropper posts can be rather pricy. Regarding the rest of the cockpit layout, the shifter and thumb throttle are something I'd reverse positioning on for the reasons you pointed out. But Class 2 ebike cockpits are usually a mess regardless from everything you need to cram onto the bars.
Heh heh heh, just flipped back from watching the Rattan bike review to remind myself why that Heybike didnt come up to scratch. Your honesty does you credit Casey, and you don't need to do a review comparison, you're three videos do that already, I don't think HeyBike had thought that bit through properly when they forbad comparisons.🤣
Something to consider if you riding any e-bike out in your neck of the woods: On any of the COTA trails, e-bikes are prohibited. You are fine on any fire roads and such, but the trails are for pedal power only.
It was said below, but I'll say it again. Damn, those bars are dangerously narrow. They barely stretch past the fork crown! Dropper post is for clearance when descending.
And those shifters are crap. :)
And, for me, e-bikes. Nah. I'd rather pedal when I want to pedal. When I want to go faster on two wheels, I'll just ride my Triumph.
Your downstroke leg should be almost straight for pedaling power, then dropping the seat out of the way on technical drops would make sense. Right now when you stand up to go over rocks, your seat is where you would normally drop it to. Very strange choice of narrow bars especially for trail riding where wide bars give you more control; even a 5 foot tall person benefits from wide bars. You could clean up the cockpit with wider bars for sure. I would think gearing down might give you more control when dinking around off the trail which it looks like you love to do :D
Looking forward to an 'on the trail with the family' e-bike video. ;)
Excellent review, I'm not a bike person but, if I was, your review certainly opened my eyes to the obvious drawbacks to buying this bike. As you say, there seems to be a lot of need to rearrange the controls. The bike itself, appears to be powerful and very well made. Obviously, more thought, and perhaps, the designer's of this bike, should have consulted a real bike user. Great job.
I will say it seems sturdy. If you're supposed to adjust the controls or seat to fit, it ought to come with a video or instruction manual.
Thanks for the great review on this bike. I would like an E Bike as my second bike. I live in a town that is full of steep hills and it would make it much easier for me.
Casey, Thank You for the honest, in depth review!!!! I absolutely hate thumb throttles!! I have arthritis in my hands and fingers. Having to hold pressure on a thumb throttle makes for a painful, non-enjoyable ride. 😒. ( I hate most four wheelers for the same reason.) Thanks again for the great review!!
Hey Casey !! If you remember ,,Lee Iacocca started E-Bikes back in '97 !!! At that time he was "CEO" of today - Mopar !! Hope you Wife enjoys her ""NEW"" Ride to town,, but DON"T forget the BATT CHARGER !!! HAHA 🤔🙄😃😲🤠😎👀👀👍👍👍👍👍
It looks like your seat post could be adjusted at by loosening the clamp at the top of the frame. It should be set to max out at ride height, then you lower the seat via that lever to allow better maneuverability clearing obstacles. The 26" frame is probably refering to wheel size in the case of that bike. I am 6'1 and ride a 20-21" frame size. An xxl only equates to a 24" . Levers on a bike are something usually set up by the rider, or your local bike shop, so it is hard to blame a manufacturer for that. It is a reason to support a local retailer as opposed to an online retailer. That being said, an online retailer could make a better effort at placement not knowing the end users capability. Thanks for your chanel, I like seeing real people doing real things instead of made-for-the-tube drama and challenges.
Do riders wear gloves of any kind to protect against rubbing? That would be my guess to keep the rubbing to a minimum. I like that you speak your mind and stick to your guns when it comes to what you feel is right, another great job Casey, keep ‘em coming
As others have said, the seat positioning would help you no be cramped. You being taller need the seat higher by default. That would keep you not so cramped as your legs will be more straight and the seat post being at an angle backwards will get your arms further from the bars and not be cramped as well so it's likely just fine for taller person with the seat higher. I'm curious if you'd feel more comfortable with a higher seat positioning. That's just biking. The thumb throttle is from ATVs so yeah you being a more of a motorcyle person likely wont like it. Great points you've brought up though. Thanks!
I respectfully disagree with some of this review. The hydraulic seat switch lever can be slid over a little to give you more hand room. By raising the seat I think you would not feel so cramped, but maybe you have tried that. It looked like your seat was set kinda low.
I love my Brawn bike. I use mine on and off road through the woods and I really like that the handlebars are narrower. I am a motorcycle rider too and thought I would like the twist throttle but once I got used to the thumb lever it does just fine. I pedal my Brawn though, so if you don’t pedal then a twist throttle might be better. All in all I think the Brawn is a well constructed bike for the money and I always look forward to jumping on and riding it. Thanks for your review.
