Roxform Stride S

The Roxform Stride S is a straightforward hub motor step-through with 8-speed Shimano gearing and front suspension that feels a little superfluous for how the bike will most likely be used. It’s not incredible when you point it uphill, but you wouldn’t really expect it to be for this price. It’s a pretty smooth ride though and for many people it’ll do the job.

Step off a plane in Switzerland, or many other cycling-friendly European countries, and you’ll see bikes like the Roxform Stride S everywhere. Ridden by the side of lakes, along urban cycling infrastructure, between delightful campsites rippling in the hazy summer sun, they’re quite recognisable with their high seating position, universal step-through frames, mud guards and rear racks, and they’re made by lots of different companies.

Here, on the galaxy’s premier e-bike news and reviews site, you can find versions of this design from the likes of EGO, Pinnacle, Engwe and Tenways. They’re all different, but if one of them had mugged your gran, you might have trouble picking it out of an identity parade.

So why are these bikes so popular, and why do so many of them find their way into bike hire shops for active tourists? The answers are to be found in their universality.

Riders don’t need to swing a leg high over the crossbar, making it simple to get on and off no matter what you’re wearing. The frame geometry promotes a more natural and relaxed sitting position that can reduce strain on the back, shoulders and wrists. The ease with which you can put your feet down, shifting forward off the saddle if you need to, makes them ideal for start-stop city traffic, while a lower centre of gravity helps the bike to stay stable when carrying cargo or child seats. And if it’s a bike anyone can ride, it’s ideal for being shared, whether that’s between family members or the 7.5 million tourists who book an overnight stay in Zurich every year.

All those different uses for an e-bike are well within the Roxform Stride S’s capabilities. Stick to city streets with mild inclines and you’ll have a grand old time. The 250W rear hub motor and reasonably high 8-speed gearing encourages you to leave it on the highest of its power levels, gliding about with the kind of ease we’ve come to expect for as long as the battery has some juice.

There’s no torque sensor here, so there’s a little delay before the power comes on, but happily it’s not a jerky experience. Roxform claims a 40-mile range for the bike, but it’s more like 25 in practice – still enough for most commutes and trips to the pub.

Open frames like this do flex more than a traditional diamond tube arrangement, so you might notice a slight wobble or soft steering response when cornering hard, carrying heavy loads or riding quickly downhill, but then these are things you’re less likely to do if the Stride S is your chosen ride.

The exception to this may be the last one – though as Sir Isaac Newton knew very well, what goes down must come up – and hills are not the Stride S’s forte.

Part of this comes from the upright riding position, which feels extremely natural when you’re on the flat but makes anything other than a gentle rise feel like harder work than it really needs to be, and part of it is from the gearing, which means you may find yourself putting in a bit more effort to climb, even with electrical assistance, than you would were a lower gear available.

The hydraulic disc brakes do a good job of stopping you at the end of any descent, however, and there’s suspension on the front fork if you’re taking it on the tow path or you live in a town that’s suffering an epidemic of potholes.

Our review model came with a holdall that fits on top of the rear rack, offering more than enough space for some sandwiches and a nice thermos of tea. It’s a neat optional extra that gives it a bit of carrying capacity and removes the need for a sweaty backpack. Other optional accessories include a rear child seat (the rear rack can take 18kg) and a handlebar-mounted bag you can put a small dog in for possibly the cutest Instagram reels ever. But if you’re thinking of moving more cargo then perhaps this isn’t the bike for you.

Then there are the lights. There’s nothing wrong with the one on the front, as it’s wired in and controlled from a switch on the control screen. (As with many reasonably priced e-bikes, this doesn’t remember your settings between rides, so you’ll always need to set your power before moving off.) The light at the back is however an abomination and you’ll need to budget for a new one.

Firstly, its batteries won’t stay in after you’ve snapped the casing closed around them. You also have to fiddle around underneath it to find the on button. This isn’t something you can do from the saddle, and could also be quite tricky if you’re wearing gloves in colder weather.

This rear light is, luckily, the exception to the Stride S’s generally high standard of build quality. The removable battery is smoothly integrated into the frame and the paint is well applied, with several colours more interesting than grey available.

The small cross-brace at the bottom of the seat tube probably has a structural use, but also functions as somewhere to loop a bike lock – a nice design touch. The plastic chain protector is large enough that even the flappiest trousers shouldn’t get grease on them. And while the kickstand is slightly too close to the back of the bike for rock-solid stability, it’s also not going to send the bike toppling over when you pull up next to the vicar at the village fête.

> Best electric bikes under £1,000 2025 – budget recommendations based on our testing

Your choice of a bike in this category is likely going to come down to price, and at just £1,250 (or £999 at the time of writing thanks to a discount) the Stride S is competitive.

Tenways’ CGO800S offers e-biking at its simplest – torque sensing power, delivered through a single gear belt drive. It’s priced at £1,699, but currently discounted to £1,399.

The Engwe P275 SE brings a 7-speed drivetrain for £1,499, but again discounts seem frequent. It was actually being sold for an almost comical £799 at the time of writing.

Similarly, the Pinnacle Energy is nominally £1,999, but has been available for £999 ever since we reviewed it in February. Bikes at these sorts of prices always bring compromises, but Richard felt they were relatively few in this instance.

There’s an S Plus of the Roxform Stride that changes the rear hub to a Bafang of the same power, adds a larger capacity battery (for more range) and a colour screen, and costs £200 more. There’s also a Stride L with a mid-mounted motor for £200 more than that – but this entry level model might well be the one to get as it undercuts some other rear-hubbers on RRP and weight.