Looking for some advice for first bike on brand/model comparisons.

Annieolnie said:
I think the Santa Monica might be coming out with a bigger battery, although with current shipping issues, it's hard to say when.
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neutron said:
I have the KBO Breeze and it's been great. I ride almost exclusively on paved trails and roads so no fat tires for me. Like you, I have to have a throttle for several reasons but mainly I view the throttle as a safety feature. A throttle makes the bike easier to maneuver it tight quarters and helps with quick starts at traffic signals and crossings where cars are waiting for you to cross. The 500W/750W peak motor is plenty powerful enough. The 16ah battery gives it enough juice to ride 50+ miles with minimal effort on your part. I've only needed customer service a couple of times and they responded nicely so no complaints there. I replaced the display last week and that gave me a color screen, battery percentage left, clock, 9 pedal assist modes and a higher top speed. I don't need the higher top speed but it's nice to know it's there if I need it.
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Never heard of the kbo but sounds nice!
 
Slightly goofy video, but spoiler alert the Santa Monica wins.
Screenshot_20250426-090238_Chrome.jpg
 
Annieolnie said:
Sounds like you've found a direction to at least start leaning towards.:giggle:
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Yeah 100%. I do think ima be going with the vorsa though. It’s $500 less than the Santa Monica including shipping charges from dealers out of state. It would be the same if I bought from my state at the bike store here including tax.
 
I own three Velotric ebikes (Nomad 1, Nomad 2, and Fold 1 Plus) and I've been happy with them. My next one will probably be the Discover 2. Pretty much all of the newer Velotric ebikes have a cadence sensor and torque sensor and.....cruise control!
 
Does the Discover2 or Nomad2 have a speed based controller in cadence mode or can you set it to be wattage based, so that it doesn't cut out at a particular speed ?
 
Annieolnie said:
Does the Discover2 or Nomad2 have a speed based controller in cadence mode or can you set it to be wattage based, so that it doesn't cut out at a particular speed ?
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You can go into the menu and set up speed limits for the thottle and pedals if you want to. It's optional.
Menu1.jpg
 
Dominator7 said:
You can go into the menu and set up speed limits for the thottle and pedals if you want to. It's optional.
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So, if you're in pedal assist 2 and get to 15mph, the motor will stay on and not drop out because you have reached its designated speed? I have the Go1 and this "hurry up and wait" form of pedaling drives me a bit nuts. I wish I could set it to a wattage based system that did not shut the motor off at certain intervals.
 
Annieolnie said:
So, if you're in pedal assist 2 and get to 15mph, the motor will stay on and not drop out because you have reached its designated speed? I have the Go1 and this "hurry up and wait" form of pedaling drives me a bit nuts. I wish I could set it to a wattage based system that did not shut the motor off at certain intervals.
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I have a Discover 2 and you can set the speed limit to any speed between 12 and 28, as a previous poster showed. If you exceed that set speed the motor shuts off untill you drop below it.
 
I own the Aventon Level 3, and have ridden it almost every day since I bought it at the end of March. I ride mostly rural paved roads and an occasional rails to trails. I am a 68 yr old male and have ridden many non e-bikes in the past, but this is my first e-bike.
My point is that, depending on your age and riding prowess, my experiences with an e-bike won't be much help to you. I can tell you that I like my Aventon Level 3, and it has met all my expectations, but some of the posters that own two or three e-bikes and have ridden lots of them could be of more help.
With all of that said, I think that my Aventon is a super bike, and really like it. It would be a great commuter bike if I wasn't retired. (I used to ride my mountain bike to work with a headlight back 25 years ago when I worked third shift).
You won't be sorry if you buy the Level 3, but any of the bikes that you mention will be a great ride. Pick one and start pedaling before the summer slips away!
 
CryptKeeper said:
I’ve been looking at Aventon, Velotric, Ride1up for the most part. The models are the Aventon level 3, aventure 2, Velotric discover 2, breeze, Ride1up Vorsa mainly. I’ve looked at many others I like but kinda narrowed it down to these but each day I end up finding something that peaks my interest still.

