First Impressions Review
Aventon? I’d never heard of the company before seeing they were one of Brett Tippie’s new sponsors. I don’t yet know how to pronounce the company name. Is it uhventon, ahventon or maybe A-venton? Maybe something else? Google says it’s uh·ven·tn, with an emphasis on the ven. It apparently refers to the lunge roadies make at the line during a close finish, which seems like a funny name for an ebike company.
It made more sense when I learned the company started out making only fixies. In 2013, Aventon launched as far away from an electric assist bike as you can get, with a bike that won’t even coast. That is some kind of pivot. Sort of like if SpaceX started out making hang gliders. One of their bikes won Barcelona’s Red Hook Criterium in 2015, which apparently put them on the fixed gear map. TIL that fixie road racing is a thing.* After taking a stab at e-bikes in 2018, Aventon now only makes bikes assisted by lithium batteries.
*It turns out the glory days of fixie crits have come and gone
The Aventon Current, with dual 29″ wheels, 150/140mm of travel and a rear shock that is tucked into a recess in the bottom of the top tube (but is still mostly accessible), cuts a nice figure. And that’s without any pointless effort to run cables or lines through the headset.
In 2024 Aventon introduced the Ramblas, their first eMTB, a hardtail with a mid-drive motor, a year after DJI released the Amflow with their Avinox motor. The similarities continue because the Aventon Ultro drive unit (which they apparently contribute engineering to, but is manufactured by Boboa, a German drive unit maker) has similar stats to the Avinox M1 and an identical 30 second Boost mode that gives access to 120 Nm of torque.
*I haven’t timed it yet, but it feels like Boost mode lasts longer than half a minute.
My reception of Aventon would have been more skeptical from the outset, but for the positive response the Amflow has received. My thinking went, if DJI can pull off a decent effort, having never designed or built a mountain bike before, it should be no problem for a company with some bicycle pedigree.
It’s a little tricky to get to the rebound setting, but not impossible. It’s the red dial you see above the compression adjuster.
Features
- Aventon Ultro X mid-drive electric motor
- 120 Nm max torque/ 850 power (Boost for 30s intervals) 110/750 sustained
- 500% max support (400% sustained)
- Top tube-mounted touch screen w/Strava and Trailforks connectivity
- 800 Wh removable battery
- Anti-theft, GPS, Wheel lift resistance, Hill Start
- Connects to Apple “Find My”
- Maven Base brakes w/200mm centreline rotors
- Carbon main frame w/aluminum rear triangle
- 150mm travel Rockshox Lyrik Select fork
- 140mm rear travel with Rockshox Super Deluxe Select+ shock
- SRAM S1000 Transmission drivetrain w/hard wired power
- Class 1 stock but easily converted to Class 3 for 28 mph/45 kmh top speed
- 53 lbs/24 kg
- 8400 CAD / 6000 USD
The geometry and kinematics of the Current seemed relatively sorted at first, at least before things got fast and rough Getting it up to speed with 150/140mm of travel is going to take a little more time – and some volume spacers.
The Aventon display is nice and bright and easy to read. You scroll through different screens with a button on the wireless handlebar-mounted controller. It has a similar look and feel to the Avinox display from DJI.
The Build
Like most test bikes we receive, the Aventon came in a box as it would if it were delivered to a bike shop, which is Aventon’s main distribution channel. As a result, the cables and lines were a little long, and the T-type derailleur wasn’t set up properly. The AXS app doesn’t yet include the Current in its guide, so I guessed the setup cog, and it worked out.* The rear brake needed a bleed, but that wasn’t unexpected. The tires came with tubes installed, but tubeless makes more sense to install once the bike arrives at a shop. Unfortunately, it seems the rim tape wasn’t dialed. The front was seeping through a spoke hole after I’d aired it up with sealant, and the rear was hissing through the valve hole. Eventually the front held but the rear will need to be re-taped, which is everyone’s favourite mountain bike task.
*The setup cog and chain length can be determined by entering the size of the chainring and the chainstay length into the app.
The Lyrik Select on this bike is the 2026 model, rather than the just-released 2027 version.
SRAM’s S1000 T-type rear derailleur is only available as original equipment on a new bike at this point, but can be replaced with aftermarket models if needed. It’s a shame this lower-priced option isn’t available to consumers in the aftermarket.
