If 2020 was the year of Covid-19, then 2023 must be the year of the e-bike! Globally, the e-bike market has exploded with a valuation of $37 billion dollars in 2022 and a projected increase to $43.3B this year and further to $119B by 2030. That’s a lot of billions and even more e-bikes!
Heybike’s founder gained inspiration from tricky commutes, traffic jams and the exhaustion of navigating public transit delays. With an outdoor cycling background, Heybike began in a small garage to now include over 40 models of e-bikes serving a wide range of applications from cruisers, to folding electrics and city commuters. The Tyson Class 3 e-bike, ($1699 USD) one of their newest models, is where a folding electric and a city commuter meet to become the ultimate e-bike!
The Tyson comes in 3 colors, Obsidian (black), navy-blue or fern green. Each colorway has unique accents that compliment the bike’s base color scheme. For example, my obsidian review model has a beautiful matte finish with gold accents and all black tires but I absolutely love the brown sidewalls on the Fern-green model with its accenting shades of green.
Heybike’s website calls the Tyson the epitome of versatility and ruggedness and I tend to agree because hauling the shipping box that the Tyson came in was a workout all unto itself! The Tyson weighs a solid 77 Lbs.
When assembling the Tyson, you’ll want to follow the convenient assembly video. While assembly is not difficult, if you haven’t assembled an e-bike before, it makes the process stress free and enjoyable. I was also very impressed with the attention to detail throughout all of the various systems that typically need tweaking after assembling a bike. Even my bike mechanic son was impressed with the attention to detail that Heybike has brought to the manufacturing process. Once my bike was assembled, all I had to do was charge the battery, pump the disc brakes and go!
Charging Tyson’s 48V 15Ah battery took about 5 hours to charge. Charging is simple thanks to the charging port located mid-frame. The battery can also be removed for charging by releasing the framelock and folding the frame back to access the battery port with your set of keys. With bike theft at an all time high in our community the lockable battery feature ensures that your battery is safe and your e-bike won’t wander away. More on that later.
There’s no doubt that Tyson is rugged. One standout feature of the Tyson is its massive payload. Tyson has a weight capacity of 400 Lbs making it one of the highest capacity e-bike’s we’ve ever seen. This was a contributing factor in this review. Although I’m nowhere near 400 Lbs, I’m not tiny and I wanted something with heft that would not feel weak under my size. With a total weight of 77 Lbs, this also presents a challenge in the event you run out of battery mid-ride because riding or even walking a dead e-bike that weighs 77 lbs is a workout you probably didn’t know you needed!
Riding the Tyson is an experience. With a top speed of 28MPH, you can go full throttle/all electric or choose one of the 5 pedal assist modes thanks to Tyson’s handlebar mounted information display. Hydraulic disc brakes make for much safer braking in shorter distances which is important when you’ve got 3 riding modes, 7 gears and a 28 MPH top speed.
Bluetooth connectivity is pretty common among e-bikes but with Tyson’s 4G connectivity (with monthly subscription) you can know where the bike is, monitor its use and activate ride sharing to give a friend access when you aren’t nearby. Just like a Tesla! I can see this feature becoming very useful for Airbnb owners who want to offer vacationers some added value by including an ebike in their rental. You can also use Heybike’s app (IOS/Android) to monitor battery life, take advantage of real-time trip tracking, record your rides and even share your trip itinerary with other Heybike riders
The Anti-theft track feature lets you not only track, but also remotely kill the bike in the event it is stolen (provided the bike is on). This is where that lockable battery compartment comes in handy. As long as the battery is in and your bike has juice, you’ll be able to see it, know where it is at all times and remotely disable it.
During one of my rides, I found the Tyson more than capable to carry me in throttle mode across flat terrain but it did struggle occasionally on some of our town’s higher hills. Switching to pedal assist, I was able to easily make my way up the hill onto flat ground again and continue on my way.
After a ride, I released the framelock and folded the Tyson easily into a 3x3x2 ft space in the back of my SUV. Smaller riders may need a little hand due to the Tyson’s weight but it was nice to know that I could easily fit it into the trunk of a mid-sized sedan or even a compact hatchback.
Tyson also features a few handy bonuses. I loved the turn signals and the front and rear riding lights as well as the included rear rack transporting a backpack or laptop bag. Heybike also offers accessories like a spare battery ($599 USD) and some sweet upgrades like a larger basket, rack pannier bags, phone mounts and a variety of other useful accessories.
With an aggressive price point of $1699 USD for a Class 3, folding commuter e-bike with 4G connectivity, a powerful brushless 750W motor, 3 riding modes and 5 levels of pedal assist, the Tyson by Heybike is definitely the best ebike I’ve ever tested and I would highly recommend it for anyone!
Note: our reviews are always 100% independent but Gearadical receives a small affiliate amount if you purchase the product on amazon.
