Schwinn Wanderlust Electric Bike Review

The Bafang Max mid-motor is efficient, extremely quiet, and capable of climbing steeper hills if…… I’m sure that keeping it in low pedal assist will still net riders the claimed maximum of 35 miles that Schwinn promises. I’m not about to pedal around in the lightest pedal assist setting all day, especially since this isn’t a high power e-bike to begin with. So if you’re using liberal throttle, keep in mind that you’re going to wind up with limited range. Ride up to 20 MPH with the 250-watt brushless geared hub drive pedal assist motor that gives you a boost while you pedal. Choose from several levels of assistance or use the throttle instead.

This is a class 1/class 2 e-bike in that it can be a pedal-assist bike up to 20 mph or you can use a dedicated throttle lever without pedaling. You will want to check your local regulations to find out what is legal in your area. Most places are fine with class 1 e-bikes, but different municipalities have different rules pertaining to class 2 and above. Of course, some of that weight is in the 288-watt battery which Schwinn adversities as being good for up to 35 miles of range. We’ll get into the range in a moment, but the rest of the bike is fairly standard fare for any bike.

Of course — this bike does a lot more than your average bike, and its weight is actually fairly low for electric bikes (plus, we’re huge wimps). Another problem was Schwinn’s failure to design and market its bicycles to specific, identifiable buyers, especially the growing number of cyclists interested in road racing or touring. Instead, most Schwinn derailleur bikes were marketed to the general leisure market, equipped with heavy “old timer” accessories such as kickstands that cycling aficionados had long since abandoned. While the Paramount still sold in limited numbers to this market, the model’s customer base began to age, changing from primarily bike racers to older, wealthier riders looking for the ultimate bicycle. Schwinn sold an impressive 1.5 million bicycles in 1974, but would pay the price for failing to keep up with new developments in bicycle technology and buying trends. The Treadwell Neo 2 improves on this by offering electric assistance without a big weight penalty.

schwinn electric bike

“The Ramblas has no true competitors for comparatively priced, trail-ready e-MTBs,” says Seplavy in her rave review. Although we dug the original Level, its update is outstanding in practically schwinn electric bike every way. A much smoother ride than its predecessor, it sports a new torque sensor that evenly distributes power, resulting in a more natural ride feel that’s easier to control and manage.

I’d like to see an ebike have a powered tail light so I don’t have to remember to test the batteries. I’m assuming with the design it’s tough to power anything on the back without a rack. The up and down are mostly for adjusting the pedal assist levels up and down. We tested the Marshall electric bike on pavement, gravel and dirt to see how Schwinn’s new models stack up against the growing number of ebike options. The front and rear lights are attached to the fenders while the bottom lights are part of the battery itself. If it’s a bright night and you just want some visibility, the bottom lights work well.

It’s capable of speeds up to 28 mph (and 20 mph using the throttle), which is more than enough power to get you where you need to be. The Aventure.2 is an excellent fat-tire e-bike for commutes, especially on snowy days and gravel pathways. Off-roading, it excels on doubletrack trails, but with this burly bike’s weight and components, it has limited functionality on singletrack and more aggressive mountain trails. Below, we’ve put together an easy-to-use guide on picking the best Schwinn e-bike for you. 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. Despite my weight and the strain it put on the motor, I found that the bike really does have a 45-mile range on a single charge.