I always had that fascination when it came to Electric Bikes and the things which it could make possible. And for a long time, it was just that, fascination. Because I always knew it was a pipe dream to get my hands on one of them without breaking my bank. And so whenever I came across the Electric Bikes I ignored them because I thought they were simply overpriced for the value I was getting out of them.
That was the story until now, so much advancement has been made from when I first heard about them. So like with any other technology out there, as time passes new features are available in the market for less and less. And now getting a good electric bike is not a pipe dream anymore. And when you are deciding to get one, you don’t have to feel like you are spending more money for less value.
Today we are going to take a look at Aventon Pace 500, a budget-friendly E-Bike which you can buy. And a bit of sneak-peek you can go at about 28 mph on this thing and it only costs you $1400.
Before talking about what class Aventon Pace 500 is, let’s have a brief overview of what electric bike classes mean. So we essentially got 3 classes when it comes to e-bikes and they are assigned on how fast you can go using pedal assist and throttle modes.
Overview of Classes in Electric Bikes
- Class 1: Most common commuting bikes are level 1 and you can max out your pedal assist at around 20 mph. Which is decently fast and quite satisfying for riding through streets and urban roads.
- Class 2: This is everything that Class 1 does but doesn’t have to pedal at all, which is essentially coasting through the lanes at a speed of 20 mph.
- Class 3: This is where most of your expensive e-bikes land, you can travel at speeds of 28 mph or 45 kmph which is fast and snappy.
The main reason why the Aventon Pace 500 is such a big deal is that it is a Class 3 Electric Bike with decent specs and build at an insanely affordable price.
The Aventon Pace 500 comes in two variants, the original high step model and a step-through model. The only discernible difference between the two being the absence of a top tube on the step-through model for a more comfortable and easy to ride a bike with no price variations.
I will separate this whole review into different sections covering each aspect to give a comprehensive insight into what you are getting if you are considering buying this bike. And for ease of access, I will also provide a table of contents to quickly jump around the review.
Battery
Aventon Pace 500 comes with a huge(in terms of battery capacity) 48 V 11.6 Ah detachable Lithium-ion battery which gives you a range of about 40 miles on a full charge. And cross-checking with real-world data this number seems about right.
The battery is one of the most important and complicated parts of an e-bike so I thought mentioning that the battery is made from Samsung cells adds more trust and reliability to the battery.
The 40-mile range is a good number because this allows you to reliably use this bike for commuting to your office or school with only a half-full for getting most cycles out of this thing. As a side note, you can charge this battery detached or attached to the frame. So If you are running low on battery you can always remove the battery and charge it up before you start again with no hassle.
The battery also has a button on top with an indicator to check how much juice you have left. You also have a USB port which is only to be used for getting diagnostic data from the bike but strictly not for charging your mobile devices.
To detach the battery you simply need to insert and turn your key and pull the lever which is on the left side of your battery. The battery weighs 7 lbs.
To charge the battery we have a 3 A output charger which is a nice upgrade from other electric bikes which are usually rated at around 2 to 2.5 A and it also weighs 1.3 lbs which is not much to carry around to your workplace and back if you need that extra charge.
Motor
Aventon Pace 500 packs a beast of a motor with 750W peak and 500W sustained, 48V Brushless hub motor. This allows you to hit that peak speed of 28 mph consistently and that sustained 500W is where this bike gets its name from.
While many electric bikes use parts like motors from well-known companies like Bosch and Shimano, Aventon manufactures their motors in-house. They call it “custom electrical system we pieced together specifically for this bike”. And the primary reason for this choice is not to limit the potential of this bike to make it compatible with other components.
What they ended up with is a bike with a custom-designed motor with low cost and great performance looking at the speeds it was able to maintain.
People who rode this thing also remarked that switching between modes felt quite zippy and sharp.
Display and Cadence Sensor
You also get an LCD with Backlight and it also rotates in the Y-axis to adjust for your best viewing angle. It’s bright enough to read in the day time without the Backlight on but it might come in handy when it’s dark outside.
You should also note that the display is not removable and permanently mounted to the handlebar which is pretty standard on electric bikes these days.
Aventon Pace also has a Cadence Sensor attached and data can be viewed on the LCD. Apart from cadence, you can also see information like how fast you are going, the distance you have covered, the mode you are in, and the juice you’ve left.
Throttle
As I have explained before, bikes which are on or above Class 2 need to have a throttle mode which changes the speed of the bike to 20 mph independent of the pedal assist. Well, Aventon Pace 500 does just that.
The bike is built like a cruiser and at the speed of 20 mph, the throttle mode seems both fitting and comfortable to ride. You can activate the throttle mode on this bike by pushing the throttle lever which is on the left side of the handlebar and pedaling your crank for one full rotation.
You might think the second part is weird and unnecessary but it’s a required safety measure. Because when the throttle mode activates the bikes’ speed jumps to 20 mph relatively quickly. And judging by the location of the throttle it is safe to say that accidental clicks are very common.
