Review: The Aniioki full-suspension e-bike has the biggest battery I’ve ever seen

I’ve seen some big batteries in my day, but nothing prepared me for the monstrosity of a 60Ah battery hidden in the frame of the Aniioki A8 Pro Max. If you want a super-long-range electric bike, this is the type of battery you’ll want.

This 48V 60Ah battery manages to stuff in 2,880 Wh of energy when fully charged. To put that into perspective, an average electric bike these days has around 600-700 Wh of capacity, and we generally call anything with 1,000 Wh “long range.”

So when you come in with nearly triple the capacity of a traditionally large battery, you’ve pretty much put yourself in an entirely new category of extra-super-duper-long-range e-bikes.

Meet that new category of e-bikes, population: Aniioki A8 Pro Max.

Aniioki A8 Pro Max video review

Aniioki A8 Pro Max tech specs

• Motor: 1,000W (1,400W peak) geared hub motor
• Top speed: 51.5 km/h (32 mph)
• Average Range: Up to 320 km (200 mi) on pedal assist
• Battery: 48V 60Ah (2,880 Wh)
• Charge time: 7-8 hours
• Max load: 158 kg (350 lb.)
• Weight: 46 kg (101 lb.)
• Suspension: Hydraulic suspension fork and dual rear spring shocks
• Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes, 180 mm rotors
• Extras: LCD display with speedometer, battery gauge, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, front/rear LED lighting with brake lights, included rear rack, included fenders, adjustable height saddle, keyless start with remote key fob, kickstand
• Price: $1,999

What’s going on with this thing?

The Aniioki is trying to be a lot of things. First of all, what’s with that name? It almost sounds like a play on the famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley, though that might be giving too much American history credit to a company that seems to be another one of these Asian import e-bike brands that tend to spring up overnight.

And when we take a deeper look at the bike itself, it seems to go in a number of directions. On the one hand, the ultra-long-range battery and the 1,400W motor start to push it toward the moped category. The 32 mph (51.5 km/h) top speed and the 20″ fat tires also help support that moped classification.

The dual suspension design adds a bit of a more premium feel to the bike, and the adjustable saddle gives us something most mopeds don’t: a prayer at actually fitting a wider range of rider heights while feeling marginally pedalable.

To set realistic expectations though, you should know that I’m rather short at 5’7″ (170 cm), and I still had the seat up at its highest position. So while I commend Aniioki for having an adjustable seat on a moped-style e-bike, don’t think that you’re going to be able to set it up for a super-tall person. That isn’t in the cards.

So the design of the bike is certainly a bit of a mashup, but they seem to land it fairly well. It’s a heavy bike, so don’t be mistaken there. At just over 100 lb. (46 kg), this sucker is one of the heaviest e-bikes I’ve ever ridden. But it’s also the longest range e-bike I’ve ridden and has the biggest battery, and so weight comes with the territory. In fact, that battery alone is just over 30 lb. (13.6 kg), so you’re lugging around a lot of poundage in battery cells.

But if you want to go fast and far, this is the e-bike for you. The top speed is just over 30 mph, and I was able to get it up to brief peaks of 32 mph, which is pretty darn fast for an electric bicycle. Most fast e-bikes will drain through their batteries quickly, since going fast takes a lot of power. But with this massive battery between your knees, you can actually sustain those higher speeds for longer periods of time.

They claim a 200-mile range (320 km) on pedal assist and a more modest 110-mile range (177 km) on throttle only, though I’m sure that throttle range is at lower speeds. You won’t bang out 110 miles while traveling at 32 mph, that’s for sure.

The rest of the bike has some nice features, from the full suspension to the hydraulic disc brakes. The suspension makes for a smooth ride and it actually works well. Some e-bikes have stiff or super springy suspension, but the Aniioki A8 Pro Max seems to be fairly comfortable, eschewing the ultra cheap suspension in favor of something that works decently. And those hydraulic brakes use 180 mm rotors that are quite thick, which is exactly what I want to see on such a heavy and fast e-bike.

But there was one issue with the front brake that I never could get to go away: It won’t stop singing to me.

No matter how much I adjust the brakes, the front still resonates like a wine glass. I’ve tightened the rotor. I’ve aligned the caliper. I’ve used multiple disc brake cleaners. I’ve tried repeated full power braking from high speed. I can often get it to go away for a few minutes, but then the singing brake rotor eventually comes back. It’s a mystery that is driving me nuts.

Singing brake rotor aside, there are other nice features included that still score a few points with me, like the included rack and fenders as well as the nice LED light package with a big motorcycle-style headlight and rear tail/brake lights.

There’s even a 7-speed transmission, not that I spent that much time pedaling the bike. With this much power (and on such a heavy bike), I think most people will just ride it like a motorbike and make ample use of the throttle. But if you ever get stuck with a low battery or just want to get some exercise, the shifter will allow you to dial in your pedal cadence for a better pedaling experience.

But then again, there’s another problem with pedaling this heavy e-bike. The pedal assist is somehow both laggy and jumpy. When you start pedaling, there’s a solid second or two until the pedal assist power kicks in, which is quite noticeable on a 100 lb. bike. But then if you’re already using pedal assist and decide to increase the power level, such as from level 2 to 3, the power instantly rockets up and you’d better be holding on. Some e-bikes have jumpy pedal assist, and others can be laggy. But I rarely see an e-bike that has both qualities at once. Bravo, Aniioki, I guess?

So what’s the summary?

Let’s bring this review to a close and tie everything up in a nice, neat bow. There’s a lot to like here. The Aniioki is fast and powerful, yet still comfortable with that full-suspension. The seat is nicely adjustable and of course there’s that long range from the massive battery. But it’s a heavy e-bike that doesn’t have great pedal assist, and there are a few fit and finish issues that leave me a bit disappointed (such as that brake rotor that won’t stop singing to me).

So all told, for $1,999, you’re getting a pretty nice little bicycle-shaped electric motorbike. Just don’t expect to turn this into a true pedaling e-bike, or you’ll be disappointed. For those that just want to fly, the Aniioki A8 Pro Max will help you soar with long-lasting wings, that’s for sure.