BigNerd
Well-Known Member
I've been looking at this bike for a while as I've been looking for a light, inexpensive model... and this one had most of the things I was looking for:
1. Less than 45 lbs.
2. Multi-speed
3. Throttle
What was it missing?
1. Hydraulic brakes
2. Finger trigger gear shifter (uses the twister type)
Since both my ebike and non-ebike have hydraulic disc brakes, I'm used to how "easy" they are vs mechanical disc brakes.
The one caveat... we got it for my wife... she finally decided to get an ebike and she decided to just go for the one I researched because:
a. It was less than $1500
b. It didn't have to be ordered over the Internet, which meant we could look at it and buy it the same day.
Funny thing is the store that is very close to us was closed all Memorial Day weekend from Friday to Monday so while I really wanted to give them the business... they weren't open and I wanted to get it before she changed her mind.
So I found another store that was about 20 minutes away and had Solteras in stock and went there to check it out. I've seen it in person only one other time outside the previously mentioned shop but he was busy with other customers so I really didn't get a chance to ride it or look at it more closely back then.
The bummer is the other store only had regular in stock which is too small for me but good enough for the wife... I was hoping to buy a large so I could ride it when she wasn't riding (she actually prefers larger bikes) but even the boxed ones were all regular size.
After signing some waivers, she took it for a test ride in the parking lot... decided she didn't want to go any further and we bought it. What's weird is they charged us $100 for "assembly" it so instead of $1299 it was $1399 but I was okay with that because although it was fun to build my Espin, I would rather have saved the time for them to build it. And, isn't that supposed to be the benefit of buying it at a local store. so they you don't have to build it?
Took it home and I rode if for a few spins around the block to check out how the PAS works, the display and just overall fit and feel. It is too small for me so I wouldn't be able to take this on any multi-mile ride but it is a different assist/cadence system than my Espin Sport. And yes... the braking difference was quite noticeable.
A few quick first observations:
1. The display, although color, is hard to see in daylight, esp with sunglasses on. This is typical of most LCD displays (I have a hard time seeing my phone) so mono-LCD does have some advantages.
2. The brake lights are cool... and work whether you have lighting turned on or not. I'm assumed as they are LED, the lifetime should be long enough so we won't have to replace them.
3. It's light... with the battery, it's lighter than my Espin Sport *without the battery*.
4. Tires are smoother and thinner so faster rolling (hoping *someone* doesn't come in here and bring up that debate again) so along with the lighter weight, is pretty easy to pedal without PAS.
5. Since this is too small for me to take on my rides, I won't be riding this on different hills and paths, so not sure how to compare the PAS to the Espin. I really like the Espin's system and have it dialed in that with PAS levels and gears... can really ride it through all types of scenarios. With the Soltera, I wasn't really sure when PAS kicked in on L1... because it is a 350w smaller motor. I was trying to see if it had the old Aventon system of the quarter turn on the pedals before adding power and if the power was a ramp up. The display didn't have an option to see power output like I have on my Espin so I couldn't really measure it. Maybe my wife will figure it out and let me know (although she cares little about the nuance of the ebike systems).
6. The throttle is different from my Sport. The Sport's throttle is like an accelerator, you push it lightly to start speeding up and then push it harder to go faster. The Soltera throttle is more like an on/off switch... you push it down and then the speed ramps up and continues to go faster as long as you have the throttle all the way down. Not sure which way is more prevalent in other ebikes.
7. We got black and the step over (not step through). It was the only color they had in step over and my wife likes the way it hides the battery. The overall fit and finish is really good... I'll add pics when I take them.
8. The battery is smaller than my Espin's. It's different as it pops out from the bottom and the front wheel makes it tricky to access. It's also lighter than the Espin's which I would expect.
9. I haven't tried it yet, but the display/system can connect to an Aventon app which is nice.
10. The geometry is a bit forward but that could be changed with a different handlebar/stem bracket (something I would do depending on how the large feels).
We didn't want to get a single speed just in case it had to be ridden without power and for $100 more you get that plus disc brakes which seems a no-brainer to me.
The other ebikes I have been looking in this same range were:
1. Wing Freedom 2 (7-speed) $1098-$1348 ($300 off sale right now with $215 in accessories)
2. Rize Fixie (but only had single speed) $1499
3. Propella 7S (no throttle) $1249
The Wing Freedom 2 is probably the best buy at $1098 (on sale)... but then we wanted to get one with a local store presence for her in case something went wrong.
I may end up with the Freedom 2 myself instead of the larger size Soltera.
Was hoping to go for a longer ride with her today but schedules got busy. Maybe we will see during the week.
