The L20 provides reliable and fun transportation in a budget-friendly package. Photo: Engwe
Electric bikes are here to stay. Those still pooh-pooh-ing it will be left in the dust, huffing it up to their car at Salt Creek or stuck in traffic watching an ebike effortlessly whisk through the gridlock. For many, the barrier to entry has been the price tag, but as the market has expanded, a few brands have made a name for themselves by bringing reliable and budget-friendly electric bikes to market through online retailers.
Engwe is one such brand who we’ve reviewed a couple times before with their X24 and Engine Pro models, which we found worthy of including in our Best Fat-Tire Electric Bikes roundup. Here we take a look at the L20, one of their sub-$1000 models. Built in the classic step-through design with front and rear cargo racks, you can customize this bike fairly easily with both manufacturer and aftermarket parts for any use under the sun. And after logging over 100 miles on this thing (and counting!) we have had nothing out of the ordinary to report. But let’s dive a bit deeper down below:
Engwe L20: First Impressions
Unboxing
The bike comes with a sizable amount of foam and plastic packaging, which unfortunately has been pretty standard in shipping bikes (especially heavy ebikes) overseas. Some North American and European manufacturers have smartened up a bit and are making more of a push toward sustainable materials and packaging, so let’s hope these guys and the rest of the industry takes notice to the trend.
Putting it together could have been easier with better instructions or an illustrated app, so be sure you’re paying attention when assembling the bike, or watch a video if you are new to bike mechanics. But what the L20 may lack in packaging, it makes up for in the product itself, as the bike feels solid, both in materials and construction – this is not some two-bit ebike that’s going to fall apart underneath you. With the battery sitting behind and parallel to the seatpost, the extra weight falls right underneath you rather than in front of you as in many of today’s electric bikes.
Riding
This bike is fun. I’d consider it a cruiser ebike with a wide variety of customization options to fit it to your needs.
To give the L20 an extreme stress-test, I took this bike to the scorching heat (and this year’s engulfing mud) of Burning Man to help get around with my family and one-year-old daughter. She rode in front of me in a seatpost-mounted child’s seat and at no point were we concerned for her safety. With the LCD speedometer it was easy to stay under the required 5mph the Playa calls for, and the 5 assist modes made that easy to dial in.
If you’re not into pedaling, the twist throttle has a nice smooth acceleration as well. This is great for cruising around with the little one so as not to bash her with my knees as I pedal. Instead it’s great to be able to cruise along in scooter mode, putt-putting through the desert.
Back home on the country roads of the Pacific Northwest, we found the bike can get up to speed pretty well and stays there if you’re up for the pedaling. It’s about as fun as it gets for a cruiser-style ebike, in fact.
I’ve also taken this on Costco missions in downtown Vancouver with a 100L tote strapped to the back, and the hilly streets of northeast Seattle with no complaints. Despite the price tag and size, this bike still sports a full 750-watt motor, capable of just about anything you throw at (or on) it.
If this bike can survive the alkaline dust of the Black Rock Desert, it’ll hold up anywhere. Photo: Lindsay Gough/The Inertia
Notable Features
The Engwe L20 is not a bike with a ton of bells and whistles, but it still has a few standout features that make it attractive. Those are:
Cargo Racks: The bike has sturdy racks on both the front and back of the bike, allowing you to strap a good amount of extra gear to the bike. With a payload capacity of 265 lbs., it’s not as capable as some other bikes we’ve tested, but is still a pretty respectable amount for carrying goods around town.
Lights: Automatic headlights and tail lights make night riding easy. While built-in lights aren’t anything groundbreaking, there aren’t many bikes at this price point with this feature.
Drawbacks
As mentioned earlier, the assembly could have been a bit easier with some better instructions. Instead it felt that the process took longer than it should have with the cryptic manual. But there are enough videos online that can help you through it. Luckily most of the bike comes assembled, it’s simply getting it out of the shipping state and ready to ride by attaching some key points.
The customer service is another drawback that could very well be a dealbreaker to some, especially those who aren’t mechanically inclined. While we can say that there were no issues in the 100+ miles of testing, and the bike is running smoothly, if something did go wrong it might be difficult finding the right parts since there are no local reps and the service is done from their warehouse in California. That said, we didn’t test this out and maybe the repair/warranty process is run smoothly enough. DIY types won’t have an issue, but if you’re used to having someone else fix your gear it could be troublesome having to send the bike in for service, especially if you rely on it for commuting.
Final Thoughts
To have a solid bike to get around town, to the local surf break, or for the occasional adventure to the desert, this bike has excellent value at under a grand. The motor always ran well, and the bike rode smoothly in a variety of conditions, even in the electronics-killing alkaline desert of Nevada. However, you’re always making some kind of compromise with a “budget” option, and the compromise you make with this bike is in the brand name, customer service, and extra “upgrade” features (for example, this bike does not fold for storage like many others its size). But so far, so good as the L20 is reliable, sturdy, and fun to ride.
Editor’s Note: For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.
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