Pretty pls help me choose my 1st E-bike

[Najmahal]

Hi there! I've been researching e-bikes for weeks and I'm having the hardest time pulling the trigger on one. I was hoping to get some advice on the best choice. I think I've narrowed it down to two choices, but other suggestions are welcome! For background, I'm 5'2 and looking for a bike thats more for recreation, exercise and some light weekend errands. I also live in a pretty hilly area. Please let me know if any other information would be helpful!

Option 1: Aventon Pace 500.3
Option 2: Blix Aveny Skyline


I know the Aventon was just recently released but any experience with either bike/company/previous models would be appreciated!

 

[Taylor57]

Hi there! I've been researching e-bikes for weeks and I'm having the hardest time pulling the trigger on one. I was hoping to get some advice on the best choice. I think I've narrowed it down to two choices, but other suggestions are welcome! For background, I'm 5'2 and looking for a bike thats more for recreation, exercise and some light weekend errands. I also live in a pretty hilly area. Please let me know if any other information would be helpful!

Option 1: Aventon Pace 500.3
Option 2: Blix Aveny Skyline


I know the Aventon was just recently released but any experience with either bike/company/previous models would be appreciated!

Spend a 100 more and get the Aventon Level 2 step thru that includes rack and fenders...

 

[indianajo]

Aventon has 170 today posts on the known problems and solutions brand forum. They have a significant market share. Blix today has one post - the one that started the known problems thread 6 years ago.

 

[rich c]

This to all those begging for help choosing an eBike. Go to your local bicycle store and start riding. Ride all the models, then go to another store and do the same thing. NO amount of words or internet research can match real saddle time.

 

[Taylor57]

This to all those begging for help choosing an eBike. Go to your local bicycle store and start riding. Ride all the models, then go to another store and do the same thing. NO amount of words or internet research can match real saddle time.

My experience has been that the LBS's around here are not begging or volunteering their ebikes for test rides. Between Courts reviews and real user reviews on this site, a consumer could find a good ebike delivered to their door that will require minimal setup. If you can put together a patio umbrella, you can put together an ebike. Most dealers need to make a profit and most ebikes in dealer locations are priced north of 4k...

 

[Najmahal]

This to all those begging for help choosing an eBike. Go to your local bicycle store and start riding. Ride all the models, then go to another store and do the same thing. NO amount of words or internet research can match real saddle time.

I 100% agree! Unfortunately, I live in a smaller city that doesn’t have an LBS that has these brands available for testing.

 

[JethroXP]

Looks to me like you are looking for a city commuter bike. Take a look at Biktrix. I own three of their bikes. They are high quality and their support is excellent.

Commuter

Biktrix Commuter eBikes are for convenient daily travel. A perfect balance of comfort and control with an upright position, making it easy to see the road.

www.biktrix.com

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Test as many bikes as you can. Without that, you'll have no way to assess the advice you get here. And trust me, it won't all point in the same direction.

We had no trouble finding bike shops willing to let us test their ebikes. We tested 6 different ebikes from 6 different shops. No. 6 was so far superior to the first 5 that we bought 2 of them on the spot. No regrets 6 months later.

 

[PSm]

I 100% agree! Unfortunately, I live in a smaller city that doesn’t have an LBS that has these brands available for testing.

Everyone is different, and they might have different uses and different expectations, but IMO for a lot of people almost any e-bike could work for you if you don’t have challenging requirements (like super long range, major mountain climbs, high speeds, heavy hauling requirements, etc). There are so many good bikes out there these days, that any reasonably reliable brand might work out for you.

Sizing though might be important though, and I’ve found bike fit to be very key, and adjusting seat height, handlebar ends and stem to be a big deal for my comfort. You might also be able to get some useful information about other peoples experience with sizing, if you read enough reviews.

