The first half was mainly uphill and the bikes performed magnificently. The last 7 miles turned into an obscure, unmaintained dirt/gravel downhill road covered in sticks, pinecones, sharp rocks, and other precarious tire-popping rubbish (along with a wild turkey I almost ran over). Somehow, we made it the whole 16 miles without a flat and with our brains intact. Not wanting to give up my precious gym time, I bought two electric pedal-assist bikes. I chose the Kent Electric Mountain Bike 27.5” from Walmart for a couple of reasons.
The Kent Electric Cruiser is a very pretty bike, with the removable Samsung lithium-ion battery integrated into the frame. Given the fire-engine red color scheme, 26-inch whitewall tires, and swooping handlebars, I felt like a fatter, hairier Pee Wee Herman pedaling around my city. If you’re looking for an inexpensive ebike for casual weekend rides, the Kent Electric Cruiser demands consideration. The price means that it lacks some of the advanced features of many electric models, and even more basic ones like quick release, but it looks great and rides well.
It can help your kids ride even longer, extending that family Sunday ride even further than 15 miles (25 km). While the battery seems to last for a while on low power mode, high mode drains kent electric bike it quicker. I asked Kent Bicycles about the possibility of buying spare batteries to swap in and make for a longer ride, and they’re looking into offering them on their website.
In all communication, please include the bike/scooter 7-digit license plate number and issue or reason for relocation. To see how much fun the Kent Torpedo e-bike is, check out my video review below! Then keep reading for my complete thoughts and testing (yes, I rode it too!). While the Electric Cruiser was lighter than most e-bikes I’ve tested over the years, I would still hate to have to haul it upstairs or lift it onto a car rack. I contacted Kent’s customer service about a different issue and an actual human being answered the phone after just a couple of rings. I’m confident if a customer had an issue, they’d quickly try to resolve it.
Without the battery, the Kent Torpedo is easy enough to pedal, though it will definitely feel a bit heavier than a typical kid’s bike. The geared motor doesn’t provide any extra resistance other than adding a couple pounds of needless weight. There’s also a 6-speed shifter that makes it easier for kids to climb hills in the proper gear, even without electric power. If the battery does die on a ride, the shifter definitely makes it more manageable to pedal. While nearly all the best electric bikes I’ve ridden or reviewed over the years have been aimed at commuters or enthusiasts, research shows that older Americans are the most frequent purchasers of motorized bicycles. Most of these buyers probably haven’t ridden a bicycle in decades and are looking for a cheap and non-intimidating way to get back on the bike.
Mid-drive motors, unlike hub motors, actually power the bike through the standard gears on a bicycle. Hub motors, on the other hand, are single-speed drivetrains that bypass the gears and chain altogether, allowing them to be controlled quite simply as there are no gears to worry about. This kent bayside cruiser is a gross oversimplification, but you can kind of think about it like automatic versus manual transmission cars, at least in terms of simplicity and ease of learning or use for the driver. Then one day, a fellow mountain biker asked if I wanted to ride his bike around the parking lot.
“There must be millions of these vapes around, it’s just incredible,” Mark said. Excellent post, Kent, and thank you for sharing.I have a mid drive on my upright and am thing of fitting one to my Bacchetta ‘bent.I hope you are planning a post on your solar charging system. Students and community members around Kent’s campus will have a new way to get around starting March 7. Second, at $500 and with free shipping, these bikes are about half the price of every other similar brand. Reviews often mentioned bad batteries, broken bike parts, or other annoying setbacks. Because of this, having a 90-day return policy was extremely important for peace of mind.