Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bike hands-on review

If I had a normal commute, an e-bike like this Tenway CGO600 Pro would already have a permanent place in my garage. I work from home, so I consider myself lucky to be able to test e-bikes. And yes, as a twenty-year career in automotive writing shows, I am, in fact, a car enthusiast. If you want to read about how I combine a love of cars with a love of bikes, I’ve gone into it quite deeply my latest e-bike review. I appreciate the fact that a large number of people who buy e-bikes cannot afford a car and the cost of ownership. So I don’t consider this an expensive toy or lifestyle accessory. The garage focuses on the love of all things mechanical. So I’ll review this as I would any other machine.

The Tenways e-bike you see here is about as much of a ‘normal commuter bike’ in appearance and performance as you’re going to get. The average person won’t give it a second glance. That’s perfect for someone like me who buys an e-bike for the utility company. That utility not only means saving money directly on gas, but more indirectly on car maintenance. I also save parking headaches and reap the mental health benefits of being in the open air and sunshine. Sometimes it also feels pretty good to drive past cars stuck in traffic.

The bottom line

It’s been a long time since I suffered from range anxiety in an electric car. I wish I could say the same when I’m on the bike under my own power. Even though the Tenways has no accelerator and only provides auxiliary power, it gives me a sense of security that if I don’t feel well, the wind picks up or I have to take a long detour, I can still make it home.

The bicycle switches off the power at 30 km/h. That’s still a lot faster than most people can sustain on a flat surface on a commuter bike. Tenways claims a range of 53 miles. But even when I feel like I’m doing most of the work, I’m lucky if I can get 45 miles from the 10 Ah battery. I’m 215 pounds and over 6 feet tall, so I’m not exactly optimized for mass or aerodynamics.

For e-bikers who want to make a statement, this is not the bike for you. It’s a nice, if conservative, bike that requires some inspection to even notice the battery in the downtube or the 350-watt motor in the rear hub. It rides like a normal pedal bike. The single-gear acceleration is quite high if you’re trying to get going with no or minimal assistance. But the lack of a derailleur, along with the use of a Gates Carbon belt drive, means the drivetrain is essentially maintenance-free.

The bike weighs just over 42 pounds complete. It feels so heavy when you move it around your garage or try to lift it into a maintenance stand. On the road it behaves like most commuter bikes. It responds better than a modern mountain bike, but certainly doesn’t dive into corners like a real racing bike. If this were my bike, the first thing I would change would be the flat-proof tires that ride like wood. I would also opt for new pedals with more grip and risk shin rakes. For non-cyclists who haven’t ridden since primary school, this will be the nicest bike they’ve ever owned. For cycling enthusiasts, it feels like a decent city bike. At $1,699.00, it’s a relatively good price for an aluminum e-bike with hydraulic disc brakes and a true Gate drivetrain.

Why I, a car enthusiast, love this kind of e-bikes Tenways

An e-bike is not suitable for everyone, but they are ideal for a large number of people who have never thought about it. Many car enthusiasts have the irrational fear that e-bikes will somehow lead to the extinction of cars. Serious cyclists are also convinced that they will replace all pedal bikes. If a Triumph Daytona, which goes from 0 to 100 in 3.5 seconds, has a speed of 12,000 rpm and costs less than 10,000 euros, has not yet put cars in their graves, e-bikes never will.

Roadies: First of all, as long as you’re willing to spend $15,000 on a bike without an expensive motor or battery, the industry will keep building them. And secondly, it’s never a bad thing to get more people on their bikes. When I climb a hill on my bike and am passed by the Sun City Senior Cycling And Canasta Club, I’m happy to know that when I’m eight years old I can still ride a bike.

I make a lot of short trips with the car and the drivetrain doesn’t even get up to temperature. These are the worst kilometers you can drive a car. Many of those trips also go to places that have terrible parking for cars, but usually have unused bike racks. Convenience is priceless, but the last time I filled up my car, I paid over $4 per gallon. I charge the e-bikes I test with solar energy, so it costs me nothing. If the Tenways 36v 10Ah battery were completely discharged, at $0.17 per kWh it would cost approximately $0.06 to charge it.

