Aventon Aventure Bike Almost 800 Mile Review

Almost 800 Mile review of the Aventon Aventure Electric Bike

Purchased the Aventon Aventure bike on June 11th and had it shipped to the Ventura Bike Depot for it to be put together.

The Ventura Bike Depot is located off of Main Street in Downtown Ventura and they did a remarkable job putting the bike together, and were able to it in a very short amount of time. When I picked the bike up, one of the guys in the shop took a few minutes of his time to explain how the bike worked, how to turn on/ off the battery (the battery switch was being temperamental at this point, but I’ll get to that shortly) and such. So that was very much appreciated. While at the Ventura Bike Depot I asked about a rack for transporting my bike, they recommended a Thule Bike rack that would fit into my trailer hitch on the back of my truck. The issue I had at that time was (and still do right now) is the cost. The average cost for a bike rack like the Thule that is geared towards the Aventon Aventure is just under $1,000.00. Yeah so we wait for a little bit longer on this. But thanks guys for the suggestion.

After getting the bike home I followed the directions from the owner manual and charged the battery with the intention of taking the bike out for a test ride the next day. I believe I let the bike charge for about 12 hours straight before unplugging it from the charger and that the idea was not to over charge the battery on the first charge or something like that.

On or about June 20th, I took my first test ride of the Aventon Aventure and rode from our home in Oxnard to our local Whole Foods to drop off a couple of Amazon Returns for my wife (aka “The Boss”). What did I initially discover on my first ride? Well here you go.

Take the time to make sure that I download the Aventon App for the bike, here’s why:
Make sure you of course sign up for an account with Aventon.
The app will track:
the amount of miles you ride
the amount of time you ride
How many calories you burned
The current Odometer reading (this is from your odometer on the bike btw)
Your average Speed
Total CO2 reduced in the air
Track certain medals for different accomplishments which gets you points to use in the Aventon Store.
Discover Section allows you to connect with other Aventon owners in your local area.
Auto record your trips
Allows you to upload your trips and track your trips via maps.

The main gear and electric gear settings can take a little to get used too.
The hydraulic brakes are really nice and stopping is a lot better with the disk brakes than the old standard brakes that most of us are used too.
The rear rack (make sure you purchase the correct one for the bike) is for sure a must have especially when transporting items.
The seat that comes with the bike really isn’t very comfortable.
The bike cranks that come standard with the bike are far too long for a bike this size and especially if you plan on going off roading with it.

After my initial ride, I began riding the bike back and forth to my work and to get lunch. The ride to my work is about 5 miles from our home and from my work to another part of town to get lunch is about 2 miles. So on average I was doing about 14 miles per day. It was during this time leading up to the 4th of July and my 50th Birthday (July 6th and yes I’m not a spring chicken) that I began to have issues with the battery for the bike.

Now when I initially picked the bike up from the guys at Ventura Bike Depot, the comment was made that turning on the battery was a little tricky and that I have to look for a light within the switch to see if it was on and then of course turn the bike on itself. But during this time trying to turn on and off the battery was becoming more and more difficult and honestly just down right frustrating.

During this time frame I had been planning a trip to Camp Pendleton to take pictures at the 1st Marine Regimental Memorial and intended on utilizing the Aventure to make way up the hills early on the morning of my 50th Birthday. But because of the issues I was having with the battery, i filed a complaint with Aventon customer service, and after a few days of not hearing back, I went back to the website and again filed a claim via their website, but this time via chat and was told after a while that a new battery would be sent to me, but it would take about 5 to 10 business days to process. I found this to be unacceptable and voiced this in the chat box, but then also proceeded to find alternate ways to contact Aventon Customer Support.

It should be noted that trying to contact Aventon Customer Support via phone doesn’t work and that again my initial email contact went unanswered. This is something that really needs to be improved upon by Aventon. I even left a note in the email and I think the Aventon suggestion page about changing out the on/ off switch.

Once I figured out how to contact members of the Aventon Corporate Team, I immediately was contacted by email and phone to resolve this battery issue. I explained to them my plan for my birthday and why it was important for me to do this bike ride, but why I wasn’t willing to just sit back and wait for almost 10 business days to get this battery. Since Aventon has a warehouse about 1 ½ hours away, I offered to go pick-up the new battery from them directly and bring the one that came with my bike in exchange. I was told that there was no need to do this and that they had figured out a way to ship (2 day shipping, it was 4th of July weekend after all) the battery to me so I could make my trip. And true to their word, the battery arrived at our home on the 5th of July. So thank you to the nice lady from Customer Support by going above and beyond to get me this battery. You are awesome.

