More speed, more power: ADO A20 vs Himo Z20 – comparison review

More Power, More Speed:
Is the ADO A20+ the better choice compared to HIMO Z20?

There’s one complaint I constantly hear about Himo Z20 e-bike: It is too slow. Even tough HIMO Z20 is a very reliable e-bike with a great design a bit more power would be beneficial to go faster than 25 kph. Despite there is an option to unlock the speed of other bikes, like Fiido D4s, no one has managed to do so with HIMO Z20 (this refers to a software unlock, you can change the controller and other parts to make it faster). So I got myself the ADO A20 which not only offers 350W motor power, it also has the option to unlock the speed to go up to 35 km/h.

Naming
ADO A20 was renamed after an adjustment to ADO A20+. ADO now uses their full brand name: A Dece Oasis. There is also a connection between ADO and Himo as both are sold on the same platforms – more on this in theprice comparison section.

Here’s my comparison review of the 20″ folding e-bikes: ADO A20 vs HIMO Z20 also including the specs of Fiido D4s and Fiido D11; In my post I want to:

• Compare the main specs
• Review the bikes and to point out differences as well as problems and issues
• Give you shopping tips (coupon codes & customs info)

Video Comparison Review

Intro –
Why 20″ folding e-bikes?

I got myself a compact-to-store e-bike for my daily commute to work and selected HIMO Z20. Important for me was the removable battery, so you can take it with you for charging. I think that 20″ wheels is the ideal compromise: the bike is small enough to store and the wheels big enough to provide a smooth ride. The larger wheels provide a comfortable driving experience for longer distances, compared to the 16″models of which many were released earlier. As mentioned the ADO A20 is very comparable by the specs but it also got a lot of interesting details that seem to be interesting improvements over Himo Z20.

Fiido offers a  more affordable 20″ folding e-bike – the Fiido D4s. Main difference is that the battery is built-in and therefore I excluded it from my personal selection. However I want to include it in this review with remarks, as it is a bit cheaper and if the removable battery is not an issue for you – maybe an interesting choice. I also own a Fiido D11, which is great for the city and paved streets, but it gets rough on gravel roads. So ADO A20+ and HIMO Z20 are better allrounder bikes.

ADO A20 vs Himo Z20 vs Fiido D11
Main Specs compared:

**estimated company data – based on my experience there is a lot of influence on the range: driver weight, flat or hilly road, constant drive or stop&go traffic, temperature,…
Range in full electric mode is about 60%.
Hard to get a fair test result to compare.

! There is the option to activate a cruise control in ADO A20, although I haven’t managed to make it work so far.

Hands-on Review –
ADO A20 vs Himo Z20

I picked these two bikes to compare as there are many similarities: 20″ folding e-bike with removeable battery. That is an important item for me so I excluded Fiido D4s. Great to use on roads and unpaved tracks while Fiido D11 is just good on well paved roads. So in the first section I want to point out the major differences between Himo Z20 and ADO A20, then take a look at similarities and minor differences (which still might be very relevant for your situation) and then take a look at the settings and driving modes:

What’s different?

Speed & Motor

Himo Z20 offers a 250W motor that provides a top speed of 25 km/h – on paper. Actually I achieve a top speed of 23-24km/h. I tried my best but haven’t found a solution how to unlock the speed. Don’t bother watching all the HIMO Z20 seed unlock videos on YouTube – they are misleading! In these videos they change the diameter of the wheel. This results in a higher speed displayed on the speedometer but the bike is not going faster. I tried with a second speedometer.
There is of course the option to make it faster by changing controller and motor, but you need to change the hardware.

ADO A20 also offers a 250W motor and a top speed of 25 km/h. That is important as these are legal requirements in many countries. Although it can be unlocked within the settings on the controller. Then ADO A20 offers 350W and a top speed of 35 km/h. That is even faster than Fiido D4s that can be unlocked to go 30 km/h, Fiido D11 can be unlocked to 28 km/h.

Design & Frame

I think that HIMO Z20 has a bit more appealing design. It looks like a regular BMX bike and less like a chunky e-bike. I also like the fact that the cables run inside the frame and are not visible. Welding is quite ok and all ports are nicely covered.

