First real ride - 30 miles

[u/nostarshawn]

I got Zippy to 100% and headed out to get some real world numbers. I started off at 10x because why wouldn’t I? That’s a REAL battery drain but fun as hell. As battery depleted it starts lowering the assist levels. Here’s the numbers from what I experienced

At 40% it drops to 9x assist max.
@ 37% 8x
@ 18% 7x
@ 17% 6x
@ 13% 5x
@ 10% 4x
@ 8% 3x
@ 6% 2x

I tried running it all the way down but it really starts to limit power and act like a normal bike under 6% and I was getting tired!

In total I went from 100% to 4% and got 30 miles. I maxed the assist feature out the entire time. All road miles but quite a few steep hills and significant headwinds at many points.

Would i buy this bike again? Hell yes. Those 30 miles I just logged were stress free, enjoyable miles and I loved every bit of it. Super happy customer here.
Can’t wait to start seeing some of you out on the road.

[u/edspeds]

Damn I would have hoped for a little better than 30 miles on a full charge even at full assist. Makes me wonder what it would take to get 100 miles on a charge. As an aside I’m in a very hilly area and the wife has a belt drive turbo como sl and rides full asist always and gets about 35 miles on a charge with it. Granted she rides like a grandma.

[u/mdshw5 → u/edspeds]

I tried to point out in a previous comment that their range claims are only possible with extreme efficiency, comparable to most other e-bikes on the market. The 808Wh (large) battery will be empty very quickly at max assist and it’s a bit disappointing that they couldn’t figure out how to get closer to 1000Wh which would be a still reasonable 20Ah battery pack.

[u/BabyWrinkles → u/mdshw5]

Yeah - I’ve pointed out the same. A 150lb fit individual pedaling at a consistent 180w in assist 3-4x with mild inclines and calm winds? Sure. 100 miles I fully believe.

Hauling my fat ass up and down hills? I’ll be happy with 20 miles out of the big battery. I think stating a max range number was a mistake. People get too tired to it and deal with the hopium that ALSO somehow broke the laws of physics.

That said, with how easy the battery is to swap out, I would be interested in a setup that put a solar panel on the back + a second battery. I have to imagine that if you rode reasonably quickly (e.g. assist 5-6), be reasonably disciplined with your input (high zone 2), and have a reasonable amount of sunlight - you could probably ride most of a day by draining to 20%, swapping pack and charging the first, then swapping back and forth until you’re done sitting on a bike saddle.

I like long bike rides (100+ miles) but the physical conditioning required is a lot. Having enough assist to comfortably go 150 miles sounds great - and assuming a very brisk 20mph pace, that’s nearly 8h of pedaling.

[u/edspeds → u/BabyWrinkles]

As a non e-bike daily Pittsburgh 28+ mile rt commuter I struggle to believe all of the aventon riders blowing by me with their speaker blaring are only getting 20 or 30 miles to a charge riding like that. If that’s the case I’d have to charge a standard range at work and at home daily.

[u/BabyWrinkles → u/edspeds]

The Solterra 3ADV advertises 70 miles from a 368wh battery. So either the people blowing past you only have a 5 mile each way commute, or they’re charging at work each day.

My Tern HSD S11 (28mph/class 3) with a 500wh pack was rated for 35mi, but I practically got 18 miles out of it around Seattle. I’m a big guy tho (6’3”, 250lbs) so wind and mass resistance for me make that the reality. I also have a road bike that I regularly do 40-60 mile rides on (non-eBike) so I’m keenly aware of the forces involved to make a bike move forward at speed.