The Rockshox Super Deluxe Select + shock could use a little more support so I’ll be adding at least one volume spacer. I like the way Aventon has tucked the shock into a recess in the bottom of the top tube. For the most part, adjustments are easily accessed, but the dial for rebound clicks is a little awkward to get at.
The age of the eMTB brings us to a time when it’s acceptable to have generic housebrand components on a bike that costs 8400 CAD. The bars, stem, grips, headset, hubs, cranks and rims all fit that description. Still, the bike stands out as a very good value in the current market.
Touch Points/A Few Alterations
I didn’t even need to get to the trailhead to realize I wasn’t happy with the grips, with their hard plastic core, or the handlebar that lacks both rise and compliance for my needs. The other miss from my perspective is the 170mm seatpost for sizes L and XL. I’d be surprised if there’s a single XL rider who rides off road on challenging terrain without swapping it for something longer. It’s already messing with my descending posture. I’ll slide in something 210mm or longer before the next ride. On the other hand, I really like the Selle Royal SRX saddle.
There are some nice details on the frame.
An interesting addition is the bottle cage support. It aligns the bottle so it is less apt to interfere with the shock. It’s also easier to reach. I can’t say I love the way it looks though.
More Spec.
There are some great touches here and maybe some questionable choices, beyond the seatpost length. The Maven Base brakes are awesome, with a lighter lever feel than even the B1 Mavens, but without the bite point adjustment. The S1000 T-type rear derailleur works very well, even compared to higher-priced Transmission changers, but I’d prefer to see more money put into the suspension. It may turn out that the Lyrik Select fork and the Super Deluxe Select + rear shock are a good match for this bike with the right tunes, but so far, I’m not so sure. The fork tops out abruptly when the rebound is where I’d like it. Slowing it down cured that issue, but then the clicks weren’t ideal. Still, for the riding on the North Shore, having your fork a little slow is better than too much top out, considering how many trails are slow tech. The rear shock may not be the issue in the rear end, but it often feels overwhelmed by this platform. I’ll keep working on it to see how much better I can make it. More about suspension below.
Tires are Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5″ EXO front and Minion DHR II, 29×2.4″ EXO rear.
There is no mention of the compound on these OE only tires but I expect they are toward the MAXX TERRA end of the spectrum. It would be nice to have at least EXO+ casings on a 53 lb bike.
Set Up and Suspension
Lately, I have been testing bikes that have more travel than this. Adjusting to a 150/140mm bike and trying to go the same speed on the first few rides has been interesting. I first tried to set the bike up with 30% sag in the rear, and was blowing through the travel far too easily. I got it to 25%, and I’m still pushing the o-ring off the runway at 215 psi for my current 175lbs/80 kg. Progressivity is apparently 22%, which is quite linear, so I will be adding some volume to the Super Deluxe to gain progressivity and preserve top-end sensitivity.
The story is the same with the fork. With 10 lb added to compensate for the battery and drive unit, the recommended pressure for a 180 lb rider is 75 lb. I went to 85, and I used all my travel on a ride with that set up, with the compression maxed. I have since added a couple of tokens and lowered the pressure to about 78, and things feel a little better, but I think I’m going to add another to see if it keeps going in the right direction.
On The Trail
It is taking me some time to feel comfortable on the Aventon. Whether it’s the lower travel, the lower-end suspension, the kinematics, or the rubber, I’m not yet sure. I have been riding the bike with tubes and higher pressure than my usual 21/23 psi but the problems seem to run deeper than that. There is a general lack of traction, particularly under braking, that I can’t yet explain. A couple of rides back, I tried a stepdown I’d been avoiding and it felt like I landed in the sweet spot and matched up my wheels. It seemed like everything should be fine, but the bike skipped around, and I almost launched over a berm into the abyss. I don’t think I landed stiffly or botched anything, but the bike responded unexpectedly. If I bottomed out hard, I didn’t hear a clang, but everything felt more frantic than it needed to be. This may be a tough egg to crack, but I’m hopeful I can get it closer to where I’d like it.
At low speed, especially where grip is good, the Aventon has handled pretty well. With more pace and more impacts, it’s not yet making me happy.
