Looking for an alternative to Aventon Soltera

[richamor]

I ordered 2 Aventon Soltera 7 bikes on May 15 of this year. Mine S/O in Citrine and hers a S/T in Moonrock Grey. They arrived a week later and we were thrilled with them. Beautiful bikes well packed and easy to assemble. After an hour or so of work both bikes were ready to go. Sadly the battery on mine was DOA even though I was assured it wouldn't be. Bummer!! But a call to Aventon had a replacement on the way. I was so impressed with the bikes and the customer service I ordered 2 more replacement batteries. Sadly that's where we are still at. At first I was told 3 to 5 days shipping, Then the week of June 12. Now it's just there's been a delay and the batteries aren't set to ship from Aventon until July 15. My tale of woe

Aventon has offered a full return which I will take. Sadly that leaves me without a bike. The wife will keep hers. I would like to find something similar. I liked the Soltera, and was impressed with Aventon customer service.

Without spending hours and days reading and looking.....what would you recommend? Budget is up to $2000 but the less the better. I want a bike that's easy to ride without power. Lightweight with decent range and replaceable battery. Not interested in speed since the Soltera has a top speed of 20. No need to run away from the wife at this point

I plan to ship the Soltera back tomorrow so the replacement will be bought within the next 2 weeks. LBS is really a small option since the closest is 50 mile or so through PIA traffic. But if I must......

 

[Ben J]

My personal conspiracy theory is that Aventon had their big sale on batteries right after NYC announced the UL listing requirement because they never certified their batteries individually (only as part of the bike). They didn't want to be holding the bag, so they had a huge sale on batteries and now they are out. I assume their next batch will carry the necessary UL marks to sell in stricter markets like NYC and then their supplies will be back to normal.

If you like bikes with "7" in the name, the obvious upgrade from the Soltera 7 is the Trek Allant+ 7.

 

[richamor]

Loft Go! 7D EQ Step-Over - Trek Bikes

Discover your next great ride with 36414_2023. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

The Allant+7 is out of reach but that Loft-Go! is a definite possibility.

 

[richamor]

That was quick. A local dealer helped me ship the Soltera back for a refund. AND he had a demo Soltera exactly like mine he gave me a killer deal on. So the replacement is in the garage
As for Aventon…..I know they’ve been hammered on their customer service sometimes but in my case their customer service was a big factor in buying another. Took my bike back for a full refund no questions asked. In fact I didn’t ask…..they offered! Always prompt, polite, and considerate with their response to my concerns. If you ever have a problem ask for Jenny T.