The day of my 50th Birthday arrived and I attempted to ride my Aventure up the roads and firebreaks of Camp Pendleton. When I say attempted I mean just that, a few things finally set me back on making this trip successful, the biggest issue was that my Camelback Waterbag decided to completely empty out before I even set out on my adventure, getting up some of the roads was a little more difficult than I initially thought it would be and I just about wiped out a couple of times and then the worst part for me this day, was getting to the firebreak that I need to go up, to only find that the Marines decided it was to re-scrape the path making the dirt so soft and hard to push up and over a hill that it wasn’t worth it. The biggest issue honestly for me though was just not having the water, otherwise I would have gone up.

On the way back to my truck the back brake was not working hardly at all so I had to be extra careful to make it back down and not get myself hurt. I will make it up to this memorial soon as I have to pay my respects to my brother Marines/ Corpsman.

Once home from this trip, I began to utilize “YouTube” to learn how to bleed brakes and to see what modifications I could make to the bike to make it a little more user friendly for me.

By this time I had begun biking to work daily and would average about 40 miles per week, and within a short period of time I put over 250 miles on the bike and had been spending a lot of early morning hours reviewing countly “YouTube” videos showing me how to fix things on my bike and to make recommended modifications as well.

“YouTube” as most people know, is a great place to learn things and see other people’s feedback about various products and such. So there are a number of people that I follow on “YouTube” that have done some great videos about the Aventon Aventure, they have not held back on their opinions and have made some great recommendations for modifications to the bike as well. Here is whom I recommend:

Scott Hardesty - Scott Hardesty - YouTube: Scott has done a great job with his own review of the Aventure bike and also made some great recommendations for modifications as well, a few of which I have incorporated into my own bike.
Zainenn - Zainenn - YouTube: Zainenn has also done a great job with his own review of the Aventure bike, and also makes some recommendations for modifications that he has incorporated into his bike, some of which I will probably make on my bike at somepoint.

Just keep in mind that there are many many places to read and view video about the Aventon Aventure bikes, but at the end of the day it’s up to the individual person on what they want to add to their bike or how they decided to modify it.

So since my birthday and for the past month and change what have I been doing and what modifications have I made on the bike.
Well since the beginning of July and as of today September 10th I have put a total 784 miles on the bike. This includes biking to and from work on average about 4 days a week more if I go in 5 days. I have also begun to take extended rides on my bike during the weekend and between last weekend (Labor Day) and through today have put about a total of 150 miles. Again no real complaints with the ride.

What modifications have I made to this bike?