On the other hand ADO A20 has a more practical design with a lot of design details that are very convenient. I really like the handle-grip included in the frame near the center of gravity of the bike. Great when you need to move it around in your flat, office or public transport. Welding is very similar to Himo Z20, I don’t like that ports are not covered. But there are smaller more design details I appreciate:

When folded the weight of ADO A20 rests on a metal frame and is very stabile. While HIMO Z20 rests on the cover of the front sprocket and the seat pole and easily tips over to the side. The stand of ADO 20 is placed further to the rear so it is not touching the pedals, on my HIMO Z20 they easily touch and scratch both pedal and stand.

Weight

Important notice: The weight of ADO A20 is often stated wrongly! I tested on a scale and can confirm, the weight of ADO A20 is 21.0 kg (46.3 lbs) including battery and with fenders mounted. The weight of Himo Z20 is 21,85 kg (48.2 lbs) including battery and with the plastic fenders mounted. (Z20 comes with plastic and aluminum fenders, you can shoode which one you want to mount). So even tough ADO A20 has a suspension, which usually increases weight, it is lighter than Himo Z20. I assue that’s because the frame is heavier on Z20.

Display

ADO A20: The display holds three buttons to power on the bike and to select the different driving modes. These buttons are also used to change settings. (More on that in the driving mode section). Next to the display are two further buttons for the front LED light and the electric horn. Current speed, driving mode, trip/total mileage and battery status are displayed.

Himo Z20: You can find 4 buttons on the display: the power button and the switch trip/total mileage on the bottom and +/- buttons to select the driving mode. Long pressing the plus button turns on the front LED light. There is no electric horn, but a regular bell on Z20. Similar to ADO A20 current speed, mode, trip or total mileage and battery status are displayed.

The display of ADO A20 is brighter & larger and therefore way better to read, especially in direct sunlight.

Phone Charger

A super convenient feature of ADO A20 is the USB port on the handle bar. A phone holder is also included in the standard package so you can not only mount your phone, you can also charge it while riding. Great feature when you want to use maps for example.

Suspension & shock absorbers

HIMO Z20 doesn’t offer any form of suspension or shock absorbers. On the other side ADO A20 offers a suspension on the front wheel with a shock absorbing fork and below the saddle there is a damper as well.

Battery

The battery of both e-bikes have a capacity of about 10 Ah and are stored inside the frame of the bike. Both batteries can be locked, the lock is located on the battery. The lock of HIMO Z20 is on the front when opening the frame, the lock of ADO A20 is accessed from the bottom. This has a special reason as you need the key to turn it on. There are 3 lock positions: released, lock & turn off as well as lock and turn on. Guess it’s a matter of taste: On the one hand it is more secure that you need the key to activate ADO A20, on the other side you always have to have the key with you.
Both batteries can be removed for charging – that’s convenient if you lock your bike and just take the battery with you for charging. Or you can charge it when the battery is placed inside in the bike.

The charger is of course included, be aware that the charger for Himo Z20 is very bulky in case you need to take it with you. Don’t worry about the correct power plug, it connects to the charger using a 3-pole cable so you can exchange it inexpensively. The charger of ADO A20 is more compact to take it with you and is using a 2-pol cable.

Similarities and minor differences:

Tires, Wheels & Brakes

A very visible difference are the wheels. While HIMO Z20 is using a classic spoke design, found on most bicycles, ADO A20 wheels featur ae six-axis spoke design which to me is very appealing.
ADO A20 and HIMO Z20 use 160mm diameter mechanical disc brakes on front and rear wheel. The brakes were quite well adjusted out of the box, but I do recommend fine tuning them before your first ride. You do so with an Allen key, like on any other bike. With ADO A20 the tool was already included.
Both bikes offer 20″ air tube tires, to be precise ADO A20 tires measures 20 x 1.95 compared to HIMO Z20 20 x 2.125. The profile and the width of the tires are perfect to go on unpaved roads.

