Heybike Alpha Review | A Rare Mid-Drive Fat Tire

The 680Wh battery is a sensible pairing with a 500W mid-drive motor. It exceeds the 1:1 watt hours to watts ratio we hope to see, but testing is crucial to make sure it lives up to its potential.

The range test results on the Alpha were a tale of extremes. It produced one of our highest-mileage minimum power tests and one of our lowest-mileage max power tests.

HeyBike set the range expectations for the Alpha at 60 miles, and we were able to blow past that. In PAS 1, we achieved 79.2 miles. When we charged it up and rode it again at PAS 5 (while keeping the gearing at a spot where it would hold close to our bike path’s 20 mph limit), we went 19.4 miles.

The results were mixed. On the good end, the low power result is terrific, and feels practical for people who are mildly cruising. It’s one of our all-time top fat bike range tests.

The bike helps you move pretty easily, but it did struggle a bit on steeper hills, so PAS 2 might be more practical for most riders, and we’d expect the range results to be closer to 60 miles at that level.

The admittedly odd part is achieving a 4X result on low power compared to high power. In all our range tests of fat tire e-bikes, the highest multiple we’ve seen up till now was 3X, with the most common being between 1.5-2X. So it’s oddly less efficient at the high-power end.

One improvement that Heybike could make to the Alpha is updating the display’s battery readout. It is in a state of constant adjustment where it tries to reflect battery life in real time based on how hard you’re pushing it. In other words, if you’re going fast, it’ll drop significantly. Ditto when pushing harder on a hill. It’s a bit less dramatic in lower PAS levels, but still, something more consistent would be nice, as it’s hard to really know how much battery life you actually have remaining.

Bottom line on range: I like how many miles this bike can give people who are mostly cruising, but it’s on the shorter side of mileage for high-power users, so make sure 20ish miles is enough for you.

Our hill test is meant to push any e-bike and see what it can do on more extreme slopes. Boasting a whopping 105 Nm, the Alpha has one of the torquiest motors we’ve ever tested on the hill — and the results bore out its advantage.

On our pedal test, set to PAS 5, the Alpha made it to the top in a time of 1:19 with a 13.7 mph average. That’s a great result, placing it 7th all-time among mid-drive e-bikes and outpacing the all-bike average of 1:28 at the time of writing.

The Alpha has some great power and fairly nice engagement when climbing hills. That said, there’s one thing to be cautious about — and one downside to note.

Typically, we test throttles on this hill too, but with the Alpha’s design, we opted not to.

Since the bike has so much torque, HeyBike uses a throttle-after-pedal (TAP) design to help prevent chewing through the drivetrain by blasting too much torque if the bike is left in a high gear when engaged from a dead stop. The decision is defensible, but the throttle itself can be a little hard to engage consistently, even after pedaling.

Somewhat curiously, given the TAP system, there isn’t a shift sensor — a feature many other mid-drives use to prevent drivetrain damage when shifting under load. It’s not a major issue, but it does require shifting discipline from the rider.

Much like the range results, this is a mixed outcome. The bike can climb really well, but it’s not always the most reliable on throttle. If you’re in the market for an active pedal experience, though, this one will help you conquer hills with the best of them.

The Alpha has effective and safe brakes. When testing the bike as explained above, the Alpha’s 2-piston hydraulics yielded an average stopping distance of 20’2”. Any way you slice it, that’s a good result.

As of this writing, the fat bike average sits at 22’5”, while the all-bike average is 21’8”.

One way the Alpha gains an edge over similar fat bikes is its low 70 lb weight. It’s one of the lightest fat tire rides we’ve tested, which definitely gives it an advantage.

Beyond the test score, the brakes feel good out on the road. They offer decent modulation for quick stops or just slowing down smoothly. They’re unbranded, so we can’t speak to their longevity, but we can certainly vouch for their performance.

There’s a lot that the Alpha gets right with its experience, and a few areas where it could improve.

Let’s start with the good. I think HeyBike did a nice job with the frame. It feels sturdy and not overly flexy (the plague of many affordable fat tires), and the narrower handlebar, paired with the fat tires, works for middle-of-the-road handling that’s not too twitchy or too wide. The geometry comfortably positions your body in an upright and relaxed stance, too.

It’s available in either a high-step or step-thru option, but whichever frame you pick, it comes in only one color — white for the ST and black for the high-step. HeyBike doesn’t publish height expectations, but I’d peg the high-step as good for riders up to about 6’2” (ideally with a 32” inseam) and suitable for riders as short as 5’6”.

The suspension fork is entry-level, but it effectively soaks up road imperfections and takes the sting out of chatter when cutting across gravel or mild off-road terrain. The tires, with their tread pattern, can help you ride to the beach and back and handle some dirt. Still, the overall profile of the bike is comfortable and balanced for road riding, with potential for occasional, light off-road exploring on hardpack areas or beach cruising.

The drivetrain worked reliably and can push the bike upwards of 30 miles per hour. There’s nothing worse than a torque sensor that ghost pedals, so kudos are due for nailing the gear range.

The Alpha can handle heavier loads up to 400 lbs, and even when we loaded up the rear rack with 50 lbs, the handling stayed pretty solid.

The Alpha doesn’t overlook the little things either — it includes a headlight with automatic high and low beam functions, a taillight that serves as a brake light and has turn signals, and even an electric horn on board.

Areas for improvement include the display and the app. The color LCD display is easy to see, but as previously mentioned, the battery readout is unreliable.

HeyBike’s app has potential but feels underutilized. The interface is nicely laid out, but there’s not much you can actually do with it. You can toggle between three or five PAS modes, access manuals, or find a nearby dealer — and that’s about it.

It’s also still showing a Christmas theme despite the season having come and gone months ago, which makes it feel like it’s not getting a lot of attention. It’s not a major selling point of the bike; I don’t find it problematic, but the foundation seems solid. Showing it some love would enhance the bike’s overall experience and value — bikes at this price rarely have an app, so it would be great to see the Alpha get expanded use within it.

Like I mentioned in the intro of this HeyBike Alpha review, this bike is a rarity — affordable mid-drive fat tire bikes are seldom seen, and its lighter weight is a bonus. The combination of all these different features and traits means I think it’ll hold a certain appeal for someone who wants an active, stable ride with reliable motor performance but doesn’t want to break the bank.

Handling is nice, and the ride is overall pretty comfortable.

Consider me a fan of the Galaxy series of motors developed by Mivice. It’s one of the nicer budget mid-drives I’ve tested. Although I wish the supporting cast of the display and throttle were a bit better, if you’re just looking for a solid fat tire cruiser or a shorter commute experience, this one could be right up your alley.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Heybike Alpha down in our comments section.