HIMO ZB20 Max Review: Is This Perfect Electric Bike for Mountain and Off-Road?

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The HIMO ZB20 Max is a hefty, 28-kilogram foldable electric bicycle. It sports the recognizable big four-inch wide wheels and a front shock. Now, 20 inches is a fairly typical size for foldable bikes, but with these wheels on it, it does have a stronger, larger frame, and because it’s foldable, there’s a little bit more weight to it as a result. The battery, which is housed in the frame right here and is 10 amp-hours.

$1,239.00
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$1,736.19
$1,970.99
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We have six gears, Shimano gears, and a 250-watt engine here to power us in addition to the ZB20 Max. I’ll let you know what I can get out of it in terms of range. The handlebar will fold down as well, and I’ll seat it. The bike’s frame appears to be of excellent quality, with solid-looking welds, and it won’t split in half as the feeder X did.

Brand Name:HIMO
Model Number:ZB20 Max
Gears:6 Speed
Range per Power:80km
Frame Material:Aluminum Alloy
Wheel Size:20"
Max Speed:<30km/h
Voltage:48V
Power Supply:Lithium Battery
Braking System:Disc Brake
Torque:30-50 Nm
Charging Time:about 5H
Motor position:Central Motor
Battery Position:Integrated Battery
Battery Capacity:10 AH
Tire Width:20 x 4"
Type:Electric bike
Battery:10AH 48V
Motor:350W DC Motor
Rated speed:236r/min
Max Rang(Mopped mode):≤80KM
Max Rang(Pure Electric Mode):≤50KM
Max Load:100KG

HIMO ZB20 Max: Build and design

In order to fold the bike in half and reach the battery, you must first push a little clip forward. Once that is done, you must simply pull on that to release it. This is how the bike appears when it is folded, with the handlebars and seat post both down.

With it unfolded, you can then insert the key and slot out the battery. For example, you can fit it under a stairwell or in the trunk of a big car because it weighs 28 kilograms and is heavy and still relatively large compared to other foldable. The pedals on this e-bike are made of hard plastic, so you don’t want to be lifting it up any stairs and the pedals are collapsible. 

We have a plastic chain guard here, and the chain here is a Best Chain brand that I had never heard of before. The shock here is generic; it is not a brand shock, so it is not a rock shock or a fox shock; it is lockable. I have a reflector here and a bright led headlight. Unfortunately, our front hub here does not have a quick release, so you’ll need to carry tools around.

The four-inch-wide fat tires they chose are CSTBFT, and I do see a lot of  CSTBFT brand tires on these Chinese e-bikes if you want to make a repair on the spot, but I do advise using in these huge tires some anti-puncture solution just in case. The bike does have a solid kickstand, but you won’t hear it rattling when I put it on the road since it tends to move about. The battery is right here, of course.

 The charging outlet is located here, and you can charge the 10 amp-hour battery either within the bike or outside of it. The seat is quite nice and has enough cushion in it. I have no problems, and the height adjustment has a quick release. At least the seat post can be adjusted for height if you pull it out completely, inspect the end of it, and then unscrew it.

You’ll discover that there is a built-in pump, which is quite clever of them to include, so you can use that pump to top up those tires if you need to and that the bike has a unique tail light with reflectors and LEDs at the top that is bright and great for safety, as well as reflectors in the spokes of each wheel. The bike does have lock grips, and because they won’t move, here is the controller I previously reviewed for both the HIMO controller and the Z20.

We have a trip meter odometer and then you have your pedal assist levels, so eco, mid, and high are what I usually use to get the most range out of it. Down here, there are two buttons to turn it on, and there is also a mode button. If you keep holding the plus button up here, the front headlight will turn on but not the rear.

First, because it runs on batteries. I do have an issue with this controller since even after tightening it to the greatest degree, it is still loose. Additionally, the Shimano gear selector is a little out of proportion to the handlebar diameter.

The handlebars on this can fold down as well, collapsing to one side of the bike like so. The latch on this is very strong and it clips in securely there, so it’s not going anywhere. Unfortunately, the handlebar’s height cannot be adjusted. Now, let’s talk about how I like to ride this powerful e-bike. The crank here uses a speed sensor rather than a torque sensor; torque sensors are found on other types of e-bikes.

It’s kind of good that it doesn’t have an accelerator because normally bikes in this price range and group don’t use torque sensors, but some of them do, and I really wish I had. I’ve got it in high mode, and when I press the pedal, it immediately detects that I’m pedaling and gives me that boost. You can also notice it right away on high because it gives you quite a bit of power.

