Gen3 The Stride Review 2021 | Electric Bike Report

Battery range wise, The Stride’s 48V, 10.4Ah (500Wh) battery performed almost exactly as advertised.

To test the bike’s range on a single charge, we did two range tests on the Gen3 The Stride. The first on PAS 5 and the second on PAS 2. Together, the two results give us a real-world example of the minimum and maximum range you can expect from the bike.

On PAS 5, the Stride’s max assist level, the bike went for 21.19 miles before running out of juice — right in line with our estimated max assist range of about 22 miles. In the PAS 2 test, the Stride lasted for 40.79 miles before finally dying. That’s just a hair further than Gen3’s claimed range of 40 miles.

That’s a solid performance from the 500Wh battery that’s about right in line with our expectations and the manufacturer’s claimed range. Aside from a battery that’s large enough to balance with the demands of the motor, the Gen3 has a few characteristics that likely make it more energy efficient than some other e-bikes we see at this price point.

The first of these is the narrow 26” x 1.75” semi-slick CST tires that roll very efficiently, yet still grip well and ride comfortably. Second is the Gen3 The Stride’s pedal-forward geometry that’s comfortable but still athletic enough that it places your body in a very good pedal position. A bike that rolls easily and maximizes energy from your legs is going to tax the motor less — a balance I think The Stride achieves.

To get a picture of how well the Gen3 The Stride climbs, we put it to the test on Electric Bike Report’s test hill — a local steep lovingly known as Hell Hole.

Hell Hole is a third of a mile long with an average gradient of 12 percent with several sections even steeper than that. It’s a hill steep enough and long enough you’d be hard pressed to find an equal, at least one that’s paved.

We did two climbing tests on Hell Hole with the Stride, the first using just the throttle and the second on PAS 5. In both, The Stride outperformed my expectations.

In the throttle only test, the Stride cleared the top of Hell Hole in 1:50.00 with an average speed of 9.9 mph. In the PAS 5 test, it made it up in 1:13.00 with an average speed of 14.9 mph. Those are both great results from an affordable e-bike powered by a modest 500W motor.

The sub-2 minute throttle test is pretty typical among other 500W e-bikes we’ve reviewed, but the 1:13.00 result in the PAS 5 test is very impressive and approaches the time of some of the more powerful 750W e-bikes we’ve tested on Hell Hole.

Stopping the Gen3 The Stride is a set of Gen3-branded mechanical disk brakes with a 180mm brake rotor in the front and a 160mm rotor in the rear.

In our brake test, where we take the average of five full-power stops from 20 mph, the Gen3’s brakes performed nicely, coming to a stop in an average distance of 15-feet-5-inches. That’s nearly a full foot shorter than our current average 16-feet-4-inches stopping distance of all the e-bikes we’ve tested thus far.

But while the Gen3 brakes performed their duties nicely, they weren’t perfect. No matter how we adjusted them they squealed quite loudly while coming to a stop. They also weren’t the easiest to adjust; in fact, I’d highly recommend having these brakes (and really any brakeset) professionally set up by a bicycle mechanic. Bicycle brakes in general are tough to set up correctly, but mechanical disk brakes in particular are finicky things that require a bit of know-how. But once they’re set up correctly, the Gen3’s mechanical disk brakes are powerful enough to rival their hydraulic counterparts.

I do at least partially credit the Gen3’s solid performance in the brake test with the CST tires and the bike’s overall good handling. Those tires, though semi-slick, have a rubber compound soft enough to grip the road nicely in hard corners and under hard braking. Gen3 also did a good job building a step through bike frame that isn’t overly flexy.

The Gen3 has a fairly standard e-bike cockpit with a simple display that, interestingly, has the thumb throttle integrated into the body of the display. The grips are very comfortable and the mountain bike-style handlebars suit the bike well.

My one gripe here is the numbers on the display are very narrow and are a little hard to read, particularly the battery indicator which is very small. But aside from this small gripe, it’s a solid cockpit and good riding experience.

It’s a very comfortable bike with a relatively upright yet athletic riding position. I’m a fairly lanky 6’ 1” and I often struggle to find a commuter style bike with a cockpit that doesn’t feel a little cramped, but not the Gen3. The bike has enough seatpost to accommodate my long legs and the stem is on the longer side among affordable e-bikes, so even my arms had enough space. Step through e-bikes have traditionally been built for smaller riders, so big kudos to Gen3 for designing a bike that accommodates the taller folks, too.

Like most standard commuter e-bikes, The Stride comes stock with a rear rack rated for 55 lbs of cargo, full coverage fenders and integrated front and rear lights.

I have a huge soft spot for affordable electric commuter bikes that are simple and feel well built, and the Gen3 The Stride hits me right in the feels. It’s a well built and well spec’d e-bike that feels like a bargain for its fairly cheap price.

We’ve written many times before that it’s impressive nowadays when e-bike manufacturers spec affordable models with a Shimano drivetrain, and my tune remains unchanged with this bike:

COVID-19 has made these parts difficult to get, yet Gen3 is spacing their most affordable e-bike with a full suite of Shimano Tourney drivetrain components instead of subbing them out for lesser-known alternatives. I also have to give Gen3 a huge shoutout for building a step-thru frame that actually fits my 6’`1” frame very comfortably.

It’s a simple bike; it’s an affordable e-bike; and, frankly, it’s a quite good riding e-bike. If you’re in the market for an affordable and fun form of transportation, the Gen3 The Stride is worth the look.

Do keep in mind that this is an affordable, dare I even say cheap e-bike, so while I’m singing its praises keep in mind it’s not going to be perfect. For example, the display could be better and the brakes had a squeal we couldn’t get rid of no matter how much I messed with them. But those are minor complaints about a bike that otherwise far outperformed my expectations.

Gen3 is a direct to consumer company, so you can buy the Gen3 The Stride through their website at the button below and have it shipped directly to your door.

‘Happy Riding, make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Gen3 The Stride E-Bike.