The motor assist on this bike is purely pedal assist, though it’s more fair to call it “pedals are moving, motor is on” – since that what it seems to be. Start pedaling, and the motor will chime in at some power, mostly dependent on what you’ve set on the handlebar control. It pretty much does that until you stop pedaling or hit a brake lever. Do recall that this bike was designed around 2008, so a lot of the more modern stuff didn’t exist. However, BionX was around, with their I2C torque sensing motors, so there’s at least some better stuff available. The Tailwind was announced in late 2008, and came out in early 2009, retailing for a rather high (at the time) price of $3,199.
I suspect this is designed to reduce battery drain when idle, but it doesn’t really work. There’s not a great spot for the wheel lock key, though you can sort of wedge it into the frame if you try. After leaving the cemetery, I pedaled a county road that unrolls over five hilltops with valleys in between. On the downhills, I went to 0 assist and flew down, hitting 36 mph on one of them. In each case I pedaled unassisted part way up the next climb, moving to a numbered assist level only when gravity began to bite.
The Coston e-bike is controlled with a handlebar-mounted LED panel with three buttons on the side. The panel displays your speed and power level, plus you can cycle through other functions like an odometer, tripometer, and other stats like average speed, max speed, and total ride time. Of course, the premier feature of this e-bike is the “e” part.
This is a 6-7 year old bike, and my particular example has been ridden a good bit, so it’s not in perfect condition. But I can still review it and provide some feedback on it for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to find anything recent. Or, at least, get some good detail photos of parts otherwise not covered. On a subsequent test climb, I experimented with the throttle while not pedaling at all. The throttle kept the bike moving, but as I neared the summit, the speed became so slow that I would have fallen over had I not started pedaling. That struck me as about right, for as I said before, I wasn’t looking for a free ride.
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.
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 schwinn beach cruiser 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.