The Heybike Mars 2.0 Made Me Feel Like a Kid on a BMX — And That’s a Good Thing

One of my fondest memories of childhood is leaping onto my bike and zooming off to wherever I felt like zooming. Even on my twice-handed down, peeling yellow rustbucket, it was a sense of immediate freedom and exhilaration, the wind in my hair (no helmets in the 80s, kids!), the sun on my face, the honks of angry motorists (and, often, geese) in my ears. I didn’t think life could get better than that. Then, on my eleventh birthday, I got a new bike.

I’m not doing it justice when I say “new bike”. That Raleigh Wildcat — a sort of BMX with extra bits of motorcycle-looking plastic and an excruciatingly annoying (read: incredible) electronic noise box bolted onto the frame — was everything. I rode it for miles every day, swishing through woods, careening down long, winding hills, juddering across irate farmers’ fields. Although it didn’t even have any gears, I don’t remember ever being tired or out of breath. On that bike, I could fly.

But why, exactly, am I waxing lyrical about my (honestly kinda crappy) childhood bike? Because riding the HeyBike Mars 2.0 made me feel like that kid again: Joyful, free, and — most importantly — not exhausted or out of breath. Here’s why.

Heybike Mars 2.0

$1,499.00 from Heybike

The Unboxing

Since this bike was a press sample, I’m unable to weigh in on the buying and ordering process, but the delivery itself was speedy and the 88-pound cardboard box arrived in good shape, with no missing or damaged parts. Inside were:

• Bike frame with rear wheel attached.
• Front wheel.
• 2 front wheel screw covers.
• Saddle.
• Front fender.
• Handlebars.
• Pedals.
• Kickstand.
• Rear rack.
• Charger.
• 2 battery lock keys.
• Front headlight.
• Tools (5 Allen wrenches, 2 wrenches).
• One flyer with a QR code for assembly instructions.

Everything inside was organized, easily identified, and safely packaged.

The Assembly

The bike arrived with the rear wheel attached to the frame, leaving me to attach the front wheel, handlebars, pedals, kickstand, fenders, rear rack, and everything else.

In terms of assembly, I would say that it was generally straightforward, but not simple. Those more experienced with e-bikes (or bicycles more generally) may have an easier time, but personally, I found there were a few times when the instructions were just too ambiguous, and I’d need to turn elsewhere online for help and advice.

Once I understood these parts of the instructions, things mostly went together without too much difficulty, but a little more clarity would go a long way. I discovered during my first test ride, for example, that I’d somehow installed the front wheel the wrong way round, which meant I only had brakes on the rear wheel (not an ideal thing to realize halfway down a steep hill in heavy traffic).

All in all, it took me about an hour to put everything together, which isn’t too bad, and my kids, who insisted on watching, learned lots of new and colorful words, so there’s that.

The Design

Beyond reminding me a little of that old Raleigh Wildcat, with its motorcycle-adjacent looks and sleek black paint scheme (plus eye-catching red accents on the inside of the wheels), the HeyBike Mars 2.0 is a fun, well-designed e-bike. Once assembled, it’s all very intuitive: The throttle and gear-change are situated side by side on the right handlebar, while the controls for power level, light, and horn are on the left.

Adjusting the seat and handlebar height is straightforward, and the folding mechanism is simple and reliable (being achieved with the quick pull of a lever), meaning those with less storage space won’t struggle with packing it up and taking it out each time.

There are a few nitpicks, of course. Sliding the battery in and out of its cage for charging or storing might necessitate the removal of the saddle, depending on how high you have it, and either way, the battery can require a little jiggling to get it where you want it. I was also a little disappointed in the bike rack pannier bag that I bought separately from HeyBike: While the bag itself is great (both roomy and sturdy), actually strapping it onto the rear rack is complicated and unwieldy. Even now, after a few rides with it, I’m uncertain if I’ve installed it correctly.

Overall, the bike looks and feels rugged, sturdy, and made for action. Even fully grown adults will feel the urge to make at least a small “vroom” noise the first time they sit down on it, which I say as a large endorsement.

The Experience

Finally, the fun part — taking it for a ride! The Heybike Mars 2.0 is a Class 2 e-bike, meaning that it has both pedal-assist, and a throttle. In practical terms, this gives you the option of either pedaling with one of five levels of motor assistance, or simply hitting the throttle with your thumb and cruising.

Both options work impressively well: The throttle feels powerful without being too aggressive, taking you smoothly up to a Class 2-legal 28 mph. The pedal assist may take e-bike newbies by surprise, as it can kick in more strongly than you might expect — pushing the pedal from a full stop with the assist all the way up to level 5 results in the bike suddenly launching energetically beneath you, so it’s best to set off on level 1 or 2 and take it from there.

On a related note, I’ve taken this bike for multiple long rides, and I can think of two or three occasions when, for whatever reason, the pedal assist failed to kick in as I increased it. On the rare occasions this happened, though, I simply stopped the bike, started pedaling again, and found it worked just fine. It’s not a regular glitch, but it’s worth noting.

Most of the time, though, it handles just fine. Being a fat-tire bike, it can handle a lot of rough terrain, and I’ve really put it through its paces in the nearby woods, bumping over tree roots, gravel, broken rock, and wet mud, all without incident. It takes steep hills with ease and brakes quickly and efficiently.

Above all else, it’s fun. That somewhere-between-a-BMX-and-a-motorbike design draws envious looks from kids and adults alike as you effortlessly cruise past them uphill at 25 mph, and the handling and suspension makes the rough terrain I described a joy.

Again, there are a few nitpicks. The battery indicator is my biggest pet peeve: While I appreciate that it’s tricky to display remaining battery when it depends on how much power you’re actually using, in practice, this means you could set off with what appears to be a full battery, but the moment you hit level 5 pedal assist and go uphill, the battery level drops to 25% or so. Again, this makes sense in context of the power usage (it takes far more power to assist you uphill, so the battery drains much faster), but it would be great if it was possible to estimate how much battery you have left based on the kind of ride you expect to take.

Heybike Mars 2.0

$1,499.00 from Heybike

The Maintenance

Having ridden this bike for several months, so far, the only maintenance I’ve had to perform is charging the battery and occasionally pumping up the tires. I have started to notice a slight screech when I apply the brakes, which I’ll need to address, but it’s tolerated what I’ve put it through remarkably well for so little effort on my part.

The End Result

The HeyBike Mars 2.0 is truly a joy to ride. It feels sturdy enough to hurl yourself over just about any terrain, but comfortable enough not to get bumped around while you do so. For anyone who wishes they could jump on their bike and effortlessly take it for a spin without that feeling-your-whole-age burn in their thighs (or lungs), I can’t recommend it enough.