Trends come and go, technology keeps advancing, and the toys we once cherished often get replaced by something sleeker, faster, and more high-tech. But beach cruiser bikes? They’re timelessly cool.
With their classic frame lines, wide swept-back handlebars, and that laid-back riding position, they evoke the feeling of a gentle beach breeze—even if you’re like me and nowhere near the ocean, you likely know what I mean.
This puts brands at a crossroads: Should they abandon the beloved classics for the latest tech gadgets, or stick strictly to tradition and ignore modern innovations?
Retrospec gets this challenge. The California-based brand chose to blend the best of both worlds—keeping the iconic beach cruiser style we love while incorporating the e-bike tech we actually want to use.
Enter the Retrospec Chatham Rev+: a thoughtful mix of familiar beach cruiser design with contemporary electric features. It promises up to 52 miles of range, packs a 500W rear hub motor, comes in vibrant colorways, and rolls on 3-inch wide tires—all aimed at bridging old-school charm with new-age convenience.
So how does this combo hold up in real life? That’s exactly what I’m diving into here. I’ve put the Chatham Rev+ through its paces over the past week, and I’m ready to share my honest take..
My Experience Riding The Retrospec Chatham Rev+ ST E-Bike
In terms of sheer looks, the Chatham Rev+ is the epitome of what a modern e-beach cruiser should look like. From the classic car lines, the swept back cruiser bars, tan accents on contact points and those plump 26×3” compass tires which also happen to match the rest of the bike, but even cooler is the raw aluminum wheel color over the more commonly used black paint.
All-in-all Restrspec nailed the look of the Chatham Rev+. I was sent the Matcha green colorway and if that’s not your style, they also have an eggshell off-white color as well, and in my opinion, they both work well for this beachy style ebike.
Hopping on and off the Chatham is fast and smooth thanks to the low standover height where the lowest point of the frame hovers down at shin level for me, removing the need of tossing my leg over a high top tube like some folks shy away from, especially if they have any balance or stability issues.
The rear hub motor pushes 500W’s and 55Nm of muscle with the ability to peak at up to 600W’s when working its hardest and is activated by a cadence sensor. The motor feels punchier than I expected, not punchy like you fall off unprepared for the jolt, but rather punch as in acceleration and hill climbing performance that just seems to punch above its weight class. Throttling to 20mph from a stop just takes a few seconds, it can climb hills with relative ease and flats are just as easy-breezy as you would expect on a beach cruiser. With that said, the motor is a bit louder than other more premium rides in 2025 as this model has been out for a couple years. But, it’s not overbearing or distracting, just present.
I’m a big fan of tan sidewall tires (or gumwalls as some like to call it), and these Compass 26×3” tires did not disappoint. With a wider 3 inch wide volume, these tires can air down a bit from the recommended 25-45PSI as I ran the bottom end around 25 PSI and that extra cushion in the tires really helped compensate for a rigid frame with no suspension soaking up road imperfections along the way.
Braking is covered by Tektro mechanical disc brakes with 2-piston calipers and 180mm rotors. While I would prefer to see hydraulic disc brakes, these brakes performed well enough and I had no issues stopping safely every time I needed to.
While the 7-Speed Shimano system is fairly basic, it gets the job down to vary your gearing for whatever your elevation changes are, I did notice a bit of ghost pedaling when I pushed the Chatham past its 20 MPH max speed.
There’s a consistent feeling when riding a cruiser bike, it’s that feeling from childhood when riding a bike. You feel carefree and it’s just plain fun. As a lifelong cyclist and someone who obsesses over FTP, cadence, fueling, body position and more things I shouldn’t care about at my age, all that flies out the window on a beach cruiser like the Chatham Rev+, the bike is just plain fun. If I had to sum up my thoughts on riding the Retrospec Chatham Rev+ that would be it.
Range
Estimated Range (from Retrospec): Up to 52 miles
Real World Range Test Results:
- MIN Test: 56 miles
- MAX Test: 24 miles
The Retrospec Chatham Rev+ actually delivers on its 52-mile range promise, and in my testing, it went even further. Running on the lowest pedal assist (PAS 1), I squeezed out 56 miles on a single charge—beating both the brand’s specs and my own expectations. Then, after a recharge, I cranked it up to full blast on PAS 6, and I still was able to cover 24 miles, which honestly isn’t bad for maximum assistance.
