Himiway A7

The Himiway A7 is a full-suspension commuter e-bike with a 500W hub motor, comfort-focused features, and components that should deliver solid urban and light trail performance.

This review will introduce Himiway, cover the A7’s main strengths and weaknesses, examine the bike’s full specifications, and go over the details that matter most when shopping for an electric commuter like this.

About Himiway

Chinese e-bike brand Himiway launched in Shanghai in 2017. It operates primarily in Europe, Canada, and the USA, where it has a warehouse in Costa Mesa, California. Himiway sells its bikes through its website and a network of third-party dealers.

The brand is known for its focus on extended battery range and rugged frame designs. Himiway first entered the market with the Cruiser model and has since expanded its lineup to fat-tire, cargo, moped-style, and commuter e-bikes.

What Is the Himiway A7?

The A7 is a full-suspension commuter e-bike with a step-through frame, 500W hub motor, 720Wh battery, and 8-speed Shimano drivetrain. The A7 ships as a Class 2 e-bike, with the option for Class 1 in the settings, and Himiway estimates 50 miles of range.

In Class 2 mode, riders can use the throttle or pedal assist. The bike has both torque and cadence sensors, and riders can choose which one manages the pedal assist.

Suspension consists of a 120mm coil suspension fork and a 40mm coil shock at the rear. Braking is handled by Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors.

At 72.7lb, the A7 isn’t light, but it’s also not that heavy for a full-suspension bike with integrated front and rear lights, a MIK-compatible rear rack, and full-coverage fenders.

Himiway also sells the A7 Pro, which has the same frame as the A7, just with a mid-drive motor, 9-speed drivetrain, integrated display, and Abus frame lock.

Pros

Range

The A7 delivered excellent results in the range tests, easily outperforming its competitors in both tests. Thanks to the great range and consistent battery draw, riders can easily cover distances of over 40 miles in a single day.

Full Suspension

The A7’s full-suspension setup is a nice addition for a commuter bike, and is rarely seen in this price range. While not designed for rough trails, the suspension did a good job of smoothing out the kinds of broken pavement and light gravel commonly encountered on urban commutes.

The hydraulic coil fork has adjustable compression, preload, and rebound, as well as a lockout, making it a notable upgrade over the basic coil forks found on most bikes in this price range. The shock at the rear only has adjustable preload, but it still provides a plush ride that suits the A7’s commuter and cruiser character.

Settings and Adjustability

The menu on the A7’s display is easy to navigate without the use of a manual. The range of adjustments available is also impressive, with options to modify speed limits, assistance levels, and torque output in all five PAS settings.

The ability to switch between torque and cadence sensors is another standout feature, and it’s great to see customizable lighting functions, including flashing patterns and steady modes for the rear light.

The A7’s easy-to-navigate menu and high level of adjustability should be a standard for the e-bike industry. They allow riders to tune performance to their preferences and unlock the bike’s full potential.

Cons

Brake Issues

I ran into some trouble with the A7’s brakes early on. While assembling the bike, I noticed that the brake calipers were hitting the rotors at both ends of the bike.

The front rotor was rubbing against the top inside edge of the caliper. To fix it, I had to use a longer bolt and two washers at the top brake caliper mount to properly align the caliper with the rotor. Obviously, this shouldn’t have been necessary and appears to be caused by a misaligned brake mount or an incorrect bracket.

At the rear, the rotor was rubbing on the side of the caliper. This was caused by a washer on the rear caliper mount touching the rotor. The clearance between the rotor and caliper mount is only around 2mm. While this was easier to fix by replacing the stock washer with a smaller one, this is still not an acceptable problem.

Faults like this shouldn’t occur. While it’s normal for brakes to require some adjustment when setting up a bike, they should not require modifications to the caliper mounts to get them functioning correctly.

Sizing and Seatpost

The Himiway website states that the A7 fits riders from 5’3” to 6’1”. However, at 6’ tall, I could not find a comfortable position on this bike. The included seatpost is too short, measuring just 152mm with 90mm of usable range between the saddle and the minimum insertion mark.

