Aventon Aventure Ebike Review

If you yearn to bike beyond paved roads, ride fast, and feel the wind on your face, the aptly named Aventure Ebike from Aventon might be your ideal companion. The $1,999 Aventure is an all-weather fat-tire e-bike with five pedal assist levels and an on-demand throttle for speedy getaways at up to 28mph. Its powerful 750W rear hub electric motor has a range of up to 45 miles, while its suspension and fenders make it well suited for rides on the beach or trails. A built-in display includes Bluetooth connectivity and can keep your phone charged, while a companion app tracks your rides and lets you customize bike settings. The Aventure is a powerful bike, and you definitely need to exercise caution when using it, but it makes for a very fun ride.

Aventon's Most Versatile E-Bike

Based in Ontario, Canada, Aventon makes several different types of e-bikes, including cruisers, commuters, foldables, and fat-tire models. The full-sized Aventure is the company's most expensive model to date, but also the most versatile; it's designed to handle any terrain, including city streets, hiking trails, mud, gravel, snow, and sand.

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The company offers the Aventure in traditional and step-through frame options, in three sizes to accommodate riders between around 5'1'' to 6'4'', and four colors (black, green, red, or sand). Step-through frames are easier to get on and off, as well as better for riding while wearing a skirt. Traditional step-over frames are more durable and safer for off-roading, one of the primary uses of the Aventure.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

For this review, Aventon sent me the sand-colored model with a traditional frame in the small size (I'm 5'6''). The company also sent me front and rear racks, which it sells for $39.99 and $49.99, respectively.

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At a weight of 73 pounds and with 26-by-4-inch front and rear fat tires (HW), the Aventure is a beast of an e-bike. It features a backlit color LCD (Aventon doesn't specify the resolution, but it looks sharp) that shows your speed, battery charge, power assist level (0 to 5), distance traveled, and other metrics as you ride. It also syncs your mileage and other metrics to the Aventon app (available for Android and iOS), and provides a standard USB-A port so that you can charge your phone while you ride.

The Aventure ships as a Class 2 e-bike with a 750W (sustained) brushless rear hub motor with five pedal assist levels. The throttle is capable of propelling the bike at up to 20mph even when you're not pedaling. With pedal assist, the motor only engages when the pedals are turning. When you hold down the throttle on the left handlebar, the motor engages and the bike takes off, whether you're pedaling or not (more on this in a bit).

Changing the bike's speed limit in the Aventon app

In the Aventon app, you can increase the bike's speed limit to 28mph with pedal assist, effectively turning it into a Class 3 e-bike. With the speed limit turned all the way up, the throttle still maxes out at 20mph.

Alternatively, if you want to ride it in an area that prohibits throttles, you can unplug and remove it; in that case, the Aventure operates as a Class 1 pedal-assist-only e-bike. Class 3 e-bikes are restricted from certain bike trails and paths, so pay attention to the rules and regulations where you ride. Aventon has a helpful article on the differences between Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes on its site if you want to learn more.

The bike features a removable 48V, 720Wh lithium-ion battery that offers an average range of 45 miles per charge. The battery sits inside the frame, and you can remove it with a key for security or charging indoors.

Your range will vary depending on the outside temperature; your weight; the wind speed; road and terrain conditions; the pedal assist level; and your use of the throttle. On pedal assist level 1, Aventon says the bike offers around 53 miles of range. On level 5, it can go around 19 miles. On throttle alone, it should last around 27 miles. Aventon calculated those estimates using a rider weight of 180 pounds on 80% flat terrain.

You shouldn't experience much range anxiety on the Aventure, but if you're going for distance, it's not your best bet. For comparison, the $2,198 VanMoof X3, a Class 1 pedal-assist-only e-bike meant exclusively for city riding, delivers up to 93 miles of range on a charge.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

As for other specs and features, the Aventure has a wide, comfortable seat and an aluminum alloy frame that supports riders up to 300 pounds. Levers on the left and right handlebars let you control its front and rear hydraulic disc brakes, respectively. The brake levers are easy to engage, even with a single finger. Its front suspension fork offers 80mm of travel to absorb bumps on rough terrain. For safety, it has built-in fenders as well as integrated front and rear lights that you can control via the display or app. The Aventure has an IPX4 water-resistance rating, which means it's fine to ride and park in the rain.

Assembling the Aventure

The Aventure arrives only partially assembled but neatly packaged in a large box. Any storage racks you order arrive in separate boxes.

