If their goal was a lot of media coverage for them and, more importantly, Toshiba, they succeeded. But if their goal was to build a good bike, I think they failed. Even though I don’t like it, it’s got a major redeeming factor. If you need to bring the pack inside to charge, you’ll love this setup. It slides right out, and has a nice handle to carry it. The bars being swept are a big cause of this, but the end result is that you do feel like an 80 year old man.
It comes with all the necessary bells and whistles a commuter is going to want, including the bell (actually a superior and very loud electronic horn). The bike is available in schwinn mountain bicycles both step-over and step through, and in a few color options, too. This smash hit of an e-bike is freaky fast, ferociously fun, and fully functional as an electric vehicle.
The frame for the Schwinn Tailwind’s electric gear is built for urban and suburban riding. The aluminum frame, along with the upward curved handlebars, creates an upright sitting position. Turning takes a little bit to get used to as it is a little more top-heavy than a regular bike with the battery. After a few minutes it’s just like riding a normal bike. The up and down are mostly for adjusting the pedal assist levels up and down. First-time electric bike buyers have a number of great options at Schwinn, especially at the relatively low price tags.
When I first started riding electric Schwinns, I was largely limited to cruiser e-bikes. But with several new commuter-specific e-bikes like the Schwinn Coston CE that I recently tested, this mongoose bmx household bicycle name is making a big move on the wider e-bike market. Battery range and top speed can vary depending on rider height and weight, and riding conditions like hills or wind.
And when it comes to serious hills, the Coston gets left far behind other e-bikes. The Aventon Soltera.2 is the successor to our previous top pick among the best budget electric bikes. This modestly priced model costs less than $1,500, yet sacrifices very little in the name of economy. In our tests, we found it very comfortable to ride, and it looks great, too.
With a top speed of 20mph and the choice of pedal-assist or throttle power modes, you will have plenty of choices when it comes to unleashing the power of the motor. The MicroShift components offer great value at this price point, as does the KMC chain and 42T crank. These bikes are best on pavement, and offer a super comfortable ride and totally upright position, making them ideal for older riders or those with limited mobility. These frames also feature a step-through design which makes it super easy to get onto or off of the saddle.
Throw some bags on the rear, and you’ve got a great little flatland bike for grocery runs or potting around your retirement community. There are a lot of good ideas on this bike, but it still feels more like a bike designed by a committee that was told, “Build an electric bike so we can get some great press! ” than a group that actually understood electric bikes, or even had a real mission for this bike. It’s a heavy city cruiser with a little bit of power bolted on, driven by a battery pack that makes no sense except as a way to gather press for a particular type of battery. It got a lot of positive press for Schwinn and Toshiba, but it’s not a very good electric bike. Even when it came out, the 350W BionX packs were setting a standard, and this bike missed it – badly.