How can a fat tyre E-Bike be this much fun? - Engwe E26 review 

Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it and hope that the added cyclist angle helped. 👌

Thanks so much, mate. Really appreciate that. 💪🏻

Sorry to hear about the osteoarthritis but I absolutely love that you're not letting it stop you getting back on a bike! It just shows that it doesn't matter how old you are, it's never too late to get into (or get back into) cycling. I'm so glad you found the review useful too. Here's wishing you many years and even more miles of happy riding ahead, young man! 💪

OK, I legit paused the vid to type that *seconds* before you said it!! 🤣🤣🤣

😂. I know you too well, Sam! So glad to hear that your friend is still able to get out on an e bike after such major surgery though. 💪🏻. Send him my regards. 👌🏻

@@petertreadway Well, I am nothing if not predictable! 🤣 Thanks, I've sent him your way to make sure he subs, so he gets so see all the fun too 😁

P.S. I love that colour too 😁

Sorry to hear about the knee issues, Alex but it is great to know that it doesn’t necessarily spell the end of your cycling adventures when you can hop on an e bike. Hope you manage to keep the arthritis at bay as long as possible though. 🤞🏼

@@petertreadway thanks Peter. I was told about a year and a half ago, if I did zero exercise I'd probably need a joint replacement in 5 years but with decent exercise I can push that out to 10 or maybe more. Since starting cycling I've lost 2 stone and significantly built up the muscles around my knee to the point that I no longer feel the need to wear a support. Those North Yorkshire hills have been good for me 😀

@@alexhadfield657 the Yorkshire hills…. And the Tea. IYKYK. 😉😂

I live in the North East of England, in whats oft disputed as either Cleveland county or North Yorkshire, as l was brought up it was called North Yorkshire, but became Cleveland in the late 60s, after years of wrangling, the partl live in on the very edge of the North Yorkshire moors to Whitby and Scarborough they let you put North Yorkshire or Cleveland, as the post code makes it reduntant, its actually down as Teesside..confused ? It doesnt matter. The Village l moved to is halfway up a hill and has hill roads both sides or banks as we shall call them, l can go down hill all the way via ex railway lines made into a footpath and dedicated cyclepath to the nearest town . Which is fine, but coming back uh oh 😮 l recently had a hip replacement and was warned by the surgeon not to indulge in leg or hip heavy exercise ( Strange because before surgery l was shown nothing but photos and vids of hip replaced folk getting up to all sorts of leg and hip centric activities 😢😂 ) Its meant to last 15 years with care,, hmmm.. So anyway l just bought my first ebike ( well second but the first one was a travesty called en emove foldable e bike, urgghhhhhhh.. No to be fair its capable on the flat, quite speedy but when a hill looms as they do constantly around these parts it tries to turn around and go back along the level surface lol, so l ordered a much better bike a Fiido C11 city bike, with brushless motor unfortunately a 500w so illegal and hydraulic brakes, a big bike and unexpectedly a thumb throttle, in my defence l knew practically zero but l should have investigated more, as the bike was in transit l saw an article saying the previous government had been making moves to allow 500w motors and thumb throttles tho still regulated to 15.5 miles per hour. So l was hoping Labour would run with this as they claim green credentials and whats greener than getting more cars off the road and more electric bikes on em, but l have yet to see any mention of this in parliamentary plans, my bike has its battery fitted into the down stem on what is a step thru bike with no cross bar, and it would be difficult to tell from a short glance or even a longer one that its an ebike, so l am currently dodging the officers of law n order hoping the rules change soon if they haven't by October l will try and register it as an electric moped tho l understand this is difficult. I have a friend who has a big Fiido Titan with 750 motor whose had his bike sometime and lives in the nearest town a small market town, he said he had had no bother from the peelers and it was him that got me interested in ebike after l explained about the hip, although the conversation about the boys in blue didn't take place until after my purchase, he had tried to persuade me to buy the same bike as his but my needs were different as l mostly wanted to commute the 4 miles between my village and his town ( my old town id been mostly brought up in till my late teens tho we had lived my first 5 years in the village I'm now in, instead of waiting for buses one an hour that often didn't turn up or were late and stopped running at 5.50pm. I have a bus pass (I'm 67) but wasting half my life waiting for buses, lm not allowed to drive cars anymore because of a disability, which is now fixed, but l cant be bothered re applying for my licence and besides its not worth buying a car for what l want. Anyway l digressed into novella country sorry for the waffle, l really just wanted to agree with the commentor about North Yorks being hilly, l went down south once to Ely, l ccouldnt believe how flat it was miles and miles and miles of nothing but fields, freaked me out somewhat, when l got back home l did a Pope and kissed the lovely tarmac on our wonderful hilled and vallied countys. Yeah so the thumb throttles a real boon to me, gliding up some pretty steep banks like they werent there. I'd be gutted to lose it and l hate feeling as tho l have to dodge the local bow street runners, and would be transported vertically past the lunar installation if the laws were changed fast. The emove bike couldnt take the hills around here and l dont want a coronary trying to assist it up a gentle ramp. So vive la powerful ebike.. And change the law, I'm not bothered about the speed as an old fart the 15.5 is quick enough for me, tho l understand you young uns would like a bit morebut past 25mph and your in full on moped themn motorcycle territory and all that accompanies it. Realky good video by the way.