Lights

The LED headlights on both bikes are connected to the bikes battery and can be turned on and off via a button next to the display. While the headlight of Himo Z20 consists of one LED the headlight of ADO A20 is super bright using four LEDs.
Unfortunately there is no rear light included with ADO A20, just a reflector is mounted on the seat pole. HIMO Z20 offers a combination of rear light and reflector which is not connected to the bikes battery and therefore battery powered. One reason why it might not be connected is the removable seat pole of Himo Z20 that can be used as an air pump. With ADO A20 a small air pump as accessory is included in the standard package.

I replaced both rear lights and can recommend using Xlite 100. It has automatic movement detection, so it turns off when you don’t move. Further it detects change in movement, so when you brake it flashes brighter. And with a light sensor it automatically turns on/off according to the daylight. It is charged via USB port.

Throttle

Both bikes are controlled by a throttle integrated into the handle grip that needs to be twisted, similar to a motorcycle. Yet there is a slight difference, while you need to twist the full handle grip on HIMO Z20, only a section of the handle on ADO A20 needs to be twisted. I find this way more convenient as it gives you more relaxed hand position during the ride. (also compare picture below)
Himo Z20 does not accelerate from standing still, the bike has to be in motion. But only a slight push by your foot is needed and you can accelerate fully electric. ADO A20 can accelerate from standing still, but you can configure that in the settings as you prefer.
Even more convenient: ADO A20 is offering cruise control so you do not have to hold the throttle constantly. HIMO Z20 does not have this option.

Gears & Gear Shift

Both bikes offer a Shimano gear shift and the shifters look almost identical with a lever to change to a higher gear and a button to change to a lower gear. There is a difference as Himo Z20 offers a 6-speed gearshift while ADO A20 offers a 7-speed gearshift with a respective number of sprockets on the rear wheel. The sprocket on the front is covered on the inside and on the outside on both bikes. That’s important so your trousers don’t get ripped on your way to the office. Gearshift on both bikes was well adjusted out-of-the-box I didn’t have to finetune them.

Pedals

The pedals of both ADO A20 and Himo Z20 are made of plastic but provide a good grip. They can be folded for an even more compact storage size. As these are standard bike parts they can be easily replaced if you want fixed metal pedals and don’t need the option for storage. A reflector is integrated (which is legally required in some countries).

Size & Weight

When unfolded they are about the same size and about 110 cm long. HIMO Z20 is 147cm tall and that refers to the steering rod which is not adjustable in height. With ADO A20 you can adjust the height and this is of course a great option to find a comfortable driving position.

As you can see when folded they also have a similar size, but when it comes to storage every cm / inch counts, therefore in detail:
ADO A20 is 90 cm long, 43cm wide and 70 cm tall. HIMO Z20 is 86 cm long, 45 cm wide and 74cm high.

There is one design part I want to highlight: When HIMO Z20 is folded it sits on the cover of the front sprocket and the seat pole. Something I dislike a lot since I’m afraid these parts can be damaged when the bike is stored. ADO A20 features this metal frame where the weight of the bike rests. This also secures the bike from falling over to the side! Little detail, but very important!

I believe the stated weight of ADO A20 is wrong. In the specs it says 28 kg but it feels lighter than the 21.4 kg Himo Z20. I need to get a proper scale to check again.

ADO A20 vs Himo Z20 –
Driving Modes

Manual Mode

First of all you can go fully manual (you don’t even have to power them on) and they work just like regular bikes. However due to the battery they are a bit heavier than regular bikes and therefore require a bit more effort when pedaling. Don’t worry it’s not that much of an exercise but I won’t recommend them if you want to pedal without assistance most of them time. You can remove the battery on both of them to make it lighter if you go fully manual.

The driving modes on ADO A20 and Himo Z20 are similar but very different to Fiido e-bikes. With Fiido you basically set the level of assistance. To me that’s a bit misleading. I have the feeling that with Fiido the motor is not assisting your pedaling, the motor is rather activated to full throttle when you start pedaling.

ADO A20 – Driving Modes

There are 3 different driving modes on ADO A20. And the great thing about it, which I haven’t seen on similar e-bikes, you can adjust them within the settings.

