If you’ve been thinking about moving into the world of e-biking, but you’ve been put off by the $2000+ prices for many, the ProdecoTech Stride 400 may be your solution. This is pretty much an entry level bike, so it’s not going to have everything those $2000 models have, including their pricetag.
The Stride 400 comes with a low step frame, making easy for anyone of any gender and any age to get on and off. It comes with an 8 gear SRAM system and hydraulic disc brakes. It includes some nice touches such as a comfortable leather saddle, attachment points for a water bottle holder (seems rare on most e-bikes), and a rack capable of supporting panniers, though there’s not much in the way of a bottom attachment point.
This is a solidly built bike and allows the rider a comfortable upright position. We found the motorcycle-style gearshift a little on the stiff side.
The bike uses a rear wheel 400 watt motor powered by a Samsung battery. The company’s website says it gets 25-35 miles. Based on our tests, we think the 25 mile range is pretty accurate for a flat rail trail. But over a hilly course with a lot of throttle use, it was about out of juice after 15 miles. The bike uses a handlebar mounted twist throttle for power, which ProdecoTech refers to as “power on demand.” I like the throttle, especially to get moving from a red light or from the bottom of a hill. But it does not have pedelec functionality, meaning you can’t set a power level and forget about it. The bike will get up to 20 MPH on the flats, the federal limit.
The small display shows power level and amount of juice remaining, but I found it difficult to read in direct light. If you want things like distance, speed, location, etc., you’ll need to add another device like a bike computer or handheld GPS like the Garmin Oregon 700.
The Stride 400 is a comfortable ride, with a mono-shock in front. It is back heavy, with both the motor on the rear wheel and the battery over the rear wheel, but we don’t see that as a problem. 
Steering was easy, braking was good. The motor helped us over some pretty stiff hills, though it was tough on battery life.
ProdecoTech calls this an ideal commuter bike, and for short commutes we would agree. It’s great for tooling around town, running errands, etc. But it’s probably not the bike you’d want to rely on for a full day of road touring. But then again, as we noted, you won’t be paying a fortune for it either, it’s listed at $1449.
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