At the very least, we always want to know what our readers are riding. The BULLS Alpine Hawk really captured the feel of a true road bike – so much so that we often forgot it was an e-bike. The 33.5 lb weight is a tad high for a performance road bike, but it’s a featherweight compared to most e-bikes. So with a small amount of assist, delivered beautifully from the Fazua motor I might add, you actually see modest speed increases that offset the weight of the bike and then some. Nearly all of the bike is made of carbon fiber, including the super sexy one-piece spoked carbon wheels and the entirety of the sleek-looking folding frame. The bike almost has a minimalist design with smooth curves and few obvious frills, but beneath that carbon facade is one of the most feature-rich and smartly-integrated e-bikes we’ve ever tested.
It comes with all the necessary bells and whistles a commuter is going to want, including the bell (actually a superior and very loud electronic horn). The bike is available in mongoose excursion both step-over and step through, and in a few color options, too. This smash hit of an e-bike is freaky fast, ferociously fun, and fully functional as an electric vehicle.
On top of that, it comes equipped with lights, turn signals, fenders, and even an electronic horn. Its 500W brushless hub motor is surprisingly powerful and does a great job of delivering a rider up to 20 mph either with pedal assist or throttle. It can also be “unlocked” in the smartphone app to achieve Class 3 performance, something its 8-speed Shimano drivetrain can handle.
It’s as good off-road as it is on pavement, has a beefy battery and a clear color display, as well as fenders that’ll save your clothes from getting too muddy. Other niceties include a brake-activated rear light and turn signals. We loved its responsive 750W motor, its comfortable ride, and its low center of gravity, thanks to its 3.3-inch thick, 20-inch tires. Have a bike that you think would be a good contender for our best electric bikes of 2023 page?
The testing process begins when we first receive the bike; as most come only partly assembled, we assess the difficulty with which we have to put the final pieces together. Typically, this involves attaching the front wheel, handlebars, and pedals, but some bikes are easier to put together than others. If you’re looking for an ebike that can go anywhere, look no further.
Doubters of smaller wattage bikes should make no mistake here, this bike can absolutely move if it wants to. The Turbo Vado has three different assist levels in ECO, SPORT, and TURBO mode. Each one provides a distinctly different feel from the others and the bike handles well in all three. When we consider the needs of smaller riders, we look at three factors, all of which the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 addresses nicely. Getting the most out of an e-bike offroad will be most likely if the e-bike fits the rider. To their credit, QuietKat offers the Apex in three sizes to fit a broad range of rider heights.
I also have an Ecotric Beach and Snow e-bike which I purchased years ago before there was the Seagull. It has been great but it isn’t the best for mongoose excursion the steep hills of San Francisco. Especially, now that I’m over 65, the extra boost from the Seagull’s 1000 Watt motor makes it fun to ride again.
When I first started riding electric Schwinns, I was largely limited to cruiser e-bikes. But with several new commuter-specific e-bikes like the Schwinn Coston CE that I recently tested, this household bicycle name is making a big move on the wider e-bike market. Battery range and top speed can vary depending on rider height and weight, and riding conditions like hills or wind.
From electric mountain bikes to unique cruisers and hybrid electric bikes, Schwinn has a range of six electric bikes for casual bike riders. Of course, some of that weight is in the 288-watt battery which Schwinn adversities as being good for up to 35 miles of range. We’ll get into the range in a moment, but the rest of the bike is fairly standard fare for any bike. You get a 7-speed gear system on the rear wheel with a single gear on the front.
We’ve tested many of those premium e-bikes and electric mountain bikes too and some are truly exceptional. But they can cost three or four times the models here. The Schwinn Tailwind uses a Shimano eight-speed gearset mongoose excursion in the rear hub, its limited gear ratio making the bike mostly suitable for flat areas. Cantilever brakes grab the rims for stopping power, although with the price of this bike, we would expect disc brakes.