Electric bicycles are a very hot topic and even if the season is not the right one for many areas of our peninsula, attention is very high on the subject. As always, the Chinese, who have a great nose for what goes for the most, have launched into the production of numerous models with some touch of genius and originality as is the case of the Xiaomi Himo C20 that we have had the opportunity to try these days. .
Xiaomi Himo C20 how it's made, the design
Xiaomi Himo C20 is the result of an investment by Xiaomi in Himo a company that wants to specialize and emerge in the electric bicycle sector. This model is part of the compact bicycle class, a category dotted with products that in some cases appear like toys.
This is certainly not the case with the Himo C20 which has just been extracted from the box and assembled (very few steps required; in fact you only have to choose which fenders to mount: there are two types available, aluminum and plastic) immediately manifests itself as a “real” bicycle, fully equipped with everything you need to tackle urban routes or even quite long stretches.
The first glance for those who, like this writer, frequently use a bicycle for sports, is on the gearbox. We haven't seen many electric bicycles feature a Shimano six-speed gearbox. Ok it's not a Dura-Ace nor an Ultegra, as much as a Tourney RD-TY21-B-GS, but despite being a low cost road bike, we are still faced with a product created by the main company in the world in the component sector for bicycles. There aren't many competitors, much less Chinese, who choose components like these.
The box the Himo C20 comes in 
is well packed and protected 
A detail of protection 
Guarantee of authenticity with star from the People's Republic of China 
Here is the Himo C20 bicycle 
Later she reveals her jaunty look 
It's small but not too much
The 20 inch wheels, typical of a BMX , are smaller than those of a city bike, but larger than the classic 14 and 16 inch of many Chinese “low cost” electric bicycles. They are tall and wide enough to absorb the potholes of a rough road and even for a light off-road vehicle.
The kickstand is very sturdy , (even if it is positioned in a part of the frame that if open makes it interfere with pedaling) the disc brakes of generous dimensions, the steering wheel controls are well set, the design is pleasant , the powerful headlight. The rear one, on the other hand, mysteriously runs on batteries and must be turned on and off with a switch.
In any case, the system in its overall structure provides an impression of great solidity and constructive care . Another example is in the cables that pass internally and can be detached and replaced thanks to connectors.
The solidity is paid for with the high weight . The Himo H20 like all electric bicycles cannot be light, in this specific case, gearbox, battery, frame and wheels contribute to making it fairly heavy. On our scale it showed a good 22 kg.
It is certainly not a bicycle that can be carried without problems on public transport or inside a car, even if the steering wheel and pedals that fold up make it “compatible” with the trunk of a car, obviously not a small car. , given the length (about 150 cm)
In terms of size, in any case the Himo C20 is small enough to be placed in an atrium without cluttering too much or even in an apartment. From this point of view it could be the bicycle to take to a city where you go to study or for work and live far from the place of study or office.
The battery is perfectly masked in the upper tube of the frame. From a design point of view in our opinion it is a pleasant product, aggressive but not too much, small but not too much.
Even if the profile is not classic and looks like a youthful bicycle (especially for the relationship between wheels and frame and the shape of the frame itself), no one should feel embarrassed to ride from the Himo C20 ; perhaps only older people could wish for something more classic and sober. The advice to soften the appearance making it more classic is to mount the aluminum fenders. The plastic ones detached from the wheel, rampant and long, are a bit too showy in our opinion.
The cycling group of the Himo C20 
The Shimano rear derailleur 
Disc brakes, they are powerful 
The handlebar adjustment system 
The wheels are from B; X 
Under the saddle is the pump for inflating the wheels. 
The trip computer 
The back light is powered by two AAA batteries 
Great flirtation care 
Cables enter the frame 
The battery has LEDs that indicate its charge 
The shift controls on the handlebar 
The saddle of the Himo C20 is of good quality
Himo C20 technology
The Xiaomi Himo H20 has a number of remarkable elements from a constructive point of view. In addition to the six-speed Shimano gearbox, which we have already mentioned we have a computer behind the wheel that provides some (meager) information and a (very powerful) double disc brake system. Too bad, always according to the observation of the handlebars, for that really bad cheap bell …
Among the construction details there is one that we could define as “nice”: it is the pump hidden in the seat post . In practice, the tube that holds the saddle holds the plunger and the saddle itself becomes the handle of the pump. A good system for an emergency “inflated” and to amaze friends, but certainly not an indispensable thing .
The motor and battery are honest if we are thinking that this is a commuter bike. The power of the brushless motor is 250W powered by a 10AH battery. The battery takes about 6 hours to recharge (five hours according to Himo). We can both extract the battery for a separate recharge, or recharge the battery on the tube.