So far, highly recommend the Soltera.
Edit: Typos.
1. Less than 45 lbs.
2. Multi-speed
3. Throttle
What was it missing?
1. Hydraulic brakes
2. Finger trigger gear shifter (uses the twister type)
Since both my ebike and non-ebike have hydraulic disc brakes, I'm used to how "easy" they are vs mechanical disc brakes.
The one caveat... we got it for my wife... she finally decided to get an ebike and she decided to just go for the one I researched because:
a. It was less than $1500
b. It didn't have to be ordered over the Internet, which meant we could look at it and buy it the same day.
Funny thing is the store that is very close to us was closed all Memorial Day weekend from Friday to Monday so while I really wanted to give them the business... they weren't open and I wanted to get it before she changed her mind.
So I found another store that was about 20 minutes away and had Solteras in stock and went there to check it out. I've seen it in person only one other time outside the previously mentioned shop but he was busy with other customers so I really didn't get a chance to ride it or look at it more closely back then.
The bummer is the other store only had regular in stock which is too small for me but good enough for the wife... I was hoping to buy a large so I could ride it when she wasn't riding (she actually prefers larger bikes) but even the boxed ones were all regular size.
After signing some waivers, she took it for a test ride in the parking lot... decided she didn't want to go any further and we bought it. What's weird is they charged us $100 for "assembly" it so instead of $1299 it was $1399 but I was okay with that because although it was fun to build my Espin, I would rather have saved the time for them to build it. And, isn't that supposed to be the benefit of buying it at a local store. so they you don't have to build it?
Took it home and I rode if for a few spins around the block to check out how the PAS works, the display and just overall fit and feel. It is too small for me so I wouldn't be able to take this on any multi-mile ride but it is a different assist/cadence system than my Espin Sport. And yes... the braking difference was quite noticeable.
A few quick first observations:
1. The display, although color, is hard to see in daylight, esp with sunglasses on. This is typical of most LCD displays (I have a hard time seeing my phone) so mono-LCD does have some advantages.
2. The brake lights are cool... and work whether you have lighting turned on or not. I'm assumed as they are LED, the lifetime should be long enough so we won't have to replace them.
3. It's light... with the battery, it's lighter than my Espin Sport *without the battery*.
4. Tires are smoother and thinner so faster rolling (hoping *someone* doesn't come in here and bring up that debate again) so along with the lighter weight, is pretty easy to pedal without PAS.
5. Since this is too small for me to take on my rides, I won't be riding this on different hills and paths, so not sure how to compare the PAS to the Espin. I really like the Espin's system and have it dialed in that with PAS levels and gears... can really ride it through all types of scenarios. With the Soltera, I wasn't really sure when PAS kicked in on L1... because it is a 350w smaller motor. I was trying to see if it had the old Aventon system of the quarter turn on the pedals before adding power and if the power was a ramp up. The display didn't have an option to see power output like I have on my Espin so I couldn't really measure it. Maybe my wife will figure it out and let me know (although she cares little about the nuance of the ebike systems).
6. The throttle is different from my Sport. The Sport's throttle is like an accelerator, you push it lightly to start speeding up and then push it harder to go faster. The Soltera throttle is more like an on/off switch... you push it down and then the speed ramps up and continues to go faster as long as you have the throttle all the way down. Not sure which way is more prevalent in other ebikes.
7. We got black and the step over (not step through). It was the only color they had in step over and my wife likes the way it hides the battery. The overall fit and finish is really good... I'll add pics when I take them.
8. The battery is smaller than my Espin's. It's different as it pops out from the bottom and the front wheel makes it tricky to access. It's also lighter than the Espin's which I would expect.
9. I haven't tried it yet, but the display/system can connect to an Aventon app which is nice.
10. The geometry is a bit forward but that could be changed with a different handlebar/stem bracket (something I would do depending on how the large feels).
We didn't want to get a single speed just in case it had to be ridden without power and for $100 more you get that plus disc brakes which seems a no-brainer to me.
The other ebikes I have been looking in this same range were:
1. Wing Freedom 2 (7-speed) $1098-$1348 ($300 off sale right now with $215 in accessories)
2. Rize Fixie (but only had single speed) $1499
3. Propella 7S (no throttle) $1249
The Wing Freedom 2 is probably the best buy at $1098 (on sale)... but then we wanted to get one with a local store presence for her in case something went wrong.
I may end up with the Freedom 2 myself instead of the larger size Soltera.
Was hoping to go for a longer ride with her today but schedules got busy. Maybe we will see during the week.
So far, highly recommend the Soltera.
Edit: Typos.
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