Thanks Richard, glad you enjoyed the review. I used to ride motorbikes myself (until my Doctor wife convinced me they were too dangerous for my reckless attitude to most things… sadly, she’s probably right 😂), so having an e bike gives me something near the thrill of having a moto with less of her worrying about me. 👌🏻 Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment.

Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy the bike as much as I do. 👌🏻

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, Stan. I have a video of another one of their bikes (the M20) coming out soon though and it’s even cooler than this. 👌🏻

@@petertreadway Just had a quick look at the M20, don't think that's quite me, not in the market for that kind of bike, but I can see the appeal for the cafe type. The E26 seems to tick the relevant boxes for me on paper at least, for specs, usage (casual days out with luggage) and not least price - what you get for the money is impressive. Actually checking one out this very day... wallet could be lighter come sunset!

Cheers Ian. Glad you enjoyed the review and yeh, it’s such a fun bike to ride. Looks great too. 👌🏻

Yeh, lugging this up and down stairs or trying to keep it in your hallway would be less than ideal. Maybe I should review outdoor bike storage options??? 🤔😂

@@petertreadway I would with a battery! Just to be on the safe side?

Awesome. I’ve loved taking this thing off road to places I hadn’t ventured on my road bike. Such a capable piece of kit. 👌🏻

That’s the beauty of being my age, Ed. You’re largely disinterested in most people’s angry opinions! 😂 Couldn’t agree more with you analogy though. 👌🏻

Not with major brands ,

No overnight unwatched charging is one general rule everyone should do

Thanks so much, Richard, so glad you enjoyed this one. It sounds like your Allant has got a great battery range on it too and your local area seems perfect for just such a bike. 👌🏻

I always liked the idea of e bikes before but this one has made me fall in love with them. 😍

Too many bikes, mates. Are you training for the Olympics?

@@contactinspect Too many bikes? You must be new here! 🤣

Sorry to hear that. I'm assuming you've messaged them, so what have they said?

Thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it. 👌🏻

I retract my comment then, Ken and replace it with ‘most’ rear hub e-bikes! 😂. Thanks for the clarification though. Pro-tip: when you buy the E26 and it asks for your name on the website, enter ‘Competition Winner’. Thank me later. 😉

My fiido has rear motor but something called cadence sensor, l only have to push the pedal less than a quarter turn and were off under its own power which is not really a good thing as it will comolete that thrust even tho it may be more than you required if you get what im saying its the same for riding slowly and wishing to do a slightly tighter turn, thts where throttles make sense and are safer, as the thumb throttle gives you power until your thumb removes the pressure so giving more control on junctions, hill starts and slower turns.

The bike featured is in step thru the double of my Fiido C11 only with bigger tyres

I think e bikes are ideal for post injury/ill health rides, Paul and as the tech progresses, the battery range will only extend. I can definitely see this thing replacing more car journeys for me in the future.

Really sorry to hear that, Scott. I’ve emailed Engwe and sent them your comment to see what they say. I’ll let you know what they reply. 👌🏻

@@petertreadway thanks Peter.

