During my time at TechCrunch, I have tested many e-bikes. And I never longed to hang on one person like I did like Heybike's new Alpha.

This sturdy, fat, all-terrain e-bike costs $1,699. Alpha ticks my tons of boxes, including those I didn't even know about. For example, I know I want an e-bike with pedal assist and throttle, but I didn't know I would like to use pedal assist, throttle, and Manual gear lever. Perhaps the ideal part of riding an Alpha is a mid-sized motor with a torque sensor, which gives a more natural riding feel. That and battery life seem to last forever.

It's not all roses and rainbows. I have some complaints about the app, setting up bikes and large horns. But overall, whether you want to take a off-road adventure or use it in the city for weekly trader Joe shopping, this is a great choice for E-Bike.

Then there is the question of how long the bike will remain affordable. Heybike is a Chinese manufacturer whose bikes are made in China. These bikes may become more expensive for American consumers due to tariffs, even at recent speeds.

Affordable mid-drive electronic motorcycle

Alpha is Heybike's first Galaxy Edrive system with an in-house made, which uses a 500W Mivice Mid-Drive motor and a 680WH battery for smooth rides.

Most other e-bikes I've tried are built using electric mechanisms installed on wheel hubs, which makes it easier and more affordable. The medium motor is located near the pedals, if you can get such a bike for a good price? accept. Because not everyone wants to buy Bafang conversion kits and build their own cheap mid-size driving.

Even at the fifth and highest level of pedal assist, the Alpha is smooth and easy to control, making you feel like you are stepping on a traditional push bike. There is nothing to do with the accelerator.

However, medium drives have drawbacks. If you're a rider who likes to lean on the throttle, then Heybike's Alpha might not be for you. A company spokesperson told me that Heybike discourages the use of only throttle, especially at the start of the ride, as it can damage the motor and drive the train.

With Alpha, you can't actually start riding through the throttle. You must pedal first and at least 5 miles per hour before the throttle engages. When you use the throttle, the speed is adjusted according to your pedal assist level. Even at the highest level, the maximum speed when using the throttle can only reach 20 miles per hour. That is, you can push it to 28 miles per hour when you stomp.

I didn't find the throttle constraints to be a problem. Of course, there are occasional moments when I want a quick vacation a sensitive throttle can provide. Still, I found the pedal assist to be sensitive enough.

With 105 nm of torque, it is also very powerful. I rarely find myself needing to get it off the first level. The addition of the Shimano Altus 8 motorcycle helps to strengthen this power. The shifter lets me kick it to higher gears on flat terrain and restore it to low gear while climbing. This means I can set pedal assist to 1 to save battery power.

When I was on the hills, it was worth noting that the Alpha handled the slopes like an absolute champion thanks to the mid-sized drive’s motor.

Long live the alpha battery

Alpha's UL certified batteries can charge up to 60 miles apart in a single charge, although I wouldn't be surprised if they go beyond it. After charging the battery once (eventually the ordeal I described below), I rode my bike on several nearby trips and various hills, probably 22 miles. Battery life on LCD mid-sized screens has not dropped to below 100% to some extent.

This may have something to do with the Galaxy Edrive, which seems to have a regenerative braking system that supplies power to the battery whenever I brake. Heybike says its galaxy system offers more than 8% additional range compared to batteries with the same capacity.

More notes on ruggedness

Alpha may double as a cargo bike that transports riders. It comes with a back rack, enough to tie three bags of grocery bags, although I could easily attach a large food delivery box.

Its total payload is 400 pounds. This is the number of Pedego Cargo bikes I tested last year, which is twice the price and twice the weight. Heybike's Alpha isn't a small bike that can be easily hidden in a New York apartment, but with its aluminum frame also Weigh 71 pounds or bulky.

While 26 x 4-inch fat tires are great for searching on gravel and roots, they are equally good at dealing with potholes and uneven road surfaces in New York City. Not only the tires, but the elastic hydraulic fork suspension attracted most of the blows on some of these roads, making it easy for me to jump off and under the sidewalk.

Disadvantages: Build, high quality attention and wow, how loud

Alpha is not without its challenges. First, there are a lot of setups involved when delivering a bike, which requires careful strabismus to look at the QR code instruction manual.

If you are not used to putting bike parts together (I'm not), then there is a chance that you will encounter some errors. I got help from two lovely colleagues in the office, but when I was on the road, I still felt a little. I took it to a bicycle shop and the mechanic shook his head sympathetically and made some adjustments, including the handlebars I didn't have in the correct position.

I also tried to remove the battery cover from the lower tube. It won't fall off! I tried to view the instructional video on YouTube, but all I found was a nasty 16-second battery ASMR video that deleted and installed Heybike. Finally, I had to open the lid and found that someone seemed to have screwed the lock in the wrong way, hindering the release of the metal lid. I screwed it back in the right way so that I can click correctly.

But, more battery cover drama. After a few rides, the cover began to pop up halfway through. I would pick it up, hit a bump, and go again. I think I might have messed up the stuff while fiddling with the battery cover, I put it in place and called it a day.

Another bass of the alpha is the horn. Oh my god, this is very big. Imagine trying to annoy someone by shouting “Hoooonnnkkk”. This is the sound of the speaker. It was so radical that I was embarrassed to use it to remind pedestrians or other riders so I didn’t scare them into crap. However, it does come in handy when I want to drop a car symbolically into the bike lane.

The app is also not impressive. It may turn off the bike, but it cannot be turned on because the bike already needs to connect to the app via Bluetooth. The app also enables the headlights to turn on and off (which is very bright by the way) and records and shares any travel data. Personally, I think e-bike applications are only worth using if they provide you with field tracking, anti-theft and alerts.

There are not many colors to choose from. Actually, if you want step-through, you get it in white. And, if you want a step-by-step framework, it’s better to be happy with black.

Final note on adding turn signals: They work fine, but I hardly remember using them.

Heybike Alpha: Best, if you are convenient

All in all, I think the Heybike Alpha is a reliable journey, especially the price point. Typically, a bike with Alpha specs will take you anywhere from $2,000 to $4,500, so this is a great option. Although the problem on the battery cover does cause some red flags about quality issues, if I've been riding for longer I'm wondering there might be other issues.

A reasonable price may be based on poor customer service for online reviews, although I personally cannot talk to it. All I know is that this is one of the smoothest, easiest fat-type e-bikes I’ve been happy to ride.