The Aventon Motor
This is still early days on the Ultro X drive unit, but I have some impressions. On my first ride, without downloading an app or adjusting any settings, I found the engagement of the drive unit a little touchy when trying to get going on steep singletrack climbs. It felt like it was jolting forward with too much eagerness. I have since installed the app on my phone, and a firmware update was installed right away. On the next ride, the jumpiness was gone, and engagement was smoother and more predictable. I can’t say for certain if this was part of the update or me getting used to a new motor, but it feels fine now for the most part until I go back to a bike with another drive unit.
Aventon’s engineers apparently provided specifications for the motor they wanted, and units are manufactured by Gobao in Germany. Like virtually every other brand, if your motor fails, there is no repair option at this time. If it’s under warranty, it will be replaced, and if it’s not, you’ll have fork out for a new one.
I haven’t yet dug into settings like hill start, anti wheel lift or overrun, nor have I personalized any of the motor settings, with one exception. Changing the bike from a class 1 ebike to a class 3, which means going from a 32 kmh/20 mph top speed to 45 kmh/28 mph, was as easy as toggling the top speed until it maxed out. This isn’t much use on trails, but it’s great for getting there. To meet Deniz for these photos, I took a combo of roads and gravel for 8 km/5 miles, and the extra top speed was a pleasure. It also meant the motor didn’t cut out on the flats.
This is the first time I’ve ridden an eMTB so firmly in the trail category with 150/140mm of travel.
I was impressed with the motor tone and volume. Rather than the whine some drives produce, this is more of a smooth whir, and it is relatively quiet. It’s not full ninja like the TQ motor on the Trek Fuel EXe, but aside from that outlier, it may be the quietest eMTB drive I’ve ridden, with one exception.
Earlier motors from both Shimano and Bosch had a rattle that would reveal itself when trails got bumpy. Both brands have since solved that issue, but it seems Aventon didn’t get that memo because this is much worse than it was for those two. Just picking up the rear end of the bike and dropping it on the ground was enough to elicit what sounds like a loose pair of dice inside the downtube. In fact, it sounds so much like something is loose, I began to dig around and make sure it isn’t an assembly error. On my last ride, I noticed that the rearmost bolt on the motor cover was loose and was responsible for at least a portion of that noise. I could only partially tighten it on the trail, but it was enough to reduce the noise somewhat. Once I had access to a longer hex key at home, I was able to tighten it enough to secure the cover. entirely. It remains to be seen if this has entirely cured the rattle, but it seems it will at least be significantly reduced. I will report back on this in my follow-up article and sooner in the comments below.
There’s nothing suspect about the Current’s geometry, and it all feels pretty natural. I’d like a longer head tube, but it’s not egregiously short. When you account for the 29″ rear wheel, it is quite close to the Specialized Turbo Levo I have been testing, which is a great bike to emulate. It even has more stack than the Spesh.
Things to Consider
Overall, it seems like I’m going to get along fine with the Ultro X drive unit, but it lacks some of the refinement you find in motors from Bosch, Specialized/Brose or Shimano, to name just three. An example is that the walk mode, while easily engaged using the down button on the controller, doesn’t handle going up stairs very well, which is an important use case when I’m hauling all my gear to load the bike in my truck.
The motor also feels a little jumpy after I’ve been on a Shimano/Brose motor or a Bosch. When I have ridden the Aventon twice in succession, I get used to it, but my expectations reset as soon as I ride another system that is more refined. A proviso I should add is that this remains an assessment made without personalizing the system or tweaking any adjustments other than the top speed. Climbing grip has been good, however, and I’ve climbed some loose and tricky singletrack while some of my compatriots struggled. Tweaking the anti-wheel lift may improve this further.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s me or the bike, but on this early ride, everything felt sketchy. It’s been better since, and I’ve felt fine on other bikes, so maybe it was a bit of both.
So far, my hopes for this comparatively low-priced eMTB have exceeded reality, but there is still more dialling in to do with the rear shock, and tubeless to finish installing, among other refinements, which may tip it in the right direction.
Aventon Current EXP 8400 CAD / 6400 USD
Height – 6’/183cm (mostly legs)
Weight – 172lbs/78kg
Inseam – 37″/94cm. (turns out I hadn’t measured correctly previously)
Ape Index – 0.986
Age – 60
Trail I’ve been stoked on lately – JQ
Bar Width – 760mm
Preferred Reach – 485-500mm