But to be honest, I see this kids e-bike as a great thing. The V-brakes similarly aren’t incredibly high quality, but then again, they work just fine. This is a $498 kids e-bike after all – not a $17,000 S-Works for lycra-clad dads.
Mid-drive motors, unlike hub motors, actually power the bike through the standard gears on a bicycle. E-bikes have become the favorite transportation method of hunters these days. The reason is that e-bikes have a lot to offer as benefits.
At this price point, you’re going to have to deal with some compromises. I wish the bike came standard with thru-axles or quick-release skewers for the wheels. If I ever got a flat on the road, it’s going to be that much more difficult to change the tire.
A group of us would carpool out to a lake trail, then ride with reckless abandon, flying over the handlebars multiple times each trip. One of the biggest benefits for adults is that electric bicycles can help make rides longer by not exhausting the rider so quickly. When the family goes out for a ride together, kids can’t always keep up with their stronger parents. But if the kids have small helper motors, a longer ride is definitely in the cards. Although mode in low power appears to last longer, high power mode consumes the battery faster.
The geared motor doesn’t provide any extra resistance other than adding a couple pounds of needless weight. There’s also a 6-speed shifter that makes it easier for kids to climb hills in the proper gear, even without electric power. If the battery does die on a ride, the shifter definitely makes it more manageable to pedal. E-bikes for kids are sized in kent hybrid bike accordance with wheel size, just like traditional kids’ bikes. Consequently, your youngster will probably fit on a 24′′ kids’ electric bike if they are currently riding a 24′′ bicycle. As all motorcycles, it’s crucial to consider the minimum and maximum seat heights because, depending on the brand, they can differ significantly within a wheel size.
I’m confident if a customer had an issue, they’d quickly try to resolve it. To turn on the bike, you need to first hit a button underneath the battery, then another on the LED display. The battery’s on button isn’t in a highly visible place but is slightly raised so you kent hybrid bike can find it by touch. To combat some of the weight issues and to beef up the ruggedness of my bike, I added higher-end front forks and installed new “run flat” tubes. The bike is available in four different colors and is priced at $498 with free shipping in the US.
Everything was going great until I encountered a 11%, 6-degree incline. Even while pedaling and in the highest level of assist, the bike barely had enough torque to push me up the hill. At one point, I smelled burning plastic when it hit me that the smell came from the motor, which was burning hot from overuse. When I sold the CrossFit gym and moved to Gainesville, Georgia, I lost all of my MTB-riding friends, so my bike went into storage.
For just a bit more at $1,799, the dual batteries, significantly higher power/speed, hydraulic disc brakes, and a pile of other features blow this Kent bike away. But Lectric’s model is also a folding fat tire e-bike and won’t fulfill the trail bike role that Kent’s offering here claims to satisfy. Walmart has long offered an interesting array of low-cost electric bicycles. Some of the bikes have even dipped down into ultra-budget territory with prices below $400.