​@@petertreadwaydid they reply?

Oh absolutely. It would mean having to re-bleed them though, which is a job I hate only second most to re-wrapping handlebars! 😂

Cheeky mode only I’m afraid, Jason. What I meant was that, once activated in the settings, the throttle will work at the same power regardless of which power assist mode is selected. The power assist level has no bearing on how fast the throttle will carry you. It’s either PAS 0 - throttle off, or PAS 1-5 - throttle on. As I understand it though, as soon as the throttle is enabled and it’s capable of propelling you faster than 6kph/4mph, the bike isn’t legal for road use. Hope that clears things up. 👌🏻

Damn! Sorry to hear that. Did Engwe sort the brake out for you?

@@petertreadway yeah they sent a new front brake system with rotor which was pretty good of them, it got bent in shipping 🙈 only took 2 weeks from contacting them to me getting the part

@@antonoat thanks so much. Really glad you enjoyed and really appreciate the sub. Great to have you on board. 💪🏻🌟

Yes, you could be right.

I haven't had a chance to test it in the rain yet, Andrew, but I'm looking to do a longer term review of this once I've used it over the winter for bit. I appreciate that doesn't help you now, but I'd hate to recommend it to you, only for you to discover it fails at the slightest hint of precipitation!

@@johnmciver9478 hey John, all Engwe bikes come with a warranty of up to 12 months. Some of the consumable parts of the bike have a lower period warranty, but for important parts like the frame, motor and battery, etc, they all get 12 months. Full details can be found here: engwe-bikes-uk.com/pages/warranty

@@petertreadway thanks for the reply. Just wondered how much tyres are for this bike as can’t find them on the site

@@johnmciver9478 the brand on the bike at the moment are Chao Yang but if you search for 26” x 4.0 tyres, you should get quite a few options. 👌🏻

I can't say for certain, John, as I haven't taken the back wheel off yet but from the look of it I would suggest it's an older style freewheel. That might immediately rule it out for a CUES/Deore upgrade, as I'm fairly certain they would all be cassettes! As for handling winter, it's difficult to say, as I haven't had it long enough yet to tell, so I'd hate to advise you to get one, only for you to potentially find it fails upon experiencing the tiniest amount of rain! Not saying it would, I just don't know how it'll fair in inclement weather yet! Generally speaking though, I reckon it would make a decent delivery bike, as it has plenty of space for storage and has a pretty good battery range. If you were going to get this one though, I might recommend the step through version for your specific circumstances. If you're going to be getting on and off the bike regularly to pick up and drop off food, then that high top tube might get bothersome to keep swinging your leg over. Sorry that's not exactly the answer you were looking for, but hopefully gives you a bit of useful info. 👌

@petertreadway Well then, if it's an old style freewheel, I think there is an 8 speed cogs compatible? Maybe? And i'm not comfortable with thumb shifter, so Rapidfire would be great. The reason I'm opting for this bike is because I think fat studded tire would be great in winter 😄 Thanks for the info. Cheers 🍻

@@jaytocz So usually when changing from 7 to 8 speed freewheel, you need to take into consideration how much spacing you have between the dropouts (usually 130mm for 8 speed). However, as this is a fat tyre bike, I have no idea if that's even relevant, so don't know if the 8 speed would fit without an issue. Certainly the tyres would have great grip for winter roads though.

@petertreadway hey peter 👋 I just received my bike and am currently waiting for the battery. I noticed that it's pulling to the left. Have you noticed it as well, or is it just mine? I tried to reseat the front tire and checked the headset.

Hey John, great to hear you’ve received the bike. Did the battery not come with it though??? As for it veering, I can’t say I’ve experienced that. If it’s not a front wheel issue, just make sure the cables/wires in the loom at the front aren’t pulling the handlebar to one side. It can be difficult to tell whether the handlebar is twisted one way or the other when installing it on the stem, so it could be easy to put it on twisted one way too many tones, so that it’s pulling. Hope that helps. 👌🏻

How could I forget to give the motor power rating! 🤦🏻‍♂️. More practice at doing reviews needed! 😂 It is only 250w though, so fully legal if the speed isn’t derestricted and the throttle not engaged. 👌🏻

