sixthreezero Around the Block Women’s Cruiser eBike Review

Don’t let the name hold you back. This bike is capable of taking you further than just Around The Block.

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at this 26-inch electric cruiser; curating its specs, geometry, pros and cons. You’ll get some inside info on what aftermarket parts are compatible and a little buying advice to help make your decision-making easier.

Sixthreezero Around The Block Women’s Cruiser EBike – Review

Specifications

• Frame 17″ steel frame
• Fork Standard steel fork with 3/8″ axel threading
• Headset 22.2mm steel headset
• Wheels 26″ aluminium alloy rims, 36 Total 13 gauge spokes with 3/8″ axel threading
• Tires Black/whitewall bubble tread 26” x 2.125″ tires.
• Derailleurs Shimano Tourney rear derailleur TY300D 7-speed
• Shiftlevers Shimano Index Revo shifter 7-speed
• Brakes Front and rear adjustable cable-driven disc brakes
• Chain 1/2″x1/8″, 118T
• Cassette Shimano teeth count: 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, & 28
• Crankset Steel crank arm length: 165mm or 6.5″ Teeth count: 44
• Motor 250W rear hub motor or 500W rear hub motor
• Battery 250W: 36V 10.4Ah battery or 500W: 48V 10.4Ah battery
• Display LCD display with battery charge indicator and speedometer
• Controls Thumb throttle (on left side of handlebar)
• Weight 250W: 62.2lb – assembled, incl. battery or 500W: 65.3lb – assembled, incl. battery

Pros

Comfortable

The sixthreezero Around The Block Women’s Cruiser electric bike offers a comfy ride that features a relaxed upright riding position. Just perfect for cruising.

It has an extra-wide, soft, sprung saddle, and synthetic leather grips add to the ergonomic design. These features mean no extra pressure or strain is put on your seat, hands, back or joints; leaving you free to cruise along in both style and comfort.

Capacity

Suited to riders from 5 feet to 6 feet tall and up to 250 pounds, this bike is great for most people wanting a quick and convenient ride Around The Block.

Colour & Motor Size

Available in two colours (mint-green and teal-blue), and with a 250W or 500W motor, the only real choices left are where you want to go and how fast you want to get there. The 250W rear hub motor features a 36V 10.4Ah battery, while the 500W version has a 48V 10.4Ah battery.

Speed

The 500W Cruiser will give you a higher average speed, 20-28 mph, as compared to the 250W version, who’s high speed ranges from 15 – 24 mph. A thumb throttle is located on the grip to let you easily control your acceleration.

For a few hundred dollars less (at the time of writing), you could get yourself an Eahora 26 Inch Beach Cruiser.

Although it has the same capacity battery, it is really only suitable for riders above 5’3” tall. And it’s recommended load rating is 200lb. That’s 30 pounds less than the sixthreezero. 

These two limitations alone, sadly, would rule out a lot of riders. But I think the most significant factor for us is the styling.

Although marketed as a beach cruiser, the Eahora just doesn’t have the same relaxed lines and colourful styling as the sixthreezero and for our money, fails to look like a true cruiser.

Brakes

Front and rear-disc brakes operate with an easy-to-squeeze hand lever to allow for uncomplicated stopping. Efficiency being important for your safety.

If you do find that you need to loosen your brakes, just pinch the brake arms together so you can undo the metal piece (the L-shaped bit) that moves up and down.

You need loosen this to open the callipers.

Be aware that you do need to adjust the cable and screws to balance the brake pads and move them away from the rim if you want to fine-tune the brakes.

Just remember, when assembling the bike, to make sure that the front forks bend slightly forwards.

If you have them backwards, you’ll notice they lean toward the pedals, and you’ll find if you try to ride the bike, the front tire will most likely brush your feet.

Range

The 500W eBike will allow you to cover an average of 20 miles in full-electric mode or between 20 and 40 miles in pedal-assist mode, all on one charge.

Sixthreezero suggests you can achieve up to 15 miles on full-electric mode from the 250 W eBike and 15-30 miles using pedal assist. That’s approximately one and a half hours of riding time on one charge.

