Looking for a fun, playful adventure/commuter e-bike
I am an avid mountain biker looking to pick up a new e-bike not for the trails but for errands, commuting, and riding around downtown. I live in the mountains but I don’t mind climbing on a bike, so I think I’d be fine with a smaller motor that just helps take the edge off climbing 1000 vert feet home from the grocery store. My problem is finding something I’ll enjoy riding around.
I bought a Ride1up 500 a couple years ago. I’m sure it’s a great bike for many but I find myself not riding it often because I just don’t enjoy it much — it feels like dead weight under me, it’s no fun to throw around or hit curbs. It’s designed to be stable, not playful.
I could just buy an e-MTB but I don’t need suspension and I’d be too scared to leave a bike that expensive locked up outside stores etc.
I’ve been thinking maybe the Aventon Soltera 2? Can anybody speak to the ride quality? What options are in this space?
Posted Nov 4, 2023, 8:25 PM UTC
I just test rode a Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0 (what a name!) and was impressed by just how nice a bike it was, nice e-bike too. It rode well without assist and the assist was very natural and seamless. It's quite light for an e-bike (well under 40lbs) and with the weight very low it felt like a normal bike picking it up and moving it around as well as riding it. The tradeoff is that the assist is not super powerful, but you sound like you are in shape and not overlarge so it should be more than enough.
Oh that does look like a sweet ride, I’m going to see if I can test ride one soon. More than I can spend right now but maybe someday.
Black Friday sales and end of year model change coming.... or check for a used one.