Aventon Level or....

[cleo1943]

Hey All!
I am considering my first eBike purchase. I want a Class 3 with a throttle and removable battery to use primarily for relatively flat city commuting in Philadelphia. I expect to rely heavy on the throttle during the hot and humid summer months so that I don't arrive at work in a puddle of sweat. My budget is $2000 or less, though I could probably stretch to $2500. I am 6'3" and 230 pounds. I am also concerned about maintenance. I don't have many eBike shops in the area (though I expect that will change in the next 2-3 years). I am leaning away from direct order brands because I am worried about getting repairs and replacement parts. At my size, I would also like to be able to get an advance test ride. I have test ridden several ebikes already just to help my undersdtanding of what I like. I also want to feel confident that I can get a replacement battery 5 years from now without having to spend a fortune, scrounge on eBay or hack something together.

I think that I have almost settled on Aventon Level, which seems to offer the best combination of price/quality/features I am looking for, pending a test ride. My runner-ups are commuter offerings from Gazelle, Junto, Radpower, and Magnum. Should I be favoring one of those other brands for any reason? Is there another brand/model I should consider?

Thanks all!

I have an Aventon and a Rad City. I had a Vado 1.0 as well. In my experience, paying more for a mid drive is not wise. In fact, the rear hub drives seem more powerful to me and this notion of “balance” is to me, a myth. I am amazed how much you get for $1500 to $1600 dollars. I can recommend both Rad City and the Level. Aventon makes some decisions for you, and “shoots “ out from a start, (I turn off the assist altogether when this seems a problem. Rad City tells you the watts that the motor puts out, and that stays within a narrow perimeter as a function of power assist level. I recommend the step through for either bike. But, I am 77 and 5’8” tall and throwing my leg over the bar is a problem for me). The Level has the edge in aesthetic s with an integrated battery and nice colors. Aventon does not have lights. I prefer that because the battery lasts longer and I use my lights day or night, for safety, and I owned a Night Rider already. There may be an edge with the Aventon in ease of pedaling on flat with no assist, which I enjoy, and gets me over 100 miles per charge on either bike. Both get about 65 MPC using level one exclusively. But, as I said, I only weigh 140.