Even while pedaling and in the highest level of assist, the bike barely had enough torque to push me up the hill. At one point, I smelled burning plastic when it hit me that the smell came from the motor, which was burning hot from overuse. Users who answer the entirety of SPIN’s safety quiz correctly can also receive a $5 credit, as well as the chance to order a free helmet. SPIN will be hosting tabling events and safety events where students can earn riding credit and helmets.
This is a purely recreational bike for parents to keep up with their sugar-fueled kids on neighborhood rides or for couples getting a little exercise on their local rail trails. If that’s what you’re looking for, the Kent Electric Cruiser will make both you and your wallet happy. While nearly all the best electric bikes I’ve ridden or reviewed over the years have been kent hybrid bike 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. Retailing for under $700 (around £515/AU$970), the Kent Electric Cruiser was created for them.
Cheaper mid-drive electric bikes tend to opt for Chinese-made mid-drive motors like those from Bafang, Truckrun, Tongsheng, and others. In the case of Kent’s mid-drive electric bike, seen above, it’s not clear exactly which 250W motor is used. Nicer (i.e., more expensive) e-bikes tend to use fancier mid-drive motors like those made by Brose, Bosch, Yamaha, and other major German or Japanese manufacturers.
Sissinghurst is a brilliant place to visit – the house, gardens and estate are beautiful and well presented. With the electric bikes, it makes for a really great day trip from London (1hr on the train from Charing Cross and 45mins on the bike to Sissinghurst). With a price of $1,498, Kent’s mid-drive e-bike certainly isn’t competing with the several thousand dollar models that use German mid-drive motors, and so it likely opts for a Chinese motor. That isn’t a bad thing, as many riders (including myself) have been very happy with lower-cost mid-drive motors.
It was an e-bike, an electric pedal-assist MTB with a motor that engages when an internal sensor encounters a hill. And yes, the Lectric XPremium is probably the best game in time now when it comes to mid-drives at affordable prices. For just a bit more at $1,799, the dual batteries, significantly higher power/speed, hydraulic disc brakes, and a pile of other features blow this Kent bike away. But Lectric’s model is also a folding fat tire e-bike and won’t fulfill the trail bike role that Kent’s offering here claims to satisfy. Walmart has long offered an interesting array of low-cost electric bicycles.