This helps keep the battery dry if you get caught out in the rain. Overall, I think Schwinn needs to better balance its approach when it comes to the motor and how hard it pushes, especially when it has a full charge. So, if you commute, or you frequently run errands, an e-bike can save you a lot of gas, and get you outside more. So now that we’ve waxed philosophic about e-bikes, let’s get to the Coston CE. 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.
The 700c Men’s Monroe 350 urban electric bike has a 350-watt hub-drive motor with a thumbpad controller on the handlebar. With an LED display showing battery life and assistance level, you can use the thumbpad to completely control your ride. There are five different levels of pedal-assist for you to choose from, which offer e-assistance up to 20 miles per hour. Simple and efficient pavement riding awaits you on this sleek urban e-bike. Schwinn has designed a strong line-up of affordable sporty electric hybrids that are perfect for commuting, light off-road trails, and errand-running, all on a comfortable ride.
It was a medium sized frame and I am ~5’9″ tall weighing about 135 lbs. In order to get some up-close motor shots, I mounted one of my cameras to the frame. Aside from the higher capacity battery and more powerful motor, the bikes were very similar and both priced affordably, but not as cheap as off-brand products. All that, plus the six-pound Toshiba battery housed behind the seat, makes the bike quite heavy, and, in some ways, a bit clunky feeling to move around when you’re not riding it.
Still, it would be a good help for getting home if a rider became exhausted. The battery pack has a charge indicator, useful when the pack is removed from the bike. schwinn dealers A lock in the side of the battery pack turns the power on and off. A separate charger is included that can be plugged into any conventional AC wall outlet.
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 household bicycle name is making a big move on the wider e-bike market. When it comes to buying things in the 21st century, we seem to have an embarrassment of riches.
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… That said, the ride is extremely smooth and comfortable (likely helped by that excess weight), and it’s obvious by the design that the bike has an eye on schwinn beach cruiser casual cruising — and it definitely delivers that. The Schwinn Tailwind uses a Shimano eight-speed gearset in the rear hub, its limited gear ratio making the bike mostly suitable for flat areas. Cantilever brakes grab the rims for stopping power, although with the price of this bike, we would expect disc brakes. Front and rear lights that run off a traditional tire-contact generator are included.
Finally, the position of the plug connector for the battery pack means it can only be recharged when taken off the bike. It would be more convenient if it could be left in position on the bike and plugged in. 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.
With every Schwinn electric bike, there is the option of using pedal-assist or throttle. The gear shift for the rear hub is integrated with the right handlebar grip. The control unit is easy to use, with thumb buttons to activate the electrical system and change the amount of assistance from the electric motor.
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. It’s all matched and tough looking, and perhaps that will help it blend in at the rack so people don’t mess with it or even notice that it’s something different (especially if you take the battery pack off). The one thing I was conflicted about was how bright the blue LED lights were on this display. For this review and the Monroe 250, I was able to borrow demo bikes from the Schwinn team at the Electric Bike Expo in Philadelphia.
Regardless, the battery seemed to be securely locked into its rack, so it’s probably not an actual concern, and probably just more mounting evidence of our insane paranoia. On a subsequent test climb, I experimented with the throttle while not pedaling at all. The throttle kept the bike moving, but as I neared the summit, the speed became so slow that I would have fallen over had I not started pedaling.