The Heybike Alpha is an e-bike that makes a good starter mid-drive e-bike for larger individuals looking to have a bit of off-road fun.
There are two main paths to e-bike ownership. You can either add a conversion kit to a bike you already enjoy or go with a purpose-built model that’s ready to ride right away.
It’s a tricky balance since every option comes with trade-offs. You might opt for a slim, more traditional-looking e-bike with minimal design compromises, but that usually means a higher price tag and surprisingly heavy weight.
If you’re not a hardcore cyclist but like the idea of going off-road, you’ll likely be drawn to more rugged e-bike models. Riders with larger frames or less cycling experience may also prefer bikes that look sturdy enough to handle their weight with ease.
That answer could be in the form of the Heybike Alpha, which offers all-terrain cycling with added e-bike assistance.
Assembly is easy and requires very light tool familiarity. The video is excellent, and it took us about an hour to put everything together.
This is a giant plus. We’ve had a few that we’ve reviewed that the assembly instructions didn’t match the final shipped unit, and that’s terrible to deal with.
Heybike Alpha review: Design
From the outset, it’s clear the Heybike Alpha is built for riders who want to go off-road now and then. It’s also a solid choice for those who need an e-bike that can handle heavier loads and everyday wear without a fuss.
Equipped with 26-inch diameter four-inch fat tires with puncture protection, the Heybike Alpha shows that it means business from a distance.
The frame, offered in Step-Thru and Step-Over configurations, is made from an aluminum alloy. The Step-Thru model is said by Heybike to be appropriate for people with heights from 5 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 1 inch, while the Step-Over is for riders between 5 feet 3 inches and 6 feet 3 inches.
We tested our step-over configuration provided by HeyBike with 5 foot 10 inch and 5 foot 2 riders. It worked for both of us pretty well. We tried the step-through too at a friendly dealership, and honestly, we preferred the more traditional step-over.
Its construction also includes fenders as standard and a kickstand. The rear rack helps for transporting items, which can be handy given the bike has a maximum payload capacity of 400 pounds.
The built-in rack has a solid construction that holds up for quite heavy payloads. The included bungee worked pretty well for strap-down, and the orientation of the frame of the rack is good for adding more.
It’s fitted with a hydraulic front suspension fork for a smoother ride on rough terrain. At least, what the thick tires don’t manage to cushion for you.
This was a nice feature. Our local roads and bike lanes aren’t the smoothest, and the suspension kept the jarring down.
The battery fits inside the central pillar, and it is made to be removable if needed. This certainly adds to the overall weight of 71.6 pounds, which puts it in the higher-range of the weight for a fat-tire e-bike.
That’s expected, given the construction of the device and the off-road intent of the unit. The weight still makes it a nuisance lugging it into the back of a car, though.
A keyhole is fitted towards the top of the central pillar on the frame. At the front is an automatically-enabled headlight, while the rear has a red light.
For normal unassisted cycling, there is a Shimano Altus 8-speed shifter, controlled by a slider on the handlebars. Hydraulic disc brakes are also in use, which are handy at high speeds with this much weight in play.
Heybike Alpha review: Features
As an e-bike and packing a 680Wh removable lithium-ion battery, it has a bunch of features beyond a normal bike.
The key to this is the mid-drive motor, which provides the power assistance that drives the rear wheel. Located in the middle, it aims to keep the weight distributed evenly between the rear and front of the bike.
Offering 105Nm of torque, the Mivice 500W motor is a ride-assist and helps riders deal with inclines and get up to speed quickly on roads. There are a total of five levels of pedal assistance, with higher levels providing more power to overcome tougher hills.
This is all managed from the handlebar controls and the central display, which shows things like the battery level, speed, and how much assistance you are currently getting from the motor. A control panel on the left-hand side has direct controls for power levels, the horn, and turning signals.
If you’re eventually forced to push due to a too-steep hill, there’s also a walk assist mode. If you don’t fancy using pedal-assist mode and want to have a very easy ride, there’s even a half-twist throttle available.
As for how much you can travel between charges, Heybike claims the Alpha can go for up to 60 miles. Our heavier test rider saw about 43 miles, and our lighter saw 61.
This control is not just limited to the Alpha’s onboard system. You can also connect an iPhone up to it and use its companion app to see data about your riding history and configure the system further.
This connection is primarily handled over Bluetooth, but there is a USB Type-C port available. This is for recharging your iPhone while parked up, which makes sense given the massive battery the e-bike carries around all the time.
Heybike Alpha review: Riding
Cycling with the Heybike Alpha is pretty good, so long as you can deal with the overall weight of it. There’s a fair amount more weight than your typical bicycle here, so it could feel a bit tougher to turn for people used to lighter road bikes.
For the more heavy-set cyclist, the weight of the bike will be less of an issue. Indeed, combine the strong heavy-duty frame and the chunky tires, and you have an e-bike that is surprisingly beginner-friendly.
This is fortunate. We’ve done a bunch of e-bike reviews, but we wouldn’t call ourselves masters.
The battery’s long-range naturally drops when you’re riding off-road since hills and uneven terrain use more power than flat pavement. Even so, it’s more than capable of handling a full day on woodland trails.
On roads, its 28MPH top speed, massive range, and high payload capacity make it something that could also be a workhorse for a bike-based DoorDash worker.
We used it frequently to scoot to a close market, and it worked without issue, even in the very recent punishing heat of our review environments.
Heybike Alpha review: Good, but heavy, cycling
The Heybike Alpha is an e-bike that aims to be a heavy-duty riding machine. Its construction, use of high-capacity batteries, and its thick tires help it achieve that goal.
You can certainly get some speed and distance out of the Heybike Alpha if you try. But despite its top speed, it’s not meant to be a speed machine.
You will find thinner models out there, ones that also lean towards the lighter side. If you don’t care about that, Heybike Alpha excels.
It’s an e-bike that will certainly get you from A to B, even if you’re not used to exercise. The bike’s carrying a few pounds too.
Consider a roll-up bike rack for the back of your car, because hefting it up to your hatchback can be a chore. We’ve reviewed full wheelchairs that are lighter.
Heybike Alpha Pros
- Long range battery
- Suspension and thick tyres
- ***
Heybike Alpha Cons
- Very heavy!
- A good all-rounder, but city-exclusive riders have better options, by design
Rating: 4 out of 5
Where to buy the Heybike Alpha
The Heybike Alpha is available from Heybike directly, priced at $1,699. At review publish time on June 25, HeyBike has a few sales running, cutting the price back notably.
