The Aventon Aventure is Aventon’s first full-size fat tire ebike. It’s directly competing against the popular Rad Power Bikes RadRover and the Himiway Cruiser. What it has over both of those bikes are hydraulic brakes, multiple frame sizes and just an overall sleeker appearance. After riding the Aventure for nearly 80 miles, I’ve discovered things I really like about it, and some things that could use some tweaking, so let’s get to it.
Motor
First, just a quick overview of the specs. The Aventure has a true 750 watt rear Bafang motor with a peak output of 1130 watts. The motor is legit! I’ve actually had to slow the bike down when climbing hills because I was scaring people. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but still, it’s powerful!
I’ve only had to use pedal assist 4 once on a hill, and even then I didn’t really need to use it. I just wanted to see what it could do. The Aventure can easily cruise at 20-21mph in pedal assist level three while in gear 5 or 6 and that’s good enough for me.
Range
The Aventure is equipped with a 48 volt 15 Ah battery and the range is quite good. In lower pedal assist levels, it would be easy to achieve 35 -40 miles. The battery percentage is shown on the display and seems to be accurate. Usually, battery percentage is a bit unreliable on a display. The first 20% takes a while to decrease, but after that it’s often that battery percentages drop much more quickly. That isn’t the case with the Aventure. It gives you a true sense of how much battery is really remaining, even when the battery level drops below 50%.
Display
Speaking of the display, it’s one of the best features of the Aventure and puts it ahead of the RadRover and Himiway Cruiser. It is intuitive and fitting for a bike that cost nearly $2000. Yeah, I know that isn’t much by ebike standards, but $1899 its till a good chunk of change for most of us and this bike makes you feel like you spent your money well. The menu system of the display makes sense. It’s easy to clear trip data and unlock the higher speeds. The light also is easy to turn on since it has its own button.
Lights
And that brings me to the integrated lights on the Aventure. They are very good. The front light isn’t just a “be seen” light like many ebikes are equipped with. Instead, it provides enough light to ride safely after dark. Its position on the handlebar also provides great visibility. The rear light is built into the frame and acts as a brake light even when the lights aren’t on. It is a bummer that the rear light is only on the left side of the bike, but it is quite bright and will get people’s attention nonetheless.
Tires
The 26″ x 4″ Kenda Krusade tires are surprisingly quiet on pavement, actually much less noise than the Himiway Cruiser. I took the Aventure over grass, gravel, rutted and sloppy dirt trails, and it performed well. Between the tires and that beast of a motor, the Aventure is a very capable off-road ebike and that’s where I think it shines the most.
Braking
The Aventure is equipped with Bengal Ares 180 mm hydraulic disc brakes. With such a fast and heavy bike, hydraulic brakes are a must in my opinion. They’re a little softer than the Tektro hydraulic brakes I’m used to, but they do the job, and they are easy to actuate with just two fingers. This means you can keep your hand on the grip while applying the brakes.
Speed
Through the display you can increase the top speed limit to 51 km which is about 31 mph. Others have been able to get up to almost 34 mph when pedaling hard in pedal assist level 5. Of course, rider’s weight, tire pressure, battery charge, and many other factors affect top speed. The throttle’s max speed is 20 mph, but I can tell the motor is capable of much more. It’s programmed to cap out at 20 mph to keep the bike within class 3 regulations. There’s currently no way to remove this limit.
Off-Road Capability
And that leads into who is this bike for. The Aventure is capable only nearly any surface, but to be honest there are better ebikes for pavement. On lengthy rides I found myself missing my Ride1Up 700 Series. Those big tires are great on gravel trails and that’s what I plan to use it for, but on the road I could feel the weight of the bike in pedal assist level 1 for sure.
The width of the tires do produce a greater rolling resistance than a more standard ebike tire, and as someone who likes to pedal a lot in the lowest pedal assist levels, the Aventure just wasn’t super satisfying. Yes, it has tons of power and torque for higher speeds and those hills, but since I didn’t want to blow past people on the local bike path at 25 mph on a big bike with a loud motor, I found myself chugging along in pedal assist level 2.
