Joe
Member
Facebook Link to original post
quote -
As of today, I have reached 13,000+ miles on my Late 2015 Volton Alation 500! I am a full time cyclist through every season ever since I got my bike on Black Friday of 2015.
I travel around 5000 miles each year approx. and it's been an incredible journey! This is my very first e-bike and heard about Volton through Electricbikereview.com. It was highly recommended, especially at the price point.
Many people worry about how long will this battery last and how long will the motor run? I still use the original battery and original motor. The motor still runs like it is brand new! The battery runs pretty great itself as well, as long as you know how to set the Assist Levels during extremely windy days, extreme cold and hills (St. Louis has quite a few if you have been here).
I travel approx. 25miles each day to work and back. I personally have it set to 32km/h or 20mph cap. So I am able to get to work good day with a full charge and still have 2 bars left at MAX assist level. I charge my bike at work, which takes about 4 hours to fully charge. 12.5 miles might not seem like a lot for one way, however, considering I'm running it fully on it's highest assist levels, it's worth it for commuting.
Earlier this year after I hit 10,000 miles, I decided to try something new. My doctor's office is about 30+ miles away round trip, 1400ft incline (numerous hills at about 35-40 degree angles...no joke). I used to ride this journey with my standard Giant Roam 2 bike, which can be a rough ride for an average joe like myself.
So, I set my assist level to the lowest and went from there. I wasn't sure what to expect when taking this long journey for the first time on my e-bike. My face lit up like a kid on Christmas when I saw how much battery life it took, after all of those hills, the cold rain pouring down on me non-stop, heavy traffic now and then along with the long distance. The battery depleted down 1 bar after the first 17 miles or so. I was expecting to have half of my battery drained by then. I couldn't believe my eyes.
I got home and still had 3 bars left to use. I tried it again the next day and did the same routine, but this time when I saw I had about 5 miles left to ride, I set it to the highest level. In the end I had 2 bars left to ride after 30+ miles.
So what to expect to break down and what do I suggest to upgrade? I personally use the Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe HS 420's DD . The front tire is still great after 13,000 miles and I had to replace the rear one after 9,000+ miles.
Always make sure you make cable from the bike frame to the rear hud is cable tied. The cable tie broke on mine, the main cable got caught in my gears and burnt out my main controller, some wires and the cable itself.
It sounds scary but it was an easy fix at home and not too expensive (under $100?). Of course it took me some time to figure it out but in the end, I could redo the whole thing all over again in an hour or less.
Next suggestion if you are planning on biking a lot like myself: upgrade the brakes! The front brakes went out after a couple thousand miles and the rear ones after a year. I upgraded to the TRP Spykes. These brakes are fantastic and easy to replace the brake pads as well. Much better stopping power and durability is perfect for this bike. These were about $160 altogether, so they are a bit pricey but worth it for your safety and others!
Front fender and the light both fell off after a few thousand miles. The light and bracket on the 2015 are different from the new version I believe, so you don't have to worry too much. The light included was amazing when I used it and didn't even use much battery power that I noticed.
As you can see, I have 2 LCD screens! I recently had a bad cable from the lcd screen (easy replacement) and it was part of the lcd screen. I accidently scratched the original lcd screen and wanted a new one. Unfortunately, I would lose the odometer mileage but I have it on record here as proof.
The rear spokes had to be replaced a couple times, those last about 10,000 miles (just don't go jump crazy with the bike like I did, careless of myself). They are custom fit for the rear hub version, so it's harder to replace these compared to a mid-drive e-bike.
I've been through -25F degree weather, deep snow, ice, and heavy storms. I do not recommend doing what I do because I can be that dedicated to my job in the past.
What made me do this full time? I suffer from severe anxiety when travelling through motorized transportation. It's been going on for 10 years. Volton has helped my anxiety so much with being on the road, that I feel my confidence has increased so much, that I plan to by a motorcycle in the near future. Yes, I will still be riding the Volton during the winter until I feel confident in travelling in cars again.
It's been a rough journey, but with the help of Volton, it has changed and SAVED my life and my career.
So as for my review, I give this bike an 8/10!
