2023 Aniioki AQ177 Pro Max Review

With a full kit of accessories and an eye-popping 2,880Wh battery capacity, the Aniioki AQ177 Pro Max is making waves in the electric bike market! It's much heavier than your average e-bike but that weight translates to stability at speed and ridiculously long range. It looks sleek, feels amazingly comfortable, and has a sturdy integrated rack that will make it an attractive option for delivery riders everywhere.

Written Review

Greetings, fellow e-bike enthusiasts! Today I'm sharing my impressions of the Aniioki AQ177 Pro Max, an electric bike that stands out from the crowd with an almost absurdly huge battery capacity. If a maximum range in the hundreds of miles sounds appealing then this just might be the e-bike for you! I tested out the 48V 60Ah version which costs $1,699 USD.

Newer Brand, Online Only

Aniioki is a relatively new brand in the already-crowded electric vehicle space. While they do have a dealer sign-up form on their website, it doesn't appear they have any dealers yet, which means your only option for purchasing is directly through their website. This is usually the cheapest route to go anyways, but the downside is that you don't get to test ride before buying, and support for repairs and maintenance can be more difficult. I always recommend checking with your local e-bike shops first to see if they'll be able (and willing) to work on an e-bike you purchased online; unless, of course, you have the expertise and tools to do your own setup and maintenance work as needed.

Speaking of setup, I was able to get mine unboxed and assembled by myself with a couple of hours of work... but keep in mind, I've put together hundreds of electric vehicles! If this is your first electric bike it might be a bit challenging, especially considering how heavy the AQ177 Pro Max is. I recommend having a friend available to help with the heavy lifting, especially for mounting the front wheel. Fortunately, the assembly manual is actually quite excellent, with full color pictures and clear step-by-step instructions for the entire process. It also contains full details for customizing the electronic system which allows you to change top speed, PAS levels, throttle - PAS linkage, and much more.

Appearance and Design: Compact and Sleek

I opted for the black version as I really dig the sleek look of Aniioki's white-and-gold branding on the all-black frame and components. They also have grey and white options, with white being the best option if you're concerned about safety as it's easier to see - especially at night! Overall the AQ177 Pro Max is well designed, with sturdily mounted fenders and lighting, and clean integrated cabling which helps to reduce cable snags and keep a more streamlined appearance. The rear rack is integrated into the frame and looks much sturdier than the average bolt-on rack, and while Aniioki says it has the standard carrying capacity of 55 pounds, I suspect it could carry quite a bit more.

This is a compact "minibike" style EV with 20x4 inch fat tires, the smaller size helps it to take up less storage space, but don't be deceived into thinking this is a lightweight electric bike! The AQ177 Pro Max tips the scales at just over 116 pounds, mostly thanks to the massive 2,880Wh battery pack. The battery pack locks snugly into the huge downtube and is easy to remove thanks to the hefty carrying handle on the top end. It also uses a standard Type B plug (like a wall power outlet), which opens up exciting possibilities for powering other equipment with a power inverter. I've seen other e-bikes advertise this capability, but the AQ177 Pro Max is the first one where that feels realistic thanks to the huge battery. You could actually ride half a day, use the battery to power sound, lighting, or cooking equipment, and still have enough battery left to make it home!

Power and Performance: High Speed Urban Road Warrior

The AQ177 Pro Max is driven by a 1000-watt rear hub motor, produced directly by Aniioki. It feels comparable to similarly specced Bafang motors; from a dead stop it feels a little slow, but around 5-10mph the power really kicks in and you can quickly accelerate to the 30mph top speed, especially if you're pedaling along. The cadence-based pedal assist feels fairly responsive and I especially like the smooth roll-on of power if you resume pedaling while already in motion. Motorcycle riders will love the full grip twist throttle! It has a good range with variable power which makes it easy to control your speed without having to fiddle with the display controls on the left grip.

I was able to test the AQ177 Pro Max on some medium inclines and it did well, able to maintain 18-20mph while riding uphill using only the throttle. Most people should find it a competent hill climber, but if you live in a more intensely "hilly" area, be prepared to pedal along to help the motor out. Rear hub motors just aren't as good at climbing as mid-drive motors (which can leverage the drivetrain for greater efficiency), and this e-bike has quite a bit of extra weight to push up those hills.

