Let’s me start off by properly framing your expectations. The Schwinn EC1 isn’t a powerhouse, and it doesn’t have top-shelf components. We’ve addressed those concerns by designing Extended Life Batteries for a couple of our best-selling e-bikes. In short, think primarily about what you want to do on your e-bike, where you’re most likely to ride it, and how much you want to spend.
Start pedaling, and the motor will chime in at some power, mostly dependent on what you’ve set on the handlebar control. It pretty much does that until you stop pedaling or hit a brake lever. Do recall that this bike was designed around 2008, so a lot of the more modern stuff didn’t exist. However, BionX was around, with their I2C torque sensing motors, so there’s at least some better stuff available.
All bikes purchased through City Grounds MUST be assembled by a certified bike shop mechanic. If the bike is NOT built by a certified schwinn beach cruiser bike shop mechanic, any warranty will be VOID. We will request for an assembly receipt as proof of professional installation.
Schwinn has a long and storied history of making the best bikes on the planet specifically for younger riders. That youth-first attitude is fully embraced in our e-bike offerings as well. The included kickstand is also nice because it mounts near the back wheel so it doesn’t get in the way when you need to back the bike up while the kickstand is down. Anyone who has tried to back up a bike while the pedals are locked with the kickstand will appreciate what I’m talking about. On the other hand, in the time I’ve had an e-bike, I have barely touched my poor Trek bike. E-biking is very powerful and addictive, and it has ruined traditional cycling for me, and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing.
Wrapping the front wheel is a decent enough fender, though it terminates a bit higher in the rear than I’d like for the wet Seattle winters (road spray). This is a 6-7 year old bike, and my particular example has been ridden a good bit, so it’s not in perfect condition. But I can still review it and provide some feedback on it for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to find anything recent. Or, at least, get some good detail photos of parts otherwise not covered. I really enjoyed my time with Schwinn’s Monroe 250 Single-Speed Electric Bike and was sad when it came time for Pacific Cycle — Schwinn’s parent company — to take it back. It was such a joy to ride around and truly turned me in favor of e-bikes (something I never thought possible).
The first thing you’ll notice about the Coston CE e-bike is that is built like a tank, which is both good and bad. It’s good because everything on the bike feels solid and borderline rugged. The downside is this bike feels about as heavy as a light-armored vehicle. The bike tops out at around 57 pounds, which is tank-like in the biking world. By comparison, my poor, neglected Trek bike weighs around 25 pounds.
The low power motor is matched by a low capacity battery. With just 288 Wh of capacity, the battery surprised me, and not in a good way. Sure, I’ve seen plenty of e-bikes with 288 Wh batteries before. It’s just that they’re usually on smaller, lightweight e-bikes that push the needle considerably less on the scale. Schwinn’s electric bicycle line has significantly expanded over the last couple years. When I first started riding electric Schwinns, I was largely limited to cruiser e-bikes.
You’re also not going to tuck down over the bars, ever. An interesting feature I’ve not seen before is a wheel lock. The upper horseshoe-shaped thing is a keyed wheel lock that lets you run a metal bar through the spokes. This schwinn ebike keeps the rear wheel attached, and also prevents someone from biking off with it. It’s no substitute for a chain, but in a friendly community (such as a retirement community on a lake somewhere), it’s probably good enough.
The Monroe 250 is also quite heavy at nearly 45 pounds. For comparison, my main bike — the REI Co-op Cycles CTY 2.1 — is bigger and weighs just over 30 pounds. The added weight makes the Monroe a pain to lug into my basement for storage. Fortunately, when riding, I can’t tell that it weighs more than my other bikes.
Powering this bike is a 26.6 volt 10 amp hour battery pack that uses Lithium Polymer cells. For the time period it was released, this was a pretty awesome battery and that shines true today with bikes still on the road. Lithium is known for being light weight and since this pack is also relatively small at 266 watts vs. 360 or so, it helps to keep the overall weight of the bike down. The pack has a built in handle and LED light readout for a quick estimate of remaining battery capacity. The pack locks to the frame and does require the key to be left in to a second slot in order to be used.