Despite my desire to only bike for exercise, I do admit I get lazy sometimes. 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. I didn’t have a chance to precisely time how long the battery takes to charge from empty but it recharged completely overnight or during a full workday. There are five speeds you can adjust via the bike’s thumb pad controller located on the left handle.
I think I would prefer something a little more concrete like a numeric display, especially given the range anxiety you can get while riding this bike, but again, some indicator is better than none. What makes me excited about the bike is the possibilities that it opens up, but like a lot of aspects of this bike, it’s something of a double-edged sword. Electric bikes are a ton of fun and I’ve had a great time this summer riding them. As an avid cyclist who commuted to and from the train for years in the past, I see e-bikes as a very reasonable step forward in commuting. Either way, all you need to do is to connect the battery to a standard household outlet with the included charger. Electric bikes put extra power behind every pedal so you can ride farther, take on bigger hills, and enjoy cycling more than ever before.
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 motion of the pedal is necessary to engage the motor in pedal-assist mode, but I rarely felt like I was assisting the motor except on the steepest hills and that was only when I was in the highest gear.
Today there is an amazing variety of e-bikes available to fit every need. There are electric cruiser bikes, cargo bikes, mountain bikes, and fat tire bikes for riding on sand or snow. The frame-mounted GO power pack fits anywhere on your frame via a set of velcro straps, has just a single cable to plug in, and provides up to 378Wh of battery capacity ( GO++ upgrade version, miles range). 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 and my lifestyle, though there are models from other brands with 500 watts should you need even more. Then cruising city streets the higher pedal assist and gears help you get up to the 20mph pedal assist limit.
There was a certain comfort level right from the start about dealing with a brand I knew and trusted. Many people have complained about the slow response time in the reviews, and I believe the company needs to improve its customer support procedures and responsiveness. You can re-position the velcro straps anywhere on the power pack, allowing it to fit to a wide variety of bicycle types. Upgrade to our LED or OLED display to view battery level, unlock settings, and up to 5 power levels. I really enjoyed my time with Schwinn’s Monroe 250 Single-Speed Electric Bike and was sad when it came time for Pacific Cycle — Schwinn’s parent company — to take it back. It was such a joy to ride around and truly turned me in favor of e-bikes (something I never thought possible).
The best electric bikes tend to be mid-drive because this delivers the most natural ride feel, and the same is true of conversion kits. The weight sits low in the frame and the power gets applied to the crank for a schwinn beach cruiser more natural power delivery sensation. The only downside is pricing and packaging, plus it can be complex to set up yourself. Different standards make it challenging to figure out exactly what you need, as well.
To be fair, not many competing e-bikes tend to come with these extras anyway, so with its comparatively low price, you’ll have extra money to pick out the accessories you want. For schwinn dealers comparison, my main bike — the REI Co-op Cycles CTY 2.1 — is bigger and weighs just over 30 pounds. The added weight makes the Monroe a pain to lug into my basement for storage.
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. As with anything, consideration of the end-use during design and build can have advantages. A quality electric bike conversion kit might end up being very close to the price of a complete electric bike. If a company starts with a clean slate and designs an electric bike, it’s easier to keep costs low and integration high. Really consider why you are thinking about converting your bike and whether it makes sense compared to what’s on the market.