Another no brainer safety measure is that you can activate throttle mode from any mode(we will talk about modes below) other 0 or walking mode to prevent your bike from running away on its own.
Aventon E Bike Look and Feel
I would argue that just specs alone don’t make the bike, I would prefer an above-average bike with a good look and feel than a bike with high specs and lousy attention to detail. The point in question here is not only how the bike looks but also how it feels. And this is more so relevant if you are going to ride this as a commuter where comfort is not a ‘good to have’.
Frame and fork
Let me just say that the welds on this thing are simply amazing, and I can’t stress this enough. The welds are smooth and they easily justify the price of this bike for all the attention to detail that went into building this bike. The welds are smoothened before the paint job, which makes the joints almost seamless from any angle.
If you are an aesthetics first guy, then this bike is a no-brainer for you. Both the frame and fork are made of 6061 Aluminium Alloy. While aluminum may not absorb the shocks very well, the design of the frame and mainly the chainstay does a great job at reducing impacts.
Handlebar and grips
It would not take more than a tiny glance to see that Aventon Pace 500’s design is inspired by or is closely related to that of a beach cruiser. Mainly that curvy 15-degree sweptback handlebar which is a feature of many beach cruisers. The grips which come stock on this bike are ergonomically designed for longer rides with more resting area for your palm.
The handlebar can be rotated to fit your handling position and you might have to tighten it now and then if you are hitting roads with a lot of bumps.
Throttle Position
The throttle position of this bike may seem weird or not-quite-right because almost all of the time the throttle is on the right side of the handlebar. But I can assure you that you will get used to it pretty quickly. You might have realized why they made that decision if you have used any other Class 2 electric bikes before.
If the throttle is located on the right side with the gear switcher it becomes a mess. The shifter on this bike is one of the most comfortable and functional at this price point and a compromise to make this possible is to switch the throttle to the left-hand side.
Saddle
The saddle on this bike is an Aventon Velo Comfort 245mm wide saddle which is also custom made for these bikes like many other components. To make up for no suspension on this bike they also got two rubber bumpers to absorb those little shocks and make the ride a little bit more pleasant.
Wheels and tires
With a lack of proper suspension, tires are your saving grace. And fortunately this Aventon Pace 500 comes with wider than usual 27.5” x 2.2” Kenda Kwick seven sport tires and they do a great job at absorbing those shocks even at higher speeds like 20 mph.
The Rim is a Double Wall Aluminium 36h rim with a reflective sidewall stripe which is a good thing to have if you have any ideas of riding this thing at night.
26” tires are a more common sight in cruiser bikes but the extra volume and extra width 27.5” tires on this e-bike help in smoothing out that small gravel and rocks. As a side note, this rim has thicker spokes for extra stiffness during pedaling. The tread pattern is a good sign for riding on earthy-terrain without sliding and ensures a stable ride.
Drivetrain
The drivetrain is often the most important part of any bike and much more if its an e-bike. Because often with the pedal-assist switched on, you feel like pedaling a bike with no chain. This happens because the bike is already moving at the top speed of the gear so for this to not happen we get an 11-32 Shimano Altus 8 speed cassette which offers a wide range of speeds. This allows you to ride your bike at 28 mph.
The front crankset is 170mm with 42T and has plastic discs to not let the chain come out of its place. To switch seamlessly between we got a matching Shimano Altus 8 speed rear derailleur.
Brakes
Aventon Pace 500 comes with Tektro HD-T285 hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors which are quite reliable to stop a bike this size at any moment’s notice.
The reliability of the brakes takes a lot of load off your head and lets you ride the bike with no uncertainty.
Sizes
Aventon Pace 500 comes in 2 variants and 3 sizes. This is the basic height to size chart but if you need to check other measurements like reach and fork offset the below-attached chart might come in handy for you.
Small (S) for riders ranging from 5’1” to 5’7”, Medium (M) for riders ranging from 5’7” to 5’11” and Large (L) for riders ranging from 5’11” to 6’4”.
Weight and Weight limit
Electric Bikes’ weight is relatively high because they have a lot of extra components like batteries, cable, etc compared to your more traditional bikes. But the Aventon Pace 500 comes at 49 lbs which are relatively light for an Electric commuter with a large battery.
This bike has a rider weight limit of 250 lbs and a cargo limit of 50 lbs which should be plenty if you are packing for a picnic or commute.
Accessories
This bike comes with a bottle holder that fits the handlebar which you might or might not like based on your preferences. But thoughtful for the to include one nonetheless.
Apart from the bottle holder, you can also get accessories like fenders and racks for carrying extra loads of cargo. You got mounts to hook good fenders on this bike without the rattling.
These are some of our recommendations if you want to accessorize your Aventon Pace 500.
- Planet Bike Rear Eco Rack
- Aventon Rear Rack its kinda heavy duty than the top one
- Mirror mounts for Handlebars
Colors
Aventon Pace 500 Step-Through bike comes in two colors Chalk White and Celeste while the high step variant comes in Deep Black and they look stunning with those smoothened welds.