Gen3 The Stride Spec Review

In-Depth GEN3 The Stride Review

GEN3 The Stride Review: Comfort, Handling, and Ride Qualities

When it comes to making a commuter a comfortable bike, the two most critical choices a bike company can make regard the tires and the fork. Wide tires and a suspension fork have the ability to smooth rough roads and make bumps manageable. The GEN3 The Stride is equipped with a 50mm suspension fork and 26 x 1.75-in. tires. The combination of the 1.75-in.-wide tires and the suspension fork will do much to make this a comfortable bike on the road.

Comfort also comes in the form of bicycle fit. GEN3 suggests on their web site that the e-bike will fit riders as small as 5 feet and as tall as 6 feet 5 inches. No bike can fit that broad a range of people, but it will likely fit most people fairly well.

Thanks to its stiff aluminum frame, the GEN3 The Stride should handle reasonably well. It has a relatively short wheelbase which will make it easy to maneuver on bike paths and in parking lots. It should offer a calm ride out on the road.

Most riders will enjoy a fairly upright seated position on the GEN3 The Stride. Unfortunately, GEN3 includes little sizing information, so it is difficult to tell who it will best fit.

GEN3 The Stride Review: Motor, Battery, and Drivetrain Performance

We were impressed to see a 500W Bafang brushless, geared hub motor on the GEN3 The Stride. Our experience with Bafang motors has been positive. They are known for smooth acceleration and having enough oomph to reach its maximum speed of 20 mph and cruise there.

There’s a degree of confidence that comes with purchasing an e-bike equipped with a motor that carries such a strong reputation.

As a Class 2 e-bike, the GEN3 The Stride comes with a thumb throttle so that a rider can power their way home should their legs tire on the ride. It’s a nice form of insurance for anyone wanting to try longer rides but are unsure of their endurance.

GEN3 expects The Stride to have a range of roughly 40 mi. per charge with its 499Wh battery, depending on rider weight and terrain. Riders who prefer PAS 5 will see less range than that, but probably enough for several days of commutes and errands before needing to charge.

The 7-speed Shimano Tourney drivetrain works very well. It provides gears low enough to climb hills and thanks to our experience of it on a number of other e-bikes, we know it is a reliable drivetrain. We’re not wild about the shifter because it requires the rider to move their thumb above the handlebar, but it is a minor inconvenience.

GEN3 The Stride Review: Braking, Safety, Customer Service & Warranty

GEN3 The Stride is equipped with mechanical disc brakes and a 180mm rotor in front and a 160mm rotor rear. The thinking is that because most of an e-bike’s stopping power is in its front brake, a smaller rotor, which reduces the brake’s stopping power, is a good idea in the rear; should someone brake too hard in the rear, a skid can result, which could possibly impair a rider’s control of the e-bike. Most e-bikes use exactly the same caliper and rotor in the front and rear, though.

The smaller rear rotor isn’t a big deal, but anything that reduces an e-bike’s stopping power isn’t our first choice.

One of the features we like about this frame design, indeed most any e-bike with a step-thru frame, is that they offer a very upright position which makes it easy to see what’s happening around the rider. Maintaining a good lookout is arguably the single most important aspect of a rider’s safety.

On the customer service front, based on their reviews, riders are pleased with The Stride. There are very few complaints and the ones we’ve seen are minor. There have been some criticisms of the fork, and those likely could be addressed by adjusting the pre-load on the fork. We haven’t seen any responses to the reviews that contained complaints, so it’s impossible to know if they follow up.

GEN3’s warranty is in keeping with what we see from a great many direct-to-consumer brands—one year. That covers the frame, the fork, all parts and all labor.

They don’t offer an extended service option, but they do offer assembly of the bike as a service that can be purchased along with The Stride. Thorough assembly by a trained technician can reduce the need for an extended service plan.

GEN3 The Stride Review: Recommendation/Final Verdict

As we noted in our opening, commuter e-bikes with a step-thru frame, suspension fork, fenders, lights and a rear rack are popular among buyers and a very competitive draw for shoppers. What makes the GEN3 The Stride notable is that it includes all of these features as well as a quality Bafang motor at a price where the rack, fenders and lights are often eliminated in order to achieve the price point.

Rather than making the fenders, lights and rack accessories to be purchased separately, GEN3 has staked out a position to assert that the consumer’s dollar goes farther with them than with their competitors.

Our one real reservation about this bike regards sizing. It’s rare that a bike company would include so little information about the size of the bicycle. Frame size, wheel size, stem length and bar width all contribute to how a bike fits, but GEN3 left off most of the most basic frame measurements. To claim that the GEN3 The Stride will fit people over a 17-in. range is overly optimistic. Consider a one-size-fits-all sweatshirt. We would caution riders shorter than 5 feet 6 inches and those taller than 6 feet to exercise some caution if considering the GEN3 The Stride.

This is a terrific e-bike for anyone on a tight budget. It’s also a terrific e-bike for someone planning for the long term. Parts for 7-speed drivetrains are inexpensive as bike parts go. Same goes for 26-in. tires, even puncture-resistant ones like those spec’d here. Another nod to cost efficiency comes thanks to the mechanical disc brakes. They need very little maintenance and on the occasions they do, they don’t often need more than new brake pads; hydraulic disc brakes do require bleeding, even if it’s not necessary every year.

Anyone buying the GEN3 The Stride would be well-served to take a look at whatever materials the brand includes about the suspension fork and its setup. Our suspicion is that the dissatisfaction some riders have experienced with this fork could be resolved with a bit of adjustment.

Price-conscious buyers may not get much beyond the list of features and the price of the GEN3 The Stride before clicking on “add to cart.” When an e-bike’s list of features is this complete and the price is this competitive, that’s understandable.

Thank you for reading through our review of the GEN3 The Stride. Still have further questions? Wondering how it compares to a similar bike? Leave us a question in the comments below and the team at BestElectricBikes.com will answer!