Having owned the Pace 500, I must say that it does not go slow very well at all. The programming powers the motor to go to 11-12 MPH at level 1 assist. If you want to go slower than that, you have to use the throttle or pedal with the brake lever slightly engaged to initiate motor cutoff. Another catch is that you cannot engage the throttle from a standstill. It requires you to do one full rotation of the cranks before you can use it.
He's comparing the Pace 350, not the 500. In level 1 assist, the 350 is about 9 to 11 mph depending upon rider weight, wind speed, or hills. The 500 runs at about 12-13 mph under similar conditions. But it's a class 3 ebike easily capable of 28 mph. Comparing that to a fixie like the mission is apples and oranges. Go back to Aventons Populo brand to compare fixie to fixie. It's no longer made though.
On the throttle, it can be engaged on the 350 as soon as you are going at least 2 mph, and no pedal stroke needed. You could press walk mode button to get up to 3.5 mph from start, if you have no ability to move it one pedal stroke.
The Pace 350 vs Mission is not comparing two similar ebikes at all. One (the Pace 350) is a comfort ebike capable of being ridden on pavement or trails, with multiple speeds to easily go up hills, and extend range, along with entirely different frame geometry that allows the rider to stay more upright, with a slight pedal forward configuration, to get good leg extension but not needing the seat too far above the ground. The Mission is fixie, typically for short ride urban commuting, lean forward posture, and not good for hills or trails. Rather uncomfortable for many older riders, and more about being low priced with few frills. It does the job for quick and short urban commutes. If you have strong legs you can get decent distance from the battery and a good work out. The similarities between the two end at their respective price points and their two wheels and a motor.
Aventon did that 'fixie' experiment 4 years ago, and while they sold a lot of them, they didn't find a wide audience. Schwinn tried it too, around the same time with their Monroe. Didn't go well for them, and now you can find them on line through places like Walmart for around $798. The price where the Mission should be at. Rad appears to be reeling in a lot of naive consumers with a low price ebike. Just adding more market confusion, and distracting people from the competition.
Actually though, the Mission intro could be a rather clever market strategy by a CEO, who is lucky enough to have the first 3 letters of his last name, sound pretty appealing for the name of his ebike importing firm. It's priced just low enough to pull people away from the low priced models on Spamazon, and become a good entry point for people afraid to spend too much on their first ebike. At the same time it's priced just below some of Rads most significant competitive threats who have been eating away at Rads market presence in the 'below $1500' price point category which has been by far the fastest growing segment within the ebike market itself. That said, It wouldn't surprise me though, if the Mission becomes the most 're-gifted' ebike in the market, as once the buyer gets over the initial excitement of pedal assist, and very limited functionality, he or she will within a few months, long for a more practical ebike, and I'm sure Rad hopes it's their RadCity or some other model, they'll upgrade to, soon after the fixie purchase. And some family member or friend will be 're-gifted' with their first ebike, and so on and so forth. Pretty interesting, eh ? I could be wrong. Never know.
