A couple years ago, I purchased an Aventon Level e-bike. It's been excellent and I can't recommend electric bikes enough. They're a great way to get around town and get a little exercise as you do. However, I learned a couple of things about Aventon today that I would like to share.
I'm not much of a bicycle mechanic, but it's clear that my Level is a well made bike with quality components. Aventon also has a great network of local bike shops, and I bought mine, pre-built, locally. Unfortunately, it has a proprietary battery pack. Rather than pay Aventon for a new battery or risk getting a poor quality third-party battery, I intend to sell my bike while the battery still has some range and get a new one. The battery still does quite well after a year of very light use and a year of medium to heavy use, but it's time to start thinking about something new.
I was watching a video by CitizenCycle on YouTube comparing a new Aventon with another bike. Both had their strong points, but he mentioned one detail about the Aventon that stood out to me. Apparently, the new Aventons (at least the Aventure 2) come artificially limited to 20 MPH to make it a class 2 electric bike under the federal standards used by most states.
These class restrictions vary by state, are rarely enforced, and are only occasionally followed by manufacturers. 28 MPH is the maximum speed for a Class 3 e-bike, which is allowed in most places. Most other "compliant" e-bikes are sold as Class 3, including mine.
The thing is, the Aventure 2 is more than capable of 28 MPH and the limit can be changed as such. All you have to do is download the app. This doesn't have anything to do with legal restrictions or reducing wear on your components. This is a blatant trap they set for people, no different to the Microsoft account trap when you buy a new Windows computer. I would even compare it to BMW charging a monthly fee for heated seats.
They hold the full capabilities of your $2,000 e-bike for ransom, which is reason enough to never buy an Aventon again, but the title of this post says something a little different. I did a little more research, and I found several community reports of people updating the Aventon app and no longer being able to set the limit above 28 MPH. The limit was 31 MPH previously on the Aventure 2, which I assume is the speed the hardware could reasonably sustain.
It isn't about three miles per hour. They took functionality away from people's $2,000 electric bikes by updating an app, and there's really nothing the owners can do about it. I assume they did it to cover themselves legally, but they never should have been in a position to do so.
All Aventon bikes with the color screen are eligible to use the app. If you have an older one with the basic LCD display like I have, you're safe. If you have installed the app, I would advise against connecting your bike to it again and uninstalling the app immediately,[1] especially if you have your limit set above 28 MPH. If you're considering buying a new Aventon bike, don't.
The only way this stops is when people start rejecting the apps. I think most people at this point would rather not install an app on their phone for everything, but they tend to roll over and do it anyway. If it connects to an app, don't buy it. Vote with your wallet. There are plenty of manufacturers who will sell you a 35+ MPH bike without an app.