The battery is a 288 watt-hour battery built with cells which takes about 4 hours to charge. From not driving cars to not owning items like TVs or computers, the Amish have a culture with specific rules, but they do make allowances for modern inventiveness from time to time. One bit of technology they have opted to embrace is the electric bike. In regards to battery life and range, once again the Coston DX falls behind the pack.
A notable feature of this bike is its large storage and carrying capacity. It comes with a rear pannier rack and a stealthy under-seat storage compartment which allows you to store small items that you want to keep close. The Coston is Schwinn’s most expensive e-bike thanks to its superior battery power and throttle for fully electric riding. Additionally, the bike is fully equipped with fenders and a rear rack to make commuting or running errands simple and easy.
We’ve also put together a guide for new electric bike riders that details each step you should take before you ride. The standard batteries that come on our Marshall, Coston CE and Coston DX bikes are good for up to 45 miles of riding. But Schwinn knows many riders want to go farther, so we developed higher capacity batteries that are super easy to install (you’ll only need a screwdriver). These additional batteries extend the riding distance up to 80 miles on both our Coston and Marshall series of bikes.
For open road riding with traffic you may hit 32 km/h regularly. Then cruising city streets the higher pedal assist and gears help you get up to the 20mph pedal assist limit. It’s easy to switch through the 7 gears with the twist or grip shift. I had to adjust my derailleur a bit on the first ride out so all the gears hit just right but once it was adjusted it was smooth. To sum up, many of the Schwinn electric bikes include accessories and features that are worth hundreds of dollars, and the Mendocino electric cruiser bike is quite a rare find. For comfortable and affordable e-bikes, go with one of the four Schwinn electric bikes.
The battery capacity is high enough for extended riding. We rode the Tailwind for an hour without discharging the battery completely. We tried the Tailwind up a particularly challenging hill, putting it in its lowest gear and putting the electric assist on maximum.
The Schwinn Tailwind is one amongst a large number of electric bicycles available today, a segment gaining popularity due to interest in transportation alternatives to the car. But don’t expect to sit back and let the Tailwind whisk you along–the electric motor on this bike merely provides assistance; the rider still has to pedal. The front fork evens out the bumps on the pavement and the dirt.
I think I would prefer something a little more concrete like a numeric display, especially given the range anxiety you can get while riding this bike, but again, some indicator is better than none. 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. The first thing you’ll notice about the Coston CE e-bike is that is built like a tank, which is both good and bad. It’s good because everything on the bike feels solid and borderline rugged.
That being said, the small-ish 250W motor isn’t going to be a powerhouse on hills. The bike accelerates fine on flat ground, but you’ll definitely need to add some leg assist if you’re going to be climbing tall hills. Speaking of which, check out my video below to see the bike’s performance and features in action, including those cool frame lights. Schwinn’s electric bicycle line has significantly expanded over the last couple years.
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. 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 schwinn dealers 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. The bike also has a throttle, meaning that when I engaged it, the bike rolled without being pedaled. But I wasn’t looking for a free ride; I wanted the exercise, so I didn’t plan to make much use of the throttle.
The crank is a three-piece 42T, mounted on the 6061 aluminum frame with internal cable routing. Slightly different again is the fork which is a 26” Hi-Ten steel, 100mm bolt-on. The Marshall has a 6061 aluminum frame with internal cable routing, along with JAK 7 mechanical disc brakes with a 180mm front rotor and 160mm rear rotor.