HeyBike Ranger S Class 3 E-Bike Review: Priced to Be Pocket-Friendly, This Is a Well-Accessorized Speed Demon

The new HeyBike Ranger S is described as “a compact space-saver that won’t weigh you down.” After a few weeks of using one, I would describe it as a well-featured, well-built, powerful e-bike at an affordable price. With a 750W motor that delivers plenty of power, this folding bike ticks many boxes; I’ve been impressed with its ride and durability.

HeyBike has built a name for itself by offering robust, quality bikes at an affordable price. Sure, you can get plenty of electric bikes for under $1000; I own one of those, but for the additional few hundred dollars you’ll pay for the HeyBike Ranger S, you’ll get a significantly more bike for the buck.

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The HeyBike Ranger S is an upgrade to the company’s Ranger electric bike. The Ranger is still available, but the Ranger S has more power, more standard equipment, and a refined design that features a battery built into the frame rather than left exposed behind the seat post. It looks better, but the additional power drew me to it.

Featuring a 750W brushless gear motor, this Class 3 electric bike quickly hits and maintains up to 28 miles per hour. A 7-speed Shimano transmission means you can pedal the Ranger S, but its hefty 72 pounds probably means you’ll use the motor most of the time. As I’ll discuss later in this review, I had to pedal the bike home a few nights ago, and it wasn’t fun.

The HeyBike Ranger S offers five levels of pedal assist and a thumb throttle on the right handlebar if you want to cruise using the motor. Interestingly, when the bike is set to pedal assist 5, the thumb throttle is all you need to hit the 28mph speed.

That is surprising given that most Class 2/3 bikes max out at 20mph when using the throttle and only hit higher speeds when using pedal assist. I took a ride yesterday, cruised at 25-28mph, and didn’t use the pedals a single time.

My full review follows, but here’s a video overview of the HeyBike Ranger S.

The bike arrived in a large, heavy box; FedEx left it in my driveway, and I had to muscle it into my den for assembly. The weather wasn’t cooperating.

The HeyBike Ranger S arrives mostly pre-assembled, but the bike is so well-wrapped and protected for shipping that unboxing it and laying out all the components took me far longer than expected.

I had planned to record an unboxing and assembly video, but getting everything out of the box and ready to go took me so long that the video says more about my ineptitude than the bike; you’ll just have to use your imagination.

The assembly process took time but wasn’t difficult.

The first step was to get the front wheel in place. It went on without issue, but I had to ensure the brake disk was seated correctly within the braking mechanism. This wasn’t difficult but would have been far easier had I had another set of hands.

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Next, I installed the handlebars. This wasn’t complicated, too, but I relied on the instruction manual to ensure I got it right.

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The HeyBike Ranger S’s headlight and front fender went on next. This took just a few bolts. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize they used the SAME main bolt and affixed the light before putting the fender in place. Off came the light, and then I reinstalled the two of them simultaneously.

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After that, I installed the pedals, inserted the seat posts, and adjusted them to the proper height.

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After a few mistakes — all user-error — I had the HeyBike Ranger S ready to go. As mentioned, the process was far from complex once I got everything out of its protective wrapping.

The Ranger S’s battery is integrated into the single, thick-down post. The design makes getting on and off the bike easy, and integrating the battery gives it a clean, refined appearance.

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The 48V 14.4Ah battery is currently the standard on bikes in this price range. It seems more than sufficient. HeyBike claims it will deliver up to 55 miles per charge if you use pedal assist. Range estimates are rarely accurate, so I assume you’ll get something less than 55 miles even if you do a good bit of the work by pedaling.

Since I tend to rely heavily on the throttle, I work under the assumption that I’ll get half of what the company claims, and while I haven’t had the chance to do a full range test, I’ve been impressed with how slowly the battery charge seems to drop.

HeyBike includes a fast-charging 48V 4A charger with the bike. This is a far more powerful charger than you’ll get with most bikes, and it cuts the charge time down from 6-7 hours to just 3-4. That’s impressive!

While you can charge the HeyBike Ranger S’s battery while installed in the bike, you can remove it and conveniently charge it inside with the turn of the included key.

I know people are increasingly concerned with reports of battery fires due to cheap battery designs. HeyBike has taken note of this and notes,

Meeting the TUV Rheinland Standard, in accordance with UL 2849, assures consumers that the Heybike Ranger S has been certified to meet critical electrical and fire safety standards.

In other words, while there are no guarantees for these high-capacity batteries, HeyBike took the time and went to the expense to do everything they could to ensure their customers are safe and can enjoy their bikes worry-free.

The front suspension features a spring fork with oil damping. With the simple turn of a nob, you can adjust the spring rebound speed and get the ride that best meets your needs and road conditions. My initial ride was a bit bumpier than I hoped, but it felt far more comfortable once I adjusted the front fork.

The HeyBike Ranger S doesn’t have a rear suspension and ships with a fixed seat post rather than a suspension post. It shows while riding, and I wish a suspension post came as standard equipment. Fortunately, the robust fat tires do an excellent job smoothing out most irregularities in the road. That noted, if HeyBike were to sell a suspension post, I’d buy one.

Electric bikes usually weigh more and move more quickly than their non-electric cousins. That makes the braking system on an e-bike more important than ever. Thankfully, HeyBike took this into account, and the hydraulic brakes on the Ranger S do an excellent job stopping the bike.

They are easily activated with minimal force required and do an impressive job of slowing and stopping the bike smoothly. I’ve gotten the bike going close to its top speed and braked more aggressively than I would under normal circumstances, and they were both responsive and effective.

