Aventon Level 2 - The best under $2000 electric commuter bike 

This is still my favorite ebike to ride when I'm not doing review test rides with other bikes.

Thanks. I hope you enjoy it. The Level 2 is my favorite e-bike of any I have ridden so far. I

My experience so far with ebike dealers is that they can replace things like the motor if it's an obvious failure. That's something I can easily do myself. If a bike has electrical issues like the lights sometimes don't work or come on when they shouldn't, the dealers/local bike shops do not know how to diagnose it or do anything and will tell you to contact the bike manufacturer yourself.

Thanks

Thanks. I hope you found it useful.

Thanks. I hope people find it helpful.

The Level 2 is still my favorite E-Bike out of everything we have ridden here.

How hard is it to pedal without assist?

@@SnoopyReads it’s just like a regular bike that feels like a heavy bike at 65 pounds. It’s got 8 gears so you can find the sweet spot.

Thanks. It was filmed at a few different parks around south east Michigan.

I have had an Aventure 2, Level 2, Pave 500.3 and Sinch2 for review. I only have the Level 2 on RU-vid so far. The Pace 500.3 has the same motor and feeling of power as the Level 2. It just has a more upright riding position. It's a bit lighter weight since it doesn't have fenders, rack, and front light. For me the Pace 500.3 is my least favorite of the 4. I like the riding position of the Level 2 better and the ride is a little softer with the front shock.

Always keep your trails groomed

​@@lowbudgetadventurerswhich bike do you think would be better for a long distance trip over hilly roads? The Level or the Pace?

@@SnoopyReads the Level 2. We reviewed both of these bikes along with an Aventure 2 and Synch 2. The Level 2 is my favorite of the 4. It has a smoother ride than the Pace because of the front shock. It comes with fenders and the rack included. It has a larger battery than the Pace so a bit more range. There is no reason you couldn't get a set of swept back handlebars for a Level if you really wanted an even more upright riding position.

@@lowbudgetadventurers what about the 10 lbs extra weight?

As a long time mountain biker, one of my biggest annoyances with e-bikes is the front shocks. Most $2000 e-bikes come with basic generic coil spring shocks that are what you would find on a $200-$400 mountain bike. The shock will do a decent job of taking the edge of cracks in the pavement, potholes, and what you'll find on a gravel road. Don't expect them to perform like an air sprung shock with real damping. This is pretty much par for the course with e-bikes in this price range.

I gave up on the front shocks and locked them up. Seems to be more nimble and responsive to me.

I'm slightly under 6' and not that far off in weight. The bike will work fine for you. I have a size "Regular" frame and it's just about the right size. I have a size "Large" Aventure 2 and feel like it's slightly large for me.

One day my friend couldn't open his cable lock to get his bike off his hitch rack. We went into Walmart and bought a hacksaw blade and had the cable lock off in less than 5 minutes. If your leaving your bike in a nice area then cable locks can be okay. If you trust the place less then get a U-Lock or Foldylock that needs more effort to cut off.

They have tubes. I have yet to see a bike from any of the mainstream ebike brands (Aventon, Ride1Up, Himiway,Gotrax, Wired, Heybike, Lectric, etc..) that comes with tubeless ready wheels or tires.

​@@lowbudgetadventurers my level.2 is on ordered, I just want to be ready with some extra tubes, and maybe puncture resistant inserts. They are Schrader valves, right? thanks for the help.

@@danamiller7309 they have Schrader valves.

If you want a high powered fat tire e-bike, the Wired Freedom has a pretty good spec. We are getting a Lankeleisi mg740plus this week which has dual 1000 watt motors. Expecting that to be pretty fun to ride.

@adventuregearinsider yeah I gotta see that review 👌🏽

One person in the Facebook Aventon group turned their Level 2 into a mountain bike by removing the rack, fenders, and lights. They swapped the fork with a Rockshox fork with air spring. They swapped out tires for a set of MTB tires. They said it worked well. I'm not at all worried about the frame strength. The stock fork is roughly about the same as what would come with a $250 - $400 mountain bike. The Shimano Altus derailleur and shifter are about the same. I don't expect either of those items to hold up to heavy mountain bike trail use. Some people can make a $400 mountain bike last a long time riding trails. Some people will kill almost every part on the bike in 1 ride. A lot depends on the rider and what kind of trail you will ride it on.

The biggest difference is whether you want a torque sensor with the Level 2 or cadence sensor with the Level 1. I personally prefer torque sensor. It gives you more control of the bike and it's easier to ride slower or with non-ebikes. It does not work as well for riding higher speeds. I ride most of the time between 10 and 15mph on bike paths or trails. If I wanted to ride above 20mph most of the time or wanted to go 28mph as a Class 3 I would choose the cadence sensor bike. It is easier to go faster on that version of the bike where you can ghost pedal up to higher speeds without needing to pedal like crazy to do it.

If your are comfortable adjusting a rear derailleur then by all means skip the dealer and have the bike shipped straight to you. That's really the only tricky thing about assembling these bikes if it isn't set quite right which it usually isn't.

My dealer did not charge me to assemble mine. Got in on sale too.

​@@lowbudgetadventurerswhy do you have to touch the derailleur? Every other ebike I've bought online have come with the gears installed already

@@cynic256 everything is installed. The rear derailleur on almost every ebike we have gotten has needed some adjustment. The cable tension isn't set right or one of the 2 limit screws is off. If the bike shifts well through all the gears out of the box your good to go. If it's grinding or skipping gears then some adjustment is needed. Rear derailleurs are easy to adjust. It's usually a 10-15 minute job you can do by propping the bike up on the kickstand enough to get the rear wheel off the ground while spinning the pedals and going through the gears. Parktool has an excellent page and RU-vid video explaining how to adjust a rear derailleur.

What commuter style bike has a 60 amp hour battery? A 20 ah battery will already go 60-80 miles. 60 ah for 180-240 miles on a charge???