The Schwinn Coston CE falls in the middle of its e-bike model line, offering a slight upgrade over the Schwinn Marshall but without some of the features found on the higher-end Coston DC. The star of the show is its connectivity and functionality with third-party training apps like Peloton, Zwift, and JRNY. Additionally, this bike comes with loads of user-friendly features that help to enhance your workout experience. If manual workouts aren’t exciting enough for you, you have the option of connecting your device via Bluetooth and using apps like Peloton, Zwift, and JRNY. These apps all have a monthly fee but are well worth the cost to have access to thousands of live and on-demand studio classes on Peloton or the interactive virtual training world of Zwift.
On flat ground, the bike is heavy but livable without the assist. The rear hub shifts quickly, and it’s nice to have a full range of gears without having to think too much about it (though, my commuter build also has this feature). It’s impossible to get the chain crossed up or do anything bad to this setup. As is standard for geared ebike motors, it has no significant rolling resistance when the wheel is turning faster than the motor. It’s not a bad choice for a small assist – it’s not going to cause any drag when you’re not using the assist, and it’s fairly light.
To be fair, not many competing e-bikes tend to come with these extras anyway, so with its comparatively low price, you’ll have extra money to pick out the accessories you want. Despite my weight and the strain it put on the motor, I found that the bike really does have a 45-mile range on a single charge. I didn’t have a chance to precisely time how long the battery takes to charge from empty but it recharged completely overnight or during a full workday.
So now that we’ve waxed philosophic about e-bikes, let’s get to the Coston CE. Allows anyone to turn any bike electric, no matter your technical experience. The new Swytch GO is simple, easy to install, and cost effective to manufacture… Without compromising on reliability and safety.
And everyone is commenting on how beautiful the bike is.” — Harry G.“[The Marshall] has an attractive sleek design and color (blue). The additional bottom frame light sets it apart from the look of other bikes at night and really helps alert drivers of your presence on the road…” — Jevvin B.“I absolutely LOVE my Schwinn Electric! It’s beautiful and the smoothest ride I’ve ever taken. I’ve tried them all and by far, the Schwinn outshines them all!
Your workout ends, and the display powers off after 5 minutes of inactivity. Five buttons below the screen control all of the display functions, including Bluetooth, start/enter/reset, and up and down arrows. The Bluetooth button is used to pair with compatible devices and the included heart rate sensor, while the others are used to start a workout or input a time, distance, or calorie goal for a manual workout.
The second chart is a battery level indicator showing five dots, each representing a 20% drop. The display itself is encased in black plastic and has sealed buttons built in that seem well protected from water and dust. It does leave something to be desired when you have experienced fancier ebike products, but it gets the job done. You won’t see your speed, average speed, trip time, odometer, trip meter, range estimate, or any other fancy stats… just your power level and battery level. The buttons were easy enough to reach and press, and I like how the black casing of the display blends in with the black handlebar and matches the black spokes, chainring, pedals, and even the hub motor casing.
Riding this bike is easy enough, once you remember to turn the key on. Turn the key on back at the battery pack, then turn the handlebar controller on (if you want the assist), get on, and start riding. The second thing to notice is the battery pack removal lever. If you have a key on an electric bike with an expensive, exotic battery pack, it might make sense to lock the pack into the bike somehow. You have to turn the switch on first, then turn on the bike from the handlebars.
On my long rides on a hybrid bike, I averaged 15 mph but once I got going, I realized 20 mph isn’t a schwinn dealers big deal. Similar to how you can change gears on a multi-speed bike, you can choose how much the motor assists you, too. If you’re having trouble going up a hill, just increase the assistance to maintain your speed. There is a company called Rechargeable Power Energy (RPE) that can repack and restore your original battery. I have heard good things about them, that they perform this service for mainstream ebike manufacturers and double check the circuits when performing a restore or upgrade. They are located in Nevada and can mail back and forth.