Tenways CGO800S belt-drive commuter electric bike review: A lot to like!
After having previously tested out Tenways’ first single-speed electric bicycle last year, I was excited to give the brand’s newest model a try. Now that I’ve spent some good saddle time on the Tenways CGO800S, here’s what I think about this new ride.
First of all, there’s definitely a lot to like in the Tenways CGO800S. It’s not all perfect, and there were a few misses, but it’s largely a very nice offering.
This is absolutely an urban-oriented e-bike though, so don’t expect to turn this into your hybrid trail rider or anything like that.
It’s also a pedal-assist e-bike fitting in the Class 1 designation in the US, so you’ve got to go into this review knowing that this is an e-bike made for cyclists. This is not a motorcycle with pedals.
With that frame of mind in place, let’s dive in here. You can start with my brief video review below, then keep reading for the rest of my thoughts.
Tenways CGO800S video review
Tenways CGO800S tech specs
- Motor: 250W rear hub motor
- Top speed: 20 mph (32 km/h) in US, 15.5 mph (25 km/h) in Europe
- Range: Claimed up to 62 miles (100 km)
- Battery: 36V 10.4Ah (375Wh)
- Weight: 50.7 lb (23 kg)
- Frame: Aluminum alloy 6061
- Suspension: Front suspension fork
- Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Gates carbon belt drive, color LCD display including speedometer, battery gauge and PAS level indicator, front and rear LED lights, torque sensor, included rack and fenders, three color options
- Price: $1,999
Great for the city
As I mentioned, this isn’t one of those “motorcycle with pedals” types of electric bicycles. This is a relaxed e-bike that feels much more like a standard city bicycle, albeit one that doesn’t make you work very hard if you don’t want to.
The upright ride with tall handlebars gives a comfortable body position and the modest 250W motor doesn’t feel overpowered. It still has some nice acceleration in higher-power pedal assist modes, but no one will accuse the Tenways CGO800S of being too much bike to handle. It just isn’t going to knock anyone’s cycling socks off, so to speak.
That means it is better suited for someone who already enjoys cycling, but wants a nice boost added to their usual ride. And perhaps they also want the other advantages that come with nicer e-bikes.
For example, the included torque sensor makes the pedal assist smooth and intuitive feeling. When you press harder on the pedals, you get more power from the motor. It’s as simple as that.
There’s no throttle to feather; everything is foot-controlled.
Well, not everything. You’ve still got those hydraulic disc brakes at your fingertips. But there’s no shifter to mess with, since this is a single speed. That can go in either the pros or cons column, depending on whether you like the simplicity of a single-speed or prefer the gear ratios that come with a multi-speed transmission.
For me, single-speeds are great, lightweight, and simple solutions. But I also live in a flat city, and so your mileage may vary.
Speaking of mileage, the company says you’ll get up to 100 km (62 miles) of range from the Tenways CGO800S. That’s probably a bit higher than most people will get, but it really depends on what pedal assist level you keep it in.
If you’re blasting around in the highest power level, you’ll be lucky to see 35-40 miles. If you keep it in level 1 all the time, you could realistically reach 62 miles of range.
But since most people don’t have the self-control to only use the lowest (and slowest) power level, don’t expect to ever really see 62 miles of range.
Even so, the rest of the promises check out. The speed really gets up to 20 mph (32 km/h). The bike comes with included accessories like a rear rack and a fender set. The LED lights work and they work well. Though on that note I’ll say that the turn signals feel a bit gimmicky to me.
They’re barely distinguishable on the rear of the bike since they are built into the single tail light. You’ve got to be really close to make out that one turn signal is on and realize what it is.
Sure, having turn signals is a nice addition. And I may use them from time to time. But I’m definitely still going to use hand signals too. I wouldn’t rely on those little rear turn signals – and of course the lack of front turn signals also makes hand signaling a necessity.
Another nice addition that is almost a bit overkill is the screen. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful. But there’s just so much going on, especially when you get into the settings. I turned off the password feature since it was a bit annoying to me. But password protecting your e-bike is a neat idea, and some riders might enjoy the extra security. I’ll go with a beefy lock any day of the week, but the feature is still a nice addition, in theory.
And I can’t deny that the screen is quite attractive. It’s nicely designed and the colors pop. So nice work there, Tenways.
For $1,999, you’re getting a lot of nice parts like those hydraulic brakes and Gates carbon belt drive.
Even so, the lower power and limited top speed don’t quite match the price, if you’re looking for bang-for-your-buck performance-wise.
So in this case, I’d say that it’s worth it if your main requirements are the quality construction and easygoing ride. But if performance is more your thing, you can find bikes with bigger motors and batteries for less cash.
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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