Looking at the frame, it is clear that the design of the rear suspension mount limits the seatpost length, leaving taller riders at a disadvantage. Using the stock seatpost, the riding position was cramped, and pedaling was uncomfortable. In order to continue riding, I had to swap the seatpost, and it’s likely that any rider over 5’9” will need to do the same.

The Himiway A7 in Detail

Frame and Fit

We’ve already discussed the suspension and sizing. The only extra detail is that the fork uses a thru-axle for improved strength and rigidity.

Himiway says the aluminum step-though frame can carry 330lb, including rider, and up to 55lb on the rear rack. The frame is available in white, midnight blue, or the deep red finish of our test bike. With all accessories and components, apart from the cassette and chain, finished in matt black, the bike looks very smart.

The A7 has an upright riding position that suits comfort-focused cruisers and commuters. The stem offers 50 degrees of angle adjustment to help dial in fit. As noted, anyone taller than 5’9″ will need a longer seatpost.

E-Bike System and Classification

The A7 has a 500W rear hub motor with 60Nm of torque that’s controlled using a thumb throttle or pedal assist. Our test bike has a top speed of 20mph, which can be set between 4mph and 20mph in the settings. Users can toggle between the torque and cadence sensors in the advanced menu.

The 48V, 15Ah (720Wh) battery is integrated into the down tube, behind a black plastic cover, which is secured by a key-operated lock. This battery provides impressive range and reliable output, but the below-average 2A charger takes more than seven hours to fully charge the battery.

Safety Certification and Weatherproofing

At the time of this review, the A7’s battery pack is certified for UL 2271, but the bike itself is still undergoing UL 2849 testing. The electrical system and battery have an IPX5 water ingress protection rating, and the display has IPX6.

Wheelset

The A7 rolls on 27.5” spoked aluminum rims and 2.4” Kenda Kranium tires with a smooth tread suited to pavement and dry hard-packed trails.

Drivetrain and Brakes

Most of the components are Shimano, including an SL-M315 underslung trigger shifter, Altus derailleur, and 8-speed, 13-32t cassette.

Braking is also courtesy of Shimano, with MT200 hydraulic calipers and 180mm rotors on both wheels. Set screws provide adjustable reach on the Shimano aluminum brake levers.

Cockpit and Touchpoints

The cockpit features a 680mm riser handlebar and a 90mm stem with 50 degrees of adjustment. The layout centers around a bright, colorful 3.5” LCD display controlled by a four-button pad on the left, with a thumb throttle mounted just below. The right side is home to the shifter, which has a visual gear indicator. Other contact points include rubber lock-on grips, a padded Selle Royal saddle, and alloy platform pedals.

Accessories

Completing the package is a solid set of accessories, including a rack, full-coverage fenders, and lights. The Spanniga taillight offers multiple functions, including flashing patterns and a steady beam.
The taillight is integrated into a stylish rear rack, which has a MiK adapter for easy mounting of child seats and other accessories. The rack also includes a three-cord bungee for securing cargo.

Safety is further enhanced by a white reflector at the front, red reflector on the back of the rack, amber reflectors on the pedals, and reflective stripes on the tires.

Testing the A7

The A7 impressed in our standardized tests, delivering power, range, and speed that matched or exceeded its competitors. The only chink in the bike’s armour was its brake test results, where the stopping distance was slightly longer than the competition.

Hill Climb Tests

The A7 climbed the small hill in an impressive time of 2 minutes and 54 seconds, over a minute faster than the Ride1UP 700 Series, and nearly 40 seconds faster than the Aventon Level.2. The Velotric Discover was closer, finishing just nine seconds behind the A7. Only the Denago Commute outperformed the A7.

The medium hill climb was tighter between these 500W models. The A7 tied for second place with the Velotric Discover 1+, again finishing just behind the Denago Commute, which was 16 seconds. The Aventon Level.2 and Ride1UP 700 Series were again slower than the A7.

Acceleration Tests

The A7’s motor response can be adjusted in the advanced settings menu by changing the “Power Start” and “Powering” options, each offering five levels from “Smoothest” to “Most Rapid.” Our 0-20mph test was done with the stock “Standard” setting for both options.

