After spending some time riding and reviewing the Honbike HF01 it became apparent what problems exist within the world of e-bikes that Honbike was aiming to solve. When it comes to durability, ease of maintenance and cleanliness, most modern electric bikes are lacking in some — if not all — departments.
Unlike most transportation built for the masses, such as automobiles and motorcycles, e-bikes are a Christmas tree of components hung from a frame; fragile parts exposed to the elements, threatening wayward pant legs with greasy mastication. Many of those components are also wear parts that stretch or degrade with normal use, with maintenance or replacement intervals in terms of hundreds or the low thousands of miles — comparably short to similar components on cars or motorcycles.
But slowly, e-bike manufacturers are catching on and lessons from the automotive industry are being applied to make bikes that are cleaner, simpler and much longer lasting.
In this Honbike HF01 review, we take a look at one e-bike attempting to apply several of those lessons. Built on a folding frame, a 250W front hub motor and cast magnesium wheels, the Honbike HF01 uses an innovative drive shaft in place of a traditional chain and sprocket drivetrain to make a ride that’s clean, simple and, allegedly, far more durable than your average e-bike.
Mixed in with all that innovation is also some of the quirkiest bike design we’ve ever seen at Electric Bike Report, including a golf club-shaped seat and brake levers that attach on the outside of the handlebars.