Once removed, the battery has a button that turns on the LEDs that show the charge. Even if the length of the cable is still sufficient to recharge the battery even without detaching it, the fact that it can be separated from the frame becomes a good anti-theft system although less effective than in other similar products since here we are dealing with a “real bike. “Which can be moved by pedaling without difficulty.
Himo H20, how are you
Giving a judgment on the operation of the Xiaomi Himo H20 is less easy than judging its appearance and construction features and this for two reasons.
The first is that the electric motor activation system makes it in our opinion not usable on Italian public roads . If, in fact, in mode one the bicycle works exactly as an electric bicycle should work, then it does not move if you do not pedal, in practice the motor assists the pedaling, in mode two and tre (medium and high) is activated even without pedaling using the accelerator. In practice, once the gear is started with a couple of pedal strokes, the accelerator will control the thrust and the engine.
This takes the Himo C20 out of the context of electric bicycles; Italian law explicitly states that such a vehicle must be equated with a moped so it must be, among other things, homologated, registered and insured. Alternatively, it can only be used on private roads or in private places unless at your own risk you decide to use this bicycle wherever you want, perhaps counting on the fact that in the first mode it is a real and approved electric bicycle.
The second reason we find it difficult to judge the Himo H20 is that it is a true hybrid between a bicycle and an electric bicycle . The cycling part, as mentioned, is very accentuated and prominent; if this makes Himo's vehicle perfectly “pedaled”, on the other hand it makes it less ready, wanting to use the electric part, from the point of view of recovery and starting .
Even the power, without the aid of pedaling, seemed to us reduced. During a short test on a small climb that is located next to the place where we examined the Xiaomi-Himo bicycle without the aid of the pedal the bicycle would not have reached the top.
Comfort, speed and autonomy
The Himo H20 is very comfortable. Although the handlebar is not adjustable in height, the driving position seemed good to us. The foam saddle is also well-sized and helps to absorb the roughness that is already sufficiently softened by the size of the wheels. Himo's bike is also stable cornering and braking which, as mentioned, is very powerful. The impression is that you can really do many consecutive kilometers while riding this electric bicycle.
The almost standard-sized wheels and a good-level chassis component make the Himo C20 perfectly “pedaled”. Using the gearbox it becomes very easy to get around using this electric bicycle as a real… bicycle. You can't reach high speeds, but you never force. In addition, the bicycle for height from the ground, ratio between height and length, attitude, is also very agile.
The worst problem for driving comfort is dictated by the annoying buzzer that emits a continuous beep-beep with an “anxious” frequency. Unfortunately it is not possible to turn off this sound with a switch, which in some countries of the world could probably be required by law; instead, you must physically disconnect the cable from the buzzer in the box located under the saddle.
As for autonomy, Himo explains that it can reach 80 km in Eco mode (the actual assisted mode) or 50 km if only electric mode is used. We didn't do a total test, but we can say with our weight of about 65 kg at an average pace of 15 km / h we did about 20 km before seeing the battery capacity drop to half.
The maximum speed we reached was 23 Km / h (Himo declares 25 km / h). In eco mode, on the other hand, 16 km / h are not exceeded. Same speed also in medium mode only in this case you can get there simply with the accelerator. It is also possible to pedal to help the engine and overcome this speed. The same thing happens with the “high” mode; you get to 25 km / h easily and pedaling you can even reach 30 km / h, although at this speed you begin to feel a loss of stability.
In conclusion
The Xiaomi Himo C20 is the most interesting and with personality among the electric bicycles that we have had the opportunity to take in esam and. We could even define it as “beautiful” if an aesthetic judgment was not always subjective. In addition to this it is very well built with carefully chosen components and the assembly is well done. It is also a real bicycle, with a cycling part that makes it easily usable even as a bicycle without using the engine.
But it is right around the s management system of the electrical component that we must raise our main doubts ; if in the first mode, the Eco, we are dealing with a real pedal assisted vehicle, perfectly in line with Italian standards, the fact that in medium and high mode, it is the accelerator that moves the bicycle, makes it unusable , in accordance with the law, on public roads.
However, we can use it on all private areas , such as warehouses, parks and plots of land, exhibitions and fairs, or on private roads not subject to the code of Street. A real shame because it would probably have taken very little, a software update and some hardware tweaks, to make this bike a recommended purchase with your eyes closed. Who knows that in the future Himo will not think about it and will not make sure that his excellent C20 can also travel the streets of our cities without risk of sanctions or that the highway code adapts to the enormous oriental production of cycles like this one.
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Availability and price
The Xiaomi Himo C20 is currently purchased at a price of about 670 euros by clicking on this direct link , which become approximately 605 euro by applying the discount code N3EB3493D6DEB001 during the purchase.