Even with the cadence sensor’s all-or-nothing power delivery, the range performance gave me some data-based confidence for longer rides. Now, let’s be real about these numbers. I’m 180 pounds, rode on perfectly flat bike paths with zero elevation changes, and didn’t have to deal with traffic lights, hills, or any of the usual stuff that kills battery life.
Your results are going to be different depending on how much you weigh, where you’re riding, and how hard you’re pushing it. But it’s reassuring to know this bike can go the distance and then some when conditions are right—gives you a solid foundation for planning those all-day adventures.
Bottomline, this battery has some serious staying power when you need it.
Power (Motor & Battery)
The Retrospec Chatham Rev+ gets its grunt from a 500W rear hub motor that can peak at 600W and pushes out 55Nm of torque. Now, these numbers aren’t exactly jaw-dropping—especially when you’ve got ebikes out there throwing around 100+ Nm like it’s nothing. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from this setup.
But here’s the thing: this little beach cruiser completely caught me off guard. It climbs hills way better than it has any right to. I’m talking about it actually outpacing a popular 750W ebike with 90Nm of torque on a steep local climb. While that more powerful bike was struggling, the Chatham Rev+ just cruised past like “hold my piña colada” and beat its time by about 20%. Still scratches my head thinking about it.
The motor kicks in through a cadence sensor that fires up once you start pedaling. You’ll need to pedal about halfway around (around 180 degrees) before it engages, and there’s that same half-second delay when you stop pedaling too. Just something to keep in mind for your first few rides so you don’t get caught off guard.
The battery doing all the work is a 48V, 10.4Ah setup pushing 500Wh of juice. It sits nice and clean in the frame and locks down with a key system that comes with the bike. Need to pull it out for charging or security? Takes about five seconds with the key—pretty straightforward. Safety-wise, you’ve got Samsung cells and UL 2271 certification, so you can charge it indoors without worrying about your house burning down.
Bottomline, the Chatham Rev+’s power setup proves that sometimes less really is more. These aren’t the flashiest numbers you’ll see, but damn if they don’t just work really well together.
Components
For a $1,499 ebike in 2025, you’re getting exactly what you’d expect at this entry-level price point—the basics that get the job done without any fancy bells and whistles. And honestly? That’s perfectly fine because everything here performs like it should.
Let’s start with the drivetrain. You’ve got a 7-speed Shimano setup with a Tourney rear derailleur, Shimano index shifter, and a 14-34T cassette paired with a 42T chainring on a 170mm alloy crankset. It’s nothing flashy, but it shifts when you need it to and handles the gear range just fine. The only time I noticed any weirdness was a bit of ghost pedaling when I pushed past the 20mph max around 22-23mph, but that’s not even really an issue since you’re not supposed to be going that fast anyway.
The braking comes courtesy of mechanical disc brakes—Tektro 2P calipers with 180mm rotors. Now, would I love hydraulic disc brakes instead? Sure, but that’s me just nitpicking a personal preference. These mechanicals work just fine and give you plenty of stopping power when you need it.
Here’s where things get good though: the wheels and tires. The 26″ alloy wheels have this raw aluminum finish that looks way better than the usual painted black you see everywhere. Paired with those gumwall Compass 26×3″ tires, they nail that classic cruiser aesthetic while actually rolling fast and quiet. Plus, being fat tires on a rigid frame, you can air them down a bit for extra cushion if you want—nice touch.
The cockpit keeps things simple with an alloy quill stem, alloy cruiser handlebars, and vegan leather lock-on grips that feel good in your hands. The comfort cruiser saddle does what it says on the tin, and the flat platform pedals are exactly what you’d expect on a beach cruiser.
Overall, these aren’t the components that’ll make gear heads drool, but they’re solid, reliable, and perfectly suited for what this bike is trying to be. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want.
