Oh, and it has hydraulic brakes, a custom stem for quick adjusting and folding for storing in compact paces, pre-slimed 20″ x 3″ tires, lights, fenders, and wheel guards all included. This fat bike takes the idea of a an all-terrain e-bike and bolts on a turbo unit. The QuietKat Apex is the company’s top-shelf all-terrain e-bike, featuring a Bafang mid-drive motor for a more responsive ride and better performance on hills. This e-bike has the power necessary to take riders into the backcountry and the range to bring them back out.
Front and rear lights that run off a traditional tire-contact generator are included. The bike also has a caliper lock for the rear wheel. All three of the new Schwinn ebike models have step-thru and standover versions, 20mph speed limit and 250-watt brushless geared hub drive motor.
Second, when you brake, same thing — the juice cuts off. These things do take some getting used to, but with repeated tests became expected, second nature behaviors of the bike. The battery, which cannot be plugged in or charged while attached to the bike, is advertised as lasting up to 30 miles per charge. Then again — the bike is still a functioning piece of equipment once the battery is dead, so maybe we should all stop being so lazy. At the very top of the Schwinn electric bike range is the Coston DX.
On the downhills, I went to 0 assist and flew down, hitting 36 mph on one of them. In each case I pedaled unassisted part way up the next climb, moving to a numbered assist level only when gravity began to bite. But getting on our step-thru frame electric bike is very gentle and elegant. Even with the step-thru structure, the overall structure is still very solid. The motor is also very powerful, so don’t worry that such an elegant electric bike won’t give you the power you want. Oh, are you going pick up some groceries or go to a friend’s house and pick something up?
Falling somewhere in the upper part of “in-between” is the Priority Current. At a few hundred bucks upward of $3,000, it’s certainly not spendthrift but it’s also not among the more unattainably priced ebikes. I mostly used the motor in pedal-assist mode, though I will cover the throttle in the next section. The motor on this bike is very aggressive in that is starts up quickly with even the slightest movement of the pedal, and it goes hard. When riding with level 5 assistance my pedals were free-spinning most of the time even on the highest gear. The bulk of electric bikes cost anywhere from $1,500 to around $2,500, and there are hundreds of models in this price range.
For that ride, just getting the feel of the bike, I headed for a local paved rail-trail. The bike offers a seven-speed gear range, with a derailleur mongoose bmx and double-trigger shifter from Microshift. The rear hub motor offers assist levels of 0-5, with 0 being no assist and 5 being the maximum assist.
It’s not super fast or overly nimble, but it romps around like no other and feels like it won’t let you down. All these small things add up into an e-bike that feels much more expensive than it is. It rides stable and inspires confidence in rougher terrain, and did we mention it’s really quick? Electric Bike Report has schwinn electric bike reviewed both the standard Aventure and the Aventure Step-Through and both put up some of the quickest times we’ve recorded on our test hill and our test circuit. As with every list of best e-bikes, ours has some nuance as to why a specific bike was picked — ranging from value and componentry to overall ride feel.
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. Graphics on the control unit illustrate going up hill, riding on a flat surface, or going downhill. Red LEDs show which mode you have selected and indicate how much charge the battery has left. The Mokwheel Basalt may not look all that unusual at first glance. It features a 750W brushless hub motor that can turn 90Nm of torque, making it suitable to riding steep hills, whether paved or not.
Not only did it test well, but it’s likely going to set forth a new standard in a couple of departments. Well, say hello to a top-notch Class 3 commuter that will keep pace with mongoose bmx traffic without breaking the bank. You’ll find 18 exceptional, award-winning bikes rigorously vetted by our editorial team. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review.