Riders of all ability levels and all shapes and sizes can pretty easily determine the best e-bike for them with just a few minutes of reading and research. Once the IC4 schwinn dealers is assembled, moving it around on hard surfaces is relatively easy thanks to the transport wheels integrated into the front stabilizer. However, this bike weighs 106 lbs, so moving it up or down stairs is a task best suited for two people. With dimensions of 48.75″ L x 21.25″ W x 52″ H, the IC4 takes up roughly the same amount of space as most of the other upright models we tested. The IC4 functions well as a stand-alone spin bike, plus you have the option of connecting to your device via Bluetooth and using popular interactive training apps.
It’s got 3 buttons, up down and a power/enter button in the middle. The battery is a 288 watt-hour battery built with cells which takes about 4 hours to charge. The Marshall looks like a mountain bike with a comfy cruiser feel to it. A step-thru version offers a slightly lower top bar than the regular version.
That’s a big difference when you’re picking up the bike to turn it around or put it on a car rack. Before we get into the e-bike itself, I want to take a moment to talk about e-bike ownership and what it has meant for me. I mentioned the shunning of my trusty Trek bike in lieu of my e-bikes this summer, but the reason for that has been life-changing for me. I’ve been using an electric bike and a shoulder bag for most of my shopping “can you grab me XYZ from Target” runs. On the other hand, in the time I’ve had an e-bike, I have barely touched my poor Trek bike. E-biking is very powerful and addictive, and it has ruined traditional cycling for me, and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing.
Lets get into the review and find what areas the bike struggled in. For more information on e-bike technology and model comparison, don’t forget our e-bike page. Or, feel free to browse and shop the whole collection. If you are in the market for an electric bicycle, I personally recommend the Lectric XP Lite.
It may not compete head to head with many of the direct-to-consumer companies, but it represents a big jump for Schwinn’s e-bike line and may just fit the right commuter looking for an e-bike with these features. In general, if purchased on the Schwinn website, your new bike will be shipped within hours of being ordered and should arrive within 7-10 days. Please know that we have free shipping for all orders over $49, that we have a live chat option available Monday through Friday, and Schwinn has a limited lifetime warranty on all our bikes. We’ve addressed those concerns by designing Extended Life Batteries for a couple of our best-selling e-bikes. The Sting-Ray[28] sales boom of the 1960s accelerated in 1970, with United States bicycle sales doubling over a period of two years.
Either way, all you need to do is to connect the battery to a standard household outlet with the included charger. The middle power/enter button turns the bike on while holding it. The battery has to be on before turning the bike on which got me the first time I tried. 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.
Suddenly I was spending hours if not days less time in my car, and more on a bike. I won’t pretend that exercise was a factor here — the e-bike does 95% of the work for you — but I’ll argue with any doctor that some peddling is better than sitting on my butt in a car. When you’re a parent of two who works from home, this sort of quick trip to the store can happen fairly often.
Making sure this is the case might mean visiting a local bike shop that carries it and either giving it a test ride or just seeing which size is right for your height. We recommend looking into not only a brand’s testing options but also its return policy, as you want to make sure it’s also eligible to be sent back should it not fit. I’ve covered the battery pack elsewhere, in great detail. Also, how to bypass the BMS if it’s gotten unhappy. If they’re shallow hills (perhaps, what Iowa calls a hill), you’re fine.
Sure, I could have bought an electric bike for thousands, but I like my original bike and this kit was a breeze to install at a fraction of the price. You can re-position the velcro straps anywhere on the power pack, allowing it to fit to a wide variety of bicycle types. Add the optional LED display to your Kit to unlock extra power modes, track your battery level, plus turn the power off while riding. Unfortunately, Schwinn doesn’t outfit the Monroe 250 with any accessories you’d typically want for commuting, such as fenders or racks.
The Lectric XP Lite weighs 46 pounds — 20 less than the Schwinn (Lectric has other models that weigh about 60 pounds.) The Schwinn was like driving a Hummer. The weight of the battery is much lower than with the Schwinn, which allows the rider to maneuver easily and confidently at all times. It has no gears and no chain, which means less maintenance.