And when it comes to serious hills, the Coston gets left far behind other e-bikes. The Aventon Soltera.2 is the successor to our previous top pick among the best budget electric bikes. This modestly priced model costs less than $1,500, yet sacrifices very little in the name of economy. In our tests, we found it very comfortable to ride, and it looks great, too.
On the left bar, there’s the controller for the motor. It has a basic on/off toggle, a battery level indicator, and a power mode button that toggles between low, medium, and high. You can easily switch between power modes, and this is the closest thing to a throttle the bike has. Its throttle was so lackluster and slow — especially when compared with other bikes of a similar price class — that it sometimes didn’t feel like it was powered at all. Once you’re up to speed and cruising on a flat surface, the ride quality feels smooth and reasonably quick, but the motor struggles up moderate hills.
It’s not super fast or overly nimble, but it romps around like no other and feels like it won’t let you down. All these small things add up into an e-bike that feels much more expensive than it is. It rides stable and inspires confidence in rougher terrain, and did we mention it’s really quick? Electric Bike Report has mongoose excursion reviewed both the standard Aventure and the Aventure Step-Through and both put up some of the quickest times we’ve recorded on our test hill and our test circuit. As with every list of best e-bikes, ours has some nuance as to why a specific bike was picked — ranging from value and componentry to overall ride feel.
Because seven speeds is often preferable to one, Aventon sells the Soltera in a 7-speed version for anyone who wants to make hills a bit easier. Single-speed e-bikes face a challenge in that if the gear is good at low speeds, like when starting, it won’t be great at 20 mph. And if it’s great at 20 mph, getting started won’t be easy. We suggest spending the extra dough to get six more speeds. The motor alone is something we could wax poetic on for pages, but the bike doesn’t stop there.
Not only did it test well, but it’s likely going to set forth a new standard in a couple of departments. Well, say hello to a top-notch Class 3 commuter that will keep pace with traffic without breaking the bank. You’ll find 18 exceptional, award-winning bikes rigorously vetted by our editorial team. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review.
If you have a key on an electric bike with an expensive, exotic battery pack, it might make sense to lock the pack into the bike somehow. Downsides include complexity, lack of repairability, and adequate braking at best if you have hills. The braking feel is also very springy – there’s no real feedback in the lever, just an increasing force that goes all the way to the bars, and increases braking effort. It might lock the rear wheel up on ice, but that’s about it. There are four or five pieces of plastic that clip together to seal this thing up very well.
We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links on our site. If you leave the battery in the bike, there is a rubber port cover you need to move before plugging in the bike. This helps keep the battery dry if you get caught out in the rain. When you’re a parent of two who works from home, this sort of quick trip to the store can happen fairly often.
For that ride, just getting the feel of the bike, I headed for a local paved rail-trail. The bike offers a seven-speed gear range, with a derailleur schwinn mountain bicycles and double-trigger shifter from Microshift. The rear hub motor offers assist levels of 0-5, with 0 being no assist and 5 being the maximum assist.