The headlights, brake lights, and turn signals are additional safety features. Most bikes in this price range have headlights, but the light on the HeyBike Ranger S surpasses most. The light is large, bright, and has low and high beams.

In addition, the HeyBike Ranger S has an auto-on feature that turns on the headlight when it is dark. This is a great safety measure since you mustn’t remember to turn the light on at dusk. At the same time, because the sensor turns on the light when it is dark, the light comes on when you pull the bike into the garage or your home.

This setting can be turned off using the app, but I wish it were as simple as pressing a button to change the settings.

I’m always impressed when an electric bike has a brake light built into the tail light and — even better — turn signals, but those additional safety features are usually only found on pricier models.

As we have already seen, HeyBike takes the safety of its riders seriously, and, as a result, it found a way to include both features in a “value-priced” offering.

I love that and give the company huge points for doing so. My only complaint is that there are neither visual nor audible indicators that the turn signals have been activated. That means you’ll have to remember to manually turn them off after making your turn, lest you confuse people behind you.

Another “value add” is the included rear rack and fenders. Many companies charge extra for both, so I was pleased to see them included in the basic price of the HeyBike Ranger S.

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Most people probably want and need fenders and a rack, so companies that make them “optional accessories” are just tricking consumers into seeing a lower base price so they can reel them in. Sure, HeyBike might have been able to save a few dollars on the advertised base price, but they opted not to.

As someone who hates pricing games, I appreciate how they respect their potential customers!

I also love the various accessories you can get for storage on the rear rack and the available baskets that use the anchors built into the front handlebar post.

The HeyBike Ranger S’s cockpit is laid out nicely and has everything you need to ride safely and efficiently. The right handlebar has the rear brake lever, the seven-speed Shimano shifter, and a thumb throttle. I have scooters with thumb throttles, but this is my first bike with one; I love it.

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While a 1/3 twist throttle works well, when you rely heavily on the throttle, that design causes a fair amount of wrist fatigue afterward. It’s even worse for me since my right wrist is fused, which is challenging when using a twist throttle.

Pressing my thumb down to accelerate is fun, fast, and comfortable! The HeyBike Ranger S even has a button to turn on Cruise Control! How awesome is that??

The left handlebar has a brake lever for the front brake and a control panel. Buttons on it turn the bike on and off and allow you to select from five levels of pedal assist.

The pedal assist levels also impact how much power the thumb throttle sends to the motor. For example, if you want to get the whole Class 3 28 miles per hour from the bike while only using the throttle, you’ll want to put the bike in pedal assist five. If you’re going to cruise at a slower speed, you can select one of the lower levels of pedal assist.

The right handlebar also has a button to activate the electronic horn — it’s quite loud — and a toggle for the turn signals.

The HeyBike Ranger S’s monochrome smart display display is small, but it gets the job done. The display shows speed, pedal assist level, the odometer, and more. It’s small but large enough to see with ease. It’s monochrome but easy to read. It gets the job done without issue.

It is one of the few places where it feels like HeyBike sought to keep costs down, but honestly, since it gets the job done, I don’t mind. The display also shows you error codes, which became relevant in an unintended way.

One night a few weeks ago, I rode the bike a few towns over to meet friends for dinner. When I was ready to return home, I turned on the HeyBike Ranger S … and nothing happened. The display was illuminated, but the motor would not engage.

I had to walk and pedal the bike home; trust me, when a bike weighs as much as the HeyBike Ranger S — over seventy pounds — that is no small task.

I researched the error code and quickly learned that it was likely a cable that had come loose. After five minutes of troubleshooting, I found the culprit, and all was fine again. I don’t fault HeyBike for the issue; cables come loose all the time, and thanks to the display’s error code, I could find the problem and address it on my own!

Considering the bike’s price, one final aspect of the HeyBike Ranger S surprised me — it has Bluetooth and works with a free companion app! Better still, the app adds real value to the riding experience. It shows your speed, battery level, and calories burned.

The app also lets you adjust numerous settings and even shows you the amount of carbon you save by not using a car with an internal combustion engine. On top of that, you can use the app to turn on the auto-lock feature; this added bit of convenience is awesome!!

Finally, it is worth noting that the HeyBike Ranger S folds.

Unlock the handlebars, and they fold down; unlock the latch in the middle of the frame, and the bike folds in half. That means the Ranger S can have a significantly smaller footprint when storing it.

It also makes the HeyBike Ranger S a good candidate if you have an SUV or travel in an RV. Remember, though, that the bike is fairly heavy and, despite folding, it isn’t the type of thing you will necessarily want to pick up and toss into the trunk of your sedan.

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The Ranger S is the first HeyBike product I’ve reviewed, and I’m impressed. I know it may not seem like it, but at $1499, the bike falls into the “value” category, so I was pleasantly surprised that it is such an excellent value.

The HeyBike Ranger S is well-constructed, and it ships with accessories and features usually only found on much pricier bikes. Its powerful motor accelerates quickly and easily maintains its top speed of 28 mph. It ships with a 4-amp charger, so it charges faster than any other e-bike I own — including one that was three times the price.

I love that you can get it in blue, red, sand, or gray; I appreciate that it was designed to be comfortable and easy to get on and off for as many people as possible; plus, it’s just fun to ride.

The Ranger S is accessible, powerful, and fun; I’m having a blast with it, and I think you will, too.

The HeyBike Ranger S sells for $1499; it is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Available in four colors; Comes largely assembled; Powerful motor and brakes; Thumb throttle; Top speed of 28mph; Nicely accessorized; Foldable for storage and transport; Affordable

What Needs Improvement: Monochrome display feels like a cost-cutting measure; Turn signals need a visual or audible indicator