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Looks good to me. The brakes and drivetrain is what I would expect in that price range, and similar to what I've got a on my Aventon Pace. I'm jealous of the front rack and center stand, and for what it's worth I ended up spending a lot more to get to similar utility with my Pace. The only concerns that pop to mind are the lack of fenders, but the chonky frame and racks might help keep you dry in wet conditions, and that it's class 1, so if you have a long commute and want to go faster than 20mph or ride without pedaling (boo) it might not be a great fit. If you have an REI nearby for test rides and service it would be a no-brainer. In a semi-relevent digression, I did a half-day tour around Tokyo earlier this month on a IIRC, Panasonic SW ebike. Something like this, but beat to poo poo and black:  250w mid drive, 3-speed hub and a 15mph PAS cutout. Starting around $700 with a 200wh battery. And it was perfectly cromulent for moving boomer tourists up and down hills all morning. It really made a point to me about how-little e-assist you need to turn a mediocre bike into something super useful.
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Apr 24, 2023 15:06
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Boys who love boys
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 01:56 |
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Ha, yep. I was just browsing the bike commuting thread and they were talking about racks and getting sweaty/having to change at work and it really makes me appreciate being able do my 3 mile ride under 15 minutes in my work clothes without getting sweaty.
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May 11, 2023 15:57
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Jeans? Please. I wear cargo shorts year round
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May 11, 2023 20:15
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I've never seen a bike advertised with lifepo4 batteries. The tend to take up more than 50% more volume per AH than li-ion and are heavier. Batteries are frustratingly a black box with almost all ebikes. It would be nice to know what the BMS is doing or set it at 80% charge thresholding like a lot of phones and laptops do now, see cycle count or battery health, but it seems the best you get from most manufacturers is a charge level when the bike is powered on and a green/red LED on the charger. Though my ultimate utopian dream is a standardized 300-600wh battery that you can exchange at a vending machine charger. That's a situation where the scale of overbuilding the batteries so you only use the 'middle 80%' would make economic sense, in contrast to manufacturers are incentivized to advertise every last MAH even if it means the useful life of the battery is half of what it could be.
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Jun 22, 2023 20:16
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Sentient Data posted:Velosurance is who I went with but I haven't had to make a claim yet so I can't speak to how they do when it really matter Same. I've got an Aventon Pace 500.2 (step-thru) as well and I'm very happy after a year and roughly 1,100 miles. It's been almost entirely trouble-free. Besides the 100mile tune-up at the LBS, I have had to sand a brake pad that was squealing and patch a tube. I've got a 3 mi commute largely over MUPs so I only do 15mph most of the way, and 20mph when I'm back in traffic, with the PAS levels kind of working as a cruise control (only use the thumb for launching from a stop in traffic.) Range is fine, I don't run it below 25% or leave it on the charger for more than 2hrs and end up charging a little more than once a week (probably 25 miles or so elapsed). I wasn't impressed by Aventon's front rack, which is kind of small, so I found one for a random small-wheel style ebike on Amazon and made a bracket. This one holds takeout boxes perfectly (important requirement IMHO) or a bag of groceries . https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087PMR7GS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I keep my laptop in a messenger bag because I cover a lot of ground during a workday. And I need to come up with something better for carrying my big Kryptonite chain lock (evo 1090). Right now I've got a cheap Planet Bike rear rack and a canvas bag ziptied for my lock and bungies. I'd like something better, like a folding box or something for a second bag of groceries but 
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Jul 21, 2023 01:49
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Ham Equity posted:It seems like with the hills, the distance, and my lack of fitness, e-bike is the way to go (even if I take light rail, I have hills at both ends), but I figured I'd start here and see what people can recommend, and any tips for commuting you'd have. I read through the OP, and it seems like a class 1 or class 2 would probably work for me; one concern is weight, since I'd be occasionally hauling this thing on public transit; how heavy are these things? I know batteries aren't light, is it possible to haul them around on light rail/get them into front-of-bus racks relatively easily? I bought my ebike because I was bike-curious (40, fat, hadn't ridden since uni) and knowing that it wasn't 100% on me sweating to get to work was a big help psychologically. I wouldn't get too caught up in the Class thing, a lot of bikes in the US are all three if you've got a screwdriver or your mfr has an app. If you're going to need to use transit for the middle, I would start by looking at their policies. I've heard some places refuse to carry ebikes on bus racks. Ebikes, unless you start looking at more sport focused models are pretty heavy. My cruiser with racks is nearly 75lbs and Aventon's folding Sinch 2 is apparently 66lbs. I wouldn't want to deal with lifting that while carrying clothes, lunch and laptop. There are lighter folding ebikes out there, but you're going to pay more for it. Unfortunately hills (power, battery capacity) + transit (low weight) are basically competing priorities. Might be worth checking if there are any ebike dealers in your area (or around the hills) so you can see what you're looking at in person.
