Fast times and loose steering: The Heybike Tyson e-bike reviewed

This time, I'll lead with the conclusion. The Heybike Tyson is loaded with all of the e-bike features I could ever want, is a blast to ride, and can become unsafe to operate at a moment's notice. The unit I reviewed had more than one build-quality issue that cannot be overlooked, which is a shame, because this is also one of the most fun electric bikes I've ever ridden. If you just wanted to know if the Heybike Tyson is worth buying, you've got your answer and can close this tab. If you want the details, read on.

Priced at $1,699, the Class 3 Tyson is Heybike's folding e-bike. Built with a magnesium frame and painted bright green, the Tyson's scooter-like handlebars, mountain-bike-like suspension, and fat knobby tires result in a ride that looks equal parts goofy, charming, and rugged. Capable of carrying up to 400 lbs (163 kg) of rider and cargo, the Tyson sports a dual hydraulic suspension to smooth out the rough spots on the pavement. It has the same Shimano seven-speed groupset and hydraulic disc brakes you'll see on most e-bikes.

The Heybike Tyson is indeed foldable, and the battery is removable. Getting it back in takes a little bit of effort due to the position of the power cables.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

The Tyson looks more like an electric moped than anything else. It has a headlight, taillight, turn signals, and even a horn that does a passable imitation of the Roadrunner right before he's about to clown the coyote. It's powered by a 750 W motor and a 48V 15 Ah battery that can charge fully in four to five hours. Unfortunately, you'll never quite know how much battery life you actually have once you start riding—more on that, later.

Not quite 99 problems, but...

You'll appreciate some help putting this together, although you can do it on your own if needed.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

At 77 lb (35 kg), the Tyson is a beefy bike. I put it together by myself, but some help would have been welcomed, especially when it came to seating the tires and adjusting the stem. As is customary, Heybike includes all of the tools needed for assembly, and I found the instructions are clear and easy to follow.

Securing the wheels to the frame is done with a nut-and-bolt combo, and Heybike provides plastic covers to protect this combo from the elements, but they have an unfortunate habit of popping off the bike. But the biggest pain point during assembly was the brakes. It's not at all unusual to have to align the disc brakes after building an e-bike. What is unusual is to have to do it several times—and reseat the wheel—only to realize that the disc itself is slightly warped. Over my time with the bike, I would occasionally be greeted by horrible screeching when applying the brakes at higher speeds.

I lost count of how many times I tightened this hex nut so the wheel and handlebar would play nicely together.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

Aligning the handlebar-stem combo and front wheel was also tough due to the foldable nature of the Tyson. In theory, it's simple: line the stem and handlebars up with the front wheel, fold down the stem to expose a hex socket, and tighten it with a No. 10 hex key. Then tighten the hex nuts at the base of the stem. In reality, folding down the stem can throw the alignment off just enough to notice. And then you need to be careful not to touch the stem while using the hex key. It took me a few tries to get the handlebar and front wheel lined up.

This leads to the Tyson's big red flag: The wheel-handlebar alignment can get out of whack very easily. After one trip, I noticed that the alignment was slightly off. So I braced the front wheel between my legs and adjusted the handlebar about an inch. The next time I rode it, the steering became looser and looser to the point where the handlebars could no longer steer the bike. Thankfully, I was only a couple of blocks from home when this happened, so the walk home wasn't as bad as it could have been. The tighter the hex nut is, the less likely alignment issues are, but I haven't been able to avoid handlebar/wheel misalignments no matter how much torque I apply.

Zoom, zoom, zoom

The adjustable suspension is the real deal, and with those fat tires, you won't mind the potholes.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

The Tyson is a blast to ride. The suspension is the real deal, making it easy to fly down streets and alleys without having to brace yourself against potholes and frost heaves. The 750 W motor provides an instant boost when you thumb down the throttle, so when riding the Tyson, I quickly got into the habit of using the throttle to jump off the line and then pedal to get up to speed.