The general view is that this is a 750w motor, restricted to 250w and 15.5mph for the UK market. The good news is this is easily overcome in the menu settings. You can activate the throttle in the same way, too. Happy days!😅

I stand corrected. 👌🏻

And plenty of hub motor bikes have torque sensor

Hey, I got around 35 miles on this which was almost exclusively on level 5. That wasn’t constantly at 15.5mph though but the true figure won’t be far off that I wouldn’t imagine. 👌🏻

Thanks. The bike looks like a real beast! With the fat tyres Very comfortable looking. ​@@petertreadway

@TJ12803 it does make you feels like a king on the road, especially with how tall it is! 😂 As I said in the video though, the saddle can become a bit painful after extended periods of riding, as it rubs the insides of your legs but if you were to replace that, you’d have a ‘go anywhere for any length of time’ machine! 👌🏻

@petertreadway Thanks. Is it difficult to cycle beyond the 15.5mph cut off point? Like cruising at 18mph?

It's a big old beast, but no reason why it wouldn't;t fit... You may have to remove the front wheel though, which is easy enough. 👌

Nothing wrong with you, Brian, it’s just the innate, sadistic cyclist in you wanting to beast yourself constantly! It’s the reason we all actively seek out hills just to hurt ourselves on bikes! 😂

@@petertreadway your not wrong. I did a 57 mile ride on Saturday and put the battery on the bike(normally I leave it off) making the bike weigh around 17kg. Then used the battery for one short steep climb and about 3 miles into a block headwind. Then dragged that extra weight all the way around the route 😂

@@brianridley1102 why do we do it to ourselves?!? 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

Yeh, 15.5mph/25kph just seems really arbitrary! I can't see it changing any time soon though sadly.

In April 2024 the then tory government were looking to change the current laws to allow for 500w motor and a thumb or twist throttle, but the throttle would still be limited to 15mph as part of a green movement into making e bikes more popular and thereby reducing the amount of cars on the roads especially in citys. So now Labour are in will their green credentials let them change the laws for the betterment of the ebike rider, l would like to think so but they're very authoritarian at the moment so l aint holding my breath.

Yes, I bought a cheap seat from Amazon that sits on the rear rack. It works perfectly, although the children's legs have to be tucked up behind the seat post, to make sure they don't get caught in the chain or spokes.

Cheers Keith. I hope it gave you a fresh perspective over any other reviews you’ve seen for this bike. Really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. 👌🏻

I don’t see the weights being that much of an issue. I can’t remember an instance where I’ve had to lift this thing for any reason and when you’re on road, the motor takes care of the weight on the hills. If you run out of juice, then getting it up hill isn’t as easy as a lighter bike, clearly, but otherwise, it’s never been a problem while I’ve used it.

I like to put on a little show every now and then, just to show I’ve still got it. 😂

@@redboyjan to each their own. 👌🏻

@@petertreadway of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But you must have a differnt version of "cool" where you are from 🤙🏼

But then you have to drop a lot more cash on purchasing the bike. Speed sensors offer a cheaper entry to e-bike ownership.

Appreciate you taking the time to watch and leave some feedback. In answer to your comment, I'd love to get a whole video done all in one take, (if only to save me time editing it all together!) however it's difficult to get a bike built up and rideable within a watchable time, so cuts will always need to be made somewhere to shorten the process and then it's even harder to complete a review out on the road with loud cars flying by and all other manner of other background noises affecting the sound quality, necessitating multiple takes of different parts. Unfortunately then, it's just not possible to complete a full 'one take' video, as much as that would be ideal. Hope that makes sense but, as I say, I appreciate your comment.

@@petertreadway by no way i am a vid wizard, i like your attitude towards making vids on E-Bikes, but if you could not try to end vid and get same (angle) when vid continues would be better. Maybe fade it in and out? Just my 2 C's. Keep doing the good vids brother 👍

I can appreciate that. The only issue is that torque sensors largely only appear on much more expensive e bikes, so there's a trade of to be had.

@@petertreadway thats true still expensive 🥲

There are plenty cheap ebikes with torque sensor, Engwe's own P275 mid drive bike has it and costs the same, even some of their cheaper bikes have it.