I can’t say I’ve ever seen an electric BMX until I tested out the SWFT BMX electric bike. And, who wouldn’t want to go for a bike ride when all you have to do is pull the throttle and you’re off on a new adventure? I’ve used an electric bike for a few years and I think they are a huge motivator for getting outside. While I’ve ridden my own ebike and tried out different electric city bikes, this is the first time I tested out a BMX electric bike. The SWFT BMX is a lightweight little speedster that can hit 32km/hr and uses a throttle so you don’t even have to pedal that much. Here’s how I thought the SWFT BMX electric bike stood up to the trails and bike park.
Features on SWFT BMX electric bike
The SWFT BMX electric bike is an electric bike with 350W Hub motor and rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery. It measures 108 cm (42 ½ inches) and weighs 18 kg (39.86lbs).
- Lightweight aluminum alloy frame
- 20 inch performance tires and mechanical disc brakes
- Single speed drive train
- 3 speeds and a throttle keep you cruising without needing more than a few pushes on the pedals
- Kick stand, lights, and LCD display on handlebars
- Charges in 5 hours and has a 56 km range
- Foot pegs you can mount on the front and rear of the bike
Setting up the SWFT BMX
The SWFT BMX I received as a test bike was already built, but a new bike will be shipped in a box so you’ll have to build it yourself. Don’t worry though, it’s not hard to build this bike. They include the tools you’ll need and it’s a quick job that should take you an hour or so.
Once the bike is set up and ready to ride, you’ll plug it in and charge it for at least 5 hours. You’ll know you have a full charge when you tap the LCD on the handlebars and check the battery indicator. The LCD shows your battery life, speed, trip distance, and total distance. There is also a switch near the motor that lets you turn the bike off and on.
Riding the SWFT BMX
BMX bikes are meant for off-road fun, but you can take them on the paved road too. The beauty of having a motor on your BMX is that it unlocks another level of adventure. There’s literally no where you can’t go with this bike. We took it on dirt trails, dirt jumps, paved roads, and the local skate park, and we had a blast riding it everywhere.
Pedal assist and motor on SWFT BMX
There are a lot of different kinds of electric bikes—some require you to consistently push the pedals to keep up your speed while others have a throttle. The SWFT BMX has a throttle, so while you will need to pedal to get the motor running, you don’t have to pedal to keep it going.
The throttle is located on the right handlebar by the handgrip. When you use the throttle the bike will automatically build up to max speed. You don’t have to use it though, and if you’d rather pedal you can choose from 3 different assist levels by tapping the buttons near the LCD. I tried it at level one and with no assist at all and it gave me a decent workout on the hills near our house. The bike has a single speed drive train so there is no shifting into an easier gear when you hit something steep. You can switch to another level of assist to make it easier or choose to suffer like I did in the name of exercise.
The SWFT BMX has a good handlebar set up. I like how the LCD is on the left side of the bars instead of right in the middle. The location feels more natural to look at and touch if you need to switch levels. The screen lights up too and I like how you can look down and see your speed and battery life whether it’s night or day.
Overall, we thought the motor was pretty peppy. At a full charge you can cruise up any hill and almost maintain max speed of 32 km/hr. As your charge decreases the motor won’t perform as well, and we found it dropped from 32 to about 21 km/hr when we had less than 50% battery. With a full battery on a very steep hill, we only dropped to 26 km/hr.
Durability of SWFT BMX frame
The SWFT BMX has an aluminum alloy frame that makes it quite a bit lighter than a steel bike in the same price category. It’s about 40 lbs, which is still lighter than my own 55lb electric mountain bike. This bike makes it easy to jump or hop if you’d like to, and with the foot pegs you could double someone on the back. Just keep in mind, if you are doubling someone, the bike has a weight restriction of 265lbs.
Wheels and foot pegs
This bike has 20-inch wheels, so it’s considered pretty compact as far as bikes go. We put it in the hatch of our car to see if it would fit with the wheels on and had no problem at all. As for grip, we only tested the wheels on dry pavement in warm conditions, but they look like they have pretty thick tread so they would stand up to rain too.
On the front and back of the bike are spots to put the foot pegs. We kept them on the back of the bike but it’s nice to know you can switch it up if you’d like to grind a rail at the skate park. My husband was going to ride it into the bowl at our local park but didn’t want to drag the frame across the edge of the bowl when he dropped in. I think the bike could handle the park easily, but you’d probably want to turn the motor off in case you hit the throttle at the wrong time.
Battery placement and battery life
The battery is built into the frame of the SWFT BMX ebike so you can’t remove it, but it is easy to charge. You just plug in the charger to a small port near the pedals. It should reach about 55 km on a full charge, but we found the battery life drained a bit faster as we rode a lot of hills near our house. We managed to get about 48 km on a fully charged battery.
Bright light for night riding
Most bikes don’t have a light as part of the stock features but the SWFT BMX does. It’s located on the front of the bike and it’s very bright. I think it’s a nice touch, as you never know when you’ll be riding home in the dusk or dark. They also included a kick stand, which is also a good feature as laying the bike on dirt or pavement could cause the paint to scratch.
Should you choose the SWFT BMX electric bike?
I love my own electric bike, but everyone in my family had such a great time riding the SWFT BMX that we’re considering adding this bike to the garage. I love how you can pedal a few times, pull the throttle, and take off. It takes a bit to get used to riding a bike that doesn’t need you to pedal all the time, but it’s a nice option if you are using the bike for tricks and you just want to focus on what you’re doing. It’s also nice if you’ve been riding for awhile and you’re tired, because the throttle will keep you cruising without pedalling.
The motor and battery life on the SWFT BMX are powerful enough to get you where you need to go. It handled hills with relative ease, only decreasing speed later as the battery dropped lower and lower. The 32km/hr speed cap is more than enough speed for a fun ride, and it’s fast enough to feel exhilarating when you’re zipping past slow traffic in the bike lane.
I think the SWFT BMX is the perfect choice for off road fun. You can find the SWFT BMX electric bike right now at Best Buy.
