The Coston e-bike is a good example of that in a much more approachable price range than some others. But a lot of the nicer features also have drawbacks. The bike is powerful but also discharges very quickly.
I understand that I’m a big guy, and I’m also about 50 pounds over the maximum advertised weight for this bike. I was probably never going to get 35 miles out of this or any other bike. That being said, I also didn’t get much extra range beyond miles, even after I set the pedal-assist at level 3. In the past, the range you got depended on how much work you were willing to put into it. On my older e-bike (also a Schwinn) I get about the same 20 miles of range at level 5, but I also get closer to 40 miles at level 3. 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.
It comes with dual-function pedals that have cages on one side and SPD clips on the other, so you can choose the footwear that’s best for you, plus they come with SPD cleats. The front stabilizer has integrated transport wheels that make moving this heavy bike easy. All feet have independent levelers to help stabilize the bike on uneven surfaces. An adjustment knob below the handlebar controls resistance, and there are 100 micro-adjustable levels of smooth, quiet magnetic resistance. In 1938, Frank W. Schwinn officially introduced the Paramount series. Developed from experiences gained in racing, Schwinn established Paramount as their answer to high-end, professional competition bicycles.
The Paramount used high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel alloy tubing and expensive brass lug-brazed construction. Class 2Class 2 e-bikes (the majority of e-bikes on the market today) have a throttle that can propel the bike to that top 20 mph speed without any pedal assist from the rider. The bike can accelerate to 20 mph without the rider having to pedal. And like Class 1, these bikes are allowed wherever bikes are permitted.We should add that not all Class 2 e-bikes will get you all the way to 20 mph.
With 2.6″ tires, you’ve got a lot of air and rubber under you to tackle schwinn dealers more than just well-manicured bicycle lanes. Hitting curbs or potholes will be smoother than most pure commuter bikes, especially considering the inclusion of the front suspension fork and suspension seat post. Putting your bike together is actually pretty easy. 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.
But there’s another class of EV that might have slipped below your radar, but which has transformed my summer in very unexpected ways. Of course, if you read the headline, you know I’m talking about electric bikes, and I’ve had the opportunity to test out Schwinn’s Coston CE electric bike for the past three weeks (and an older model before that). The bike was provided by Schwinn for the purposes of the review. 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).
This versatility gives the IC4/C6 a leg up on the competition in this metric. By the mid-1970s, competition from lightweight and feature-rich imported bikes was making strong inroads in the budget-priced and beginners’ market. This feature, attractive to older riders, soon found its way to other Schwinn models, especially those intended for senior citizens. You might see the occasional “e-bike” (and we use the term loosely here) blowing through city traffic at speeds of 30 or 40 mph or more.
The Schwinn Mendocino electric cruiser bike looked like exactly what I wanted. With creaky hips, I prefer a step through model and the website showed it in bright blue, which meant it would be a great replacement for my current ride. So I ordered it, only to find that blue was not available. I had already decided I wanted one, so I said I would take the gray one.
The Paramount series had limited production numbers, making vintage examples quite rare today. Other road bikes were introduced by Schwinn in the early and mid 1960s, such as the Superior, Sierra, and Super Continental, but these were only produced for a few years. The Varsity and Continental sold in large numbers through the 1960s and early 1970s, becoming Scwhinn’s leading models. The wheel rims were likewise robust, chromed, stamped steel with a unique profile designed to hold the tire bead securely, even if pressure were low or lost.