Gearing

There are three modes of powering this eBike (human-powered, pedal-assisted and electric-only modes). 

Also, the sixthree beach cruiser electric bike has a 7-speed Shimano Tourney rear derailleur.

The Shimano Index Revo Shifter next to the handgrip effortlessly allows you to change the gears. Giving you even more control of your speed and the amount of work you are putting in. 

This means you can get yourself Around The Block with as much or as little effort as you feel like putting in at the time. Great for a bit of exercise or perfect for just cruising.

Noise level

Whisper quiet is how this motor is described. With an integrated rear hub motor, hidden cabling and an unobtrusive battery in the back rack, this Women’s Cruiser looks like most of the other cruiser bikes on the market.

But with the sixthree beach cruiser electric bike, you have an advantage over traditional cycles – you’re cruising is electrically powered.

Adjustable

A fully adjustable seat and handlebars mean your bike can be set up for your individual body positioning. The handlebars extend up and down.

And they also tilt toward or away from you. This means you can position them perfectly for your comfort, so your wrists aren’t overly extended.

Just as comfortable hand positioning is essential to prevent wrist and arm pain, getting your seat height right ensures that pedaling is easy and convenient. The frame of the Around The Block Cruiser has also been engineered to allow you to sit comfortably and achieve full leg extension with each pedal stroke.

Ergonomic

While it seems like such a simple thing, the wrong geometry on a bicycle can result in you experiencing soreness in your hips, knees and ankles.

And that will only mean one thing – less time in the saddle. Sixthreezero recommends this bike for riders who usually experience back pain.

Cartage

The back rack is excellent for carting a small bag.

Also, the bike is suited to attaching a front basket for a bit of shopping. Or, if you need a bit more space, panniers can be put over the back rack to give you more room to get your shopping home.

Sixthreezero have a range of baskets, totes and panniers available from their website. They even sell color-coordinating basket liners to set your Women’s Cruiser apart from the rest of the bikes getting Around The Block.

In addition to baskets and panniers, this cycle easily takes an infant seat or trailer.

The manufacturer suggests using a rear child carrier seat by Thule or Sunlite and/or a front carrier seat made by Ibert.

Customers who have written sixthreezero electric bike reviews have also found that Yepp brand carriers are compatible.

Thule trailers are also compatible with the Around the Block Women’s Cruiser, and they can easily be affixed for carrying children or cargo.

Fenders

The included fenders are a thoughtful addition to this eBike.

The last thing you want when you’re getting Around The Block in a shower of rain is a track of muddy water up your back! 

Sixthreezero makes several non-electric cruisers that don’t come standard with this feature, so we’re glad to see they have included it on this model.

For a similar buy price, you could choose the Canadian DJ Mountain Bike.

However, the fenders on this model are quite small and wouldn’t offer quite as much protection from splattering. 

Also, with a larger capacity motor, you may run into problems with legally being able to ride this bike in your local area.

In some localities, electric bicycles with motors with the capacity to provide peak power of over 750W, are legally considered ‘motorized vehicles’ and can not be operated according to the same rules and regulations as other bicycles.

For more information, make sure to check out our article on electric bicycle laws and the Three Class System that has been introduced in some states.

Warranty

Unlike many electric bikes you can buy, the threesixzero has an excellent warranty system.

Regardless of whether you buy this electric bike online or through a bike shop, the retailers selling these cruisers new, are authorized dealers. If you purchase your bike this way, you will be protected by a lifetime warranty.

Like all warranties, it doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, accidents or neglect. Still, it does apply to manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship for the entire life of the frame and forks.

And when it comes to the components and parts, they are warranted to be free of manufacturing defects (in both materials and workmanship) for six months after the original date of purchase.

Sixthreezero state that, “any parts that have been deemed defective during the warranty period will either be repaired or replaced by parts of equal or greater value”¹.

Some authorized retailers will even cover the shipping costs incurred in sending replacement parts. And if replacement parts won’t remedy the issue, they will replace the bike and pay the shipping costs associated with the return of the broken bike.  