• Mode 1 – is the pedal assist mode. When you start pedaling the motor kicks in and supports your ride. As mentioned with the controller you can adjust wen the motor should start its support. The pedal assist mode works to a speed up to 18 km/h. In this mode the throttle is disabled, but you can also adjust that within the settings (more on that at the end of the article)
• Mode 2 – is the first full electric mode. When turning the throttle the bike accelerates up to 25 km/h. You can adjust within the settings if zero start is enabled or not. Zero starts means being able to power the bike when standing still.
• Mode 3 – in this mode you can unlock the speed of ADO A20 up to a top speed of 35 km/h. More on that at the bottom of the article.

NEWS:
There is a new controller offered for ADO A20, which allows you to go faster in pedal assist mode. The new controller allows you 2 new options for the 3 modes, you can either select:
– 3 full electric modes (15 / 20 / 25 kph)
– or 2 pedal assist modes (18 / 25 kph) and a full electric mode with 35 kph.

You can order the controller in a set with rear light and reflector for the wheels (which is not included with the bike) in their Aliexpress Store. Be sure to get the right one as there are new controllers also for ADO A16 and ADO A20F. Check out their website: www.adoebike.com
They also released a YouTube video how to change the controller which should be easy to do.

Himo Z20 – Driving Modes

• ECO – is the pedal assist mode. When you start pedaling at about 5 km/h you feel the motor kicking in and it makes pedaling seemingly easier. It feels like the motor is assisting your pedaling in relation to the speed you want to go by pedaling. The assistance mode works up to 18 km/h but you can always go faster by pedaling. However at this speed the effort to go even faster is lower than from standing still. In this mode the throttle is not activated.
• MID – is a full electric mode. When you twist the throttle the bike accelerates up to about 18 km/h. You can always go faster by pedaling the bike is not slowing you down.
• HIGH – is the second full electric mode and the bike accelerates up to 24 km/h. (As mentioned I didn’t get 25 km/h I think the limit is 15 mph). Again you can always go faster by pedaling, the bike is not slowing you down or braking.

Usually I go in High Mode and pedal as well to go faster. I only switch to Eco mode when I want to have the feeling of riding a bicycle with the benefit of being less exhausting, so I don’t arrive sweaty in the office.

ADO A20 vs Himo Z20 –
Issues and Problems

HIMO Z20 Problems: The bike is not hitting 25 km/h and maximum speed is 23-24 km/h. I think that is the case because to speed is set to 15 mph. It’s just 1-2 km/h but still bothersome. The plastic pedals on Himo Z20 slightly yield and don’t provide the best grip. If you go full electric most of the time you don’t need to worry. Since I often like to pedal to go faster I replaced them with different folding pedals. If you don’t need folding ones for storage reasons you can also go for aluminum pedals.

ADO A20 Problems: Similar to Himo Z20 the pedals are not the best and I replaced them. There is a bit of a rattle noise from the battery as it is not fully tight within the battery compartment, but that is an easy fix you just need to apply some adhesive tape or felt pads on the battery and this issue is solved.

ADO A20 – Replacement Parts

Need replacement parts for ADO A20 e-bike? No problem, great to see ADO lists all parts on their ADO bike store on Aliexpress or on their website: adoebike.com

ADO A20 vs Himo Z20 – Short summary

I have to say I was for more impressed when I unpacked ADO A20 than I expected. There are so many details I instantly loved and instantly missed on the HIMO Z20

ADO A20 compared to Himo Z20:

Higher top speed, more power

Suspension on front and back

very bright and large display

Phone Charger

super bright headlight

Frame (handle grip & stand)

folding size (similar to HIMO Z20)

missing rear light (would have replaced it anyway)

key needs to be inserted while driving

More Infos?

Here’s my hands on comparison of Himo Z20 and Fiido D11 and below a video comparison of Himo Z20 and its predecessor Himo C20. Of course a ADO A20 vs HIMO Z20 video will follow soon – stay tuned!

Want to talk to other users? Join the Facebook groups:

  ADO e-bike Facebook Group

  Himo e-bike Facebook Group

  Fiido e-bike Facebook Group

Buyer Guide –
Retailer & Price Comparison

• Official ADO Website: www.adoebike.com
  Here you have the benefit to buy directly from the manufacturer
  They offer 48h free shipping options across EU & UK
  It seems ADO A20 was removed from the store in favor of ADO A20 Air products:

• official HIMO Website: www.himobikes.com
  This site offers both ADO & HIMO bikes and is their official store.
  Both models ADO A20 and HIMO Z20 can be found here.

