Finally got the Aventon Soltera 7-speed...

[Gee_Whiz]

I posted the following Soltera 7 review on Aventon's site, thought I would share here also.

Pros:
Very well packed, no shipping issues
Seems to be a quality build, decent fit/finish
Customer service seems empowered to solve problems
There are some local dealers that stock / sell parts
App is a nice extra
Solid, smooth ride, gives confidence
Low rolling resistance tires improve efficiency
Seat seems comfortable even on a long ride
700x35 tires absorb bumps better than expected (compared to road bikes)
7-speed provides great flexibility, particularly on hills and start/stop, and helps reduce battery demand
Display is large and easy to read (I can read it fine in the sun with sunglasses on)
Motor gives 100% right down to single digits of battery left (doesn't go into power-save/reduced mode like some other brands). When you have some big hills in your last miles of ride, this is important!

Cons:
No provision for a water bottle holder, even on the seat tube.
No ability for lights to blink/pulse for increased safety.
No ability to set a PIN for theft deterrence.
Cable management could be better, there is a huge morass of cables in front of the handlebars. Eventually figured out to put the cables behind the headlight, but it's still pretty ugly.
Handgrips do not provide enough cushion, hands fall asleep on longer rides.
Headlight would not stay in place, had to add washers to make it tight.

Other:
Hypermiling approaches seem to work well on this model, range can be significantly increased by going to PAS 0 where possible.

The mechanical brakes are also spongey/soft on some Soltera 7's and need to be serviced by a shop upon arrival. It's an otherwise fantastic bike

 

[nwwoods]

I should note further on the Soltera 7 that I had to adjust the shifter cable tension at about 500 miles (simple) and had to adjust the brakes at about 1000 miles. The brakes were plenty tight when new, but the cables stretched a bit, and either the pads wore, or the pad opposite the caliper worked itself a bit loose. I tightened the cable at the caliper very slightly and tightened the opposite pad about 1/4 turn and its fine now. To me, these were break-in adjustments.

 

[nwwoods]

Two issues with the water bottle mounts on the top tube on the Soltera.

One, the bottle doesn't stay in well. A rough road surface causes the bottle to work its way forward and eventually be ejected. I tried different bottle cages and it made no difference, never mind it's annoying to have to stop and run back to get your bottle.

Two, the bottle cage is right where you'd want to hang the bike on a repair stand. For trail-side repairs, this is a needless distraction.

I purchased a universal water bottle mount, placed it on the down tube, and it works fine.

 

[nwwoods]

Fixing a rear tire flat (road-side) on the Soltera can be a bit of a challenge.

Like many ebikes, you need a 19mm wrench to loosen the axle bolts. If you haven't had them off before, you will soon realize that they must have gorillas put them on at the factory. I am reasonably strong, but these come off hard. Eat your Wheaties!

Second, there is a 3mm allen bolt on the inside of the right chainstay that has to be completely removed to get the motor's power cable disconnected. This bolt is longer than necessary and it takes many turns working through the spokes from the left side to get loose. I later cut the grommet it holds so the cable can simply be slipped out without removing the bolt.

On a positive note, the kickstand can act as a jack stand and helps with getting the wheel off and back on. And the tire comes off and on the wheel without any need for tire levers. Yay.

 

[rjuan23]

My wife are I are avid cyclists. We have our high-end carbon fiber framed road and mountain bikes with their obligatory high-end components. Almost a year ago, my wife underwent surgery to correct a fairly lingering sciatica pain. Since then, she's been eager to get back in the saddle. But I warned her that our cycling disciplines won't be kind to her 100% recovery that will take beyond a year. So it was decided to get her on an ebike. My criteria was simple . . . decent quality, light weight (for an ebike), looks like a bicycle, and finally a low price (again, for an ebike). The Soltera 7 checked all my boxes. Its price point was much, much less than each of our non-ebikes in our current stable! Luckily, we have a local dealer nearby and after a demo ride, we were sold. So much so that I decided to get one for myself . . . especially dedicated to hauling around around a pet trailer. I've since upgraded some components. My bike received a low rise bar (also, removed all stem stack spacers), a lighter saddle, low profile pedals, Continental urban slick tires, floating brake rotors, and soon to be installed Zoom HB-100 cable operated hydraulic brake calipers. My wife's bike received the low profile pedals, and a 14-34 freewheel to further assist her climbing up our hill to our house. It'll be a while before she can get out of the saddle and power pedal, pounding the cranks. I can't say enough how we're so pleased with our ebike choice from AVENTON!

