Aventure rear brakes do nothing, fronts barely engage

[Jason Knight]

Just got it out of the box and put together, and the rear brake does nothing. The handle doesn't even feel like it's attached to anything the way it flops around, and compressing it all the way barely moves the caliper. The front has similar woes in that even fully engaged I'm only getting about a third the braking force I should.

Looking at these "zoom" brand brakes, I can find no adjustment for strength on either the levers or the calipers. There's a red piece with one of those goofy two prong screws on the levers that doesn't turn, a screw that controls where the lever is on the plunger for the hydraulic which doesn't seem to help. On the caliper there's nothing remotely resembling a place to adjust it apart from another red two-prong that specifically says "no adjustment, do not unscrew".

Seriously, do these things literally have no way to adjust them? Though the way the rear one feels, I'm wondering if there's even fluid in it.

Again the front ALMOST works, but I risked a spin and it sounds like sandpaper and has nowhere near the force it should.

Also is it normal for the pedal assist to take two or three rotations before kicking in? Cause that's some serious weaksauce. Can't say the motor felt all that "peppy" either.

Starting to think my distrust of the whole idea of hydraulic brakes on a bike was actually well founded. Though I'm decades out of date on bike tech, am I missing something obvious?

 

[Merle Nelson]

Jason I've looked at several of your posts over the course of three different bikes as far as I can tell - sorry that problems have been your main experience.

I don't see where you live but know that Colorado has an ebike store that gets in internet ebikes and puts them together testing them before sale. I think Bolton Ebikes in Grass Valley CA does that same kind of thing. Maybe it is becoming worth it to you to have your budget include that kind of service in acquiring an ebike.

Also I know some bike mechanics build up ebikes and sell them in working order.

 

[Rickman1]

Hydraulic: Mineral oil,bleed kit and a little time. Lot of YT vids on how to do it. Manual: Get a maintenance book, watch some YT vids or take it to a bike shop. Any shop should be able to work on it, they wouldn't be working on the motor or electronics.

 

[Jason Knight]

Hydraulic: Mineral oil,bleed kit and a little time. Lot of YT vids on how to do it. Manual: Get a maintenance book, watch some YT vids or take it to a bike shop. Any shop should be able to work on it, they wouldn't be working on the motor or electronics.

I'd probably be able to figure that out if these calipers and levers bore ANY resemblance to the ones in said videos in that regard. There doesn't seem to be a fill hole, or adjustments, or anything else one would expect these things to have.

Can't even find a manual for the bloody things.

 

[Rickman1]

According to the bike description they are hydraulic. According to their user manual if you have brake problems to take it to a bike shop (if you can’t do it yourself). Aventon should cover the shop costs since it is brand new. Any bike shop should be able to bleed/adjust bike brakes. Sucks that you get a brand new bike and it has these kind of issues. I’ve seen a lot posts of various issues with new out of the box Aventures. Was thinking of purchasing one myself but having second thoughts. FYI: (Bengal Ares 3 hydraulic disc brakes) unless they substituted parts.

http://www.bengalperformance.com.tw/hydraulic-mineral.htm
http://www.bengalperformance.com.tw/images/download/Hydraulic/bleeder-en.pdf

 

[Jason Knight]

Side note, LOVE how they have the time to create spam ads -- even on the weekends -- but not respond to warranty questions.

 

[Jason Knight]

Six days of eating static... so I'm guessing customer support -- something I had thought I researched about this company -- is as nonexistent as the product quality?

Starting to wonder if I should buck it up the ladder to Visa customer protection. This is why I actually prefer companies that use E-Bay or Amazon. They ignore you with a warranty issue for this long, the service has your back.


Fun though having gotten six spam adverts and two notices they're jacking up their already absurd prices. Only further reinforcing the notion that the whole CONCEPT of e-bikes is some sort of scam. Particularly when they can't even get right things a $100 Walmart special does. Like chain length and working brakes.