You can move the drop seat lever and the gear shifter toward the middle of the bar. Or exchange the bars for wider ones. Respectfully. I had been a bicycle mechanic most of my life. I’d love to help ya out my friend.
It's pretty hard to take a bike off the rack and have everything fit, especially for someone your height. I ride motorcycles and bicycles and have replaced and or adjusted all controls and contact points on both to be comfortable for me. Maybe visit a bicycle shop with a good mechanic to set it up for you and give it another try. I haven't tried an ebike yet.
In other words Casey, the bike is supplied for you to get after market parts to really work well and fit a specific rider. If 24in. tires I think it would be a youth or small frame person bike.
1. Here for the helmet comments?
2. Dropper post for actual mountain biking is a game changer. Downhill its great to have that saddle down and out of the way. You set the saddle at best ride height while fully extended. Then you can drop it when you want. That said, this dropper is probably cheap and cheesy and will fail.
3. That shifter is... what?!? Why? I mean thumb /index finger looks to be the intent, but its mounted totally the wrong place. Looks like its e-motorbike first, bicycle second.
4. The 1990s want their handelars back! Looks more for city cruising use to get between things, in doorways, etc. Those narrow bars would be junk out on the trails. Narrow, less control and too twitchy!
5. The "26 inch" probably refers to the wheel diameter and has not to do with the frame size. A "one size fits all" bike frame is a BS gimmick.
I think any actual trail use would destroy that thing. Looks like cheap chineese junk.
If you want a true MTB, one, get oedal assist, not throttle! Its going to cost you 5 grand minimum!
Don't buy some $800 ebay quality ebike and think you can hit any trails with it. Just don't.
I would never spend that kind of money on a bike. Those prices are absolutely absurd and there is no reason for them.
@Casey.LaDelle haha, I hear that often. It's a hobby. You pay to play. I have a modest $2400 bike. Some folks I ride with have $7k plus bikes.
Kinda like Jeeping, it can get expensive really quick!
That said, you can buy an entry-level bike for $500 and still get out and enjoy nature!
An honest review should be valued by any company I believe.
"if you're a six foot four person" Over the 70+ years I know what that means... I often lament that most engineers are 5' 8" and do not want us to be comfortable...
Try being 5’-21” as I tell people when they ask me! Ceiling fans can be a challenge! As are automatic door closers on some commercial doors - right at my eye level! 😡
bicycle frames come in all sizes lol you need to choose one that fits your arm and leg length. theres some fking giants in the road racing world
As for a twist throttle, it is banned on a lot of trails, they require a thumb throttle like this bike has, it is what I use as per trail regulations.
1. You have the seatpost set too low for a person your height. It should be at a height where your leg can fully extend flat-footed with a pedal at the bottom most point. The way you have it causes knee joint fatigue and wear if you attempt to pedal the bike.
2. But yes, the wheel base of the frame is showing it's on the small size.
3. The handlebars are indeed too narrow for a MTB. Riser style bars would be more comfortable for taller riders.
4. The suspension seat post is silly for this bike, as those are meant for serious downhill riding, and this bike is not designed to handle such rides.
The fitment issue is a common thing with ebike companies that aren't real bicycle companies. It isn't just because your 6' 4". Just as a example Giant make frame in a small, meduim ,large and extra large.
FYI telescopic seatposts are really useful... when you actually pedal your bike xD
After seeing this video, my thought is that if this is being promoted as a mountain trail capable bike, it seems to need improvements. If it is designed more as a street bike, it seems to fit the role of a street bike better.
Thank you for the honest review! Companies need to know they can't buy good reviews.
i love mine, i moved that lever over and have a mirror in that spot now. the shifter position dont bother me, its a rear hub motor so the gear its in only matters if your pedaling. since the bike weighs 100 pounds, you dont do much actual unassisted pedaling. so put it in 5th gear and forget it. i put 1500 miles on mine before i even got my first flat tire. (because i was riding on the side of the road, dont do this unless you have too) and as for the front forks...every bike ive ever owned has been bound up by the cables in about the same spot regardless of the type of forks it has.
Good review all but the seat was operator error on you having the seat too LOW 😂. PS you drive like a mad man & I wanna come up and camp by you ! Take care !
Good review, showed the good points and the bad points. --- Thanks for the valuable upload. ---
Casey, please do another video but with your wife reviewing the bike. might be a very different review and since its for her it would be very interesting
Looks like a lot of sage brush. We're covered by it up here in NE Oganogan county. You're all flat ground and we're rolling hills. I'm 80 and would prefer an electric quad. I'm 6'2" but really skinny now. I have a shaft drive four tracks that I think about mating an 8 or 10 HP e motor. Pretty sure I would have a lot less money in it. I would likely run a CVT drive to the drive shaft. Just don't know where to hang the batteries. I figure a big battery bor on the rear luggage rack.