Across the five test bikes, the 0-20 mph acceleration times ranged from 7 to 12 seconds. The A7 took second place with a quick 8-second sprint, a second behind the Aventon Level.2. The other bikes were 1 to 4 seconds slower than the A7.

The “Power Start” and “Powering” settings have a small effect on our acceleration tests:
With both set to “Most Rapid”, the A7 reached 20mph in seven seconds using pedal assist and 11 seconds using the throttle. At “Smoothest” for both settings, it took nine (PAS) and 14 seconds (throttle).

Range Tests

The A7 performed very well in both range tests, providing plenty of assistance over an extended distance. The 15Ah battery delivered results comparable to larger 20Ah batteries, supporting one of Himiway’s core claims—that its e-bikes are designed for long-range rides.

The A7 was especially impressive in the max pedal assist (Boost) test, delivering full power for nearly 40 miles, almost six miles more than the Velotric Discover 1+. Remarkably, it travelled almost twice as far as the Denago Commute, which managed just 21 miles. This excellent range provides great peace of mind for commuters covering longer distances.

In the PAS 3 range test, I’ve compared the A7 to recently reviewed models, as we don’t have PAS 3 data for the Aventon Level.2, Denago Commute, or Ride1Up 700 Series.

Again, the A7 outperformed the competition, with an impressive 45.77 miles. The Radster Trail fell short by two miles, and the Himiway Rambler by three miles. This test results confirms Himiway’s claim that users should get 50 miles of range from the A7.

Braking Tests

The only disappointing test result was when braking, which is surprising given the bike has Shimano hydraulic disc brakes. The brakes felt responsive and powerful while riding, but the smooth tread and hard-wearing compound of the Kenda tires contributed to a longer-than-average stopping distance of 23 feet when stopping from 20mph. This is 25% longer than the Discover 1+, Level.2, and 700 Series.

Riding the A7

Our time with the Himiway A7 got off to a rocky start. The short 152mm seatpost and its 90mm of adjustment resulted in awkward, cramped pedaling and required swapping to a longer seatpost to continue testing.

With the position sorted, the A7 was comfortable and relaxing to ride. The upright posture and cushioned seat are comfortable for more than 40 miles, and the 2.4” tires roll quickly, and unlike the fat tires found on many e-bikes in this price range, they don’t make the steering sluggish.

It’s still surprising that some bikes marketed as commuters don’t come with a cargo rack, or even fenders. Thankfully, the A7 has both. The rear light is beautifully integrated into the rack, giving the bike a clean aesthetic while providing bright illumination, with brake activation, turn signals, and optional flashing modes.

The full-suspension ride is smooth and comfortable. While the suspension fork and rear shock are entry-level components, they perform well over broken pavement, doing a good job of soaking up potholes. I weigh around 175lb, and the fork’s compression and rebound worked fine for me in their stock settings. This bike’s plush rear shock gives a significant boost in comfort compared to the hardtail commuter bikes we’ve tested.

The A7 accelerated well and delivered plenty of hill-climbing power in PAS Turbo, and the five PAS levels provide a useful and well-distributed range of assistance, with a notable increase in effort required when climbing hills in PAS 3 and below.

Another great feature is the automatic PAS adjustment, activated by pressing the power button when the bike is already turned on. This mode uses pedaling cadence, speed, and torque input to automatically adjust PAS levels, boosting assist when pedaling harder and reducing it to save power while cruising. This setting is effective for maximizing range without sacrificing power on climbs.

A final point worth mentioning is that there is some frame flex when shaking the bike back and forth. This doesn’t affect riding up to 20mph, but in some downhill descents exceeding 25mph, I experienced some speed wobble. As our test bike is limited to 20mph, this rarely happened, and the A7 generally felt safe to ride.

Conclusion

The Himiway A7 impresses as a comfort-optimized commuter e-bike with features rarely seen at this price point. The full-suspension frame, dual-sensor motor control, long-range battery, and extensive user customization give it a clear edge over competitors in terms of versatility and ride quality. In testing, it bested the competition in both range and hill-climbing ability, while delivering a surprisingly plush ride.

