The Schwinn Coston CE falls in the middle of its e-bike model line, offering a slight upgrade over the Schwinn Marshall but without some of the features found on the higher-end Coston DC. Schwinn has a long and storied history of making the best bikes on the planet specifically for younger riders. That youth-first attitude is fully embraced in our e-bike offerings as well. The included kickstand is also nice because it mounts near the back wheel so it doesn’t get in the way when you need to back the bike up while the kickstand is down. Anyone who has tried to back up a bike while the pedals are locked with the kickstand will appreciate what I’m talking about. Before we get into the e-bike itself, I want to take a moment to talk about e-bike ownership and what it has meant for me.
The up and down are mostly for adjusting the pedal assist levels up and down. The motor stops assisting when you hit 32 km/h (20mph) schwinn ebike with the throttle or pedalling. For most of my riding around trails and small paths in the city, the 32 km/h motor limit is plenty.
But Schwinn knows many riders want to go farther, so we developed higher capacity batteries that are super easy to install (you’ll only need a screwdriver). These additional batteries extend the riding distance up to 80 miles on both our Coston and Marshall series of bikes. I mostly used the motor in pedal-assist mode, though I will cover the throttle in the next section.
Basically, the bike turns on once you hold down the power button for a few seconds and the key is meant to release the battery for easier charging — not for ignition. I’ve put bicycles together on my own in the past and tend to be good at putting the bigger pieces together correctly like the handlebars, wheels, pedals, schwinn beach cruiser and so on. The part I have the most trouble with is the fine-tuning, which is one of the most important aspects of the set-up process. Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you.
All the options listed below are from established brands though, and we’ve checked the continued availability of these electric bike conversion kits as of April 2024 and updated this guide accordingly. Even though this electric bike offers 24 speeds (and thus has grip shifters on the left and right handle bars) the cockpit is relatively clean. The grips are comfortable, the brake levers work fine with the Tektro rim brakes and the display console and thumb throttle are easy to reach and use. There’s not a lot of choice here, you just turn the console on with a 0/1 toggle switch and either begin pedaling or push down on the giant paddle trigger. This makes the bike easy to use for just about anyone and reduces distractions when riding. If you want to know how fast you’re going you will need to add an aftermarket LCD display as seen on the bike in this review and that could cost ~$25.
Bicycle output in the United States grew to over a million units per year by the turn of the 20th century. It depends, and that’s why we’ve not quoted it for each kit listed above. Instead, we’ve included the battery size and motor power, to help you get a fair gauge of how one compares to the next.
It’s easy to switch through the 7 gears with the twist or grip shift. I had to adjust my derailleur a bit on the first ride out so all the gears hit just right but once it was adjusted it was smooth. Keep in mind that e-bikes are built for all different types of riders, from casual cruisers to high-octane adventurers. Also know that there are bikes equipped with features that are specifically designed for kids, women, and older riders.