What we’re riding: It ain’t your parents’ Schwinn Axios NW Arkansas

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.

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.

Unable to produce bicycles in the United States at a competitive cost, by the end of 1991 Schwinn was sourcing its bicycles from overseas manufacturers. This in turn led to further inroads by domestic schwinn beach cruiser and foreign competitors. Faced with a downward sales spiral, Schwinn went into bankruptcy in 1992.[59] The company and name were bought by the Zell/Chilmark Fund, an investment group, in 1993. Zell moved Schwinn’s corporate headquarters to Boulder, Colorado.

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.

This versatility gives the IC4/C6 a leg up on the competition in this metric. By the mid-1970s, competition from lightweight and feature-rich imported bikes was making strong inroads in the budget-priced and beginners’ market. This feature, attractive to older riders, soon found its way to other Schwinn models, especially those intended for senior citizens. You might see the occasional “e-bike” (and we use the term loosely here) blowing through city traffic at speeds of 30 or 40 mph or more.