However, the bike isn’t without its flaws. The unrealistic rider fit, while not unusual in this segment, is disappointing, but the brake setup problems I experienced are particularly worrying. Not only were the brakes dangerous, but even a basic post-assembly quality-control test should have caught them.

Without the brake issue, the A7 delivers outstanding real-world performance that largely aligns with Himiway’s claims. The bike offers strong value for commuters seeking comfort, adjustability, and power in a feature-rich package. While not perfect, the A7 stands out as a capable full-suspension commuter.

Score Breakdown

• Build quality: 70
• Performance / Innovation: 85
• Design: 80
• Ride quality: 90
• Price / Value: 85

Overall: 82

Detailed Specs

Electric Bike Class: Class 2
Warranty: 2-year limited
UL Certification: Ul 2271 (battery)
IP Rating: IPX6 display, IPX5 battery and bike electronics
Battery Weight: 8.7lb
Total Weight: Claimed: 72.7lb – Actual: 72.7lb
Motor Brand: Himiway-branded
Motor Type: Rear hub
Motor Nominal Output: 500W
Max Torque: 60Nm
Battery: 48V – 15Ah (720Wh)
Range Claimed: 50 miles (up to 80 PAS 1)
Range Tested (PAS 3): 45.77mi – 1,394 ft. – 15.0mph avg.
Range Tested (PAS 5): 39.17mi – 1,083 ft. – 16.7mph avg.
Speed: 20mph (32km/h)
Throttle: Thumb-style
Pedal Assist: 5 Levels
Charger: 54.6V 2A
Charge Time: 7+ hours
Display: 3.5” LCD
Frame: 6061 aluminum
Fork: 120mm hydraulic coil, adjustable compression and rebound
Shock: KS EXA 260 Coil Shock, 40mm stroke
Brake Levers: Shimano MT200
Brake Calipers: Shimano MT200
Brake Rotors: Tektro 180mm
Chain: KMC Z8.3 EPT
Crankset: Alloy 170mm 44t
Derailleur: Shimano Altus 8-speed
Shifter: Shimano 8-speed SL-M315
Cassette: 13-32t 8-speed
Rims: Spoked aluminum 27.5”
Tires: 2.4” – Kenda K1052 Kranium
Fenders: Aluminum full-coverage
Lights: LED 120 Lux – Spanninga taillight w/ flashing and brake function
Grips: Rubber lock-on
Saddle: Selle Royal A050UR0
Pedals: Alloy platform
Handlebar: 680mm – 90mm 50-degree adjustment
Kickstand: Single-sided
Payload Capacity: 330lb
Rack Capacity: Front rack 33lb, rear rack 55lb

Geometry Details

Seat Tube: 18“ (457.2mm)
Reach: 19.2” (487.68mm)
Stack: 25.1” (637.54mm)
Stand Over Height: 20.2” (513.08mm)
Virtual Top Tube Length: 23” (584.2mm)
Min Saddle Height: 22.6” (574.04mm)
Max Saddle Height: 25.1” (637.54mm)
Wheelbase: 47.5” (1206.5mm)

I really like the Himiway A7 Pro… If you are looking for a commuter ebike I highly recommend checking out the Himiway A7 Pro.

The Himiway A7 Pro justifies a step up to the $2,000+ market with quality components, a well-tempered mid-drive motor, and Shimano components throughout. Full air suspension is notable… and really mitigates the bulk of this cleanly designed e-bike.

If you’re looking for a more premium city-rated model… it’s time to hop on the A7 Pro Electric Commuter Bike and enjoy your local commute!

… it comes with a lot of cool features on this bicycle that make it a really good value and really good bike.

… this is a bike that I would legitimately seriously consider spending out-of-pocket money to get. That’s how much I like it, and that’s how much it’s impressed me so far.

Definitely a great day-to-day e-consumer bike I would highly recommend if you’re looking for something to get you from point A to point B, especially if you have a lot of different bumps and different potholes to go through.