A nice addition might have been estimated remaining mileage, speedometer, etc, but perhaps Schwinn will consider those options on later models. Go up to 45 miles on a single charge, depending on conditions with the 313-watt hour rack mounted battery. Recharge schwinn ebike in 4 hours with a standard household outlet and included charging cable. After a basic tutorial of how the bike works (I’d read the material online in the past), they suggested going around the block or across the street to Piedmont Park for a test drive.
Mechanical disc brakes help provide plenty of stopping power, whereas one of the standout features is the rear rack which has a 55lb. The Schwinn Monroe 250 gets its 250 moniker from how many watts the hub drive puts out. This power level proved more than enough for me schwinn beach cruiser and my lifestyle, though there are models from other brands with 500 watts should you need even more. And at the end of the day, we’re talking about an affordable cruiser, so I didn’t expect to find high-end shifters, hydraulic disc brakes, or suspension on the bike.
The alloy frame features a coil sprung suspension fork to smooth out bumps in the road or trail. Nothing feels cheap, plastic-y, or vulnerable to quick failure. You also get two different frame sizes to choose from, which is a big upgrade over the single one-size-fits-all frames that many e-bike companies still offer. With just 288 Wh of capacity, the battery surprised me, and not in a good way. Sure, I’ve seen plenty of e-bikes with 288 Wh batteries before.
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. 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.
To sum up, many of the Schwinn electric bikes include accessories and features that are worth hundreds of dollars, and the Mendocino electric cruiser bike is quite a rare find. For comfortable and affordable e-bikes, go with one of the four Schwinn electric bikes. Instead of a front suspension, the Coston DX has a 27.5” Alloy rigid fork, creating a stiffer ride but with better speed and power transfer. Components are MicroShift 7-speed shifters, KMC chain, and JAK 7 mechanical disc brakes with 160mm front and rear rotors. The frame is the same 6061 aluminum with internal cable routing.