Crowdfunding Review – I am a big fan of electric bikes. I’ve ridden them a number of times (usually in other cities) and I’ve found them to be a very good way to get around rather than a car. You get some exercise, but when you get to your destination, you’re not soaked in sweat. With the U.S. preparing to offer tax credits for electric bikes, this may be the best time to buy an electric bike. I owned a Sondors e-bike for a while, and that experience made me wary of crowdfunding bikes for reasons I’ll cover in the comments. When a foldable Honbike about to be crowdfunded on Indiegogo came up for review, I jumped on it. This bike has a lot going for it!
What is it?
The Honbike Pro is a folding electric bike perfect for commuting!
What’s in the box?
- Honbike Pro Electric Bike and Bike Parts (Partially Assembled).
- Charging Cable
- tool
- A set of keys (nice folding keys)
- Instruction card
glasses:
- IPX4/P65 rating
- Level 5 Assisted Pedaling
- Range: About 25 miles
- Folded Dimensions: 39” x 26”
- Weight: 46 lbs
- 20” spokeless tires
- Battery: Removable, 36V, 6AH. Charge for 3-4 hours.
Settings and Features
The Honbike Pro is very well packaged and partially assembled. They say it only takes 15 minutes to assemble (all you need to do is install the rear wheel, fenders, seat and pedals). I’d say it’s pretty accurate, but I’m not the best at assembling things, so it took me about 30 minutes. Trust me, if I can assemble a bike, anyone can assemble a bike. They include two Allen keys, which are all you need. I have a screw that won’t go all the way in, which is normal for me. Everything would look perfect if I had my son put it together, but for review I thought I’d do it now that I have a screw that will haunt me forever.
Unfolding the bike is very easy. You untie the Velcro straps, tilt the handlebar up, and a switch operates what looks like a kneecap on the joint that locks it in place. Then unfold the back half of the frame and it will snap into place. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried folding any other folding bikes, but some of them actually require a class to learn how to fold, which I think makes it less easy to fold and unfold. This bike is just the opposite.
The bike has a simple construction and mechanism in other ways too. It only consists of 57 parts, and you may notice that there are no chains that can eat up your pant legs or skirt. This makes it a virtually maintenance-free bike. The axle drive system automatically adapts to the hill to keep your pedaling smooth, and the gyroscope senses if the bike is leaning too much and shuts down the motor for safety.
There’s a nice bright OLED screen that shows speed and distance as well as other information such as the level of power assist being used. Top speed is 15.5 mph.
Despite owning one, I’m always wary of crowdfunding bikes. First, crowdfunding is risky. As Indiegogo is quick to point out, it’s not a store. However, this isn’t Honbike’s first attempt. As part of their crowdfunding campaign, they managed to deliver 5,600 first-generation bikes in Japan, with initial sales exceeding $5 million. They were warmly received in Japan, which is great for American buyers because you know you’re getting a tried-and-true product, and best of all, the company is here to help in the event a part does need to be replaced. This is the biggest reason to choose carefully which company to buy an electric bike from. They’re expensive and should last a while — you want to make sure you get customer support from the company that makes it, which isn’t something every crowdfunded bike can boast.
I took the Honbike Pro out for a spin and was amazed at how easy it was to pedal without turning on the motor. In fact, it has about the same pedals and weight as my Schwinn Perla, but it’s not electric. Be careful when you enable pedal assist! You are flying in the street.
I also appreciate the fact that this bike comes with what every bike should have, but you usually have to add. It has a bell, a bright headlight and taillights, a nice reflective stripe around the handlebars and wheels, and fenders. All commuter bikes need fenders – you never know what the city will let you ride, and no one wants to carry it on their backs at work.
Let’s talk seats: I thought I’d hate the seats on this bike. It looks small, although it’s fine when you’re sitting on it…seems to target the vital bones associated with sitting, so you don’t really notice the lack of size. It also looks hard, but it’s kind of like a stretchable foam or gel that looks hard but has a lot of power. It’s not mushy, but it’s not hard either. Is this the best seat I’ve ever ridden? No, is this the worst? nor. I was actually impressed with its capabilities – since it’s a folding bike, I didn’t expect the seat to be as comfortable as it used to be. It is also easy to adjust. There’s a small wing nut under the seat, you just loosen it and it slides up and down, then engages it to lock it in place.
The braking system works well. One of them might need some tweaking, as the left isn’t as engaged as the right, but I don’t know how to tweak them. I’m guessing if you join one of the user groups someone will know about it. I bet the Honbike website will too, but since I got a crowdfunding sneak peek of this bike, I haven’t seen any info on this bike model.
Later this week, I can use the bike again because my car is under repair and I decide to throw the bike in and ride home (due to the pandemic, car dealers are no longer offering free rides home, The last time I bought an UBER from a dealer it cost $13, less than a mile). This bike has already saved me money! That’s when I ran into a problem: I couldn’t get the bike to fold. I researched the instructions, I watched a support video in Japanese, and it just wouldn’t fold. When my son comes home, I let him try it. He loves machinery so much (he loves putting IKEA products together) that even he can’t do it. There is a switch on the bike frame that you should slide over to release the frame to fold it up. I think maybe our switches don’t slide all the way through, or that’s something we’re not doing right. I’m reaching out to the company to see if they have any ideas that might help, but for this errand I just snapped off the handlebars and put the bike in the car as is. It fits, that’s fine.
If I can figure out where I’m going wrong, someday I’ll want it folded up and take it on vacation. In theory, if you were going to a bike-friendly destination, you could take the battery out of the frame and put it in the suitcase, and put the bike in the suitcase. For example, I can really use it when I’m going to a conference in Miami (Mojitos are good, Ubers are expensive!) or when I’m working in Kyoto. Both are great places to ride a bike! However, if I do, I totally want the TSA to check!
Final thoughts:
The Honbike Pro e-bike has a really striking design, and it’s a great commuter bike. The Japanese version has won the Red Dot Award as well as other design awards, and I think it reflects its minimalist style. While not everything went according to plan, I wouldn’t hesitate to pre-order one of these during the February 25th Indiegogo event. The discount is worth it, and this is a company with a solid track record.
what do I like:
- easy to use
- minimalist style
- Included accessories
What I want to change:
- My bike is not fully folded and I don’t know why
price: That’s the million dollar question. I’ve heard the retail price is around $2000 and early funders will get a 50% discount.
Where to buy: Indiegogo starts on 2/25/22. It will go on sale in April.You can Deposit $100 now If you want to lock in early bird savings along with a few other perks.
source: Samples for this review are provided by bicycle.
