Schwinn Amalgam Adult Electric Bike, 18.5-Inch Hybrid Aluminum Frame, 7 Speed, 27.5-Inch Wheels, Matte Black

Ive have 2 Amalgams for a year, and one of them constantly squeals when the brakes are in use, no matter how many tune ups or change outs Ive done - the other doesnt even work.Not only does the eBike part not work, it gets HARDER to bike uphill - and when I say this, I don't mean "pedaling uphill takes more strength," I mean "its twice as hard as it should be to go up hill even for a non-electric bike."I really feel like I was scammed out of almost $3000 on these two bikes, especially since they dont have throttle options like practically every other ebike on the market.

Loved this bike as soon as I got it. I received it for a Christmas present and used it probably 10 times, had to wait for snow to melt! Now I can't use it because the battery doesn't charge. I am so sad and haven't been able to get any help. This is not a cheap bike by any means, but until they fix the charging on battery I wouldn't purchase this bike.

The first thing you should know about this bike is that it does not have a throttle. You have to be pedaling to get any assistance from the electric motor. I am still a fan of this bike, even though it is hard to beat an e-bike with a throttle. Just note that this isn't that kind of bicycle. Skip to the bottom for the TLDR version of this review.Also of note is that we have another e-bike for comparison, so that is the lens I'm looking through. That other one is an Ancheer bike that does have a throttle along with the pedal assist, but it was half the price of this one with similar quality in my humble opinion. It is not a knock against this bike, as this is a Schwinn. But both get similar range and have 10.4 AH 36V batteries. The Ancheer even has more gears, but this review is all about the Schwinn.The battery has to be switched on for you to be able to power the bike on. I'm not a big fan of that since the battery (and battery switch) is on the underside of the bike, but that is the design they chose. It gets quite dirty if you go through mud as well, but it is nice that the removable battery is integrated into the frame. The battery can still be charged without removing the battery. It is clear that it wasn't just a bike on which an electric motor was added, but it was designed from the beginning with the intent to make an electric bicycle. You can get up to whatever speed your legs will push you on this thing. I've hit 25 Mph on a flat straight away with some effort on max assist, but I could have gone even faster if I had the room. I would say that the pedal assist is not the most aggressive on this e-bike. On the most aggressive setting, I'd say they got it just right. For me and my rider geometry, gear 5 of 7 is the sweet spot that lets me hit the fastest speed with the lowest effort. I've crashed once before on a different e-bike because the pedal assist was very aggressive and I needed to slow down, so I appreciate the tuning here. Stepping down on the pedal on this bike won't send you careening out of control regardless of gear. And speaking of gears, you only have 7 sprockets on the back. Our other e-bike has 3 front sprockets and 6 rear for better granularity when choosing gears and riding over different terrains and grades. I would have liked to see more than 7 gears, but I mostly use one to three so it isn't a real complaint for me who hasn't taken this mountain biking. The other thing is that they may have chosen to do that way to keep people from "crossing the chain" which when you set the most extreme gears on front and rear which puts lateral force on the chain and almost always makes it pop off. The other plus is that you only have to worry about gear shifting with your right hand.When it comes to design cues, I didn't think I would appreciate the swept handlebars as much as I do. It really felt a little sketchy to assemble that part out of the box, but I think I got it right. I still feel some type of way at higher speeds, but I think it is all in my head. The swept bars probably keep the width down a bit, but doesn't feel like it sacrifices control. I think the layout is probably more ergonomic than a straight bar that I'm used to. I still don't like how the battery is on the bottom, along with the pedal assist sensor. You can see from the picture how muddy both get, but I didn't seem to have any trouble getting the assist to kick in when everything was all muddy.The bike feels well balanced and the weight is not too much. It handles my weight well, although there is only a non-adjustable front fork and seat post suspension to dampen your ride. Both do their job to dampen the ride a bit, as do the thick mountain bike tires. I don't find myself bottoming out the suspension easily like I do on the Ancheer I sometimes ride. I've had to replace an inner tube already, but I may have aired up too much when riding over gravel so that is ok. I can't really be sure. The Shimano shifter is a twist to shift style. I don't have a preference here, but only 7 gears to choose from still seems like a con to me. The mechanical disk brakes are good and don't give any cause for concern. Overall, I like the bike and the quality is good. It also happens to be a good looking bicycle. The controls to turn the bike on and off are very low end, but they get the job done. I use my phone with a GPS app to check my speed, but you could install one of those light/horn/alarm/speedometer combo devices that are here on Amazon for around $25-30. Only one type gives accurate speed in mph, so do your research. Since this bike was around $1400, I can't give it 5 stars. They have some serious competition from Ancheer on Ebikes.Here is the TLDR (too long, didn't read) version...Pros:-Well balanced on weight distribution and rider geometry for a person 5'3 to about 6'2-Well tuned pedal assist (3 levels).-Removable rechargeable battery integrated into the frame-Nice aesthetics (subjective, so see pictures)-Non-adjustable front suspension and seatpost suspensionCons:-Battery needs to be switched on before you can turn the bike on (needless extra step?!?)-Battery and pedal sensor gets muddy, since it is on the underside. (not a usually a problem for the sensor unless you get in a big mess, but you remove the battery to charge it and you'll have a muddy battery somewhere charging)-Low end control interface/buttons (but they did include a walk mode for moving the bike that makes it go 4 kmh so you can walk it around more easily if you hold down the button. Also there is no throttle, and maybe should be added at this price point???)4 stars

