This is a sponsored post from Heybike. As always, EBR’s opinions are our own and we would not have run this story if we didn’t find it interesting and valuable to our readers. Thank you, Heybike for helping support EBR!
Heybike and the Spurs
Every once in a while a brand reaches out to me with a story or event they want promoted that tells me more about where the e-bike industry is going than about what is being promoted. This is one of those.
On August 5, the San Antonio Spurs announced Heybike as the organization’s official e-bike partner. It’s the first agreement Heybike has signed with an NBA team, and both sides are framing it around movement, community, and getting more people connected and outside together.
On its face this is a standard brand partnership. I think it’s a bigger deal for Heybike than the announcement lets on.
What the Partnership Includes
The part that matters most for riders and Spurs fans is the fan discount: Spurs fans can take 20% off a purchase on Heybike’s website through Wednesday, September 30, with the full details going out through the Spurs newsletter.
If you’ve been sitting on the fence about a Heybike, that’s a pretty good deal.
Beyond the discount, the two brands are running a giveaway during the 2026-27 season, giving Spurs fans a shot at winning a Heybike outright. Details on that are still to come.
There’s a geography angle here that I don’t think is an accident. Heybike is based in China with its North American headquarters in Texas, and the Spurs are, of course, a Texas franchise.
Heybike says it works with more than 500 authorized dealers, which gives the brand a service and support footprint that a lot of direct-to-consumer companies still don’t have.
This also isn’t only a basketball deal. Spurs Sports & Entertainment owns and operates the San Antonio Spurs, the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League, and San Antonio FC of the USL. SS&E is also the controlling member of LOVB Austin and runs day-to-day operations at the Frost Bank Center, The Rock at La Cantera, Toyota Field, and the Ricos STAR Soccer Complex. Heybike’s name is now attached to a portfolio that touches a big chunk of South Texas, not just one arena.
Heybike founder Jason Fang called the partnership “a historic milestone for Heybike.” He described an e-bike as “a bridge that brings generations together,” and said the brand is excited to integrate into the Spurs’ community and “inspire fans of all ages to explore, connect, and let their joy out.”
Frank Miceli, chief commercial officer for SS&E, said the organization is “proud to welcome Heybike to the Spurs family,” and tied the deal back to mobility as a way to strengthen and better connect communities.
EBR’s Take
My first thought reading this was that Heybike has covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
This is a big step for the brand, and I read it as evidence of the growth Heybike has put together in the US market over the past two to three years. NBA sponsorships are not cheap. A brand doesn’t write that kind of check unless the sales volume behind it supports the spend. Five years ago I would not have guessed Heybike would be the first e-bike company to sign with an NBA team.
What I find more interesting is that the growth hasn’t only been about volume, though Heybike’s 260,000 active riders in five years is impressive. We’ve also noticed a big step forward in the quality of the bikes they’re building. Heybike’s most recent models, the Heybike Venus, the Omega Series Hybrid, the Mars 3.0, and the Ranger Pro all impressed us when we reviewed them. Every model improved vs the previous generations in terms of build, ride, and programming.
I also wonder how much of this deal traces back to the NBA’s popularity in China. The league has enormous reach there, and for a company based in China with US ambitions, an NBA logo carries weight on both sides of the Pacific at the same time. That’s speculation on my part and not something in the press release, but the math seems to work in both directions.
This also isn’t the first time the NBA and the e-bike world have crossed paths. In December of last year, Luka Dončić bought Pedal Electric e-bikes for the entire Los Angeles Lakers organization, with head coach JJ Redick putting the number at 103 gifts covering players, coaches, and basketball operations staff. That one was a player writing a personal check, not a team-level sponsorship, so the Heybike partnership is a different deal. However, two NBA-adjacent e-bike stories inside a year still tell you something about where e-bikes sit in the culture right now.
Zoom out and this fits a trend we’ve been tracking for a while: Chinese e-bike companies selling directly into the US and competing at the top of the market. Aventon, Velotric, Amflow/Avinox, and Urtopia are a few of the names fighting to become a top-tier brand in the American e-bike industry (if they already aren’t there). These aren’t budget-only players anymore. They’re setting the pace on motor development, app features, and price-to-performance, and the legacy bike brands are the ones playing catch-up.
Heybike putting its name on an NBA deal is the marketing version of that same story. Congratulations to Heybike on getting here. And thank you to both Heybike and the San Antonio Spurs for working to get more people on bikes and better connect our communities. We always say that people riding bikes are happy people, and we look forward to seeing more Spurs fans in that group of happy riders!
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