Silent, stiff, and svelte: The Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bike reviewed

When it comes to e-bikes, sometimes less is more. That's the philosophy of Tenways, a 2-year-old Dutch e-bike manufacturer that has recently crossed the Atlantic to have a go at the US market. All four of its bikes are easy on the eyes, but the $1,899 CGO600 Pro really grabbed my attention due to its sleek lines and gorgeous looks.

Tenways markets the CGO600 Pro as "The Lightweight Champion." It's a 37 lb (16.8 kg) bike built to get you from point A to point B with minimal fuss—or gears, as the CGO600 Pro is a single-speed specimen. The assistance comes from a 360 W rear hub motor powered by a 36 V, 10 Ah Li-ion battery. That's good for up to 53 miles of range, a number that jibes well with my experience riding the bike. There's also no chain—the CGO600 Pro uses a carbon belt-drive system, which cuts way back on maintenance, runs quieter, and has a longer life than a chain.

The CGO600 Pro really looks more like a flesh-powered hybrid than an e-bike. Absent is the chunky look of e-bikes like the Cyrusher XF690 Maxs or Velotric Discovery 1. By contrast, the CGO600 Pro looks streamlined and svelte, ready to eat up the miles. The less-is-more design philosophy carries over to the LCD display, which is about the size of a Lego brick and is mounted near the handgrip on the left side of the handlebar. The downtube is slimmer than those on most e-bikes, with a removable battery accounting for the mass. The motor is located in the rear hub.

This is what you see after opening the box. Assembly went pretty smoothly, with one exception.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

Before I could ride the Avocado Green CGO600 Pro, I had to put it together. Tenways' assembly instructions are better and easier to follow than some of the competition's (I'll have more to say about that in a future review), and the box includes all of the hardware necessary to put the bike together.

The build process was smooth, with one major exception. Getting the fenders and pedals on was a snap. Lining up the handlebars was tough and would've been easier with someone helping. Mounting the front wheel to the fork was the biggest issue. After a few frustrating moments, it dawned on me—the fork was backward, and the brake caliper was on the wrong side. I had to hit pause and ask Tenways what to do about the problem. The fix was simple: I took the handlebars off, removed a rubber grommet from the headset, loosened a screw with a hex key, spun the fork 180 degrees, and tightened it back up. The mudguards, pedals, and other assorted hardware went on without a hitch. Once I dropped the battery into the downtube and charged it, the CGO600 Pro was ready to ride.

Those brake levers feel tiny.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

Tenways bikes are all Level 2 e-bikes, so the CGO600 Pro will help you get to 20 mph (32 km/h), and you're on your own after that. There are three levels of assist, and with just a single gear available, I found myself using the highest assist level most of the time. Assist levels and all of the other controls for the bike are accessed via buttons on the small LCD display just outside the left handlebar grip. The display is easy to read, with speed and assist level evident at a glance. Its only downside is that it can be tough to read in direct sunlight, especially with sunglasses on. For rides after dark, the CGO600 Pro has a power headlight built into the headtube, which is controlled via the display.

There's no throttle on the Tenways, so you'll have to at least do some cursory pedaling to get underway and up to speed.

If you don't enter the password, the CGO600 Pro's motor won't activate, so it becomes a very heavy single-speed bike.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

In addition to showing speed, battery power, and assist level, the display can be used to tweak some of the bike's settings. You can set a four-digit password for the bike, set the maximum assist speed to anything between 0 and 20 mph, and even check how many charging cycles the battery has undergone. It's a smart, minimalist design. Tenways also provides an app, which can track rides and offers some other limited functionality, but it's not in the same class as something like Trek Connect.

One nice feature is the ability to check the charge without turning on the bike or reaching for your phone. On the left side of the battery is a small button with three colored LEDs above it that light up to indicate the amount of charge left. You can also remove the battery from the downtube for charging if you want.

Checking your charge is easy. You can also unlock the battery and take it into your home for charging.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

The aluminum frame, front fork, and wheels all make for a lightweight bike—and a stiff ride. In fact, I found the CGO600 Pro ride to be jarring at times. My garage is on a concrete alley that doesn't get much in the way of maintenance from the suburb I live in. So I felt every crack and missing chunk in the pavement each time I took the e-bike out for a spin. But once I was on paved roads, the ride was smooth enough. The electric motor kicked in very quickly once I began pedaling, and I enjoyed the more aggressive riding position offered by the CGO600 Pro. The belt drive made for a quiet ride as well.

I wasn't so crazy about the brakes, however. The brake levers on the handlebars are small, seemingly like they were taken off a child's bike. I also had a problem with the rear hydraulic disc brake feeling very spongy and not offering much stopping power. Tenways suggested I bleed the brakes myself or take it to a bike shop and have it done there. If I went the latter route, I would be reimbursed under Tenways' warranty policy, which specifies that customers will be reimbursed if they need warranty work done at a bike shop. Unfortunately for me, my local bike shop only services e-bikes that it sells, so that's one thing to keep in mind when thinking about buying an e-bike—you may have a harder time getting repairs done than with a 100 percent human-powered bicycle.

The belt drive means no maintenance and a quieter ride.

Credit: Eric Bangeman

Aside from an overly stiff ride, the CGO600 Pro checks all the boxes you'd want from a commuter bike. At $1,899, there are definitely cheaper options available, such as the ~$800 SWFT Volt we reviewed in 2021. But in this case, the higher price means better components, like the strong built-in headlight, lightweight removable battery, hydraulic disc brakes, and belt drive to name a few. It's a strong contrast to cheaper e-bikes like the Velotric Discovery 1, where cheap components like lightweight plastic pedals are the norm. The CGO600 Pro may carry a price premium, but the quality of both the components and ride helps make up for that.