• Geekbuying
  I got my ADO A20 from Geekbuying
  check the website for coupon codes, sometimes they are cheaper than on the official site!

• Amazon
  ADO operates their own Amazon Store “A Dece Oasis-Store“
  where you can find all their current products and having the Amazon Prime shipping benefits:

• Aliexpress
  several reseller offer ADO and HIMO on Aliexpress
  check the different warehouse options!

ADO A20 – How to unlock speed and other controller settings

To enter the settings mode you need to turn on your bike and press the + and – button for 3 seconds. Then you see the different options (indicated with P) and can cange the settings as follows:

• P01: Display Brightness – 1 is darkest, 3 is brightest setting
• P02: Metric system –  0 is KM, 1 is Mile
• P03: Voltage – there are options for 24V, 36V & 48V. That’s because the controller is used on several bikes.
• P04: Bike Auto Shutting-down time – it means if you do not operate the bike computer or use the e-bike within the minutes range from 1 to 60 minutes, the bike computer will shut down automatically.
• P05: PAS (pedal assist) preference – 0 only shows 1-3 levels; 1 shows 1-5 levels. ( Just showing PAS level number are different, but top and lowest level power is the same, such as 3 = 5 in different working modes).
• P06: Wheel/rim diameter in inch – Options are 20/22/26/28 (if 20 inch rim, setting number will be 22inch)
• P07: Speed Monitor setting, this technical setting is no use for customer but only for engineer setting, please do not modify or change the setting. Range: 1-100;
• P08: Speed limited setting – You can set between 1 and 100 km/h. If set to 100 it means there is no limited for speed. The speed limited setting is controlled by motor and controller. You can only set the bike computer speed limit with the range of limit motor and controller. If you set it to 50 the top speed will be 35 km/h since that is the max speed for this bike with this controller and motor.
• P09: Zero boost or Non Zero boost – 0 means zero boost, you can apply power from standing still. 1 means non zero boost, you have to be in motion to apply power from the motor.
• P10: Driving modes – 0 – PAS only, the throttle is not working. 1—throttle only, PAS is not working. 2—both throttle and PAS are working.
• P11: PAS sensitivity setting – Range: 1-24
• P12: PAS strength setting – Range: 1-5
• P13: PAS magnetic sensor setting – Range: 5/ 8/12
• P14: Controller Max current limit setting – Range: 1-20A
• P15: Controller Low voltage setting. Range: N/A, need to check with controller technical data sheet.
• P16: ODO – total odometer clearance setting. Press for 5 seconds in setting mode, you can change and clear the current total odometer to Zero.
• P17: Cruise control setting – 0— cruise control inactive, 1 — active cruise control
• P18: Speed adjustment setting – Range: 50%-150%, this technical setting is no use for customer but only for engineer setting, please do not modify or change the setting.
• P19: PAS 0 setting – Range: 0—active PAS 0; 1—inactive PAS 0.
• P20: Data transfer mode setting – Range: 0—NO.2 data transfer mode; 1—5 S data transfer mode; 2—backup data transfer mode; 3— backup data transfer mode.

HIMO Z20 – Controller Settings

Press M button for about 8 seconds to enter the menu. When entering the menu there are the following options:

• Cr: cleanup [y] to set the trip kilometers to zero
• S7: Select Mph or Kph
• b1: Brightness of the display backlight (only active when headlight is turned on)
• OFF: Auto power off – the number represent minutes to shutdown
• Hd: Wheel diameter (That’s what most YouTubers did, when you enter a larger diameter the displayed speed is higher, but not the actual speed)
• b0: Battery voltage – 36V is for Himo Z20.
• Pd: Password – enter password 1919, then you see:
  • SL: Speed limit – default is 25km/h – you can change the speed limit on the screen, but it will not work

ADO A20 vs HIMO Z20 – Specs in Detail: