With a top speed of 20mph and the choice of pedal-assist or throttle power modes, you will have plenty of choices when it comes to unleashing the power of the motor. The MicroShift components offer great value at this price point, as does the KMC chain and 42T crank. Overall, given the schwinn dealers fundamental shift I have seen in my personal bike riding habits this past summer, I very much enjoy having an e-bike. The Coston e-bike is a good example of that in a much more approachable price range than some others. The LED controls are nice, but also missing some functionality.
The shifter is on the right handlebar opposite the LED display for the motor on the left. The frame used is a lightweight aluminum 6061 with upright geometry and a low step-through top tube. This design along with shock-absorbent tires and mechanical disc brakes make the Mendocino a very comfortable and controlled ride. $3,200 isn’t cheap by any means, though it would be, over time, an extremely economical purchase when compared to fueling and car costs. Anyone with a small apartment will be hard pressed to find a place to keep the Tailwind, and it’s not a likely candidate for one of those wall-hung bike racks, either. Additionally, the weight of the bike makes it pretty inconvenient to carry up and down stairs on a regular basis.
Schwinn has been a large name within the bike industry for over a decade. Generally producing mountain bikes for all shapes and sizes. The Sidewinder is Schwinn’s take on an electric mountain bike. The Schwinn electric bike scored a 33 on our Tower ebike score. Lets get into the review and find what areas the bike struggled in.
The bike offers a seven-speed gear range, with a derailleur 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. Of course, I wanted to try the assist, and when I did, I found that I never needed more than level 1 to roll at a comfortable trail speed. But it being a midweek day, I had the trail mostly to myself and was able to test all the assist levels — learning that the bike could indeed do the advertised maximum assist speed of 20 mph. The electronics on this bike include a 250W brushless hub drive motor and a 313Wh battery.
The downside is this bike feels about as heavy as a light-armored vehicle. The bike tops out at around 57 pounds, schwinn beach cruiser which is tank-like in the biking world. By comparison, my poor, neglected Trek bike weighs around 25 pounds.
We’re not saying it’s without effort, but it’s a greatly reduced effort. Uphill, however, we definitely expended a significantly higher amount of energy with our toothpick-like legs. On flat roads, shifting gears will allow you to put more or less effort into your ride as you please, allowing for a lot of levity in the experience. We didn’t clock our speeds, but the bike can supposedly top about 15 miles per hour on flat ground with the pedal-assist on, and that sounds about right to us. The Coston CE’s battery is a bit smaller, whereas the 250W motor is just as powerful as the other Schwinn e-bikes. For that ride, just getting the feel of the bike, I headed for a local paved rail-trail.
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. When Schwinn contacted me about reviewing one of the bikes, I chose the Coston DX in the step-thru version, which makes for easy mounting. It also has upgraded fenders, a rear rack and a unique storage saddle that opens like a clamshell with the hinge in the nose and has room for your wallet, phone, energy bars or a multi-tool. All three models have headlights, taillights and integrated downtube lights for full visibility.
As reviewed, the bike didn’t have much in the way of storage, but other models have a rear rack and even storage in the seat. Speaking of the seat, it’s not the most comfortable I’ve ridden on, but that’s easy enough to replace with a third-party seat if you like. The Schwinn Coston CE is very much a commuter electric bike, but it’s not one of those thin-wheeled messenger e-bikes. We have a video that details electric bike assembly and with a few basic tools you’ll be out and about in a matter of minutes.