Unfortunately, unlike the Ride1Up 500 Series and 700 Series, or even the Himiway Cruiser, there is no way to customize how much power I want from each level. I miss that.
Having said that, I bought the Aventure for off-road trails and for that, it’s great. It’s sure and solid on gravel, can go over tree roots like they’re not even there, and has enough torque for just about any challenge tossed its way. I mean, this is a bike with adventure, or Aventure, in its name!
Improvements I’d Suggest
The only downside for off-roading on the Aventure is the lack of rear suspension. The bike is heavy at 73 lbs and that’s before adding a rear or front rack and any gear you might toss on. The front suspension does a good job of preventing aches and pains in the wrists and shoulders, but the weight of the bike is felt in the rear, especially when it falls into potholes.
This can be improved drastically with a good quality suspension seat post and/or a better seat. One really nice thing about the Aventure is that the frame at which the seat post inserts is low enough to accommodate a suspension seat post that will work for shorter riders. I can’t use a suspension seat post with most ebikes, so this feature of the Aventure is huge with me. The Aventure uses a standard 27.2 mm seat post, so finding a suspension seat post shouldn’t be a problem.
A popular suspension post is the Suntour SP 12, which you can check out on Amazon. A little more pricey is the Redshift ShockStop suspension post. Just make sure you order the 27.2 mm version of whatever seat post you decide to purchase.
I’m personally not crazy about the handlebar grips. The grips are good quality but aren’t ergonomic. I prefer grips that allow me to rest my palms.
And while I love the display, it did irk me that it doesn’t show the current time of day, and instead of showing how many watts are being used, it tells me how many trees my ride has saved. Hey, I’m a tree hugger and appreciate that feature, but it would be great to see wattage as well. I like that it shows calories burned, and I’m going to do some tests on that to see how accurate it really is.
The app that connects to the display is okay, but nothing to brag about. It doesn’t show your current route, so it isn’t helpful for navigation. Since the display is connected by Bluetooth with your phone, it would be nice if text messages or phone calls could pop up on the display. I love this feature on the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt bike computer I use with my non-electric bikes.
But I’m not going to knock the app too much. It can be updated and improved over time, and that’s a big plus.
Concluding Thoughts
The Aventon Aventure is an attractive and capable fat tire ebike. One of the biggest reasons to choose it over the RadRover and Himiway Cruiser are the multiple frame sizes. The step-thru Aventure is available in S/M and M/L and if you’re petite like me (I’m 5’1″) then the S/M frame is the one to choose. The standard frame is available in S, M, and L.
Another advantage that the Aventure has is that there are many Aventon dealers across the United States. You’ll likely be able to find one fairly close to where you live, so once the bike is back in stock regularly, you’ll be able to see it in person and be fitted for the right size. You’ll also be able to have the bike serviced, which is a very important thing to consider.
And I have to mention the looks of the bike. It is gorgeous, especially when you look down at the handlebars, display and frame while riding it. The welds on the frame are smooth and barely noticeable. Aventon is known for frames with very clean welds. The Aventure is very sleek and premium looking.
As for me, I’ll be using the Aventure for those off-road trails, and a more nimble ebike for my daily driver. The Aventure can obviously be ridden on pavement, but there are other ebikes that provide a more satisfying pedaling experience in lower pedal assist levels and speeds. The Aventure might be a bit overkill for some riders. If you’re wanting to stick with Aventon, their Level commuter ebike is one I would recommend considering. A new Level will be coming in September 2022 with a torque sensor, integrated lights, similar to the Aventure, and some other upgrades. If you’re a pedaling purist, it will be ideal.
Overall, I’m pleased with the Aventure. It has a lot going for it, and I’m looking forward to taking it on a good deal of gravel bike trail adventures.
You can view current pricing, features, and availability of the Aventure at Aventon.
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