The pedaling drivetrain is a basic Shimano Tourney setup, with a seven-speed thumb shifter and a 14-28 tooth freewheel. This is pretty entry level stuff but it makes sense on an electric bike with such a massive electrical system; it's really more of an electric moped than anything else. Of course, you can operate the bike purely by pedaling it, but why would you want to? Manually pedaling 116 pounds of bike is a lot of work! Sure, you could take the battery out, but even then the bike weights 89 pounds which is heavier than most electric bikes weigh even with their batteries! My recommendation: Leave the battery in and use it. With an estimated 200 miles of pedal-assisted range, you should never find yourself in dead battery situation mid-ride.

Ride Comfort: Easy Cruising

The AQ177 Pro Max is highly adjustable thanks to a long seatpost and BMX-esque handlebars that can be set to any angle. This plus the easy-to-mount step-thru frame and 350-pound carrying capacity means this e-bike should be able to fit virtually any adult rider. The default seating position is upright and relaxed, and feels a bit cruiser-esque, especially considering the wide comfort saddle. This is definitely an e-bike that would be comfortable to ride long distances, and I can see it being very popular with delivery drivers.

Ride comfort is further improved by full suspension, a nice treat! The coil suspension has adjustable preload with hydraulic lockout, with ~60mm of travel on the front fork and maybe 40-50mm on the rear frame suspension. This suspension is great for smoothing out bumps and cracks on city streets, but it's definitely not designed for serious offroad adventures; it's unbranded, and doesn't feel as soft or responsive as the more premium suspension products on the market. If you do want to do some light offroading I highly recommend investing in puncture protection; the stock tires are pretty basic and don't include any special features. Changing flats on a fat tire setup is not a fun time! Slime is a good option, or Tannus Armor inserts if you're feeling a bit more spendy.

Safety: Room for Improvement

There are many factors when it comes to riding safely on an electric bike. One of the biggest ones is visibility; drivers can't give you space if they don't see you! Visibility on my AQ177 Pro Max is not great, although that's partly on me for picking the Black color variant. It's hard to see from the side, especially at night, something that could be helped if the tires had reflective sidewall striping instead of just basic spoke reflectors. It does have integrated lighting, and the huge motorcycle-style headlight is awesome and very easy to see from the front. The taillight is a different story; while it does have turn signals and brake activation, it just isn't very bright and you can't really see if it's on or not during the daytime. It is decently bright for night operation though! There is also a loud buzzer-style horn which is a great safety addition.

Another part of safety is stopping power. The AQ177 Pro Max is equipped with hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors which provide excellent stopping power, and felt great even when stopping quickly from high speeds. They also include motor inhibitors which automatically cut power to the motor when you squeeze the levers. The only potential downside to these brakes is that the levers are pretty lightweight and feel a bit flimsy; they're made by DYISLAND which is a brand I haven't seen before. I did some research online and they cost about half as much as similarly-specced brakes from Tektro, a trusted industry standard. DYISLAND does have largely positive reviews so hopefully they will hold up well over time!

I spent a good amount of time riding at 30mph and the AQ177 Pro Max felt solid and stable at those speeds. Some step-thru bikes have a lot of wobble or "frame flex" at high speeds, but I didn't notice any, probably because the frame here is extra thick and sturdy to support the weight of the battery!

Considerations: Is it Right for You?

If you're looking at the AQ177 Pro Max here are the things I would keep in mind. First is weight: At 116 pounds, this is easily the heaviest electric bike I've ever ridden. This makes it unwieldy when maneuvering in the garage or at a bike rack, and forget about carrying it up and down stairs if you live in an upper level apartment. If you get car-mounted bike rack make sure it's rated to carry that much weight!

Secondly, the $1,699 price tag is almost suspiciously cheap for what you get. Aniioki accomplishes this in part by manufacturing their own motors and batteries; this is great for keeping costs low, and my first impressions of their product quality are good, but since Aniioki is a relatively new brand I simply don't know how how their quality will hold up over time. I'd much rather see battery cells from trusted brands like Samsung or LG... but those do cost significantly more!

Overall, the AQ177 Pro Max made a great first impression with me and it's hard to argue with such a low price tag. If you can handle the weight and have a means of maintaining and repairing it - either by doing it yourself, or with a local shop you trust - then I think it's worth a go!