Thank you Volton and Thank You Joe!
quote -
As of today, I have reached 13,000+ miles on my Late 2015 Volton Alation 500! I am a full time cyclist through every season ever since I got my bike on Black Friday of 2015.
I travel around 5000 miles each year approx. and it's been an incredible journey! This is my very first e-bike and heard about Volton through Electricbikereview.com. It was highly recommended, especially at the price point.
Many people worry about how long will this battery last and how long will the motor run? I still use the original battery and original motor. The motor still runs like it is brand new! The battery runs pretty great itself as well, as long as you know how to set the Assist Levels during extremely windy days, extreme cold and hills (St. Louis has quite a few if you have been here).
I travel approx. 25miles each day to work and back. I personally have it set to 32km/h or 20mph cap. So I am able to get to work good day with a full charge and still have 2 bars left at MAX assist level. I charge my bike at work, which takes about 4 hours to fully charge. 12.5 miles might not seem like a lot for one way, however, considering I'm running it fully on it's highest assist levels, it's worth it for commuting.
Earlier this year after I hit 10,000 miles, I decided to try something new. My doctor's office is about 30+ miles away round trip, 1400ft incline (numerous hills at about 35-40 degree angles...no joke). I used to ride this journey with my standard Giant Roam 2 bike, which can be a rough ride for an average joe like myself.
So, I set my assist level to the lowest and went from there. I wasn't sure what to expect when taking this long journey for the first time on my e-bike. My face lit up like a kid on Christmas when I saw how much battery life it took, after all of those hills, the cold rain pouring down on me non-stop, heavy traffic now and then along with the long distance. The battery depleted down 1 bar after the first 17 miles or so. I was expecting to have half of my battery drained by then. I couldn't believe my eyes.
I got home and still had 3 bars left to use. I tried it again the next day and did the same routine, but this time when I saw I had about 5 miles left to ride, I set it to the highest level. In the end I had 2 bars left to ride after 30+ miles.
So what to expect to break down and what do I suggest to upgrade? I personally use the Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe HS 420's DD . The front tire is still great after 13,000 miles and I had to replace the rear one after 9,000+ miles.
Always make sure you make cable from the bike frame to the rear hud is cable tied. The cable tie broke on mine, the main cable got caught in my gears and burnt out my main controller, some wires and the cable itself.
It sounds scary but it was an easy fix at home and not too expensive (under $100?). Of course it took me some time to figure it out but in the end, I could redo the whole thing all over again in an hour or less.
Next suggestion if you are planning on biking a lot like myself: upgrade the brakes! The front brakes went out after a couple thousand miles and the rear ones after a year. I upgraded to the TRP Spykes. These brakes are fantastic and easy to replace the brake pads as well. Much better stopping power and durability is perfect for this bike. These were about $160 altogether, so they are a bit pricey but worth it for your safety and others!
Front fender and the light both fell off after a few thousand miles. The light and bracket on the 2015 are different from the new version I believe, so you don't have to worry too much. The light included was amazing when I used it and didn't even use much battery power that I noticed.
As you can see, I have 2 LCD screens! I recently had a bad cable from the lcd screen (easy replacement) and it was part of the lcd screen. I accidently scratched the original lcd screen and wanted a new one. Unfortunately, I would lose the odometer mileage but I have it on record here as proof.
The rear spokes had to be replaced a couple times, those last about 10,000 miles (just don't go jump crazy with the bike like I did, careless of myself). They are custom fit for the rear hub version, so it's harder to replace these compared to a mid-drive e-bike.
I've been through -25F degree weather, deep snow, ice, and heavy storms. I do not recommend doing what I do because I can be that dedicated to my job in the past.
What made me do this full time? I suffer from severe anxiety when travelling through motorized transportation. It's been going on for 10 years. Volton has helped my anxiety so much with being on the road, that I feel my confidence has increased so much, that I plan to by a motorcycle in the near future. Yes, I will still be riding the Volton during the winter until I feel confident in travelling in cars again.
It's been a rough journey, but with the help of Volton, it has changed and SAVED my life and my career.
So as for my review, I give this bike an 8/10!
Thank you Volton and Thank You Joe!
