Blix Aveny vs Xstream Catalina Can't decide. Need help

[Johne]

Hello Fellow E- Bike Enthusiasts,
I am looking for a walk thru classic cruiser for my wife ( birthday gift), and I have narrowed it down to the Blix Aveny and the X stream Catalina- but open to other suggestions. She likes to ride (peddle) and is really looking for peddle assist to help get up hills, although I am sure she would use it on the flats. I am looking for a good quality bike with emphasis on comfort. Looking for a classic look, smooth ride, and comfortable seat. She is leaning towards the Catalina - I like the qualities of the Aveny. I did not find a EBR review on the Catalina. I watched the EBR review on the Aveny - sounds like better quality and components but looks the ride is a little rougher and the seat not as comfortable as the Catalina.
Kathy is 5' 9" with a 3'2 inch inseam.
Any thoughts or insight that would help me makea informed decision would be appreciated.
Thanks
John

 

[indianajo]

69" person should fit the 17.5" frame of the blix aveny fine. 2" x 26" tires are fine for me with no suspension on street @ 8 mph. 27.5" tires should smooth out the potholes even more. The seat is 8" wide with gel covering, sounds pretty plush for an OEM seat. Most people try various seats, people with seatpost seats are talking about cloud9 which comes from modernbike.com in desmoines. I have the 160 mm tektro mechanical brakes, I can work on them myself with a 5 mm allen wrench. Common shimano pads, lasted me about 3000 miles.
I like the geared hub motor, which would allow her to pedal herself if she gets stronger (I did) or wants to ride more than the battery range. 14 AH battery is pretty generous. Another hub motor advantage, with throttle a hub motor will push you home without pedaling if a chain falls off or something.
The x stream catalina has a 10.5 AH battery which is pretty average range. Note LiIon batteries only last 500-1000 charges, so if she can get 2-3 rides out of one charge then the battery will last longer. Catalina has same type of no drag power off geared hub motor. Torque sensing is a plus, makes the power feel more natural. Average 26" tire suits me at 8 mph average. Hydraulic shocks are a plus at 20 mph plus, but limit the life of the bike to the life of the rubber seals. Usually replacement shocks cannot be found when they start leaking. Bike measurements are not available, so buying one is a dice game. Fortunately your wife's size is average. Hydraulic brakes, which I think might require professional maintenance when pad replacement time comes. Note a lot of local bike shops will not work on an electric bike they did not sell. There are blix dealers out there, see if one is in Iowa. If the electric part quits while a LBS is working on the brakes, and they are not a dealer, they are at risk of having to buy a new bike.
Have fun shopping.

 

[AlanDB]

My wife bought an Aveny in 2017 from a bike shop in Cedar Rapids. It has been a nice bike and she liked riding it a lot for the two years she was able to ride it. It always seemed to get a lot of attention and admiration when she had it out on the trail, especially from other women. She had to switch to an etrike last summer because of a back injury, so the Aveny doesn't get ridden much any more, but it still works well and we have never had any problems with it.

Blix changed to exclusive online sales a while back and abandoned most of their dealers, so I don't think you will find any shops in Iowa that still sell them. That does make me concerned about the serviceability of the Aveny and about the long term viability of the Blix company itself. If and when the battery dies, will we be able to get a replacement? Time will tell I guess. If you are planning to travel anywhere near the Cedar Rapids area in the near future, let me know and we can arrange for your wife to take a test ride on our Aveny.

 

[Johne]

My wife bought an Aveny in 2017 from a bike shop in Cedar Rapids. It has been a nice bike and she liked riding it a lot for the two years she was able to ride it. It always seemed to get a lot of attention and admiration when she had it out on the trail, especially from other women. She had to switch to an etrike last summer because of a back injury, so the Aveny doesn't get ridden much any more, but it still works well and we have never had any problems with it.

Blix changed to exclusive online sales a while back and abandoned most of their dealers, so I don't think you will find any shops in Iowa that still sell them. That does make me concerned about the serviceability of the Aveny and about the long term viability of the Blix company itself. If and when the battery dies, will we be able to get a replacement? Time will tell I guess. If you are planning to travel anywhere near the Cedar Rapids area in the near future, let me know and we can arrange for your wife to take a test ride on our Aveny.

Hello Alan, I grew up in Cedar Rapids isn't that funny. We decided to go with the Catalina. If things fall through with the Catalina I will definitely look you up. Thank you so much for your reply, sincerely yours, John Kooiker

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Hello Alan, I grew up in Cedar Rapids isn't that funny. We decided to go with the Catalina. If things fall through with the Catalina I will definitely look you up. Thank you so much for your reply, sincerely yours, John Kooiker

the Catalina is a fine choice. Torque sensing is enjoyable, and hydraulic brake pads are an easy DIY change out. Better stopping power. You're probably nowhere near what little is left of any Blix dealers. The Aveny has no front suspension either.

 

[Pontus Malmberg]

My wife bought an Aveny in 2017 from a bike shop in Cedar Rapids. It has been a nice bike and she liked riding it a lot for the two years she was able to ride it. It always seemed to get a lot of attention and admiration when she had it out on the trail, especially from other women. She had to switch to an etrike last summer because of a back injury, so the Aveny doesn't get ridden much any more, but it still works well and we have never had any problems with it.

Blix changed to exclusive online sales a while back and abandoned most of their dealers, so I don't think you will find any shops in Iowa that still sell them. That does make me concerned about the serviceability of the Aveny and about the long term viability of the Blix company itself. If and when the battery dies, will we be able to get a replacement? Time will tell I guess. If you are planning to travel anywhere near the Cedar Rapids area in the near future, let me know and we can arrange for your wife to take a test ride on our Aveny.

