Mihogo Air Max vs Heybike Mars 3.0

Right now the Heybike Mars 3.0 and the Mihogo Air Max land on exactly the same number: $1,199. That is where the similarity ends. The Mars 3.0 is a folding fat-tire bike with front and rear suspension, 20″ × 4″ tires and an 8-speed drivetrain; the Air Max is a rigid carbon-fiber commuter with a hidden dual-battery system. Neither one is a worse bike than the other — they answer different questions, and the spec table below splits close to down the middle. Every Heybike figure is taken from Heybike's own product page and cross-checked against Electric Bike Report's independent review; every Air Max figure is first-party from mihogousa.com. (We're Mihogo USA, the Air Max's U.S. distributor — so read the rows where the Mars 3.0 wins as the honest part.)

Every Heybike Mars 3.0 figure above links to Heybike's own product page, with Electric Bike Report's independent review as a cross-check; Air Max figures are first-party from mihogousa.com. Both prices shown are promotional — Heybike lists the Mars 3.0 at $1,799 regular, and the Air Max's $1,199 requires code USA100. Prices change; always confirm current specs and pricing on the maker's site before buying.

Torque and peak power: the Mars 3.0 wins, and it isn't close

This is the Heybike's clearest advantage and we're not going to talk around it. Heybike rates the Mars 3.0 at 95 N·m of torque with a 1400W peak on top of the same 750W continuous rating the Air Max uses.[source] The Air Max is 85 Nm with a 900W peak. That's about 12% more torque and roughly 1.5× the peak wattage for the Mars 3.0.

Electric Bike Report's independent review confirms both the 1400W peak and the 95 Nm figure, and notes that against other 750W folding e-bikes it tested — which averaged around an 1,180W peak and 80 Nm — the Mars 3.0 is above average on motor output.[review] If your route has steep pitches, or you carry real cargo up them, that gap is the row that matters most on this page, and it points at the Heybike.

Worth adding for fairness in the other direction: the Air Max uses a bilateral torque sensor rather than a cadence-based system, which changes how the assist feels rather than how hard it pulls. Torque numbers and assist feel are two different things, and only one of them shows up in a table.

Range and battery: the Air Max carries roughly double

The Mars 3.0 runs a single 624 Wh battery in the down tube and Heybike claims up to 65 miles.[source] Electric Bike Report's own range testing landed at about 61 miles in the lowest assist level, and substantially less in the highest[review] — a respectable, honest result for a 624 Wh fat-tire bike, and close to the claim at the low end. As with every e-bike, the top assist level costs you a large fraction of that; treat the low-assist figure as the ceiling, not the average.

The Air Max runs two hidden 460.8 Wh batteries for 921.6 Wh total — about 48% more energy on board — and is rated up to 121 miles under ideal pedal-assist conditions. The same caveat applies to our number as to Heybike's: a best-case pedal-assist figure is not a real-world figure, and range depends on rider weight, terrain, wind, temperature and how much throttle you use. Fat tires and full suspension also cost energy that a rigid commuter doesn't spend. The structural point is simply capacity: two packs versus one.

One practical note in the Heybike's favor: its battery is removable,[source] so it can come inside to charge. The Air Max's two packs are integrated into the frame and seat post, and Mihogo USA ships two chargers so both can charge at once.

Weight: the Air Max is 8–10 lbs lighter

Heybike lists the Mars 3.0 at 70 lbs;[source] Electric Bike Report put its test bike on a scale at 71.7 lbs.[review] The Air Max is about 62 lbs, on a 7.7 lb Toray T800 carbon monocoque frame. So the Air Max is roughly 8 to 10 lbs lighter, depending on which Mars figure you use.

But weight and portability aren't the same question here, and this is where the comparison gets interesting rather than one-sided. The Mars 3.0 folds — roughly 40″L × 21″W × 32.5″H per Electric Bike Report[review] — so it fits in a trunk or a closet the Air Max won't. If your constraint is lifting, the Air Max is the easier bike. If your constraint is storing, the heavier Heybike may still be the one that fits.

Weight limits: two different numbers, two different meanings

These two figures get compared carelessly all over the internet, so here is the careful version. Heybike quotes 440 lbs as a maximum total weight limit combining rider and cargo.[source] Mihogo quotes 275 lbs as a maximum rider weight, TÜV Rheinland tested. Those are different measurements and subtracting one from the other gives a meaningless answer.

What you can say fairly: the Mars 3.0 is the higher-capacity bike, and by a wide margin — a heavy-duty steel-and-aluminum fat-tire platform is built for that. What you can't say is "440 versus 275." If your rider weight is near or above 275 lbs, the Heybike is the bike on this page designed with your load in mind, and you should confirm the rider-only figure with Heybike directly before buying either one.

Gearing, suspension and terrain

The Mars 3.0 takes three more rows here. It has a Shimano Altus 8-speed drivetrain,[source] a hydraulic suspension fork paired with Horst-link rear suspension,[source] and 20″ × 4.0″ fat tires.[source] That combination is genuinely capable off pavement — gravel, sand, snow, broken road — and mechanical gears give you something to work with when the battery is low or the hill is long.

The Air Max is rigid, and we say so plainly in our own review: the carbon frame damps road buzz, but it's a commuter, not a trail bike. On smooth pavement, rigid and light is faster and more efficient; on rough ground, suspension wins. Both bikes run hydraulic disc brakes, so braking hardware is a tie in kind — Electric Bike Report measured the Mars 3.0 stopping from 20 mph in 20′8″.[review]

On speed, the two ship differently. The Air Max tops out at 28 mph. Heybike ships the Mars 3.0 limited to 20 mph on both throttle and pedal assist, and Electric Bike Report measured roughly 32 mph with that limit raised in the settings menu.[review] So out of the box the Air Max is the faster bike; reconfigured, the Mars 3.0 goes past it. Check your local rules on assisted speed before changing that setting — what's legal to ride varies by state and by path.

Warranty and support

Heybike offers a 2-year warranty on the Mars 3.0,[source] against the Air Max's 1-year limited U.S. warranty.[source] On paper that's a win for Heybike and we'll list it as one. What we'd add is that Mihogo USA is operated by Snapcycle Inc., a California company, so warranty service and parts are handled domestically rather than through an overseas return path — length of coverage and ease of using it are two separate things, and you should weigh both.

So which should you buy?

• Ride on gravel, sand, snow or badly broken pavement? Need to fold the bike into a car trunk or apartment closet? Carrying heavy loads? → Heybike Mars 3.0. Full suspension, fat tires, 95 N·m, 8 speeds, 440 lb combined capacity, 2-year warranty, $1,199.
• Commuting on pavement, want the longest range, and lifting the bike onto a rack or up stairs matters? → Mihogo Air Max. Roughly 8–10 lbs lighter, 921.6 Wh across two batteries, up to 121 miles, carbon frame, $1,199 with code USA100.
• Short flat city trips only? Either bike does the job. At that point pick on storage and terrain, not on the spec sheet — and the Mars 3.0's fold is a real advantage if space is tight.

Comparison FAQ