For me, I have purchased several online only bikes, and was happy with all of them. I did do a lot of reading and research, and read up on reliability, and got them without having test ridden them. And all turned out great for me. I am comfortable with routine bike maintenance however. But as always, YRMV.

 

[harryS]

Are you riding a bicycle now, or will this be the first time on two wheels in a long time? Could make a difference.
.

 

[Najmahal]

Did you say 52 yo. Or 5' 2". Vertical?
Biktrix can hot rod you a banging ebike full suspension Ebike with 1500+ Watts of pure acceleration.
You can ride it on any terrain.
Custom made for short leg$?

Short legs here! 5’2”

 

[PSm]

Short legs here! 5’2”

In that case, you may want to use the particular brand’s bike sizing guidelines, and err on the smaller size if in between ranges. Is relatively enough to adjust seat height, handlebars or change stems.

 

[PSm]

Are you riding a bicycle now, or will this be the first time on two wheels in a long time? Could make a difference.
.

+1. Could make a huge difference.

 

[Najmahal]

Are you riding a bicycle now, or will this be the first time on two wheels in a long time? Could make a difference.
.

I do not currently own a bicycle. We've rented e-bikes on several vacations, but I haven't been a regular rider in a while.

 

[JethroXP]

This is my Ebike. I cut off the saddle tube shorter.
You can make it lower.

Nice looking bike, is that a carbon fiber frame? Given what Najmahal posted as their top two, which both appear to be city commuters, I'm guessing a full-suspension eMTB is probably a very different bike from what they are looking for.

 

[JethroXP]

I do not currently own a bicycle. We've rented e-bikes on several vacations, but I haven't been a regular rider in a while.

That to me, indicates you are better off with a hub drive, which are easier and more accessible for non-cyclists. When you say you live in a hilly area, can you provide more detail or context? And would you expect the bike to move you effortlessly up those hills or would you be ok pedaling to help? And what type of bikes have you rented, and did those work well for your situation?

 

[Tom@WashDC]

I have owned two Aventon Levels since Sept 2020. Good bikes. My experience with their warranty/service was good. They recently upped their warranty to two years.

Why don't you share a your budget and a list of things in ranked order that are important to you?

 

[Najmahal]

That to me, indicates you are better off with a hub drive, which are easier and more accessible for non-cyclists. When you say you live in a hilly area, can you provide more detail or context? And would you expect the bike to move you effortlessly up those hills or would you be ok pedaling to help? And what type of bikes have you rented, and did those work well for your situation?

I live in East TN if that helps! I don't mind pedaling to help get up and over the hills around town. When we visit larger bike friendly cities we enjoy renting the Citi E-bikes to get from one place to another. We recently did the VA Creeper trail and I believe the bikes were from Evo, but these were of the non electric variety.

 

[Taylor57]

Without a local bike shop in your area, you are going to have to take a flyer on an online ebike from one of the usual suspects. Many of the guys on these boards that are LBS advocates hire electricians to put in light bulbs. If you are handy and can assemble a BBQ grill for example, you will be fine with a bike delivered to your house in a box. If you dont know the difference between a crescent wrench and a pipe wrench, you may want to take a drive to the closest bike shop and test drive...

I have owned two Aventon Levels since Sept 2020. Good bikes. My experience with their warranty/service was good. They recently upped their warranty to two years.

Why don't you share a your budget and a list of things in ranked order that are important to you?

I'm considering a step thru Level 2 at 1799. The 2 year warranty is a nice feature...

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Option 1: Aventon Pace 500.3
Option 2: Blix Aveny Skyline


I know the Aventon was just recently released but any experience with either bike/company/previous models would be appreciated!

The Aventon Pace 500.3 has torque sensing, hydraulic brakes, and a two year warranty. According to the Blix specs, the Skyline has cable pull brakes, cadence sensing, and a one year warranty. You will want torque sensing and hydraulic brakes. Especially since they are priced comparably.

If your choice is between these two bikes, The Aventon Pace 500.3 is the better choice.