Hi Alan, thanks for choosing Blix and great to hear your wife enjoyed the Aveny! In general you can have your Blix bike serviced in almost any bike shop as we're using very common bike parts and an easy "plug and play" system for electronic parts. We also have selected showrooms in the country now instead of dealers and offer test-rides and service, no location in Iowa as of now but have there's one a few hours a way in the Chicago area: https://blixbike.com/pages/ridelocations

 

[AlanDB]

Great thought, but a lot of bike shops will not service an ebike brand they don't sell. Fortunately, I bought my Aveny from a LBS that used to be a Blix dealer before you abandoned them. So, I am hopeful that they will provide service if and when I need it.

 

[Pontus Malmberg]

Great thought, but a lot of bike shops will not service an ebike brand they don't sell. Fortunately, I bought my Aveny from a LBS that used to be a Blix dealer before you abandoned them. So, I am hopeful that they will provide service if and when I need it.

Yes, every shop have their own rules which should be respected, but in our experience most shops provide service for bikes in general regardless if they've sold it or not. It would be very difficult to buy and own any ebike in general otherwise. We've never had a Blix owner not being able to find service, but if you ever have any issues please contact our support and I can guarantee we will take care of you to help find a shop or mobile service around where you live that can service.

 

[AlanDB]

Thanks. That is reassuring. I actually had an inquiry from another member about selling my Aveny, but decided to keep it.

 

[Steve 95648]

Hi Alan, thanks for choosing Blix and great to hear your wife enjoyed the Aveny! In general you can have your Blix bike serviced in almost any bike shop as we're using very common bike parts and an easy "plug and play" system for electronic parts. We also have selected showrooms in the country now instead of dealers and offer test-rides and service, no location in Iowa as of now but have there's one a few hours a way in the Chicago area: https://blixbike.com/pages/ridelocations

We're up in Sacramento and tried to test ride the Aveny or Sol. Listed location was MacArthur Hotel in Sonoma but they said this was an error. They only have some bikes for guests but all are locked up for Corona. Is there a test ride site available?

 

[Pontus Malmberg]

We're up in Sacramento and tried to test ride the Aveny or Sol. Listed location was MacArthur Hotel in Sonoma but they said this was an error. They only have some bikes for guests but all are locked up for Corona. Is there a test ride site available?

Thanks for the note! The locator page would list all locations available as of now, sounds like our HQ/showroom in Santa Cruz is the closest for you. If that's an option then I suggest to call our team at 855-655-2549 and check when a test ride can be scheduled. Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Steve 95648]

I

Thanks for the note! The locator page would list all locations available as of now, sounds like our HQ/showroom in Santa Cruz is the closest for you. If that's an option then I suggest to call our team at 855-655-2549 and check when a test ride can be scheduled. Hope that helps a bit!

called the Blix office today and was told that there are no test rides anywhere including the Santa Cruz HQ which they said was closed. Possibly by the end of July. I gave them my contact info to let me know when they’d schedule. We would come to Santa Cruz to test Avenue & Sol

 

[MommyIsALawyer]

I

called the Blix office today and was told that there are no test rides anywhere including the Santa Cruz HQ which they said was closed. Possibly by the end of July. I gave them my contact info to let me know when they’d schedule. We would come to Santa Cruz to test Avenue & Sol

I did a FB message exchange with someone from Blix today, and she recommended I check out the Facebook group for owners. They let me join with a note saying I was hoping to get owner feedback. It turns out a friend of mine has the Aveny, and she loves it. Her only quibble was it is heavy if you need to move it up steps, onto a rack, etc. That's not a big issue for me. Either way, you should check the FB group. You may unknowingly know someone who has the bike, or you might be able to post something and find someone who lives close to you who will let you check the bike out. It looks like at least a few people in Sacramento have the bike.

 

[alloo]

I've owned an Aveny since March! I commute 3-5 times a week. 25 miles round Trip. I like the bike. I also owned a 2017 Raleigh Retroglide IE, the Aveny is definately better bike. I already have 1000 miles on the Aveny. So far I've replaced the chain and got the brakes adjusted. I used a mobile bike repair to assemble my bike. To get my brakes adjusted I went to a non profit bicycle shop, the adjusted my brakes and recommended a new chain. You do have options if you don't have a LBS to work on your bike. The nice thing about mobile bike repair shops is that they will come to you at work or home. My guy is cheaper than my LBS. I live in Denver.

 

[Melbee]

We're up in Sacramento and tried to test ride the Aveny or Sol. Listed location was MacArthur Hotel in Sonoma but they said this was an error. They only have some bikes for guests but all are locked up for Corona. Is there a test ride site available?

My husband and I tested an Aveny in Sonoma on July 25th. It was fun. The models were not the newest version. I think they only had 4 assists levels but you could get a general idea of the feel. I really like it but have people trying to convince me to get the Rad fat tire. I think it’s the Rad5? Thoughts?

 

[Melbee]

My husband and I tested an Aveny in Sonoma on July 25th. It was fun. The models were not the newest version. I think they only had 4 assists levels but you could get a general idea of the feel. I really like it but have people trying to convince me to get the Rad fat tire. I think it’s the Rad5? Thoughts?

Also I’m from El Dorado Hills near Sacramento.

 

[Melbee]

Also I’m from El Dorado Hills near Sacramento.

Also I’m from El Dorado Hills near Sacramento.

We bought three Blix Avenys. Yay! We tried others in the price range that were highly regarded but thought the Aveny was the best fit and comfort ride for us.