In the box with the Aventure, you get two keys for removing the battery, a 48V 3-amp fast charger, a user manual, and all the tools needed to finish assembling the bike. You may want to use your own 15mm ratchet, because the one Aventon provides doesn't feel too solid.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

The assembly process involves installing the handlebar, front wheel, front fender, pedals, and seat. Aventon offers detailed instructions in the bike's user manual and in a step-by-step assembly video on YouTube.

After watching the YouTube assembly video, a handy friend of mine put the bike together on his own, without looking at the manual, but sustained a minor cut in the process due to Aventon's subpar tools. From start to finish, the assembly process took an hour and 40 minutes.

I'm not very handy, and doubt I would be able to assemble the bike on my own. For an extra fee, one of Aventon's dealers or a mobile service provider such as Velo Fix can assemble the bike for you.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

The Aventure doesn't come with an air pump, so you may need to purchase one. Aventon recommends that you use a pump with a Schrader valve and pressure gauge to inflate each tire between 5 and 30psi.

After putting the Aventure together, the only remaining steps were to inflate the tires and adjust the seat height. I was eager to test it right away, and, fortunately, its battery arrived partially charged. I read the user manual front to back the night before, so I felt comfortable powering it up and taking it for a test ride.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the Aventure isn't a toy. Taking the time to read the user manual is of the utmost importance. Pay special attention to the safety warnings and battery instructions to avoid injury and unnecessary wear to the charging components.

Easy to Operate

Powering the bike on requires a few steps: slide the battery into the bike and push it into place, press the power button on the battery twice until it turns blue, and hold down the power button on the left handlebar for three seconds to turn on the display.

In addition to the power button, the display controller on the left handlebar has plus and minus buttons to increase or decrease your pedal assist level; a light button to turn the front and rear lights on or off; and an information button to access the main menu and scroll through various riding metrics. With the buttons on the handlebar, you can switch the pedal assist level while the bike is in motion or stationary.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

The LCD shows your light status, battery charge percentage, speed, and power assist level at all times when it's on. Tap the information button to scroll through other data, such as your trip distance, odometer reading, average speed, max speed, trip time, and calories burned. The screen also shows the amount of carbon emission and the number of trees you saved during that trip by riding instead of driving.

To enter the main bike settings menu, press and hold the information button. Here, you can clear trip data, set the screen brightness, change your speed units (miles or kilometers per hour), access system information, and connect the bike to the app. According to the user manual, you should be able to adjust the bike's speed limit from the main menu of the LCD, but this option isn't available on my unit. I can, however, still adjust the speed limit in the app.

In testing, I had no problem connecting the bike to the Aventon app. After you download the app and set up an account, press Pair, turn on the bike's display, long-press the information button, select Connect to App, use your phone to scan the QR code shown on the bike's display, and finally give your bike a nickname. When the app asks for permission to use Bluetooth to connect to the bike's display, press OK to complete the pairing process.

From that point forward, when you turn on the bike's display, it should automatically connect to the Aventon app (as long as your phone is within Bluetooth range). You can check the connection status in the top left corner of the app; it will say Connected in yellow or Disconnected in gray.

To automatically record your rides, you must pair your bike with the Aventon app. Alternatively, you can manually track a ride by tapping the yellow Go button at the bottom of the app. At the bottom, the app also shows a few other tabs: Ebike, Record, Discover, and Me.

The Aventon app

In the Ebike tab, you can view your riding data; turn the bike's lights on or off; and access additional settings via the gear icon in the top right corner. Tap the gear icon to adjust your bike's LCD brightness, auto power-off time (up to 100 minutes), speed limit, speed units, and pedal assist level.

One small gripe: Even though I have my speed unit set to mph, the app shows the speed limit in km/h. When I press the plus and minus buttons, the app lets me adjust the speed limit from 20 to 51km/h (around 12 to 31mph).

In Record, you can view your riding data by month and see how you stack up against other users on daily, weekly, monthly, and all-time leaderboards. Aventon ranks the leaderboards based on the distance you ride. The top rider at the time of this writing had logged more than 250 miles in a month.

In the Discover section, you can scroll through a social feed of posts from other Aventon riders and create your own. In the Me tab, you can view any virtual medals you have earned (Aventon awards them for 10 miles, 100 miles, and 1,000 miles, for example), locate dealers for service needs, access Help content, chat with Aventon's support representatives, change your password, and more.

Battery Balancing and Charging

Aventon recommends fully charging the (large and heavy) battery after each use so it's ready to go the next time you want to ride. It typically takes between three and seven hours to fully charge the battery.

You can charge the battery while it's on or off the bike, but make sure it's powered off (the indicator light should be off). Aventon stresses the order of the charging process: Plug the charger into the battery's port before plugging it into a power outlet. When it's finished charging, unplug it from the outlet, and then remove the wire from the battery's port.

