The motor assist on this bike is purely pedal assist, though it’s more fair to call it “pedals are moving, motor is on” - since that what it seems to be. Start pedaling, and the motor will chime in at some power, mostly dependent on what you’ve set on the handlebar control. It pretty much does that until you stop pedaling or hit a brake lever. Do recall that this bike was designed around 2008, so a lot of the more modern stuff didn’t exist. However, BionX was around, with their I2C torque sensing motors, so there’s at least some better stuff available. 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. This bike is powered by a small front hub motor. The controller for it is zip tied on a fork tube. Overall, given the fundamental shift I have seen in my personal bike riding habits this past summer, I very much enjoy having an e-bike. Nothing feels cheap, plastic-y, or vulnerable to quick failure. It all seems like a robust and well-built electric bike. You also get two different frame sizes to choose from, which is a big upgrade over the single one-size-fits-all frames that many e-bike companies still offer. The motor can draw over 200 watts at peak output, so the battery pack is good for less than half an hour of full assist before it’s stone dead. Fortunately, it doesn’t run at full assist all the time. That is not the case with this e-bike and I think it comes down to a question of power management. Even at level 3 assistance, my pedals are free spinning in 7th gear. The only time you'll ever need to balance power output would be if you were planning on doing an entire 20 miles without charging. For commuters and people who run errands, that's not always going to be the case. All it takes is careful consideration of a few questions and then a bit of a deeper dive to explore what options and features you want most on your electric-powered ride. So to offer a full-size electric bike with otherwise nice commuter features yet with such a small battery is a bit surprising. 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. It’s just that they’re usually on smaller, lightweight e-bikes that push the needle considerably less on the scale. I’ve been riding this bike for a while, trying to get an idea of what it is and what it likes to do. The wheel lock is a Basta Defender, if you’re curious (apparently now, the AXA Defender). If you leave the battery in the bike, there is a rubber port cover you need to move before plugging in the bike. This helps keep the battery dry if you get caught out in the rain. They sweep back at a ~30 degree angle, which is very unusual for most bikes. They feel like they’re almost in your lap while riding, which is a weird feeling. This is a 6-7 year old bike, and my particular example has been ridden a good bit, so it’s not in perfect condition. But I can still review it and provide some feedback on it for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to find anything recent. ” than a group that actually understood electric bikes, or even had a real mission for this bike. You have to turn the switch on first, then turn on the bike from the handlebars. I suspect this is designed to reduce battery drain when idle, but it doesn’t really work. Most Schwinn e-bikes include wide tires, which provide extra grip and stability. They also provide a smooth ride for added comfort – a great feature when you can ride farther than ever before. Oh, and don’t expect a single bit of support from Schwinn or Toshiba. Neither one wants anything to do with this bike anymore, and they won’t help you a single bit. If you need to bring the pack inside to charge, you’ll love this setup.