I’ve tested some folding electric bikes from SWAGTRON in the past year. All of them have really impressive quality but some limitations prevent them to become the best choices on the market. Is the SWAGTRON SwagCycle EB5 Pro better than those previous products? We’re going to find out in the review.
Unboxing Video
Specifications & Features
| Frame | Aluminum alloy |
| Folded Size | 26 x 15.6 x 23.6 inches |
| Open Size | 49.2 x 21.7 x 34.9 inches |
| Weight | 37 lbs / 16.8 kg |
| Wheel Size | 14-inch front/rear |
| Tires | PSI 40-65, 2.8-4.5 BAR (plus quick-disconnect power lines) |
| Motor | 250 watts |
| Battery | 36V 7.8Ah |
| Charging Time | 4-5 hours |
| Charging Voltage | 110V – 220V / 50 – 60Hz /42V 2A |
| Battery Mileage | 15.5 mi / 24.94 km |
| Maximum Speed | 15.5 mph / 25 km/h (throttle only) |
| Maximum Load | 264 lbs/120 kg |
| Seat Height | 29-39 inches |
| Maximum Incline | 25 degrees (throttle only) |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 |
| Accessories | Bells, reflectors, kickstand |
Product Images
Performance
The EB5 is among the most compact folding e-bikes I’ve ever used. It is pretty small after folding and you can fit 2 or even 3 of those bikes into a car trunk. The folding and unfolding processes are quite straightforward, just like any other folding bikes. The bike is fairly lightweight at 37 lbs, it weighs almost the same as the expensive Brompton Electric. However, you can’t roll the bike while folded, so it might be a little inconvenient if you often have to carry the bike.
I really love the design of this Swagtron EB5 as it looks just like a normal bike. People might not be aware that you are riding an electric bike because the battery is hidden inside the main frame. If you compare the EB5 with its predecessor, the EB1, you can easily see a huge difference.
Besides, the bike is fully adjustable; You can adjust the saddle height and handlebar height, so most teens and adults will be able to find the perfect fit. I’m around 5’7″ (170 cm) tall and riding the bike is quite comfortable. The soft saddle and fat tires help me deal with potholes without any significant pain on my bottom.
You can ride the bike either in pedal assist or throttle mode. In the throttle mode, you don’t need to pedal at all as the bike is fully powered by the motor on the rear wheel. You just need to twist the throttle on the right grip and the bike will start running. The maximum speed could reach 15.5mph in this mode. If you want to ride faster, you can pedal and the motor will kick in instantly. My maximum speed could reach 20mph.
The EB5 has 1 speed only and the gearing ratio is so low that you won’t have any problem climbing hills. Especially when you pedal in the power-assisted mode, riding up hills is a piece of cake and of course, you will have no sweat at all. Those are the reasons why I highly recommend this bike for city commuters. However, this comes with a downside; It requires a lot of efforts even to ride on flat roads when the battery runs out. Therefore, you’d better check and recharge the battery before each long ride.
I’m also very impressed with battery life of the bicycle. According to the manufacturer, we can ride up to 15.5 miles before having to recharge the battery. However, I use the bike in power-assisted mode and the battery life is actually much longer in real-life usage. I often recharge the battery after 7-10 days.
The SWAGTRON EB5 Pro seems to be a perfect bike at a very affordable price. Unfortunately, it comes with a limitation that very few reviewers mentioned. It has only one level of assist, so the motor will kick in even when you pedal really slowly. I think the bike could be too fast for many riders and we have no way to slow it down. Many other electric bikes have 3 or 5 different levels of power assist, some even have an auto mode to calculate the amount of assistance. Obviously, the EB5 is a budget e-bike and they have to cut the cost by removing the speed or cadence sensors.
Conclusion
Pros
- Compact and lightweight design
- Impressive battery mileage
- Comfortable
- Good-quality components
Cons
- Only one level of power assistance
- Difficult to ride without motor
Despite some limitations, we at BikeFolded still recommend the Swagtron EB5 Pro because it delivers a lot for such a low price. If you want to live greener and protect the environment, the e-bike will be a perfect start and it won’t break your wallet.
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[…] Swagtron EB-5 Pro might not be the best folding e-bike in this list but it is absolutely the most affordable one. […]
Hi there…..the most painful ? overall is the battery life at least on my case…..it’s supposed to be(5) bars of power witch is great that’s o lot of juice right?? But hold on….like I said on my case with it goes down to (3) bars you better be closed to you final destination because it shuts down with no warnings once it drains (2) bars that’s it….. I bought (2) bikes and isn’t difference same o same o. That’s all for now god luck.
A few drawbacks to this bike, some noted by the author here. 1. It’s only a single speed. 2.Only one level of pedal assist? That’s not good. 3.If the battery goes bad, they expect you to ship them the whole bike for replacement. This is ridiculous. You can see in the fold/unfold part of the video, that the area where the battery resides is covered up by a cover plate. So, it would be a bit of a job to remove it.
Some good points. The price is amazingly low. The wiring harness to the rear wheel has a quick disconnect plug. Vilano, for instance, does not have this on some of their ebikes. On them, if you have to remove the rear wheel, you are in for a heck of a job. I understand the EB-5 is very adjustable and even taller folks can set it up to be comfortable.
Thanks for the review of this ebike.
The bike frame appears IDENTICAL to several other ebikes out there, like Dohiker, Excelvan, etc although the electronics are different. But the 7.5Ah battery is probably similar or identical.
In my ebike, the battery is easily removed by the user…the cover plate isn’t an issue. The battery pack has a connector on the end which can disconnect it from the ebike. The pack is a “standard” rectangular brick-like configuration with integrated BMS and shrink-wrapped covering the whole thing. Very common…very basic. Nothing special. There are multiple sources for such battery packs. You may find some “off the shelf” that fit the ebike. Custom sizes and connectors are even possible and from a decent supplier the lithium cells are reasonably priced even for high quality lithium cells ($3.50-$6.00 (retail) per cell, and UP TO 30 cells per battery pack). While at it, one can increase the battery capacity from 7.5Ah to perhaps 10Ah or MAYBE even 12Ah for a added cost. As long as the “36 Volt” battery pack fits in the tube, it has internal protection (a BMS) under the shrink wrap, and the connector can mate with the connector on the ebike then it’s good to go. You do have to be careful with shrink-wrapped packs as there MAY be small anomolous “bumps” from wires, the BMS or other sources under the shrink-wrap which MAY keep it from fitting in the ebike’s tube if you ordered a back that has dimensions that barely fit the ebike tube. Leave some space for such unless the manufacturer can guarantee it will fit AND has a money-back policy for packs that don’t fit within the dimensions you provide.
I have had my eb5 for a few weeks. Some what disappointed for it will not go 15 miles on a charge with peddle assit I can get about 10 miles. I weight about 180 lbs. And as far as I can tell there are no parts available