 

[Rickman1]

I have been observing a lot of "Anti-Aventon" sentiment on multiple forums specifically related to piss poor customer support. I have scraped Aventon off my list of potential ebikes. I would give it a full 10 days and if no communication from them file a complaint with Visa. Keep a record of your emails and communications.

 

[Jason Knight]

Keep a record of your emails and communications.

Since this is bike #3 out of 4 attempts, I know the drill on that FAR too well now. It's part of why I'm starting to think e-bikes that work are a rich man's sport, and anything else is just scam artist BS. Unless you're willing to spend twice what normal people in my area spend on a car or motorcycle, don't even bother trying.

That I tried $800 budget, get told at least $1000, tried $1000 got told $1500, go over that budget to $1900 and get told nearly four grand? Talk about moving the goalpost and making me think of Amway or Mary Kay.

 

[Rickman1]

Are there any LBS near you? See what they have on hand and that they can service? I’m sure this is leaving a bad taste in yoyr mouth but persevere a little longer and check some other alternatives. Hope you find an ebike that works out for you.

 

[theemartymac]

Are your brakes these Zoom's?

 

[Jason Knight]

@theemartymac -- Thanks for that link. Similar, though I can't find the bleeder screw/hole on the caliper. The one on the handles -- which is where it differs because of the power cutoffs -- I mistook the nut for that for the one holding the lever in... so I guess that's held in by clamshelled pins instead of having its own bolt? Screwy. At least it gives me a jumping off point if I'm stuck with this thing.

@Rickman1 -- this town goes through local bike shops the way most people go through tissues during cold and flu season. For good reason, most of them were inept. There was one place that held on a long time, but he wouldn't even TOUCH e-bikes and I suspect that's why he moved his entire business two towns and 30 miles away. The other mainstay are nice enough folks, but I'm more competent to deal with things like this than they are; which is to be expected when they spend half the year as a ski shop. I like them, but if they're my main option I'd rather DIY given some of the rather simple things I've seen them botch. FFS I have to go to the next state over just to get a wheel laced! Something my crippy hands can't manage anymore. Thanks medication induced Parkinsonism!

In fact the lack of trust and availability in my region is WHY I went with online ordering in the first place.

 

[Rickman1]

Any update on your Aventure? Customer service? Are you able to ride it yet?

 

[Jason Knight]

Any update on your Aventure? Customer service? Are you able to ride it yet?

They're shipping me a chain and new rear caliper. Laugh is the day before they finally responded I broke down and bought my own replacements off Amazon.

Which is fine, spare parts are good. Laugh is that I was planning on swapping out the chain anyways, along with a bunch of other parts.

FINALLY able to ride the thing, and I think the defective brake or something else like the screwed up derailleur from the chain being too short was hampering the motor in my earlier test drives.

I will say it's growing on me. When I rode it prior to repair it felt weak, underpowered, though I didn't push it since I had NO BRAKES. Now that the front caliper has the hose retention nut properly screwed on and is filled/bled, and the new rear caliper is in place, I was able to really hammer down on it.

Out of box unrestricted I got it up to 35 which was 1) surprising as I didn't expect to break 30, 2) a bit sketchy given it's still a bicycle, and 3) enough to make me consider locking it back down to a lower speed.

It's growing on me as I finally have enough confidence in it to start making my modifications. Shame their support has basically been two e-mails and a claim of shipping something without any tracking number, and repeatedly telling me to take it to a local shop when frankly I'm more qualified to work on it. Even with my bike knowledge basically being 15 to 20 years behind the curve. I'm catching up fast.

Just to sum up some of my changes, I might write a proper review sometime over the next few days once I take a few pics.

1) New chain, made from two separate red teflon coated cheapo's (that I waxed) since the stock one was too short, REALLY too short once I:

2) Put a 52 tooth chainring on it since that 46 is a pathetic joke for a short stocky stomper like me. 46:36 as the lowest is a serious "really? Why even bother?"

