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).
For most of my riding around trails and small paths in the city, the 32 km/h motor limit is plenty. For open road riding with traffic you may hit 32 km/h regularly. We tested the Marshall electric bike on pavement, gravel and dirt to see how Schwinn’s new models stack up against the growing number of ebike options. The low power motor is matched by a low capacity battery. With just 288 Wh of capacity, the battery surprised me, and not in a good way. Sure, I’ve seen plenty of e-bikes with 288 Wh batteries before.
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.
The Coston e-bike is a good example of that in a much more approachable price range than schwinn ebike some others. But a lot of the nicer features also have drawbacks. The bike is powerful but also discharges very quickly.
“Nice to ride, easy to assemble and make adjustments.” — Mark S.“Great ride! Love my Schwinn….Easy to assemble and charge the battery.” — Stephen G. Although it has an aluminum frame, it weighs in at just over 66 pounds. Maybe that’s not such a big deal, but much of the weight is carried high in the frame. My first impression was that the bike felt unwieldy, like I was carrying a bocce set on the rack behind me.
So to offer a full-size electric bike with otherwise nice commuter features yet with such a small battery is a bit surprising. And with a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) combined with both throttle and pedal assist functionality, this Class 2 e-bike will help you fly around the city quickly and effortlessly (if you rely on the throttle). The Schwinn Coston CE is very much a commuter electric bike, but it’s not one of those thin-wheeled messenger e-bikes.
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.