The Aventon Pace 500 cruiser electric bike has been one of the go to bikes to grab in the stable for the past few months. We have used it to run errands around town and especially when we wanted to get somewhere quickly. The Pace 500 is a Class 3 electric bike with pedal assist up to 28mph and a thumb throttle that will get you to 20mph. Out of the box the bike comes set up as a Class 2 electric bike, but once you sync with the Aventon App on your smart phone you can unlock the bike to a Class 3 Bike.

The Lab

The Aventon Pace 500 has a 614 watt hour battery integrated into the frame. This battery is removable with one of the two keys that are provided with the bike. This battery powers the 500 watt Bafaung rear hub motor. There is a cadence and a speed sensor on the bike, the cadence sensor senses when you are pedaling to activate the motor assist. To see all the stats on the bike there is a nice color display on the center of the handlebars. The color display with show you batter percentage, speed, pedal assist level, an odometer and much more. To access the color display there is a thumb controller on the left hand side of the bars. This controller is where you can power the bike on, choose assist levels, toggle through information and turn on on the included headlight. There are tail lights integrated into the rear triangle of the frame. These act as a brake light when the headlight is off, but are constantly on when the headlight is powered on.

The Pace 500 comes with 27.5 inch wheels with 2.2 inch puncture resistant e-bike rated tires that also have reflective sidewalls. The bike is an eight speed bike with thumb shifters accessed on the right hand side of the handlebars. It is also equipped with hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors front and rear. The stem is an adjustable stem so you can lower or raise it to your comfort level. This will help you adjust the swept back cruiser handlebars to get them in the perfect position for your needs. Also included on the bike is a nice sturdy kickstand integrated onto the back of the bike, which is very useful when parking the bike.

The Aventon Pace 500 comes in weighing 52 pounds. Estimated range on the bike is 47 miles in pedal assist 1 and 24 miles in pedal assist 5. Front and rear fenders as well as a read rack are available to purchase as options. There is also a step through model available for more accessibility to a wider range of people.

Advantages

First off, we liked the look of the Aventon Pace 500. The overall outline and the nice paint finish give really look. The integrated battery blends into the frame well, and is easily removable to charge on or off the bike. There are many Aventon branded pieces on the bike that give it that special touch. The adjustability of the bike is also very convenient. From the quick release seat post clamp and the stem being adjustable, the Pace 500 fits a wide range of people and can adjust to their comfort levels easily. The upright seated position is comfortable as well. You can really cruise in comfort with the swept back bars

The integrated lights on the bike are great to have in the day or the night. The front headlight is bright enough for those night rides. The integrated rear tail lights in the frame are awesome as they are brake lights and tail lights combined. The color display is large and easy to read. It has a lot of good information that is easy to access by using the thumb controller to toggle through the different pages. The bike rolls and pedals nicely even without pedal assist. The 27.5″ wheels and 2.2″ tires roll smoothly on the concrete. The throttle is very convenient and fun to use. It is nice to use the throttle get you started off the line before starting to pedal to give you some momentum. The bike is also very quick to get up to speed, especially in pedal assist mode 5. 

Drawbacks

The cadence sensor has a bit of a lag to it. It takes about a half pedal or more before it kicks in to give you assist. When it does it gives a pretty powerful boost and will move you forward pretty quickly. To counteract this, when starting from a stop I would put it in a lower pedal assist level then work my way up to get a smoother acceleration to the speed I wanted to ride at. The fast action of the motor does make the bike accelerate quickly, but can be intimidating for people not used to riding fast. The Pace 500 does not come with fenders or a rack, but there are optional mounting points on the bike for those to be added afterwards. 

This bike is an awesome comfortable cruiser. The upright seated position with the adjustable stem and swept back bars are great for someone looking to go for casual rides around town. This would also be great for someone who wanted to commute to work, it has enough range for a pretty decent commute and you will be comfortable doing so. If you add rear rack to this it would be a great light errand runner as well. Coming in at 52 pounds it is not a light bike, but it is also not very heavy. If you have a nice rack to transport this bike it would be really fun on a weekend getaway.

Price: $1,699
Sizes: Regular, Large
Weight: 52lbs
Website: www.aventon.com