3) Billet aluminum cranks, taking around three pounds off the bike thanks to the junk "forged" (sand cast!) ones it came with. Shockingly I found my crank puller I've not used in nearly a decade. This is why it helps to keep your garage organized.

4) different seat, still trying to dial in something comfy, the stock one made my back scream at the four mile mark.

5) mix of aluminum and CF headset rings and caps to go with a black and red stripe look.

6) rear rack and panniers. The one I bought for the Nakto kinda-fits the Aventure, though I wish it could go further back.

We'll see how it goes with their support once I get the parts they ship me... but hey, at least I'm up and running, and have around 60 miles on it now. Ten more miles than the two Nakto I had die back-to-back COMBINED. I even gave it a "real" workout by putting six 2 liters of soda in the panniers for the 3 mile ride from Wally World to home.

If I have insomnia tonight I'll probably take it out through Ashuelot park as there's a little paved ramp onto Appel Way that was the nastiest thing I put the second Nakto through, and it felt utterly useless. (I had to back up and get momentum). Didn't even TRY taking the Nakto up Appel Way towards court street as I thought that would genuinely kill it. With this Aventon? I think I'm confident enough to try it.

 

[Rickman1]

Well, Hey! You’re riding! Aventon’s BS is enough to put a bad taste in your mouth. Glad you‘re on the road. I’ve had my Cruisers up to 33mph just to see how fast I could them up to. PAS 5 and me doing my part. At first I thought that 20-25mph wasn’t all that fast but on a bicycle it’s plenty fast enough. I usually cruise around at about 15mph. Glad to hear you’re up and running.

 

[hoggdoc]

Just got it out of the box and put together, and the rear brake does nothing. The handle doesn't even feel like it's attached to anything the way it flops around, and compressing it all the way barely moves the caliper. The front has similar woes in that even fully engaged I'm only getting about a third the braking force I should.

Looking at these "zoom" brand brakes, I can find no adjustment for strength on either the levers or the calipers. There's a red piece with one of those goofy two prong screws on the levers that doesn't turn, a screw that controls where the lever is on the plunger for the hydraulic which doesn't seem to help. On the caliper there's nothing remotely resembling a place to adjust it apart from another red two-prong that specifically says "no adjustment, do not unscrew".

Seriously, do these things literally have no way to adjust them? Though the way the rear one feels, I'm wondering if there's even fluid in it.

Again the front ALMOST works, but I risked a spin and it sounds like sandpaper and has nowhere near the force it should.

Also is it normal for the pedal assist to take two or three rotations before kicking in? Cause that's some serious weaksauce. Can't say the motor felt all that "peppy" either.

Starting to think my distrust of the whole idea of hydraulic brakes on a bike was actually well founded. Though I'm decades out of date on bike tech, am I missing something obvious?

Wow it seems the more I read about this brand the more I dislike it. They not only seem to have serious customer support issues but product quality control as well.

 

[Jason Knight]

Wow it seems the more I read about this brand the more I dislike it. They not only seem to have serious customer support issues but product quality control as well.

Which is actually a shame. I've seen e-bikes at twice the price with inferior parts. I'd actually be singing their praises if not for their lackluster to nonexistent support. It's not a bad bike in any way, shape, or form.

I think the short incorrect style chain is more of what upsets me than the nonfunctioning brakes. They're hydraulic and were shipped across the country by UPS. I would expect things like that to be an issue... but putting a single speed chain on a 8 speed that's at LEAST six links too short for the cassette / chainring combination? That takes a certain kind of "special".

I've got to go down and take my caliper to the chain it came with and compare to a proper 8 speed chain. It "felt" off but I've not verified. Shouldn't go running my mouth about it even being the wrong speed chain until I'm certain of it.

 

[Jason Knight]

Just measured comparing the chain it came with to the leftovers from the "cheap" one I replaced with, most of the measurements line up, but my cheap 8 speed chain has 2/100ths of an inch more distance roller to roller (0.78" vs 0.8"), with the same size (0.3") roller. That's 2.34" of length difference by the time you get to the 117 links a normal chain ships as!