Added the rear rack (bought when I purchased the bike initially. The rack came directly Aventon and was specifically designed for the Aventure. Just make sure you also purchase yourself bungie cords to help tie down your stuff otherwise, well you know disaster!! Installation is pretty simple just make sure you take your time. Here is the link to the rear rack: Aventon Rear Rack - Aventure
Added the front rack (bought this before my trip to Camp Pendleton). This rack came directly from Aventon and is simple to install. This rack is not huge and can hold about 20 pounds worth of stuff. The nice part about this rack is that it is stationary and won’t turn with the handlebars or anything which can take a little getting used to. Here is the link for the front rack: Aventon Rear Rack - Aventure
Added BV Bike Bag - This is a great addition to the bike and fits great on the back rack of the bike and allows for transportation and storage of items while riding around. It’s a simple design and fits just perfectly. This is a must have. Here is the link: Amazon.com : BV Bike Bag Bicycle Panniers with Adjustable Hooks, Carrying Handle, 3M Reflective Trim and Large Pockets : Bike Pack Accessories : Sports & Outdoors
Added the Raymace Bike Rear Bag with Tail Light - This is another great addition to for your rear rack and it’s awesome for storing water bottles some small snacks and such and to help keep them cool as well. It will fit right on top of the BV Bike Bag, just make sure you secure it right. Here is the link: Amazon.com: RAYMACE Bike Rear Rack Bag with Tail Light, Bike Truck Cooler Bag for Warm or Cold Items : Sports & Outdoors
Added the Roam Bike Phone Mount - Well when you are riding a bike especially now days you want a place to stick your phone right. This particular phone holder was recommended for use on pretty much any bike and it works pretty well especially for what I need it for. Installation is pretty simple and easy and fits all phone types. Here is the link for: Amazon.com: Roam Bike Phone Mount - Adjustable Handlebar of Motorcycle Phone Mount for Electric, Mountain, Scooter, and Dirt Bikes - Bike Phone Holder Compatible w/ iPhone & Android Cell Phones : Automotive
Bike U Lock w/ Cable - well you need to make sure have a way to secure your bike and this combination works great. I have this stashed away in my BV Bike bag and am just really happy with it. Highly recommend this set. Here is the link: Amazon.com : Bike U Lock with Cable - Via Velo Bike Lock Heavy Duty Bicycle U-Lock,14mm Shackle and 10mm x1.8m Cable with Mounting Bracket for Road Bike Mountain Bike Folding Bike : Sports & Outdoors
“Got Helmet” There are a ton of different bike helmets out there and I picked this one for a lot of different reasons. The Rear LED Lights and the Bluetooth connections for speakers to jam my favorite tunes to being able to talk on the phone helped seal the deal. The helmet comes with an additional controller that allows you to turn on and off the music/ phone calls, turn on turn signals and take pictures from your phone. Here is the link: Amazon.com : LIVALL riding MT1 Smart Helmet, Cycling Mountain Bluetooth Helmet, Sides -Built-in Mic, Bluetooth Speakers, Wireless Turn Signals Tail Lights Setting, SOS Alert, Bike Helmet-Upgraded Version Neo : Sports & Outdoors
Ganopper MTB Crank ArmSet 152mm/ MZYRH Mountain Bike Pedals/ OUMER Bike Crank Extractor/ Arm Remover - ARGH! Based on several recommendations especially from “Scott Hardesty” (the “YouTube” guy), I ended up changing out the very long stock crank and pedals for some short ones and I will tell you that I’m not disappointed by this change and then also installed some new pedals. Make sure when you do this that you also procure the OUMER Bike Crank Extractor/ Arm Remover as it will make your life easier. NOW the only thing that I didn’t like about this change out was there really wasn’t any videos showing how to do this and there was a little bit of a learning curve. Keep in mind that I am not much of a mechanical person, so it takes me a hot minute. Just a quick note before I give links for the parts here, the front crank pulley that the chain sits on really really kicked my butt, and it took me about a week to figure what I didn’t do right when I reinstalled everything. So please again take your time when you are changing this stuff out. So here are the links for the crank/ pedals and the extractor tool.
Amazon.com : GANOPPER 32T MTB Crankset 1X Mountain Bike Crank Arm Set 104BCD Square Taper Crankset for 9 10 11 Speed BMX MTB Road Bike Crankset : Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com : MZYRH Mountain Bike Pedals, Ultra Strong Colorful CNC Machined 9/16" Cycling Sealed 3 Bearing Pedals(Black 3 Bearings) : Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com : Oumers Bike Crank Extractor/Arm Remover and Bottom Bracket Remover with 16mm Spanner/Wrench. Professional Bicycle Repair Tool Kit : Sports & Outdoors
Added the Hafney Bar End Bike Mirror - This is another great addition for the bike and came recommended by Scott Hardesty via his “YouTube” video. It’s extremely easy to install on the bike and is compact enough to not really stick out and such. Here is the link: Amazon.com : Hafny Bar End Bike Mirror, Stainless Steel Lens Bicycle Mirror, Safe Adjustable Rearview Mirror, Cycle Mirror, E-bike Mirror, HF-MR087 (Black 68 Diameter) : Sports & Outdoors

Additional Items that I would like to get for my bike based on recommendations and just because it makes sense:

KBrotech Bike HandleBar Extender - This is one of those nice to have items, but it kinda makes sense especially when you are adding on additional items to the bike and need places to hang things. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077XJ1W97/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AGDG4YSUD0LEQ&psc=1
Aventon Aventure Skid Plate - If you are going to be doing any off road type activities with your Aventure then you might want to look at purchasing this Skid Plate.This is for sure something I am looking to get. A number of videos on “YouTube” can be found talking about this item and most that have procured it have been nothing but happy with it. Here is the link: Aventon Aventure Skid Plate MADE IN USA The Original | eBay
Seats - The seat that comes with the Aventure is not very comfortable especially for long rides. Still haven’t decided on one but am looking for recommendations.

Recommendations to Aventon:

Please address the issue with the Battery Button, yeah it’s simple enough, but still. The button doesn’t always work correctly and can become a point of frustration to people.
Please consider putting shorter pedal cranks on the bike, the long ones that you have right now are crazy long for riding and when making tight turns end up striking the ground and can cause people to wipe out and if your riding on the road not a great idea.
Can you please make this lighter? Yeah I know, but I had to ask.
Please consider changing out the seat on the bike or at least offer up a different option as the seat that comes on the Aventure kinda hurts after a while.
Please fix your customer service information on your website and phone support, this will go a LONG way to making people happy.

So what is the bottom line here about the Aventon Aventure?

In my opinion the Aventon Aventure is a solid electric bicycle, especially for the price. It is very well put together and it runs just great. The ride is awesome and the pedal assist is awesome especially for someone like myself that has bad knees.

I would highly recommend this bike to anyone that is looking to purchase a bike, I don’t think that they would be sorry in their purchase.


Thanks for reading and paying attention to all of this.

Semper Fi
Frank “Sarge” Sellin
1/9 Everywhere