Cruiser Step-THRU

1 review for Cruiser Step-THRU

1. 

   CC E-Cycles – July 7, 2023

   Video Review

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   Written Review

   To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This in-depth review was sponsored by Himiway. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of Himiway products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comments below and the Himiway electric bike forums.

   Observations:

   • Himiway is a relatively new company in the US market, and their Cruiser is meant to be a solid multi-purpose bike with components for comfort, commuting, and even some off-road capabilities.
   • A nice variety of tools are included, such as a 15 point multi-tool and a floor pump, these are much appreciated not only for the initial setup but also for ongoing maintenance.

   Pros:

   • The Himiway Cruiser is an ebike designed to handle a little bit of everything, despite the cruiser name it is actually capable of much more with fat tires and a suspension fork adding traction and support for bumpy terrain, commuting is easier thanks to the rear rack and integrated lights, while the upright riding position and soft saddle provide that cruiser ride feel.
   • Covered by a two-year comprehensive warranty, this is a solid warranty and better than many bikes out there which are only covered for one year.
   • The fat tires are the capable Kenda Krusades that measure 26” x 4” wide, these provide comfort by absorbing a lot of bumps thanks to the large volume of air, and great traction as well – you can lower the pressure down as far as 5psi for tackling especially bad terrain such as sand, snow, and mud! They also have reflective striping on the sidewalls, a great safety feature that increases your side visibility when riding at night.
   • I really appreciate the mounting points that Himiway has included here, there are bosses for mounting front and rear fenders as well as a front rack. They also offer full fenders for the Cruiser for $89, they are plastic fenders with stainless steel mounting brackets and should be nice and sturdy thanks to the mounting bosses. Having mounting bosses for the front rack is excellent, they are mounted on the frame which means the basket won’t turn side-to-side when you steer. Unfortunately, Himiway does not appear to sell a front basket option, but thanks to the mount points you will be able to find many third-party baskets that will be compatible – ask at your local bike shop!
   • The bike I tested came with a number of accessories in addition to the aforementioned multi-tool and pump, my favorite is the metal phone mount which is adjustable for a variety of smartphone sizes, you also get a pair of wayfarer-style sunglasses complete with their own case!
   • I love the included rear rack, it has a wooden platform deck and is frame mounted so it is very sturdy, this is great for loading up cargo or pannier bags although I did have to get a little creative with the lower hook of my bag as shown in the video review.
   • The Cruiser also includes an adjustable-length kickstand, it is rear-mounted which prevents the ‘pedal lock’ that can happen with center-mounted kickstands when the pedals collide with the deployed kickstand. Being mounted in the rear also provides some extra stability if you are carrying a lot of gear on the rear rack.
   • I love the battery integrated headlight here, it is a generic light with no branding but it is both large and quite bright. The Cruiser also comes with an independent light in the rear, which means that you need to turn it on and off manually as well as changing the three AAA batteries when they run out. Safety has always been a priority for me so it’s nice to see that more and more companies are including these on their ebikes.
   • In the front to help absorb bumps is the suspension fork, this is a generic spring suspension setup but it does include clickers for lockout and preload adjust. I love the 100mm of travel and how good it feels in combination with the fat tires, this setup provides great comfort for both commuting and off-road use.
   • Mechanically, the bike is operated with a Shimano Altus seven-speed derailleur with a 46 tooth chainring up front and a 14-28 tooth cassette in the rear. This is a decent setup, Altus is a step up from the lowest-tier Shimano Tourney, and while the range of gears on the cassette is small it is adequate for a mixed-use bike like this. The shifter is the SiS Index thumb shifter, this is a very common and reliable shifter, with the added bonus of being very easy to operate with gloves. I also appreciate the alloy derailleur guard, this protects the derailleur from damage during shipping, maneuvering at a bike rack, or in the event that you tip over – a great addition that is sadly not included on many bikes.
   • Stopping the bike is a set of Tektro mechanical disc brakes with 180mm rotors in both the front and the rear, mechanical disc brakes keep the overall cost of the bike down as well as being somewhat easier to adjust compared to hydraulic brakes. The brake levers are large four-finger levers, great in this situation because they provide a mechanical advantage to make actuating the brakes easier. These brakes do include motor inhibitors as well, cutting power to the motor immediately when braking.
   • Driving the bike is a Lüanxing 750-watt planetary geared rear hub motor, a powerful setup that features an impressive 80 newton-meters of torque. Lüanxing is a new company to me, but the motor performed seamlessly without any red flags or hiccups during my test rides. The motor can be activated by the twist throttle on the right grip, or by pedal assist using the sealed 12-magnet cadence sensor. This is a common setup on more affordably priced Ebikes, I like using the throttle to get going and then relying on pedal-assist after the sensor kicks in.
   • Powering the Cruiser is a massive 48-volt 17.5 amp-hour battery built with Samsung cells, I would consider this high-capacity and it really is impressive for such a low-cost setup. It is mounted on the downtube which helps keep weight low and centered, and locks in place to prevent tampering.
   • The backlit grayscale display is large enough to easily read but small enough to stay out of the way, it does a great job of showing all the important information without going overboard. If you want more advanced data such as GPS and fitness tracking you can easily do so on your smartphone thanks to the included phone mount!

   Cons:

   • Only available in one frame size so it may not work well for very large or very small riders, and only available online so there isn’t a good way to test ride before you buy. Another downside of ordering online is that you will have to do some final assembly when you receive the bike, although this is alleviated by the solid multi-tool that is included. It can also make getting service down the road difficult, but due to the standard components used most local bike shops should be able to work on the Cruiser without issue.
   • I like these Kenda Krusade tires but I do want to note that they don’t include puncture protection, fat tires are naturally somewhat puncture-resistant but you may need to add some proper protection depending on where you ride. Something else to note is that while you can lower the air pressure down to just 5psi for riding on soft terrain, this puts you at risk of snake bite punctures so make sure you fill up again before moving to bumpier solid terrain.
   • Mechanical disc brakes are easy to maintain as well as adjust, however, they lack the immediate stopping power and take more grip strength to actuate compared to hydraulic brakes. The cable for the rear brake, in particular, has farther to travel and is vulnerable to stretching over time, so make sure to tighten it regularly.
   • The included charger is 2-amps which is standard for a basic charger, but the sheer capacity of the battery means charging up can take a long time – for reference, it took me about nine hours to charge from empty to full! Of course, you should avoid letting your battery drain all the way to empty as this can be hard on the cells, it’s best to charge at or before reaching the 20% mark.
   • The independent light in the rear means you have to manually turn it on and off as well as replace the batteries when they die, I do love that it is included, just make sure you get into the habit of checking it before and after your rides!
   • The gearing range of 14-28 on the cassette is limited, which means a limited pedaling range that won’t work as well if you are looking to be more active and pedal instead of relying on the electric assist. Most people probably won’t care about this, though, since it is an electric bike and the gearing range is much less limiting if you rely on the motor for most or all of your rides.
   • As mentioned earlier the rear rack is missing lower attachment points for securing pannier bags, if you watch the video review I was able to get a couple of ’S’ clips and attach them to the derailleur guard as a homemade remedy.