HeyBike Brawn Review, 2024

For our Range Test, we use the process explained in the graphic above to compare an e-bike’s range as demonstrated in the real world to the advertised range that is claimed by its manufacturer. Our tests provide a ballpark estimate; since there are so many factors that influence an e-bike’s range, our experience may differ from yours.

In the case of the HeyBike Brawn, we saw a real world range between roughly 30 and 52 miles. When comparing this to the advertised claim of 65 miles, we do see a slight discrepancy, though HeyBIke has actually provided some details to explain this. In fact, it’s a great example of the huge number of factors that affect the distance an e-bike can travel.

HeyBike performed their own range test on the Brawn, though they approached their trial from a different angle. First, their test was performed in PAS 1. Due to the data we collected in our Circuit Test, we felt that this setting did not provide enough assistance for practical, regular use, so we performed our testing with the Brawn in PAS 2. Second, HeyBike’s test rider was 165 lbs – slightly more than our 155-lb tester. In theory, this would result in our trial demonstrating greater range than theirs showed, if not for one other factor.

HeyBike’s test was performed on flat terrain, while the paths we ride vary between flat sections and small-to-moderate hills. Over the course of the 52 miles the Brawn gave us in PAS 2, our test rider also gained nearly 1,280 ft in elevation. This amount of climbing is definitely not insignificant, and could easily explain the difference between our test results.

As the comparison section of our Range Test graphic shows, the Brawn held up very well against other similarly-specced e-bikes we have tested. Its 48V, 864 Watt-hour (Wh) battery is on the larger-capacity end, but its motor also has a lot of weight to move, so it makes sense that the Brawn wouldn’t reach quite as far as some of its lighter peers. Overall, a range of 30-52 miles is still excellent when considering that most riders tend to keep their travels under or around 10.

The extended periods of time we spent on the Brawn during our Range Test highlighted a few of the bike’s more subtle characteristics that are worth discussing. While I’ll go a bit more in depth later in the review, we found that the bike felt stable and confident on the move, and overall, provided a comfortable ride. One other characteristic was somewhat less impressive, however.

We noticed quickly that (like many e-bikes) the Brawn’s LCD display shows its charge level with a system of bars, and the indicated level of remaining battery life is calculated real-time based on the current level of motor input. While I’m sure its accuracy is something that I could adjust to over time, it was alarming to suddenly see the display drop to one or even zero bars, when a minute prior it displayed three or four. For this reason, we prefer to see percentage-based displays that tend to be a bit more accurate over bar-based readouts.

In our experience, the Shimano Tourney derailleur needed some tuning after the Brawn was assembled to eliminate slipping between gears. I personally noticed that it also seemed to get stuck on occasion, requiring downshifting of two steps and upshifting one to actually end up in the gear I wanted. For those who encounter the same troubles, YouTube can be a great teacher, but the folks at your local bike shop would be happy to help too. Personally, if it didn’t increase costs, I’d love to see HeyBike use the Shimano Altus instead of the Tourney; it’s a small step up in quality but performs considerably better.

Our Hill Test (explained above) gave the HeyBike Brawn’s 750W motor a real challenge. Most e-bikes struggle at least a little bit on the path, especially across a few of the more extreme sections of the trail. E-bikes that make it to the top are also typically much slower when relying on throttle alone to make the ascent.

In this case, the Brawn was not immune to the difficulty presented by Hell Hole, but it did succeed in climbing to the top both on throttle alone and in PAS 5. In our eyes, this makes it a winner! The bike didn’t set any new records or do anything extraordinary, but it did land pretty solidly in the center of the pack when compared to some of the other fat tire e-bikes we have tested.

In my experience, however, the Brawn truly shined on smaller, more average hills.

Great braking capability is important on any e-bike, but absolutely critical on one traveling at 28 miles per hour. Fortunately, the folks at HeyBIke clearly considered this, and included Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm on both the front and rear wheels of the Brawn. In fact, these are the most obvious high quality components on the bike.

We gathered data on the stopping power of those Tektro brakes in our Brake Test, where we pedaled the Brawn up to 20 miles per hour (which is the standard motor-assisted speed limit of Class 2 e-bikes) and applied the brakes for a quick but controlled stop. We repeated this process three times, gathered a measurement of the bike’s stopping distance each time, and averaged the results. While the Brawn is capable of higher speeds, keeping our velocity for this test the same across the board allows for comparison between e-bikes that have similar specs but that fall into different categories.

