The upper horseshoe-shaped thing is a keyed wheel lock that lets you run a metal bar through the spokes. This 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 bike was provided by Schwinn for the purposes of the review. This feature, attractive to older riders, soon found its way to other Schwinn models, especially those intended for senior citizens. Another consideration to keep in mind when choosing an e-bike (or any bike for that matter) is your height. Schwinn has electric bikes that fit riders from 4’8″ all the way up to those who are 6’4″.
Do be careful of the wire brake line, which is run along the base of the top tube, because it could get snagged or rub into the frame and scratch it over time. Many of the other schwinn electric bike wires, for the electric assist and control systems, are internally routed through the frame. This design choice makes the bike look nice and provides good protection.
The battery has to be on before turning the bike on which got me the first time I tried. A small, easy to use console is on the left side of the handlebar. It’s got 3 buttons, up down and a power/enter button in the middle. A 7-speed transmission from Microshift also adds to the commuter street-cred, giving those in hilly areas the ability to run through the gears on hills. 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 left bar, there’s the controller for the motor. It has a basic on/off toggle, a battery level indicator, and a power mode button that toggles between low, medium, and high. You can easily switch between power modes, and this is the closest thing to a throttle the bike has. A lightweight, very affordable, name-brand electric bicycle available in three frame sizes for improved fit, purpose-built frame with color matched saddle, grips, and deep dish rims. Efficient 250 watt Bafang hub motor feels smooth and responds quickly to a 12-magnet cadence…… In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the Paramount series.
Easily adapt to your terrain – hills, flat areas, and everything in between – with just a twist. Without knobby tires, the Marshall isn’t going too far into mud or snow, but it is great for easier trails and dirt roads. My testing has been done on gravel roads and wet, muddy trails at around 5° C with a bit of snow on the ground. There’s a port in the side of the frame where you can charge it without removing, or you can use the keys to pull out battery and charge separately. It may not compete head to head with many of the direct-to-consumer companies, but it represents a big jump for Schwinn’s e-bike line and may just fit the right commuter looking for an e-bike with these features.
The motor driving this bike offers 180 watts nominal power and up to 250 watts peak. It’s a planetary geared design by Protanium and it offers good torque while keeping weight down. The motor is quiet during operation and blends in with the rest of the bike. One downside to a front mounted hub motor is that it increases the steering weight and changes the ride quality a little bit but the impact is minimized here due to the smaller size of the motor. I did notice some speed wobbles at higher speeds when riding with no-hands (be careful not to let this get out of control or you may crash).
Even when it came out, the 350W BionX packs were setting a standard, and this bike missed it – badly. There are four or five pieces of plastic that clip together to seal this thing up very well. Road or trail grit will stay out, and chain oil will stay in. They can do this because all the shifting is done in the rear hub – schwinn electric bike so it’s a straight, simple chainline with nothing other than two sprockets and a chain. I really, really like this feature – I can ride it in long pants and not get dirty, and if I take it on a dusty trail, the chain will stay clean and grit-free. This is awesome, and I’d love to see more bikes doing something like this.