If someone gave out awards for "Most Improved Ebike Brand", Himiway would certainly be a strong contender. They've come a long ways since their original Cruiser model, which was pretty rough around the edges and suffered from poor quality control. I saw Himiway's 2024 lineup at CES and was thoroughly impressed! Their e-bikes are using more premium components and have some truly eye-catching designs.
Note about Himiway (and all direct-to-consumer companies)
I'll be blunt: When you buy an e-bike from a DTC (Direct to Consumer) company, you should expect to be more-or-less on your own for post-purchase support. Even when companies try to do the right thing it's just a lot of hassle, with them shipping you replacement parts to either install yourself or take to a third-party shop. Himiway's reputation for support is also not the best; Go anywhere Himiway products are discussed in an open forum, and you'll find no shortage of complaints about the brand's support. To their credit it does seem they're working hard to change this, having opened their first official US service center in January 2024.
Himiway has really improved their component quality and quality control, so it's a lot easier for me to recommend them in 2024 (especially if you're a tinkerer or have a local shop willing to help out as needed).
Let's talk about the design of the C5... who the heck is this massive minibike for?!
Here's what Himiway's marketing says about the C5:
It combines the convenience of urban commuter bikes with the functionality of off-road electric motorcycles, adapting to a variety of scenarios such as daily commuting and outdoor off-roading.
That certainly sounds nice, but unfortunately it's easier said than done. In trying to blend the worlds of commuting e-bikes and off-road motorcycles, Himiway has created a product that's not great at either one. It's not ideal as a commuter for many reasons, such as:
No way to carry cargo, and the unique frame isn't compatible with most third-party racks or baskets
No fenders, so prepare to get real dirty when riding in bad weather
Very heavy and bulky, which makes it difficult to fit at standard bike racks (and forget about bringing it in to work with you)
Class 3 speeds are difficult to hit due to the pedaling drivetrain (more on that below) which means relying on the throttle, which will seriously cut into your range
It does have a coffee mug holder, and even comes with a pretty nice sealing mug... so if you've ever wished you could ride with coffee on hand, the C5 has you covered. Other than that, it isn't going to win any awards as a commuter. What about the "off-road motorcycling" bit? It certainly looks the part; this monster has serious motocross vibes! The suspension is seriously high-quality too, with a KKE R150S suspension fork with 140mm of travel, plus an EXA A5 air shock in the rear, with about 50mm of travel. It feels awesome and provides a smooth ride pretty much anywhere. The tires have a good dual-sport tread that's grippy on any surface, plus some additional puncture protection! Unfortunately, there are some things that hold the C5 back when tearing around on trails:
The 750-watt motor is somewhat held back by the controller, which is 22-amp and doesn't feel like a sine wave configuration (translation: throttle feels okay but kind of "meh", and it struggles quite a bit climbing hills)
There's a significant delay when activating the electric assist. This delay seems to vary randomly depending on speed and how recently you touched a brake lever, anywhere from 0.5 to 2 seconds. Interestingly, this affects both the throttle and pedal assist
The power of the bike and presence of a throttle, not to mention size and weight, means you can't ride on most e-MTB trails. You can of course ride on dirt bike trails, jeep roads, and such
One good use case for the C5 is if you live within cycling distance of single-track dirtbike trails or Jeep roads; you could ride there and then tear around for awhile, then ride back (hopefully with battery remaining). I still think it just needs a bit more "oomph" to really feel good riding in these scenarios, though; a beefier controller, plus better tuning to remove the power delay, would go a long ways. Riding the C5 on trails just makes me wish I was on either a more agile and zippy e-MTB, or on an actual dirtbike with more power.
The C5 has a torque sensor... which for once, I don't love
If you've seen my other reviews you know I'm a big fan of torque sensors for e-bikes. They're more engaging and responsive, promote more fitness, and so on... but if the bike isn't comfortable to pedal, all that goes out the window. The C5 is a minibike, which means a cramped frame with the pedals very close to the seat. Himiway says this bike fits anyone 5'4" to 6'3", but as someone right at the top of that range I disagree. Pedaling the C5 starts to hurt my knees after just a few minutes, and that's mostly because of the torque sensor, which requires me to put a lot of pressure on the pedals to get worthwhile power out of the motor. It's incredibly difficult to actually pedal the C5 up to the 28mph (45kph) top speed without heavy throttle use, and the throttle has trouble getting past 25mph in most riding conditions.
The C5 also has an upgraded pedaling drivetrain, with a Shimano Altus derailleur and nice Altus trigger shifters. These are great components, but again, why on a minibike? These bikes are not comfortable to pedal and the throttle is the main attraction. That's why most minibikes have basic pedaling components and are often single speed. Minibikes with a cadence sensor provide the perfect compromise, because these sensors only require you to cycle the pedals around with light pressure, so you still get some exercise but don't hurt your knees by trying to press hard.
Of course, if you're a shorter person this is less of an issue, but I think you'd need to be 5'8" or shorter for the pedaling experience to be reasonably comfortable.
More premium components: Lights, brakes, batteries
The lighting array on the C5 is pretty solid. Really my only gripe is that the headlight spread is pretty narrow, which is surprising for how big the hardware is. Still, it's decently bright, as is the taillight which has brighter brake activation for safety. Side visibility is also top notch: side cutouts on the headlight, reflective stripes on the tires, lights on the battery, and of course the bright white frame itself. The battery lights are a really nice (and unique) touch; rainbow LED arrows that have different flashing patterns and look pretty awesome. It's a premium quality battery too, with 960 watt-hours of capacity and LG cells (some of the best). The only downside of this battery is the mounting position; it's mounted on the underside of the frame, and quite difficult to re-mount into place because it's heavy and you can't easily see the mount plate to line it up. I actually thought my bike was broken because it wouldn't turn on even with the battery locked in place, but apparently I had it just a little too far forward.
The brakes are also excellent quality Tektro HD-E3520s, hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors and dual-piston calipers. These feel great and were perfectly adjusted right out of the box! They of course have motor inhibitors, meaning they immediately cut power to the motor, an important safety feature on any e-bike.
