Has anyone noticed a frame wobble on the Aventon Aventure?
Please define frame wobble.
Do you notice this while riding? Have you closely examined the frame to make sure it is not cracked in that area?
Every design is different, you never mention the make and model of your bike. Also you didn't answer my questions.
If you are shaking the bike by the seat then it might simply be that the seat post is loose fitting in the frame.
If that's not the case then please describe where exactly the wobble is happening.
Or perhaps try grabbing the frame directly below the seat post clamp and try shaking the bike at that point as a comparison.
If that's not the case then please describe where exactly the wobble is happening.
Or perhaps try grabbing the frame directly below the seat post clamp and try shaking the bike at that point as a comparison.
Astrotraveler
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Check your headset/stem assembly. Make sure the three spacers are down all the way (no gaps between them) and that the bars are fully inserted on the stem, properly tightened, and the top cap is snug. I sounds to me like you may be getting flexure between the stem, bars and fork on one hand, and the frame on the other. A loose steerer tube can feel like flex as the head tube rocks and slips up and down side to side with each pedal stroke.
An easy way to check for looseness at the headset/stem is to lockout the fork (so it has minimal travel) and, standing next to the bike, apply the front brake and while the front brake (front brake only) is fully engaged, push the bike forward and back, forward, and back. If you feel a slight "clunk" in the head tube area when you do this, you know you need to snug things up at the stem/bars.
I have an Aventure and do not have frame flex of any kind. In fact such a massive cross section aluminum frame should not be able to flex much. Usually large diameter aluminum frames have the opposite issue - too stiff/noncompliant.
Good luck! Please let me know how your stem-clunk testing goes.
Astrotraveler
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Woot woot! Glad it did the job.
I had a similar issue on a Mountain Bike I built up for my stepson about 10-years ago and to a lesser extent on the Aventure when I assembled it a couple of weeks ago.
My Aventure is helping me stay fit. I have EV range anxiety in the extreme. When I ride the eBike, I experience a massive sustained adrenaline rush out of worry that I will get stuck far from home in the boonies out of juice and have to drag/pedal the 73# beast all the way home with just 8 gear ratios. This irrational terror causes me to pedal. A lot. (Though not to the same levels I would pedal on the same route on a non-electrified bike.) Yesterday morning at the end of my 27 mile ride (~25% hilly/75% flat; 20mph rather than 28mph max boost setting; mostly pedal assist 3 with some 4 on the hills, one 5 on a big climbs, and some 2 on a 2 mile bike-walking path with pedestrians) I had 96% of my battery left when I reached my driveway. At this rate the Aventure is going to deliver much, much more than it's manufacturer predicted range, which is awesome. Later in the week I will do a 60 miler to visit friends a town and a small mountain range (Mayacamas Mountains) over. I have a route that avoids the big climbs and also avoids traffic (mostly rural roads) so am cautiously optimistic that I will be able to do the entire route with battery to spare.
Yes. I noticed it on my Aventure I have locked my front fork, applied the front brake and I have the wobble in my head tube. I have all the spacers attached and the top screw is tight. Disappointed in some of the manufacturing and quality control from Aventon. Especially pissed at the terrible customer service. Wouldn’t buy another Aventon product
Astrotraveler
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Hi there. You missed a step and I'll bet 99% chance the step you missed will address your wobble.
Not only do you need to have the spacers installed correctly, which you say you have done, but also BEFORE tightening the top cap and Allen bolt, you must make sure that the handle bar assembly is fully inserted onto the fork's steerer tube and the bolts securing the bars to the steerer tube are tight.
So, loosen and remove the top Allen bolt and cap. Loosen the bar/stem to steerer tube bolts. Make absolutely sure that the stem is fully seated down on the steerer tube atop the spacers. Tighten the bolts securing the bars/stem assembly to the steerer tube, then reinstall the top cap and Allen bolt that secures it. You definitely do want to get this resolves as running a threadless headset bike with a loose headset is asking for disaster.
Good luck! If that's your issue, it isn't a QC issue but rather a consumer assembly error encouraged by less than clear instructions on assembly.
And I am not saying that Aventon is without weaknesses. They have them. But the main weakness I see is a value weakness. When this model was introduced, they shipped it with a mish-mash of lower end parts (Bengal hydraulic brakes, lower end Shimano derailleur and shifter, etc. This was fine as it was at least comparable to what other low end fat tire eBike competitors offer on their similar bikes. But a short time later they started substituting much lower end (as in scraping the bottom of the parts maker barrel) components without reduction in the price. The Aventure price is a few hundred higher than the price of alternatives from other makers to begin with, and now it's using sub-$10 derailleurs and $4 shifters (LTWOO A3s - you can buy them for that on Alibaba) that shift like utter crap even when adjusted (will I drop 1, 2, 3 or 4 gears with this shift? Who knows!), similarly cheap hydraulic brakes from Zoom that are about half the price of the already cheap Bengal Ares 3 the bike originally shipped with, that have flimsy stamped metal rather than cast or forged levers. These are two of the three main contact points for operating the bike (pedals, shifter, brakes) and the contact in these two places is uninspiring.
What you do get for your $1999 is adequate power, a nice frame design with tidy cable routing and internal electronics and battery, and pretty good welds. You can get a comparable bike, with better parts and better feeling touch points and shifting for about $200-350 less, but you'll generally have external tube mounted batteries and controller. Pick your poison.