The indicator light shines red while the battery is charging and turns green when the process is complete. Aventon recommends removing the charger from the battery within one hour of the green light.

The Aventure's battery(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

For space reasons, I store the Aventure outside on my covered patio. However, I always store and charge the battery indoors, as Aventon recommends in the user guide.

The procedure for the first three times you charge the bike is different than subsequent ones, because you need to balance the battery. Aventon also recommends repeating the battery balancing procedure after a period of long-term storage if you experience a noticeable range decline, or up to once a month as a "proactive battery maintenance" measure for frequent users.

To balance the battery, Aventon says to charge it for "just under 12 hours (but never exceeding the 12-hour mark)," regardless of the distance you ride or the amount of battery that remains. For the balancing process, it's fine to keep everything plugged in after the indicator light turns green. After balancing the battery, you can go back to the normal charging procedure.

Familiarizing yourself with the battery charging and balancing procedures takes a bit of time, but it's part of your responsibility as an e-bike owner—think of it like getting your car inspected or changing its oil. I store the user manual near the battery for easy reference.

My Experience With the Aventure

The Aventure looks slick and attracts attention; people always compliment the bike when I'm out riding it. With its integrated battery, the Aventon looks sleeker than its main competitors, the RadRover 5 and Himiway Cruiser, both of which cost $1,699.

Left to right: Aventon Aventure, VanMoof X3(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

The Aventure can feel a bit jerky when you start pedaling or tap the throttle, but gets more comfortable as you spend time riding it. That said, be sure to brace yourself for speedy acceleration before you start to pedal or tap the throttle.

In response to customer feedback, Aventon reduced the acceleration rate of pedal assist levels one and two to provide a smoother, more comfortable ride. Models that shipped since March 22, 2021 (including my review unit) incorporate these changes, but I still feel a bit of a jolt when the pedal assist function kicks in.

At the same time it modified pedal assist levels one and two for a smoother acceleration transition, Aventon made a major change to the throttle function. Based on user feedback, the company removed a safety feature that prevented the throttle from activating until you pedaled at least a quarter rotation.

(Photo: Angela Moscaritolo)

As the company explains in a blog post, "While this safety feature is something we stood by, it has become clear to us through the amount of feedback we’ve received … that while this feature is appreciated, it prevents people from using the throttle in some of the ways they’d like to; for instance, the need for some assistance while starting on a steep hill since that quarter rotation may prove to be too difficult on such a steep incline or forgetting to gear down when hitting continuous stop signs."

This means models shipped since March 22, 2021 feature an on-demand throttle, so you can activate the throttle from a complete stop. The company acknowledges that "this change brings forth the possibility that you may accidentally hit the throttle switch," in which case "your ebike will accelerate, whether you’re sitting or standing next to it, and will continue accelerating until the throttle switch is released."

(Note that Aventon sells a retrofit display and controller bundle for $179.99 that addresses the abrupt pedal assist acceleration issue and provides on-demand throttle functionality for models sold before March 22, 2021.)

One time, while walking the bike in a crowded parking lot before hopping on, I either accidentally tapped the throttle or the pedal, because the bike quickly accelerated. It was a bit scary, but I didn't lose control of it. As I mentioned, it takes time to master the Aventure, and you should use it with the utmost caution because it can be dangerous. It's far more powerful than the VanMoof X3 I'm used to riding.

(Photo: Ali Jaber)

Safety concerns aside, the Aventure is very fun for off-roading, and I especially enjoy riding it on the beach. After I ride past the crowded areas and hit a deserted strip of sand, I love switching it to pedal assist level five and riding fast. When set to maximum brightness, the LCD is easy to read, even in the sunlight.

Though some might claim riding an e-bike is pointless for fitness, it can still give you a good workout. As mentioned, the Aventure is a heavy bike. Without the motor, I can barely pedal it. On sand, I definitely can't ride it without the help of pedal assist or the throttle, but on pedal assist level one or two, it still offers a good workout—my legs were sore for days after a long beach ride.

A Fun Off-Road Companion

The $1,999 Aventon Aventure is a rugged fat-tire e-bike that transitions well from paved road to dirt, gravel, sand, snow, or mud. With an average range of 45 miles, a maximum pedal-assisted speed of 28mph, and a throttle that propels you up to 20mph with zero effort, it can take you far and get you there fast. We also like its app-based and onboard connectivity. The bike's pedal assist acceleration isn't always the smoothest and the throttle requires caution, but it makes for a fun, thrilling ride. If you like adventure, the Aventure is sure to please.

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