 

[GypsyTreker]

I'm probably late to the Soltera party but now I'm here. I think most of the pros and cons are very accurate feedback. No doubt range can be extend greatly going to zero PAS on level ground and coasting on declines. I'm amazed at how well this bike scoots along on not so steep declines. This is important because I want to do some short, 3day, mini tours. The battery is light enough to carry a spare. Although I like the stock tires on paved surfaces Ill probably go to a gravel tire, tubeless. If I have any complaints it would be the apps glitchy behavior when trying to record a route. I will probably switch out the twist shifter for an index and perhaps a granny cog. A 25mile jaunt on this bike is effortless compared to my fattie 26er.

 

[BigNerd]

Soltera 2 is out:

Aventon Soltera.2 Lightweight Electric Bike | Free Shipping With Ebike Purchase

Experience true road mastery with Aventon's Soltera.2, a lightweight urban ebike. The smart torque sensor boosts your pedal power, ideal for urban commutes or long rides. ✅ Over 1,800 authorized service dealers & test rides ✅ 2-year warranty ✅ Fast & free shipping ✅ Say yes to adventure.

www.aventon.com

Torque sensor, upgraded lights and slightly bigger tires (700x38 vs 700x35).

 

[mfgrep]

Soltera 2 is out:

Aventon Soltera.2 Lightweight Electric Bike | Free Shipping With Ebike Purchase

Experience true road mastery with Aventon's Soltera.2, a lightweight urban ebike. The smart torque sensor boosts your pedal power, ideal for urban commutes or long rides. ✅ Over 1,800 authorized service dealers & test rides ✅ 2-year warranty ✅ Fast & free shipping ✅ Say yes to adventure.

www.aventon.com

Torque sensor, upgraded lights and slightly bigger tires (700x38 vs 700x35).

Yup. I saw the email today too. The Soltera is the bicycle that originally caught my attention when I decided to potentially buy my first e-bike.
There is a lot to like about that bicycle for my particular needs but I ended up spending twice as much when Specialized started their sale(s) on the Vado SL.
I had a 'feeling' that I wasn't going to be satisfied with the hub driven 7 spd Soltera for any length of time. I don't regret my decision one bit yet I still believe that the Soltera is a good 'buy' for many.

 

[BigNerd]

I ended up ordering a Soltera.2 and it's arriving tomorrow.

Wanted the large black but that doesn't ship out until 10/15 so ended up with the Citrine (sort of sounds like another yellow substance) as I don't mind brightly colored bikes.

We will see how this is compared to our regular sized Soltera (especially the torque sensor which I imagine is like the advanced cadence sensor on my Espin Sport).

I just wish it had a quick release front wheel (I will probably take it to a shop to convert it) and hydraulic brakes (I'll put in the pull hydraulics once these mechanical ones wear down).

 

[BigNerd]

Arrived today and built:

Soltera.2

So now that we are doing longer, faster rides with the e-bikes, our kids can't hang so we decided to get another Soltera... but this is the sequel, Soltera.2: Electric Boogaloo! This is our experience with the original Soltera...

forums.electricbikereview.com

 

[Igor2023]

I could never get the brakes right and even tried two local shops. Ended up changing them to cable actuated hydraulic.

The redshift is awesome. I added one to mine as well as an esilk suspension post from cane creek.

I just bought Soltera 7 and want to add Redshift suspension stem. It comes in different sizes: 6 degree x (80mm to 120 mm) and 30 degree x (80mm and 100mm). Which size fits large Soltera 7?