HIMO ZB20 Max: Road tests

It’s just a little bit, but the Eco isn’t too bad, especially for cruising along on the flats. This is quite good and comfortable, so why am I pointing at my legs here? Well, I’m just trying to show you that the handlebars are there’s a bit of room here and I’m in quite an upright position, so it is comfortable and the seat caters to pretty much all rider heights, which is good now because I have a tiny little climb up here.

I think the battery is what’s making this noise inside the frame right now, and while it is annoying, I could probably fix it by putting a couple of tiny rubber shims on the battery as I slide it in to make sure it doesn’t feel loose or rattle, but really I shouldn’t have to do that. I hope they fix it. Such as the one I’m currently on, which isn’t particularly steep and is going well with hardly any effort on my part.

This is in the high mode now; if I switch to the mid mode right away, it almost seems like I drag on the motor and everything, but it’s still simple enough; However, I have to put in some effort now, and I can feel that. Therefore, let’s move over to where my steep climb test is; this is about 25 to 30 degrees, and I’m in the sixth gear; therefore, I’m going to lower down the gears a bit.

I reviewed it but look at this not a problem, plenty of climbing power and I’m in the fourth gear. If I give it a little more it’s helping the motor and that’s in the high setting so if I put it on to the mid-mid still seems to be okay, and Eco really isn’t that too not that different actually. So it climbs really well and I could probably even go up a few gears with it.

For my braking test, we’ve got mechanical disc brakes at 160 millimeters, so roughly 30 kilometers. Not bad braking performance. Now for the price of this bike, they should have gone with hydraulic. I think if anything’s above a thousand euros, a thousand US dollars.

The discs themselves, the pads on these brakes, bite into the discs fairly well, a lot better than some other brands I’ve recently reviewed, so these aren’t horrible brakes that come with the ZB20 Max but if I were to change anything it would be those brakes Another thing to note as I cruise around here is that my feet and shoes occasionally contact the frame since the frame is particularly broad to accommodate those four-inch wide tires. This was not a problem with the Z20 from HIMO.

This is the end of the so-called Las Rodis Mediterranean Coast of Spain, and the ride so far with this bike is good excellent climbing performance and good top speed I can easily ride over 30 kilometers per hour, unlike that bike which only has the two-inch wide tires. However, this one it occasionally happens so you need to adapt your riding style so you don’t end up striking your feet against the frame.

It’s very bumpy right now, but the ZB20 Max is handling it well thanks to the fat wheels and the front shock, which are helping to absorb some of these bumps. However, listen to that battery; it’s rattling away, which is very annoying. You need to do something about that battery; you can’t put up with that all the time. Our range HIMO states that the ZV20 can handle really rough roads.

HIMO ZB20 Max: Range I can get

But naturally, those are perfect circumstances. With no headwind and using one of the eco settings, of course, I was riding primarily on the mid or high setting and losing about 11 kilometers per battery bar there on the gauge, so with my 81 kilograms and some small climbs, I’m looking at about 50 kilometers of range. However, on the street when I was riding then, I managed to reach top speeds of about 28 to 29, and occasionally 30 kilometers per hour. 

There where it’s not even using the motor, so the mileage will vary, but worst case I do believe you are looking around that 40 kilometers and then best case maybe 60 but definitely not the 80 that they claim you can get out of it no so what is the good about this bike well it’s ce certified the quality of it is very good so it’s better than 80 bikes that i’ve reviewed fee do and a few of those other brands, uh angry is another one it’s better than.

Final words with Pros and Cons

The color khaki is gorgeous. It’s a terrific ending. It folds in half, which is excellent. It has a strong motor, making it suitable for hills, and the brakes are quite good despite being mechanical disc brakes that bite through those pads, so I can’t really complain about the performance. The front shock may be shut out now for the disadvantages, which are small flaws, including noise and rattling.

That was a chain slapping sound back then, but now and again I hear the battery inside or the front shock making that rattling sound that you presumably heard in my clip taken with the GoPro. The other is that the pedal gets quite close to the frame here, and I occasionally find myself hitting the frame with my feet because the frame is much wider because it needs to accommodate those wider tires, which requires you to modify your riding style by occasionally moving your feet a little. The other is also very minor.

Finally, what about our pricing? I’ve tightened it up as much as I could, but there is still some movement in there, so get ready for it. It costs 1600 euros, so it is an expensive bike with better quality than the other models I have reviewed, but it is a bit pricey for what it is. Hopefully, they can work on that price HIMO and bring it down a little bit. 

$1,239.00
Alibaba.com
$1,736.19
$1,970.99
Geekbuying.com

Video Review Of HIMO ZB20 Max

33 COMMENTS

  1. I do believe all the concepts you’ve offered for your post.
    They are very convincing and will certainly work. Nonetheless,
    the posts are too short for beginners. May just you please extend them a bit from next time?
    Thanks for the post.

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