Ok I have a couple of electric bikes and a few mountain bikes. But I wanted one for my wife to enjoy that didn't look like a scooter or and heavy as one too. She needed something to help her keep up with me and the boys. This e-bike from Schwinn was a big hit.This bike is a light weight electric bicycle and there is a reason its so light too. Its a mountain bike with a small 250watt motor with a removable internal battery. So this is going to be about the weight of a cheeper mountain bike but heavier than a professional one. It works by giving power to the rear motor to push the bike depending on setting forward with every peddle. This is called PAS peddle assist system. If on the more you peddle the more power you get the faster you go. No peddle no power your bike will not move.PROS:The battery hold a very decent charge and recharges a bit over 3 hours. We use very little battery power its rarely under 3 bars out of 4. This is made to do most terrain from street to dirt. The tires are too narrow for sand and don't try to drop off a steep drop with it. You do get front and seat shocks that are for light duty. The shifter is a 7 gear twist shift and very very simple for my wife and kids to use. The front and rear brake if adjusted correctly will stop fast as don't show fast wear down. The controls are simple you have power, the amount of power to assist you, and the remaining power. The motor is responsive and you can feel the power kick it with every increase of level.CONS:The electronic gages are simple and this may be a sticking point for some. Schwinn does sell gage/control upgrades. The instructions are NOT user friendly. Ive assembled a few bikes in my time and this would require and I recommend taking it to a bike shop for most new riders. The battery is very sleek and discreet often others don't know its a E-bike. But you must turn on the battery before the electric controller will power on the bike. There is not manual power throttle like on other e-bikes. This is a PAS only you can not ride it like a scooter. The twist shift would need to be removed for a paddle shift for this to happen. Im 5ft 8 and my wife is 5ft 2 she needs to tip toe at stops because of center bar height and I do not. This is not a deal breaker for her just something to consider.Overall this bike beats expectations and is an a amazing piece of equipment. Schwinn has made great bikes for a long time and looks like they are getting into the e-bike race. We have ridden this on easy trails and a few moderates without issues. It shines when you are tired and going up hill or on the last mile home. You shift down and increase the power up.

Great looking bike. Ad says it fits 5’4” and up. It was too tall for my 5’7” friend. There was a short between the battery and bike. Through another review I saw it would be hard to deal with the manufacturer so I had to disassemble and return.