I’ll be doing some light riding either short and long mostly on roads and paved bike paths, POSSIBLY some light trails by me like fire roads, and some easy riding with my 5 year old on his bike or as a passenger if I got something like the Vorsa. When I’m alone doing long rides I do like speed, I’m used to riding my 200 2 stroke street legal dirt bike to the trails near me on the road so the Vorsa is another perk having off road mode that does 28+ throttle only. Having a throttle is also a must bc like I said I like to just cruise around sometimes and exercise/pedaling all the time isn’t necessary for me and why I’ve ruled out the big bike brands for the most part unless they have a throttle which I think none of them do.

My LBS services all 3 of these and sells Aventon and Velotric. So no worries on service there. They also service many other DTC brands you’ve probably heard of.

My biggest selling point would be a quality ride that feels like it’s quality as well. I don’t want something that just doesn’t feel right or feels flimsy and cheap. I think Aventon might win that race but I’m not crazy about the 500w motor on them except the aventure 2 but I know the 3 is coming out in a few months but I’m impatient and don’t want to wait for that plus may be after summer and tariffs could nearly double the price, who knows. I also am not crazy about the fat tires adding all that weight since I’ll mostly be on paved surfaces, I haven’t researched yet if I can put smaller tires on it, if so that could be a big pro for me.

Anyways I could ramble all day just wondering peoples experiences with these bikes especially if they have ridden these specific models and can compare them from experience. Thanks in advance!
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Sounds like you’ve done a ton of research already! I’ve had some hands-on experience with both Aventon and Ride1Up bikes, and based on what you’re looking for—throttle, speed, decent ride quality, and versatility—I think you’re zeroing in on the right kind of bikes.


The Aventure 2 is solid and feels really sturdy, but yeah, the fat tires definitely add bulk. It’s great for fire roads and stability, but if you're mostly on paved paths and care about weight, that might get annoying. Swapping to narrower tires is sometimes possible depending on the rim width, but you'd want to double-check the specs—might not be worth the hassle.


The Ride1Up Vorsa looks like a really good fit for your mix of errands and longer solo rides, especially with the off-road mode and throttle-only speed. Ride1Up bikes tend to punch above their price in terms of value and ride feel, though they don’t always have that same “refined finish” you might get from something like Aventon.


If your LBS is willing to service all of them, that’s a huge win. Honestly, I’d say go with the one that ticks the most boxes right now—waiting for a future release can be a gamble, especially with pricing up in the air.
 
Shopping for a new e-bike can be a enjoyable but very daunting experience, especially with so many choices online and so few dealers carrying in-stock inventory. I went round and round with this for weeks before finally making a purchase, and being on the east coast where I live there are not many dealers available close by. Being able to test drive and see the bikes in hand is a huge plus and the only way I would go in purchasing one. I found 2 very nice e-bike stocking dealers within a 30 minute drive from my house, and that experience pretty much shut the door on buying online, for me anyways. I went and saw, test rode and purchased one from a local dealer and am very happy with my purchase. Aventon was my choice when I saw the fit and finish on their bikes, the way they handled and how I was able to customize them to my liking. Yeah I spent more than I wanted to compared to buying another brand online, but the dealer experience and local service was worth it in the end.
 
Unit59, I live near where you live (East Central PA) and also was able to ride some e-bikes before purchasing. I think it helped me make a more informed decision, Time will tell if it was a good one, or not.
Buying from a reputable LBS is a very good choice for folks like me who are not very experienced in bicycle building, assembly and maintenance.
Local bike shops are invaluable for assembly, maintenance and just someone who you can use as a go between with the manufacturer should any problems arise.
I am a retired mechanical engineer, so I am very trainable, and definitely appreciate all the advice I received here.
I have an Aventon Level three and so far it has been a very good ride for the almost 500 miles that I have ridden it since purchasing it at the end of March.
Robert
 

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