Himiway Escape Pro Review

While in the beginning, when e-bikes first came onto the scene, there was not a huge variety to choose from. Fortunately, a lot has changed now with a wider selection of electric bikes than has ever been available. You’re really spoilt for choice. Maybe a little too spoilt. Which is why I am here. To help you figure out which bike is right for you, I will be reviewing lots of great e-bikes on this site.

One that I was excited to discuss was the Himiway Escape Pro electric bike. A class 3 moped style e-bike, the Escape Pro stands out from many of the other e-bikes available for a similar price. It offers a huge amount of power and comfort that is not usually available with bikes of the caliber and price point. Although it is made by a lesser-known newer manufacturer, Himiway, as you will see from my review, there is no reason to overlook this beast.

Its Speed

The first thing I wanted to discuss, because this is one of the areas where the Escape Pro really excels, is the speed it is capable of achieving. A 48v, 14aH battery power its 750W rear hub motor and is capable of taking the bike to a meaty maximum speed of 22mph. I found that the motor felt like it could achieve a lot more in the speed department. However, Himiway made the right decision to cap it at 22mph.

This is a reasonable speed and makes for a very enjoyable ride. The low center of gravity the Escape ensures that you always feel stable and fully in control of the bike, even at the higher speeds.

The fact that the bike comes with full suspension also gave me confidence and control when riding at the higher speeds it’s capable of. I particularly found the way the rear suspension enhanced the ride and there was a noticeable bit of traction when riding in offroad conditions and taking corners.

The Battery, Motor, and Pedal Assistance

The 48-volts battery powers the 750-watts rear hub motor. Although the Escape is on the heavier side at 93lbs, the motor still gave me enough power to ride the bike at consistent high speeds and take on even the steepest of hills.

Along with the battery and motor, there is the expected pedal assistance and throttle. While the throttle can be used to push the speed up to 20mph quickly, the highest of the five pedal assistance settings can help you reach 22mph.

If you want to have a fun ride and don’t want to do much pedaling, the throttle on the Escape will be useful.

The Tektro Aries Hydraulic Disc Brakes System

One slight downside of the Escape is, unfortunately, the Tektro Hydraulic Disc Brakes. There are 180mm rotors in both the rear and front. The issue I found with them was that they did not offer quite as much bite as I would have hoped. In my opinion, they felt a little soft and I could never completely lock the wheel in place, even when applying a lot of pressure on the brakes.

That being said, they still offer a reasonable and safe stopping distance. Tektro brakes are one of the most common types of brakes used in e-bikes. This is a good thing because they have a tried and tested quality and when it comes to issues with them, it is not too difficult to get your hands on replacements.

I feel that it is a safe and secure enough bike that I would recommend to anyone. It may even be just my own personal preference when it comes to the bite offered by the brakes. Others may find it provides adequate grip and stopping power and that I am being especially picky. That may well be a fair estimation. I can be rather fussy.

The Ride

As previously mentioned, the Himiway Escape weighs around 93lbs. I was concerned that it may be a little too heavy to provide the easy ride I was looking for, but I really shouldn’t have been worried. It pedaled smoothly and this is due to the level of inertia when it’s rolling.

When it came to switching between the different pedal assistance levels in a predictable and consistent way. What I will say is that there is very little difference between level 1 and level 2 of pedal assist, but when you jump from level 2 to level 3, I definitely noticed that things got a lot easier.  In terms of speed, the jump was around 2.2mph and then the jumps were the same when I switched from level 3 to level 4 and level 4 to level 5.

When I was riding with the level 5 pedal assistance on, it felt like the motor was really doing its job.

Although you may not find the riding position on the Escape as being the most ideal for taking on steep hills, it more than makes up for this with the torque and power it produces. The range of gears made it easy for me to continue with pedaling even on the toughest parts of hills.

I think the 750watt motor and 7-gear gauge will be enough for you to handle most of the hills you take.

I always dread hills on manual cycles, but the Escape really made them fun.

Comfort and Geometry for Riding the Himiway Escape

I found that, in general, the Escape was a very comfortable bike to ride. For about 10 miles. Further than that, my knees definitely started to feel the burn created by the lack of real leg extension. What you need to remember, though, is that this bike was not designed for pedaling a long time over a long distance.

An aspect of riding the Escape that I really appreciated was that I could stay seated, even over the bumpiest surfaces. The suspension that the bike comes built with helps to absorb all those vibrations and bumps so that you do not feel any discomfort and less fatigue.

The grips have a great softness and shape, that in conjunction with the handlebar’s high position, felt good on my back and body for the entire time I tested out the Himiway Escape. The components and comfort from the seat more than counterbalance the minor issues that come from the pedaling position.

The LCD Display

Compared to other e-bikes, a letdown is the LCD display. It is not the most comprehensive system out there. It does show a power consumption meter, a speedometer, and the usual metrics – mileage, pedal assist level and battery level. I really don’t think, though, that you should base whether you buy this bike on the display alone.

It comes with a USB charging point which is handy for giving your phone or other device a top up, but the worst part of the whole thing is the fact that even when the battery is completely dead it will display one bar of battery energy.

A minor thing, of course, but still one you should be aware of, getting into ownership of this bike, so you don’t find yourself caught short. You still get the benefit of tracking the data you want to know about while you are riding to and from work or taking the bike for a fun ride at the weekends or on your days off.

Great Accessories

What Himiway has done right, with this moderately inexpensive bike, is to provide it with enough accessories to make it even greater value for money. Along with a rear rack, you get rear and front fenders, a taillight and a powerful 48v headlight. As if that wasn’t enough it actually comes with a kickstand. Rather than being a flimsy plastic one that is likely to break before too long, the kickstand is made from corrosion-resistance, robust and durable aluminum.

I was particularly fond of the headlight it was very bright and worked well with the style of the bike. Whether you are concerned about these kinds of accessories or not, it’s still nice to know the company has covered all bases when putting together a package.

Summary – Should You Ride Away with the Himiway Escape Pro?

Himiway, despite their young age in the industry, have proven again, with Escape, that they are a force to be reckoned with. This e-bike definitely presents great value for money. It is smooth, nippy, and easy to control ride with enough motor and battery power to get you to reasonable speeds consistently. The brakes perform well enough, and it is overall just a fun bike to ride.

Obviously, when it comes down to whether or not it is right for you, I can’t make that decision for you. For its price tag, though, I did think it was very affordable and ticked a lot of boxes I really wasn’t expecting it to tick.