Tenways Accessory Review – Power Bank and Pannier Bag

Range anxiety is a real affliction for just about every electric bike owner. You may forget to plug the charger into the bike after a ride or figure that you have enough battery left to get to the store and back, only to watch as the battery levels drop to anxiety-inducing lows en route to your destination.

Whatever causes range anxiety, every e-biker is perpetually searching for ways to reduce the amount of it in their lives. Thankfully, Tenways, a Netherlands-based electric bike manufacturer, understands that less stress equals more joy. And so they have created an excellent little addition to their high-end electric bike lineup to help reduce the pitfalls of range anxiety.

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Banking Power for the Future

The Tenways Power Bank is a 180 Wh secondary battery designed to work exclusively with all Tenways e-bikes. This little external battery weighs only half a pound but packs a nice little punch when paired with the 37lb CGO600 Pro during testing. It was barely noticeable as far as added weight and fit snugly into the bottom part of the frame thanks to some well-placed velcro straps, which securely fasten the power bank to the frame.

Inside the durable waterproof case is a sleek and smooth battery bank that will give the rider another 180Wh of power, which is half the charge of the 360Wh integrated battery on the CGO 600 Pro. The power bank also comes with dual USB ports (USB and USB-C) that can be accessed inside the case so that you can charge your devices while on the go or when stopped at your destination.

The USB ports can also charge the battery when plugged into an outlet. It is highly recommended that you use a high-speed USB-C charger and cable as the charging time using a regular USB or USB-C setup was relatively slow.

While charging the bike using the Power Bank, an accessory cord allows you to plug directly into the bike while riding to access the reserved power before you need it. Tenways recommends using the Power bank before the battery gets too low for optimal chargeability. These Power Baks are also compatible across the entire Tenways lineup of electric bikes, which is an excellent option for families with multiple bikes.

Related: This Belt-Drive Electric Beauty is Nearly Flawless – Tenways CGO 600 Pro Reviewed

Overall Impression – 9/10

I love the power bank's design and weight. Adding a small accessory that gives you more options for a longer ride and charging other products is excellent. The added weight was a wash compared to how light the bikes from Tenways are, adding more value than weight.

Its ease of use and integration into the frame's design worked well, and it looks slick attached to the bike. It didn't take anything away from the bike aesthetically and just added another great feature to an already efficient bike setup.

My only qualm was the charging of the unit itself. Without a fast charging cord and charger, the charging time seemed to go on for much longer than the expected 4 or so hours. I left it to charge overnight more than once and found that it had only gained one bar.

This is fine if you use the power bank only in 'emergency' situations and rarely run low on battery power. But if you want it to help with your commuting distance and/or charge multiple devices, I highly suggest getting a certified fast charger immediately upon purchase.

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Bagging Groceries (And So Much More)

There may be a tendency to think of pannier bags as having the same purpose. While this may be accurate in some instances, there are always those who do the menial tasks and fulfill their purpose better than others. This is how I would describe the Tenways CGO Pannier Bag.

This 15L capacity bag is designed to work with the carrier rack on the CGO Series of bikes, but it would be at home on just about any rear rack. It is durably built and yet seems broken right out of the box, whereas some other bags can be stiff until broken in.

Cinching down the sides of the bag when sealing the rolltop is simple. Two buckles along the side make it easy to cinch it down as much as you like. You can tell right away that the bag is sealed nicely because it seals in all the air and your items. The quality is high, and the design is simple yet effective.

Lifting the handle disengages the top clasps that hold it in place on the rack, although the lower clasp can sometimes be a pain to attach to the rack. This is common for most pannier bags, and you get used to how each works differently. If you are taking the bag inside the store or want to carry your items around with you, the CGO Pannier comes with a shoulder strap that clips easily to the side buckles, giving you a wearable bag that is simple and comfortable.

Overall Impression - 9/10

This bag did its job and did it well. It was easy and intuitive to use, seemed durable, and was assuredly waterproof (I rode the CGO 600 Pro on many rainy spring days). I really enjoyed how soft and malleable the bag was right out of the box, which felt like it had already been broken in.

My only small qualm is the shape of the bag at times, especially the bottom portion. Often, pannier bags taper at the bottom, making it quite hard to get a full bag of groceries to sit in the bag properly. This is obviously fixed easily by rearranging the bag's contents, but sometimes the items are Tetris'd into the bag, and moving them might not allow you to get all the items into the pannier bag.

I wouldn't mind a less tapered bag or even a square-bottomed bag, but overall it didn't leave a bad impression on my overall experience. The CGO Series Pannier Bag, along with the Power Bank, is a great addition to any Tenways e-bike purchase.

Speaking of purchases, Tenways is currently running a great sale on its bikes and the Power Bank with a purchase of a bike. The CGO 600 Pro, CGO 800S, and AGO X are all selling at a $400 reduced rate while also offering free mudguards and kickstands. Additionally, they are cutting the price of the Power Bank by 50% if you purchase a bike, as well as offering an additional $200 off of the bikes if you purchase two.

The Tenways CGO 600 Pro was one of my favorite bikes during my testing so far, and looking at the rest of the lineup, it is hard to think that all of their bikes would not meet the high standards that Tenways has set for themselves.