Screen / User Interface / App
The Chatham Rev+ comes with a basic black and white LCD display that’s about as no-frills as it gets. Think old-school calculator font vibes, but it covers all the essentials you actually need: current speed, PAS level, battery level, max speed, average speed, and an odometer. Nothing fancy, but it gets the info across without any fuss.
Where things get a little tricky is if you want to dig into the advanced settings. There are deeper menus that let you tweak stuff like speed limits, wheel size, and other more technical options, but good luck figuring them out without the manual. The display uses some kind of coded menu system that’s about as intuitive as trying to program a VCR in 1995. Unless you’ve got that manual handy, you’ll be playing guessing games with cryptic menu codes.
At the end of the day, it’s a functional display that shows you what you need to know during rides, but don’t expect to be doing any advanced tweaking without doing your homework first.
Retrospec Chatham Rev+ ST Model Options
Retrospec keeps things simple with the Chatham Rev+—maybe a little too simple. You get one frame size (16.5″) that’s supposed to fit riders from 5’2″ to 6’1″, and that’s it. No small, medium, large options here.
Color-wise, you’ve got two choices: the Matcha Green you see in my photos with those nice tan accents on the grips and tires, or an Eggshell off-white with the same tan touches. Both look pretty sharp, honestly.
What’s in the box is pretty basic: your 2A charger, keys for the battery lock, and a battery-powered taillight that clips onto the seatpost. Would I rather see that taillight hardwired like the front headlight? Yeah, but at least it’s there doing its safety thing.
If you want to accessorize, Retrospec’s got you covered at checkout. They’ll happily sell you everything from helmets and locks to portable air compressors, car racks, and even kid trailers. It’s a pretty solid lineup of add-ons if you’re looking to deck out your new ride.
Is The Retrospec Chatham Rev+ ST Worth Buying?
Here’s the thing about the Retrospec Chatham Rev+ ST: it’s not trying to be the flashiest, most tech-loaded ebike on the market, and that’s exactly why it works so well.
At $1,499, this bike nails what a modern beach cruiser should be. You get that timeless cruiser aesthetic with the Matcha Green or Eggshell colorways, those gorgeous gumwall tires on raw aluminum wheels, and a ride quality that just makes you smile. The 500W motor might not sound impressive on paper, but it punches way above its weight class—I’m still scratching my head about how it outclimbed that 750W competitor.
The 50+ mile range is legit, the UL certifications give you peace of mind, and that low step-through frame makes it accessible for riders who might struggle with traditional bike designs. Sure, the components are basic and the display feels like it’s from 2005, but everything works like it should and gets the job done.
Is it perfect? Nah. I’d love to see hydraulic brakes, built-in water bottle mounts, and a hardwired taillight. But these are nitpicks on what’s otherwise a really solid package that delivers on its promise of blending classic cruiser vibes with modern ebike convenience.
If you’re looking for a comfortable, reliable ebike that’s just plain fun to ride—whether that’s cruising the neighborhood, running errands, or tackling longer adventures—the Chatham Rev+ ST hits that sweet spot. It’s not the most exciting bike you’ll ever ride, but it might just be the most enjoyable.
Pros
- Classic Cruiser looks with colors like Matcha Green and Eggshell white balance the classy and classic vibe a beach cruiser needs.
- I was able to cover over 50 miles on a single charge using PAS 1.
- A Peppy 500W motor that pushes 55Nm of torque performs better than expected in hill climbs and acceleration.
- This beach cruiser is relaxing and comfortable to ride thanks to the frame geometry and plush saddle
- One of the perks of high-volume 26×3” Compass tires is they not only look great with tan sidewalls, but they also help absorb road imperfections, especially aired down a bit.
- It’s one of those bikes that takes you back to the joys of riding a bike before life got so serious. It’s hard not to smile on this ride.
Cons
- The battery-powered taillight requires babysitting. Sure, it’s there for safety and visibility, but having to remember to turn it off after rides and swap out dead batteries gets old fast.
- No built-in water bottle mounts means you’re left needing to buy Retrospec’s optional bottle bracket if you want to carry a drink, which feels like something that should just come standard on a bike like this.
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