I drive a 2019 VW Tiguan. In city driving I am lucky to get 20mpg. It takes me 2 gallons of gas to (I round the range for simplicity) match the 40 mile range of the CGO600. So 6 cents of electrons versus just over 8 dollars of gas for the same trips. I’m not going to add any extra car maintenance. Anyway, e-bikes save a ton of money and I have to get back on the subject.

What are the specifications of the Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bike

The CGO600 Pro is a Class 1 e-bike, which is covered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That means it is only pedal assistance and has no accelerator pedal. That assistance is also limited to 20 mph. I can easily reach more than 20 km/h. Even maintaining 20+ with a slight descent, but the engine does none of the work. Anything classified as an electric bicycle in the United States is limited to 750 watts. That’s about 1 horsepower (SAE). This bike uses a Mivice M080 350 Watt, 45 Nm, 33 found feet of torque, rear hub motor. The battery is UL 2849 certified 36 volts 10 Ah and uses LG Lithium-ion cells. I never completely drained the battery. But with only a few miles left on the range display, it took almost four hours to charge the battery with the included charger.

The CGO600 Pro uses 6061 aluminum for both the frame and fork. Tenways sent me a size Large because I’m 6 feet tall. The top tube standover height is 32.4 inches. For comparison, my big BMC URS gravel bike is almost an inch shorter. The wheelbase of the Tenways is also an inch longer. If I were to do this again I would probably ask for a Medium, so keep that in mind when ordering. The stem is adjustable and pivots where it attaches to the steerer tube.

As you shorten the effective length, you also raise the bar, which is probably what most people want. The seat post is equipped with a quick release for height adjustment. Everything else requires tools that come with the bike. Finally, I’ll point out again that this one uses a Gates drivetrain, THE name in belt drives for everything from bicycles, UTVs, machine tools, computer printers, and even fan belts. A belt replacement will ultimately cost around $100.00, but they normally last close to 20,000 miles.

The verdict

I did everything from riding bikes for fun, to organizing food runs, and even dropping off my ballot at the local library. The quality of the Tenways CGO600 Pro is not on par with my gravel bike, but it is also less than half the price. It’s similar to my mountain bike, which is a little cheaper, but not motorized. The Tenways’ ride quality is compromised by the puncture-free tires. It blasts over bumps and transfers most of the road’s NVH directly to the handlebars and saddle.

The saddle is another sore spot, ahem. The ideal bicycle saddle choice is unique for every person. There is an almost endless variety of sizes and shapes, so it is rare that you will find a standard saddle to be the ideal choice. The pedals, on the other hand, can be improved for everyone. They offer very little grip, even on soft-soled sneakers. I have a size 13 foot so I like a bigger pedal, so in addition to the grip I would like something with a larger platform.

Even with those minor negatives, I find the Tenway CGO600 Pro a great bike that allows me to cover miles with a little less effort. Even after a real workout I could get on my bike to do some shopping. Although I would probably go for a smaller size, the Large is still comfortable and I was able to find a position similar to my mountain bike. The motor function is subtle, virtually silent, and the power application feels much more natural than other similarly priced e-bikes I’ve ridden. Again, it feels more like an e-bike for people who want a pedal-assist bike, and not an e-bike for people looking for an electric scooter they can call a bike.

In the cycling world, $1699.00 is considered an entry-level bike. Kind of like Trek Verve+ or Dual Sport+ e-bikes start above €2,000.00 and for similar specifications you are closer to €3,000.00. When you get the Tenways bike, you have to spend about an hour of assembly making sure everything is tightened properly, and you have to assemble it yourself. If you’re not comfortable with that, you may want to have it shipped to a local store and pay them to do it for you. I think even taking that into account, you’ll still save a few hundred dollars over other brands.

I like being able to hop on my bike and go to lunch or run to the post office without starting my car. Thinking back to the days when I only had ‘project cars’ in my garage (read not always completely reliable), an e-bike would have been a lifesaver. Even as a cyclist, I love the utility and convenience that e-bikes provide. As a car enthusiast, I don’t like wasting my car on short trips. At $1,699.00 or $1,399.00 for an 8-speed chain drive model, this is a great addition to a multi-vehicle solution, but it’s an even better option for anyone who can’t afford all the costs of owning a car. wear, but who are not convinced that they can get everywhere on a pedal bike.