On the left side of the handlebar are controls for the headlights, turn signals, and horn.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

On the right is the shifter, throttle, and headlight auto on-off button.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

There's no torque sensor here—from the Tyson's perspective, you're either pedaling or not; spinning the pedals is enough to keep you accelerating up to 28 mph. In my unscientific tests of how fast it takes an e-bike to get up to speed, I found I could get the Tyson near 30 mph in about 1.5 blocks. It accelerates noticeably quicker than the Priority E-Coast.

In a nod toward the moped-like look of the Tyson, Heybike has included turn signals, headlights, taillights, and the aforementioned horn. The headlight, which attaches to the frame via a mount on the front fender, is legit. The turn signals should be helpful for drivers on the road (if they're paying attention), but I would often forget to turn off the blinker after turning.

The cargo rack does what cargo racks are supposed to. I threw a saddlebag on there and used the Tyson for grocery runs and trips to the hardware store.

The truly janky bits

Heybike pegs the Tyson's range at 55 miles on pedal assist, and the battery can get a full charge in four to five hours. While I can attest to the charging time, when it comes to range and battery usage, I have no earthly idea what those numbers actually are.

Like every other e-bike, the Tyson has a visual battery level indicator, in this case, a percentage figure on the top right of the display. I would call Heybike's range calculation algorithm broken if I saw evidence that one existed. When calculating how much battery is left, there is no past or future for the Tyson; there is only the now. For a recent ride, when I powered on the bike, the battery showed 43 percent charge. After switching to max assist (there are five assist levels), the display changed to 27 percent. A couple of minutes after beginning my ride, the number dropped to 11 percent. I stopped at a stop sign, and it was back to 23 percent. When I got back home after a ride of less than a mile, it said 36 percent.

The cockpit of the Tyson. I felt a little goofy in such an upright riding position on this thing, but it was fun nevertheless.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

I also don't know how far I've ridden the Tyson. When I first got the bike, the odometer and tripometer remained stuck on zero unless I launched the Heybike app and hit the "Go" button to record a ride. Heybike sent me two new displays—maybe they were concerned one would be a dud—and replacing the display that came with the bike solved the mileage-tracking problem.

The Heybike app offers the usual companion app features. You can set the bike to turn on when you approach it, which startled me the first time I walked out to the garage at night and noticed the bike lit up. Heybike Connect, a subscription service that comes with a free trial, unlocks other features like geo-fencing and anti-theft alarms. The alarm is very sensitive, however, and I ended up turning it off after getting notifications from just brushing up against the bike.

This is a good headlight, providing plenty of light on dark streets.

Don't be that guy who leaves the turn signal flashing for the next several miles.

Credit: Eric Bangeman/Ars Technica

Heybike support was responsive and fairly helpful. The replacement LCD arrived quickly, and after seeing a video of the stem/front-wheel issue, Heybike sent along a new stem (I have not installed it, as it does not appear that the stem is the sole cause of the steering problems). The replacement brake disc has yet to arrive, weeks after I was told one would be sent.

Heybike's limited warranty states that while they will ship you replacement parts, labor charges for "part replacement or changeover" are not covered. You may also need to search for a bike shop that handles e-bikes. My local bike shop will only service e-bikes that it sells.

An obvious conclusion

If you've read this far, you'll understand why we can't recommend the Tyson. Software glitches and brake noise are one thing, but a steering system that can actually make an e-bike unsafe to ride is a problem that cannot be overlooked.

It's a shame, because a working Tyson is fantastic fun. On warm summer nights, I'd find myself ambling out to the garage, powering up the Tyson, and turning on the headlights so I could zoom around the neighborhood. I'd quickly accelerate down the quiet residential streets and revel in the feeling of the wind in my face. But I'd only ride a few blocks before turning around and heading back, because it's no fun to walk a 77-pound bike home.