Xiaomi Himo Z16: Chic e-folding bike at a competitive price

In the test report, the Xiaomi Himo Z16 folding e-bike liked thanks to its elegant design, good workmanship and low price of 600 euros. We’ll show whether it’s worth buying. We have already taken a closer look at Chinese e-folding bikes several times. The affordable all-rounder Fiido D4S (test report) stands out particularly positively. If you like it a little more extravagant, you should read our contribution to the Fiido M1 (test report). The Chinese have one thing in common: they are not approved for use on German roads. This also applies to the Xiaomi Himo Z16. Those who, for understandable reasons, prefer to roll legally on German roads have to dig a little deeper into their pockets. We recommend the Fiene 500, which is barely affordable at 1500 euros (test report). The Brompton Electric is really expensive at over 3000 euros (test report). Of course there are also good e-scooters (list of the best). We explain why we would still prefer to use an e-folding bike in comparison: E-folding bike or e-scooter? And the winner is …

Design and processing

The Xiaomi Himo Z16 looks a lot, looks almost ahead of its time. This is mainly due to the massive, straight crossbar of the frame in which the battery is located and which ends with a large and bright rear light, which is almost reminiscent of the drive of a rocket. A large matt spiral spring leads downwards directly under the rear light. The matt gray paintwork of our model with light gray lettering also contributes to the elegant look. The Xiaomi Himo Z16 is also available in white, yellow and turquoise. The processing looks high quality and stable. It is significantly better than we would expect from a bike for around 600 euros. For example, the handlebars hardly wobble at full speed – this is usually the Achilles’ heel of folding bikes. Most of the cable routing also runs in the frame, which is more stylish than the Fiido D4S. image 1 from 27 A real disadvantage of the Xiaomi Himo Z16 is that the seat post cannot be extended far enough. With his height of 186 centimeters, the tester feels like a clown on a microbike. The saddle is too low even for a colleague who is 175 centimeters tall. If you choose the Xiaomi Himo Z16 and are taller than 175 centimeters, you should buy a longer seat post. In addition to the two brake levers and a simple but functional bell, Xiaomi integrates the throttle and the bike computer on the handlebars. The driver uses the throttle in the same way as a motorcycle by turning the right handle a quarter of a turn. This is practically invisible to untrained eyes. In addition to the on / off switch, the bike computer also has two buttons for switching through the riding modes. In addition to the current speed and the battery charge level, it also shows the number of kilometers driven since it was last switched on or the total number of kilometers. The display of the OLED display is chic, but it reflects badly, which makes reading difficult in direct sunlight.

The other equipment features include the not particularly bright front light, which, like the rear light, is connected to the electrical circuit and switches on and off via the plus button on the bike computer. In addition, the Xiaomi Himo Z16 comes with metal fenders on the front and back and, a real rarity on China bikes, with reflectors on the wheels and under the saddle. There you can also screw on an attachment for a license plate. That is praiseworthy, but wasted effort – after all, you will hardly find an insurer in Germany who takes care of the Xiaomi Himo Z16.

Folding mechanism

Overall, the Xiaomi Himo Z16 comes with two safety levers and two quick releases. The frame and handlebars fold over using the safety levers, each secured with a hook to prevent accidental release. The quick releases allow the seat post to extend and retract and turn the handlebars a few degrees. The latter is not absolutely necessary for folding, but it reduces the folded dimensions by a few centimeters. The pedals can also be put on. These are largely made of plastic and give the impression that they cannot withstand much. When folded, the already quite small dimensions are reduced from 140 × 55 × 1050 centimeters to 84 × 41 × 64 centimeters. As with the Fiene 500, a magnet ensures that it stays folded up.

Lifting it and carrying it is not much fun, whether it is opened or closed, because the Xiaomi Himo Z16 is a real heavyweight at 22.5 kilograms. Nevertheless, it only carries people with a total weight of no more than 100 kilograms.

Drive

The ride is stable and wobble-free. Thanks to the robust construction, you always have the feeling of being in control of the situation. The 16 inch rims and the 5.4 centimeters wide pneumatic tires play a major role in this. In addition, the generous rear suspension smooths out many bumps. There is no suspension on the front fork.

Brakes

The folding e-bike comes with a mechanical disc brake at the front and rear, which in our case are not properly adjusted by default. However, buyers can readjust this themselves using the supplied tool, and then they’ll have a good grip. In the test, we quickly came to a halt thanks to the rather wide tires. Nice detail: the rear light lights up brightly when braking.

engine

The 250 watt motor sits on the rear wheel. The acceleration performance is not particularly high, but it does manage to bring a man of medium weight to 25 kilometers per hour on a straight level. The throttle accelerates the folding e-bike up to 20 kilometers per hour in Mid mode and up to 25 kilometers per hour in High mode. In both modes, the throttle only responds to the engine when the Himo Z16 is driving faster than 6 kilometers per hour. In addition, there is no pedal assistance in either mode. This is reserved for the Eco mode, but only supports up to 15 kilometers per hour while the throttle is deactivated at the same time. We do not understand why there is such a separation here. As with the Fiido e-folding bikes (topic page), we would have liked the throttle and pedal assistance to work in parallel. It’s illegal either way. Of course, we would much prefer if the bikes, equipped with the appropriate CE mark, were allowed to ride legally on German roads, like a pedelec. Speaking of the CE mark: We looked in vain for anything like this on the frame. A real disadvantage: the Himo Z16 has no gear shift. That hardly bothers when starting up. But if you accelerate to 25 kilometers per hour with the throttle, the theoretical cadence is far too high.

battery pack

The battery has a capacity of 360 watt hours and a voltage of 36 volts. That’s good for its price range. Another good thing is that you can take it into the house using the key provided and charge it in around 4 hours using the 84 watt power supply unit. Xiaomi specifies the range as 80 kilometers in eco mode and 55 kilometers in fully electric mode. The e-folding bike achieves these ranges at most under ideal conditions, here a lot of factors such as rider weight, altitude, road surface, speed, air pressure, temperature and much more play a role. In the test, we reached around half the promised range, which is still a good value.

price

The Xiaomi Himo Z16 costs up Banggood (purchase link) with the voucher code BGHMZ16 600 euros. Geekmaxi (purchase link) offers the e-folding bike with the voucher code SHKJcuRz for 609 euros. Both dealers have one of the cheapest prices for the electric folding bike. Fiido bicycles, which we have linked in the following price comparison, are a good alternative.

Conclusion

We are torn with the Xiaomi Himo Z16. On the one hand, we are very impressed by the elegant design with the stylish rear light and the well-integrated cables. The equipment is also high with front and rear lights, reflectors on the tires, good mudguards and a removable battery. Overall, it drives well, the brakes – once adjusted – work properly and the tires and suspension absorb most of the bumps. The range is also perfectly fine. On the other hand, we miss a gear shift, especially at higher speeds. The confusing electronics with the pedal assistance up to only 15 kilometers per hour spoils our fun a bit – quite apart from the fact that the bike is not allowed on German roads. The biggest problem with the Xiaomi Himo Z16 is the Fiido D4S (review). Because the competing e-folding bike costs with the voucher code BGDFYD4S1 at Banggood (purchase link) with 577 euros again a little less and offers the better overall package overall. You should not buy either because of their lack of operating permits for German roads.

Permalink: https://techstage.de/-4905721 Tags