This is certainly more than can be said for many manufacturers in this industry and is worth confirming when you are ordering your bicycle.

Cons

Trip Length

In general, electric bike batteries with larger amperages will give you a longer ride time (factoring in the terrain and speed of individual rides, of course).

The 10.4Ah capacity of the battery of both the 250W and 500W versions of the sixthreezero Women’s Cruiser means they are great for infrequent or shorter trips.

Longer regular rides, where you want to maintain a relatively high constant speed – such as daily commutes from the suburbs to the city – generally require a battery with higher amperage.

These eBike though, are perfect for carefree cruising.

Suspension

Sadly, there are no shock absorbers on the Around The Block Women’s Cruiser. While you might be tempted to think this bike would provide a bumpy ride, it doesn’t.

If you stick to the manufacturer’s recommendation of riding primarily on paved roads, paths and trails, the 2.125-inch tires on the 26-inch wheels provide plenty of cushioning and stabilize the ride.

Display

There are no extra bells and whistles with this display. It features a simple and uncomplicated readout that tells you which level of pedal-assistance you are riding with (low, medium or high), and how fast you are going.

Luckily, you can fix a basket to the front, so you have somewhere to put your smartphone if you’re using your maps app to get around. There’s no recessed or integrated holder to safely mount it otherwise.

Brakes

Cable-driven disc brakes definitely do a fine job of slowing and stopping you.

But given the higher speeds possible with electric-powered bikes, especially the 500W version of this Women’s Cruiser, we think that perhaps hydraulic brakes would have been a better option. 

Over time, the cables in all cable-driven brakes will stretch with heavy use. This will increase your slowing and stopping rate, something that doesn’t happen with hydraulic systems.

Assembly

Some buyers have had a bit of trouble with the seat swivelling while they ride. Essentially, this is very easily fixed and shouldn’t affect your decision to buy this bicycle.

Once you insert the seat post (which may require a little lubricant, such as WD-40, to slide in easily), make sure all bolts are evenly tight before you lock the seat into place at the correct height.

The manufacturer suggests loosening the nuts, on both sides, under the seat.

Then retighten them with even pressure on each side.

You can do this by turning one nut 3 or 4 times and then turning the alternate side the same amount; swapping back and forth until each is as tight as it can go.

Getting this right is essential because your safety can be affected if everything isn’t securely affixed.

If you’re not sure about your ability to assemble the bike, you can opt to have it professionally assembled and delivered, ready-to-go, for an additional fee.

Buying Advice

Price

At around $1650 for the 250W model and around $1850 for the 500W version, you are looking at a reasonable outlay to get you Around The Block.

If you’re looking for a cruisey and comfortable eBike to ride a few times a week, the sixthreezero Around The Block Electric Cruiser bike is definitely one you’ll want parked at your place.

Age

This bike is marketed to only be ridden by people over 12 years old. If you are looking for an electric bike for children younger than 12, it would be wise, first of all, to check what local regulations apply in your area.

This article explains some of the laws surrounding legal electric bicycle use if you need more information.

Injury Recovery or a First Electric Bike 

This is definitely a great beginners eBike (if you’re over 12, that is). If you’re looking for a smooth once-a-week ride that doesn’t put stress on your body, this is the bike for you.

It’s perfect if you’re recovering from an injury or illness or just wanting to do a bit of exercise with a reliable electric back-up to get you Around The Block and back home again.

eBike Laws

If you live in a state that has adopted the Three Class System of eBike regulation, it would be wise to take a look at your local laws. These could potentially affect which model of electric bicycle you end up choosing.

Tools Are Provided

As the bike comes 85 percent assembled, there is a small amount of work to do before you head out on your first trip Around The Block. You do have to attach the seat, handlebars, wheels, and pedals.

But even without much mechanical knowledge, it is still pretty easy to do, and an Allen wrench is included.

Conclusion

The threesixzero is a great, relaxed Cruiser, and we can definitely join the ranks of stylish and happy customers taking their 26” Women’s Cruiser Around The Block.