Perhaps you’re the type of person who lives up stairs and wants to store the entire bike inside? That’s going to be easy here because of the wide open triangle and straight top tube. The bike is very well balanced and even has enough room inside the triangle for a bottle cage mount, which could also work for a folding lock, mini-pump, or other standard accessory.
When you are done, fold it up and slip it into the back of your car — no bike rack required. And oh, by the way, it is $400 less than the Schwinn Mendocino. I sold the Schwinn and ordered a Lectric XP Lite for myself yesterday. By my count, CleanTechnica has published 1,457 reviews about e-bikes. Over the past several years, the number of e-bikes on the market has exploded as people realized they could use them to get to work, or school, or the grocery store and leave their cars at home. Today there is an amazing variety of e-bikes available to fit every need.
It shows you what gear you’re in (1 is low, 8 is high), and you twist it to shift. Quick, easy, and when properly adjusted, surprisingly nice. It’s a brushless geared motor (excellent!), and supposedly rated for 180W sustained/250W peak output, though I haven’t stuck an ammeter on it to verify the power consumption (and, sadly, I lack an ebike dyno). It doesn’t seem to have been a very popular bicycle.
We can’t stress enough how critical it is to choose the right-sized bike. Well-fitted bikes provide the most comfort and can make the difference between falling in love with cycling and simply struggling through mundane rides. Below, we offer suggestions based on your height, including one bike made specifically for tall riders. By 1950, Schwinn had decided the time was right to grow the brand. At the time, most bicycle manufacturers in the United States sold in bulk to department stores, which in turn sold them as store brand models.
The only hitch I encountered was when installing the front fender. Even at the highest position, the underside of the fender rubbed on the tire, and this was before I pumped the tire up to the recommended pressure. Upgrading to a larger capacity battery will allow you cover greater distances and/or ride for a longer period before needing to recharge. Without knobby tires, the Marshall isn’t going too far into mud or snow, but it is great for easier trails and dirt roads. My testing has been done on gravel roads and wet, muddy trails at around 5° C with a bit of snow on the ground. There’s a port in the side of the frame where you can charge it without removing, or you can use the keys to pull out battery and charge separately.
The fully assembled bike appeared larger than the display photo had led me to expect. In fact, I briefly wondered if I’d mistakenly been sent the L/XL size instead of the S/M. But once in the saddle, I found the fit to be correct. I am 5’7″ and the bike fit me fine with the seat post in the lowest position, so it’s likely schwinn beach cruiser riders slightly taller could also use this size. I had my 5’3″ daughter try the bike, and she found it too tall for her. Perhaps Schwinn can help drive to jump this next market ‘chasm’ with these sorts of price points, and some decent features delivered to justify even $1200.