Schwinn Tailwind e-bike first take

It doesn’t seem to have been a very popular bicycle. As is often the case for expensive, weird, new things that don’t have a well defined use case, within a few short years, the bikes were being closed out for under $1000. They were down to $700 in 2013, and can now be found for $350 with bad batteries on eBay.

There is a battery life indicator on the left handlebar, and the Shimano Revo-shift lever — which controls what gear you’re in — on the right. Riding this Schwinn without the pedal assistance on is, as you’d expect, just like riding any other bike… The throttle helps on flat ground or very small hills.

But if their goal was to build a good bike, I think they failed. If you live anywhere with hills, though, forget it. Even though I don’t like it, it’s got a major redeeming factor. The front fork is an adequate SR Suntour Nex 4610 with adjustable preload and suspension lockout. Why you need suspension lockout on this bike is actually quite beyond me. I’m just going to start at the front of the bike and work back.

This item is offered by one of our Exchange Plus partners – a trusted, third-party company that ships directly to you when you order on ShopMyExchange.com. The Exchange sells and handles payments for this item, and you can track the status on your Exchange order details page. The rear wheel can be easily removed for transport or storage. On-board computer with speed and distance displayed. Based on the distance required to stop from the bike’s top speed.

The pictures you are seeing on the product page are the pictures of the bike you will receive if you purchase it. At Upway we truly believe in transparency and trust, so we decided to take the time to have at least 6 pictures of each bike we have in stock so that you know exactly what you are buying. If you have any questions or if you want more pictures, don’t hesitate to reach out at  or via our chat. Your sales taxes will be calculated at check-out and vary per state. Meanwhile it is possible that you don’t see any sales taxes applied to your purchase. Indeed, Upway being a brand new business in the US, we are required to charge sales taxes only as from a determined level of revenue collected per state.

All it takes is careful consideration of a few questions and then a bit of a deeper dive to explore what options and features you want most on your electric-powered ride. That means the motor is located on the rear hub and works by spinning the back wheel. This creates the feeling of being pushed – it’s that extra boost of energy e-bikes are famous for. Battery range and top speed can vary depending on rider height and weight, and riding conditions like hills or wind. The Monroe 250 is also quite heavy at nearly 45 pounds.

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. After charging up the battery, sliding it into the rack system at the back of the bike (which could not be simpler), and locking it into place, you’re ready to go. The bike comes with a key which both locks the battery in place and enables the bike to be turned on.

Once the electric’s on, there are three modes of assistance to choose from on that left control panel — flat, downhill, and hill climbing. On flat riding roads, where we did most of our testing, the assistance creates an experience where, though you still need to pedal, you can definitely feel a substantial amount of help from the motor. We’re not saying it’s without effort, but it’s a greatly reduced effort. Uphill, however, we definitely expended a significantly higher amount of energy with our toothpick-like legs. On flat roads, shifting gears will allow you to put more or less effort into your ride as you please, allowing for a lot of levity in the experience.

This chart resembles the five square LED lights on the top of the battery pack. So, the display itself is encased in black plastic and has sealed buttons built in that seem well protected from water and dust. It does leave something to be desired when you have experienced fancier ebike products, mongoose bmx but it definitely gets the job done. You won’t see your speed, average speed, trip time, odometer, trip meter, range estimate, or any other fancy stats… just your power level and battery level. The one thing I was conflicted about was how bright the blue LED lights were on this display.

The Coston DX does have a flat-out great lighting system, with a bright headlight, taillight, and running light beneath the central frame that provides solid surrounding visibility. It also has a hidden pocket in the seat, schwinn electric bike which is a pretty neat way to store your phone, keys, and other small items. Putting the Marshall together takes about 30 minutes and isn’t difficult. It might take you a bit longer if you aren’t familiar with ebikes.