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Jul 26, 2023 02:07
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Appoda posted:
I have a step through Aventon Pace 500.2 that I’ve been riding for a little over a year. Very happy with it and the build quality though I went through a LBS and not direct so can’t comment on that experience. My bike is about as heavy as the Aventure with my rack and locks and it rides fine. A little not-fun to ride powered off, but I could do 10-12mph on flat ground to keep pace with my wife on an MTB. The Soltera is probably good if you’re a cyclist who just wants an easier ride to work, but if you’re coming in cold as I was take a look at the Pace (it’s more upright, 500w and has a larger battery). quote:Fake E: oh yeah and is it worth looking for used ebikes? Me not knowing anything about their mechanics and the natural wear of electronic parts/batteries makes me think that'd be a tricky path. Under $2k? Maybe. There wasn’t much in my market except super cheap no-name bikes of unknowable quality and second-hand Specialized which were above my budget. If I saw a competitively priced used electric Trek, Specialized or Giant I might call the local dealers and see if they can do a PPI or pull battery health data.
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Sep 14, 2023 17:51
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Appoda posted:I saw the Aventon Pace and have it earmarked in my potential bike choices. I am not a cyclist, is the soltera built more with that in mind? The Pace is a a cruiser with a fat sit-on seat and swept back handlebars (with an adjustable stem) so it's comfortable and adjustable, and you sit upright which helps visibility and is going to be easier if your butt and core aren't used to bikes. It pedals okay but it's heavy and your hips are low and behind the bottom bracket, so you're going to lean on the motor more. Sentient Data is right about the speeds. It's plenty fast. I have my limit set to 22mph because the PAS basically works like a cruise control- if you pedal it will go to the speed set by PAS 1 through 5, and this way PAS3 gets me 15mph which is the speed limit in the park. If you have a local dealer I would try the 500.2 and 500.3 if they are available. The 500.3 added torque-sensing PAS which should be a better experience (I have not tried/will not try until its time to replace mine.) In contrast the Soltera has a less powerful motor, and a sportier/more biomechanically efficient riding position. The saddle is less padded and you're going to need some core strength or else you'll you'll be heavy on the bars. If you're coming from commuting on a 10-speed you're probably used to this and are going to be fine with a 350w assist because you're used to your legs providing 100% the watts.
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Sep 16, 2023 02:11
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Appoda posted:My verdict after trying one out is that I should probably run around on a normal bicycle for a bit before forking out a chunk of change. Yeah, that will come with time. Fwiw, your bike is generally only going to be as wide as your shoulders. Make sure that you’re focusing on where you want to go (eyes up!), and not the thing you don’t want to hit. Because looking at what you don’t want to hit is step one of hitting the thing you don’t want to hit. quote:I think part of it is that the bike was shortshaming me; I could only "stand" if I was pushing myself up to my tiptoes, and to get a leg over I had to kinda lean to one side and saddle up from an angle. I’ve got short for my height legs and yeah, that kind of sucks at first. Step throughs, cruisers and MTBs with dropper seat posts are all a lot easier on short legged folk than the standard bike with a horizontal top tube. Either way it won’t take you long to get used to sliding off the saddle when you come to a stop.
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Sep 18, 2023 19:40
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Got more confident as I rode, but it's been years since I've regularly ridden a bike and I wasn't entirely full of certainty on how to position myself. My rear end went into diamond-crushing mode when other riders went wide, or I had to pass some jackass on a unicycle on a narrow trail bridge. 
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Zapf Dingbat posted:My wife and I are about to get our Aventon Level.2s this week. Yeah, have a Level.2 and it's a plenty to keep up/pace downtown traffic even without setting it to class 3 mode. Upright posture and brake lights are also reassuring in traffic. My commute is flat, but it did a hill okay with downshifting and adding human effort. 45mph bike lanes still suck, but at least you're only in them half as long as you would on an acoustic. acidx posted:But it's only a 500w motor. 72v setups are usually for motors that are like 3000w. 1500w BBSHD's run on 52v or 48v. I don't know what kind of 500w motor runs on 72v, but that sounds like a bad idea even if they did manage to develop a controller to make it work. Lots of red flags on these listings. Yeah, 500w moves the above 70lb pedal-assist (48v) ebike pretty good, but another 100+ lbs and no pedal assist would be pretty dogshit.
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Oct 5, 2023 21:05
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Cadence PAS is fine for a commuter. I was worried I was missing out but then I did a eMTB ride, where you would 100% want torque sensing, and realized it’s totally fine. I have four points on my commute where I deal with come combination of tight spaces, traffic and limited traction and I just dip down to PAS level 2 from 4/5 and then exit and power back up. It’s literally as easy as changing gears.
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Apr 26, 2024 18:44
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Jabarto posted:Mostly I just want a mid-shaft drive because change a wheel with a hub motor on it is a bitch and a half. Yeah, it sucks but I’ve only had to do it once in 20-months of commuting. Why are you changing wheels? My theory is my hub motors are heavy so no point and saving grams on the tries, just run something bulletproof.
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Apr 28, 2024 20:43
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Ahh, that’d do it. I forget some places experience all three states of water. Kind of hosed up imho
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Apr 29, 2024 02:05
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 01:56 |
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If you’re not pedaling I’m judging the hell out of u- wither under the gaze of my evil eye
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May 15, 2024 21:03
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