E-Bike Disaster...or Not?

WEA e-Bike Bits: This blog was written in conjunction with a video on our YouTube channel. Before reading, please, take a moment and visit the channel and watch the video.

Welcome to our blog. We are glad you stopped by. This is a first of a few in a series about our experience with e-bikes. Christmas 2022, we decided to invest in e-bikes and first up with the Aventon brand. After several months, maybe a year, looking at the website and watching other videos, felt it was a good fit. Specifically, the "aventure" series bike, no that is not a typo.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: This is NOT a paid endorsement by any manufacturers, companies or affiliations of any product(s) mentioned in this blog or the related video. We made all publications independently and without any support of any kind from any company and/or affiliations.

On November 29, 2022 we finalized the purchase of the Aventon Aventure series e-bike. Shipping from California, it arrived on our doorstep via FedEx on December 3, 2022.

Within about 30 minutes of unboxing it, we had it assembled and out for a ride.

Of course, the battery wasn’t fully charged but we enjoyed it for a few minutes. The weather in KY was not bicycle weather anyway. They included all of the tools needed for assembly, including a nifty all-in-one set of allen wrenches and screw drivers. They also included a very nice pedal and wheel wrench.

A few days later, we had an above freezing day and took the bike out for a quick 5K ride.

There is a video of the first impression also on the YouTube channel. Please be sure you check it out as well.

Seen here on the left is how it looked about a week after we received it. Here's a quick run down of the specifications and if you would like to see the official version, visit their website.

For the purposes of this blog, we just hit the highlights of things that we noticed about the bike once we got it.

• This model comes in 3 sizes; Large, meant for 5’11” - 6’4” riders, medium (regular) for 5’7” – 5’11” riders and small for 5’1”-5’9” riders – this is the LARGE.

• The payload capacity is 400lbs

• It is NOT the step-thru model though they do make one

• It comes in sand, seen above, camouflage green or fire black

• The frame is aluminum alloy with a hidden battery weighing in at 73lbs without accessories

• Battery is 48V/15Ah lithium-ion [removable with a key] and charges in 4-5 hours and a 45-mile range on full charge

• The front suspension fork is alloy hydraulic by ZOOM with lockout.

• The motor is a brushless rear hub with 750w {sustained} and 1130w {peak} power

• Backlit full color LCD adjustable display with Bluetooth app sync

• Top speed of 28mph (if modified)

• It features a cadence and speed sensor with 5 pedal assist levels

• Thumb throttle on demand and from complete stop

• To stop this e-bike, brakes are hydraulic disc with 180mm Rotors

• Seat is by Velo

• Features front and rear integrated lights

• 26” Kenda 4” fat tires with Butyl Rubber, Schrader Valve covered with aluminum fenders holds this entire package together. These tires are great for sand, snow, mud or even just wet pavement

• Aluminum fenders

• Aventon classifies this as a Class 2 e-bike with pedal assist [though if modified to the max 28mph speed it is classified as a Class 3 e-bike]

• They do offer veteran discounts

• 14-day return by Aventon

• 1 Year warranty

What is did not have was:

• Bottle holder

• Bell or horn

• Mirror(s)

• Rear rack

• Front basket/rack

• Lock

• Cover

So, we purchased from Aventon, the rear rack and front basket. The rear rack has a load capacity of 55lbs and the front basket has a load capacity of 20lbs. Those two accessories were purchased from Aventon because we wanted to make sure they fit and they met the specifications of this bike. We also got a spare battery.

The other items we added were, a bell, mirror, lock, bottle holder, upper tube bag, rear bag and cover, which were all purchased at local bikes shops or Amazon. Seen below, are a few photos of the bike as it is now.

We plan to do another video and blog about the accessories separately and will provide links to any items we purchased on Amazon, at that time. We also plan to do another video and blog, where we will dive into the electronic settings.

Now that we have over 90 miles total on this e-bike, we can honestly say that this was NOT an e-bike disaster. It's purpose in our lives is to get us out and moving. When we started traveling in March 2022, we knew we would not always be able to take our motorcycles with us. We also knew that a golf cart would be as cumbersome to travel with as the motorcycles. The next best thing was either scooters or bicycles. Of course, roller blades or skateboards were an option as well, NOT REALLY!!! Walking is always an option, we do travel with 3 Huskies! In the end, the e-bike checked all of the check boxes. Our expectations were high and I don't think we have been disappointed. This is a rather expensive investment and not being able to take a test ride or compare the many e-bikes in person is one reason we took so long to decide. We love riding so much that we actually hunt for places to go. We have not done nor do we plan to, ride any extreme trails. We prefer to stick to bike lanes and paved pathways and just like when we ride our motorcycles, we are enjoying the wind therapy.

If you are considering an e-bike and we didn't cover something here that you are wondering about, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. We will be glad to fill in the blanks. At the same time, if our adventures should bring us close by, feel free to stop us and take a test ride.

Be sure to stick with us so we can share, with you, the "Wheel Epic Adventures" we have through this blog and our YouTube channel. Of course, you can also follow us on Instagram.

Thanks for stopping by!