I also did an 8 link deflection test -- you go eight outer links from the end, hold it flat off an edge sideways, and measure how far it deflects from a straight path. The chain they shipped has DOUBLE the deflection, 1.4" vs 0.71".

So it's not just too short link to link, it's also sloppy. This is NOT an 8 speed chain. It's REALLY close... but no.

 

[Dallant]

Just got it out of the box and put together, and the rear brake does nothing. The handle doesn't even feel like it's attached to anything the way it flops around, and compressing it all the way barely moves the caliper. The front has similar woes in that even fully engaged I'm only getting about a third the braking force I should.

Looking at these "zoom" brand brakes, I can find no adjustment for strength on either the levers or the calipers. There's a red piece with one of those goofy two prong screws on the levers that doesn't turn, a screw that controls where the lever is on the plunger for the hydraulic which doesn't seem to help. On the caliper there's nothing remotely resembling a place to adjust it apart from another red two-prong that specifically says "no adjustment, do not unscrew".

Seriously, do these things literally have no way to adjust them? Though the way the rear one feels, I'm wondering if there's even fluid in it.

Again the front ALMOST works, but I risked a spin and it sounds like sandpaper and has nowhere near the force it should.

Also is it normal for the pedal assist to take two or three rotations before kicking in? Cause that's some serious weaksauce. Can't say the motor felt all that "peppy" either.

Starting to think my distrust of the whole idea of hydraulic brakes on a bike was actually well founded. Though I'm decades out of date on bike tech, am I missing something obvious?

Gotta admit, I read your posts and really wonder why you don’t just buy a reliable and well-supported brand who is reasonably local to you and be done with it. The idea that you distrust hydraulic brakes just because you don’t know how to service them tells me everything. Best of luck!

 

[Jason Knight]

Gotta admit, I read your posts and really wonder why you don’t just buy a reliable and well-supported brand who is reasonably local to you and be done with it. The idea that you distrust hydraulic brakes just because you don’t know how to service them tells me everything. Best of luck!

See, that's the type of arrogant BS that's pissing me off. Assuming I have a place that's "l;ocal" I trust or would buy from. I bought online SPECIFICALLY because I lack the means to travel 30+ miles just to go to a bike shop, and the ONE remaining place in town I not only wouldn't trust, is utterly and totally priced out of what I can afford.

We can't all be the idle rich white collar criminal dirtbags who can magically pull 25 large out of our backsides to have a COLLECTION of five or six 4000 a pop e-bikes.

Comments like that truly make this sound like a rich man's sport, mixed far too much with an effete elitist attitude. I've seen similar comments on repairs on YouTube, where there's always some jerk saying "just take it to your LBS" or "just spend twice as much" as if it's magically that ****ing easy for everybody! Seriously, those of you saying stuff like that are doing nothing more than driving people away from even CONSIDERING buying an e-bike... and to be frank I can't figure out if that's intentional or not.

I have a limited budget for being a cripple on disability -- that's STILL working because this shitheel nation chews people up, spits them out, then says "lotsa luck" -- I don't trust my local shop, no shop even within 50 miles has anything in my price range unless I saved up for four more YEARS, I'm LESS impressed with the rinky garbage I saw in more expensive models -- as if increasing the price DECREASES the build quality, I was BARELY able to afford the Nakto because of a surprise windfall, and it took six more months and two more "surprise paydays" to even come CLOSE to the Aventon with everything else going on in my life.

So no, I can't just freaking go to my LBS and buy something "well supported" because that doesn't exist here. STOP assuming everyone else is a rich privileged 2nd generation money trust-fund baby living in the perfect world of a e-bike store on every flipping corner!

This is what I meant in my "misaventure" thread when I said there was something I was going to say to the community that might get me banned; and to be frank I don't give a flying purple fish when you get this type of "welcome". Those of you who post like that can go pluck yourselves.