For the Brawn, those quality brakes really paid off. Its average stopping distance was 20’ 9”, which is just slightly above our current average across all of the e-bikes we have tested. When comparing the Brawn to some of the other heavy, fat-tire bikes we have data on, its data looked even better, ending up below the average.

One important note about the Brawn’s braking is that its rear wheel does have a tendency to lock up and slide a little. The frame’s weight and fat tires give it enough stability that this isn’t anything to worry about – seriously, this e-bike feels rock solid – but it is something to keep in mind. In my experience, the sound of the rear wheel’s skid was the biggest tell that this had even happened.

In addition to great brakes, the Brawn has a few other cool and practical safety-related features. First, that huge motorcycle-style headlight has a light sensor, and automatically kicks on when its surroundings are too dim. The headlight isn’t quite as bright as I personally would like to see, but it does a decent enough job of increasing visibility.

The Brawn also has a taillight system mounted beneath the saddle. It’s a removable unit that can be charged through USB and then connected to its mount for use. I’m glad to see that this comes with the bike, but the placement of the system wasn’t my favorite. I tend to use the saddle as a gripping point to help move the bike around when I’m not riding it, and I ended up grabbing and flexing the light unit when doing so. It didn’t break, which I was happy about, but I feel like that easily could have happened with slightly more pressure.

Instead of the standard handlebar-mounted bell, the Brawn has an electronic, button-activated horn. Its sound is loud and unusual enough to get the attention of other nearby people, though in my experience, it seemed that it could also be frightening to pedestrians. I made more than a couple of people on the path ahead of me jump and spin around in surprise. Personally, I liked the idea and uniqueness of the feature, but I don’t think many other people I encountered on my travels did.

The Brawn’s cockpit layout certainly has a lot going on. In addition to a brake lever, the left handlebar hosts the bike’s main control pad, an additional button pad for the headlight and horn, and an under-the-bar lever for the saddle’s hydraulic dropper post. The right side accommodates the second brake lever, throttle lever, and Shimano Tourney over-the-bar thumb shifter.

A quick side note here: while we understand that the Brawn is marketed to those looking for some off-road adventure, hydraulic dropper posts are typically only needed and included on mountain bikes (MTBs) and eMTBs that do a lot of uphill and downhill riding. At face value, it’s a cool feature, but in our opinion, it might be a bit too much. Most fat tire e-bikes like the Brawn won’t be tackling the same off-road paths where this feature is needed. We’d personally rather see HeyBike opt for a suspension seat post instead, or just default to a rigid post and pass along some cost savings.

Around the EBR office, we’ve started to compare the HeyBike Brawn to a buffet, though it is packed full of features instead of food. It has something (or even quite a few things) for just about everyone, but also perhaps a little too much for just one person. And while some of the items on the buffet are of great quality, there have to be some tradeoffs to make the meal affordable.

All in all, the Brawn is a fast, fun, and extremely capable e-bike. It looks absolutely wicked, and it really does have the speed and power to match. Additionally, this accommodates larger riders who might otherwise be unable to find an e-bike able to handle them. I think HeyBike landed on the best possible title they could have given for the bike, too – it really does have loads of brawn.

The HeyBike app is also a nice pairing that expands the Brawn’s functionality. The level of customization is great, and the fact that two or more riders can each set their own preferences for the same bike makes it that much more amazing. I’d love to see HeyBike enhance some of the app’s features, but it’s still highly functional as-is.

That said, I stand by my points of critique. Considering the Brawn’s marketing and target audience, it is important for such a heavy e-bike capable of off-road travel to have a motor that responds quicker to its rider after tapping the brakes. A slightly less cluttered display and cockpit in general would greatly improve user-friendliness, and a more accurate and reliable percentage-based battery life indicator would make those off-road adventures extra fun and worry-free.

The Brawn does provide solid performance and a ridiculous amount of features for its price point currently between $1,500 and $2,000. HeyBike could honestly ask more for everything they have included here and we wouldn’t be surprised. However, we think that it might have been better to cut a few of the Brawn’s bells and whistles – primarily the saddle’s dropper post – in exchange for a lower price or perhaps a few better quality components (like a Shimano Altus shifter/derailleur or branded cassette).

In summary: if you want an affordable e-bike that looks tough and goes fast, this bike is for you – but you probably already knew that just by looking at it.

Note: we have reviewed the following e-bikes from Heybike:

• Heybike Hero
• Heybike Mars 2.0
• HeyBike Ranger S

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