Man in Pennsylvania bought an electric bike from China for $397 and was pleasantly surprised

  • Pennsylvania man bought a budget electric bike from China
  • He wanted to see what $397 would buy him
  • Despite some bumps, he was in for a pleasant surprise

Published on Mar 16, 2025 at 12:28 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Mar 12, 2025 at 1:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Emma Matthews

A Pennsylvania electric bike enthusiast and content creator bought a budget electric bike from China to see what $397 would get him.

He bought the Mihogo via a crowdfunding website.

The bike arrives with parts seemingly missing from the delivery.

However, he comes to the conclusion that it was far from a waste of money – here’s why.

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Electric bike from China

Micah Toll of EbikeSchool.com bought the Mihogo electric bike from China via a crowdfunding campaign.

The ebikes are said to allow riders to ‘cover more ground with the same amount of effort’.

The bike arrived with missing parts – including a wheel. But Toll was eventually able to find and assemble everything, like the handlebars and fenders.

The Mihogo is a mini bike with small 12-inch wheels, a unique frame with storage, and is designed for urban use.

The honest review

Even after recovering all the parts, Toll encounters some assembly challenges.

These included brake rub and fitting the front fender, but he finally managed to get everything together.

Tests on the power modes confirmed that the ebike was not built for high performance.

However, it as able to hit speeds of up to 22MPH – that’s 35KMH – with its 350W motor powered by a large 48V, 16Ah battery.

EbikeSchool.com

Despite its small size, to his surprise Toll discovers that it actually handled pretty well and turned easily.

Sadly, it did struggle with suspension and shock absorption and had a low battery during the test.

With its compact size and storage capacity, Toll reiterates that it’s the ideal ebike for short urban commutes, but isn’t ideal for long distances.

“It is admittedly a bit weird, but I really do think this is a fun and functional little ebike,” he said.

His takeaway: for under $400, the electric bike from China is a fun, functional option for city commuting on a budget.

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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”