First ebike

[byunbee]

The Aventon Pace 500, a powerful class 3 pedelec with throttle, dependable with strong company support at $1,399.

My neighbor just bought one and I rode it around the neighborhood. I own a Haibike with Bosch Performance Line motor. Some observations....

• Throttle is nice and feels like riding a slow moped
• There is very little difference in power between lowest to the highest assist
• When you first start to pedal you get a jerky burst of power then it quickly dies down
• The feel is nothing like the Bosch motor. Bosch is linear and refined. As countless others have mentioned, the feel of Bosch motor feels natural and an extension of your effort, not replacement. The difference is stark...almost on opposite ends of the spectrum
• Due to the power ramp up it's really not meant for exercise. It's more of a casual fun ride around the block type of ebike

With that said, someone who's new to ebikes will still have fun with it. If you've already bought it, don't ride any of the Japanese or European mid-drives. It will spoil the fun and you'll quickly get buyer's remorse. Ignorance is bliss...

 

[BET]

Not all hub motors operate as you describe. I have an Espin Sport and my son has a Ride1up. Neither is too fast at a low level of assist. Neither is it "jerky." We get plenty of exercise. On some bikes, including Ride1up you can vary the levels of assist, top speed, levels of power, etc. from the display. I do not need a mid drive and in my HO they are not worth the money to most people. Best thing is try to try to demo various bikes.

 

[Bigal1463]

There is no perfect bike out there, especially if you have a budget.

 

[Jduster]

Just got my 700 and am very pleased with it. As far as peddle assist 1-9 you hardly notice the difference between 1 step but when you change 2 or more you get a definite jump in speed. The nice part about the 1-9 is you can definitely find your comfort zone. I love it, some minor problems with display (mph not accurate) hoping to get that all figured out shortly.

 

[GenXrider]

Just got my 700 and am very pleased with it. As far as peddle assist 1-9 you hardly notice the difference between 1 step but when you change 2 or more you get a definite jump in speed. The nice part about the 1-9 is you can definitely find your comfort zone. I love it, some minor problems with display (mph not accurate) hoping to get that all figured out shortly.

Be sure to pedal, not peddle.

Your 700 should have come with the newer KD218 LCD which allows you to adjust the power assist at each level to a custom percentage of power.

The KD218 LCD manual shows these power levels as the default for assist levels 1 through 9.
25% 34% 43% 52% 61% 70% 79% 88% 96%

I'm considering ordering the Ride1Up 700 as well, but I'm pretty interested in the LMT'D after the change of the controller, and the shipping dates for both are in Sept. Then by next summer, I would like to get a secondary e-bike for inviting guests to go riding and as a backup and for variety.

 

[Jduster]

Be sure to pedal, not peddle.

Your 700 should have come with the newer KD218 LCD which allows you to adjust the power assist at each level to a custom percentage of power.

The KD218 LCD manual shows these power levels as the default for assist levels 1 through 9.
25% 34% 43% 52% 61% 70% 79% 88% 96%

I'm considering ordering the Ride1Up 700 as well, but I'm pretty interested in the LMT'D after the change of the controller, and the shipping dates for both are in Sept. Then by next summer, I would like to get a secondary e-bike for inviting guests to go riding and as a backup and for variety.

I heard that the LMT'D isn't a good choice for a first bike. A little to much Torque

 

[GenXrider]

I heard that the LMT'D isn't a good choice for a first bike. A little to much Torque

The LMT'D uses a torque sensor based PAS system, which is a more natural extension of the rider's pedaling, so you could make an argument that it's a better choice for a first e-bike (I stress the "e" because I ride my standard bike many miles). The higher torque availability from the LMT'D is delivered when exerting more rotational force via the pedals, which is how torque sensor based PAS works to then apply additional power to the motor based on those pedaling forces. More effort in pedaling results in more power to the motor, so there shouldn't be any surprise torque bursts to scare the rider. The LMT'D also has 9 assist levels. Of course, there is the throttle also, but you don't have to use it. I just need to decide if it's worth $300 extra for me vs. the 700, primarily for the torque based PAS, lower weight, and more powerful motor. I don't need the rack and fenders. I like both bikes.

One additional note: While the LMT'D shares the same KD218 LCD as the 700 for the upcoming shipments, I do not know if the advanced tweaking of individual assist levels will be configurable with the LMT'D and its torque based PAS system. No one on the forum has yet to receive a LMT'D with the KD218 LCD as previous shipments included the APT-500C LCD.