Aventon Soltera.2 Review: An Ideal Urban E-Bike on a Budget

If you live in just about any city, you know that e-bikes are here to stay. And for good reason — bikes like the Aventon Soltera.2 reviewed here are, in many ways, ideal transportation options, at least in the warmer months.

These bikes are flourishing because they provide a low-cost way to commute that’s, let’s face it, is often as fast or faster than a car and turns your morning and evening into a peaceful, wind-in-the-hair experience. It sure beats gridlock and parking structures.

Aventon seems to target this low-key demographic with the Soltera.2, its latest e-bike that blends affordability, performance, and style into a heck of a compelling e-bike.

In short: For $1,400, the Aventon Soltera.2 is a solid e-bike for road use. The brand built it specifically with urban commuters in mind, and its 46-mile range, turn signals, brake lights, headlight, and overall user experience align with this use case. The bike is easy to assemble, easy to ride, and should work perfectly for the daily commute.

Aventon Soltera.2

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Specifications

• Motor: 36V, 350W brushless rear hub motor with torque sensor
• Display: LCD Smart easy-read display with backlight, colorful screen with app
• Speed: Up to 20 mph on pedal assist, 25 mph unlocked
• Battery: Removable internal lithium-ion 36V 9.6Ah (360Wh) battery with LG cells
• Torque sensor: Yes
• Pedal assist: 4 levels
• Range: Up to 46 miles* on PAS; 20 miles on throttle
• Frame: 6061 single-butted aluminum alloy with internal battery
• Weight: 46 lbs.

Pros

• Easy to assemble and ride
• Decent range
• Integrated charging, removable battery
• Turn signals, brake lights, and headlight included
• Great price

Cons

• Mechanical brakes
• Twist shifting

Sean McCoy

Aventon Soltera.2 Review

It’s a Tuesday morning, and I’m headed to work. I pick up the Aventon Soltera.2 and wheel it up the stairs from my basement, and twist through a narrow hallway. Thanks to the bike’s modest (for e-bikes) 46-pound weight, I manage what to me is the biggest obstacle to bike commuting — getting out the door — with ease.

E-bikes make great commuting tools, allowing a 5- or even 10-mile commute to fly by with little exertion. But so many are heavy and cumbersome, making it really tough to move them up or down stairs, into buildings, and through the real-world urban environment that they’re built to navigate. So, I gravitate toward e-bikes like the Soltera.2 or the even lighter Velotric Thunder 1 ST.

But I digress. I’m out the door now and on the road to my office 3 miles away. Feeling lazy this morning, I thumb the throttle and coast right up a 200-foot climb and over a pedestrian bridge. I look down at the cars sitting still on the interstate, happy with my choice to bike to work.

I reach the top of my climb. On my commute, the ride is mostly downhill. I fly down to a stop light and apply the Techtro mechanical disc brakes. I’ll admit I’m not a fan. The 180mm discs are a good choice, but mechanical brakes, frankly, suck. But hey, they do the job, and at this budget price, corners get cut.

I stop at the light, glad to know I have functional brake lights, turn signals, and a headlight. Aventon did a great job with the lighting on this bike!

Another 10 minutes, and I’m at my office, wheeling the bike inside for the day. I averaged about 14 miles per hour, including time sitting at stoplights. I made the 3-mile trip about 2 minutes slower than I usually do in my car.

The Soltera.2 did everything right.

Aventon Soltera.2: Easy Assembly Required

Stepping back a bit, let’s talk about the ordering process. The Soltera.2 arrived in a bike box packed almost entirely in brown paper. It was also amazing to set the vast majority of connectors used in packaging were recycled twine! There were only one or two plastic zip-ties inside the entire package.

This was remarkable to me. I’m used to unpacking bike boxes and seeing piles of plastic and styrofoam waste. I loath plastic garbage, having spent lots of my life near the ocean and seeing it piled up everywhere. Bravo, Aventon. Nice job on the packaging!

I removed the bike from the box with a strong pull. Out it came, wrapped in lots of paper and twine and a few pieces of cardboard. All the needed tools for assembly and the charger were in a box inside.

Assembling the bike was easy. Basically, put on the handlebars, seat (with a quick-release clamp), and pedals, and you’re golden. It took me a half-hour total.

Then, plug in the bike and roll!

Aventon Soltera.2: The Only OKs

I’ve only been testing the Soltera.2 for a couple of weeks. So far, I like it, but want to call out a couple of problems I faced right away.

First, the bike, as it arrived, wouldn’t shift into the top gear. It wasn’t a big deal and is a pretty easy adjustment to make. But, as a bike buyer, it’s worth noting that you’ll probably have to pick up some mechanical skills or find a shop that’s willing to work on e-bikes they don’t sell. These do require maintenance, sometimes right from day one.

To reiterate that point, the rear mechanical brake was also out of adjustment. Again, an easy fix, but also one that can affect safety. Make sure to take the time to set up your bike correctly and test it out in a low-risk environment before hitting the open road.

The Good

So, what about the good? Well, there is a lot of good in this bike, especially for the budget price of $1,400. First, it really hops to it! The 36V, 350W brushless rear hub motor quickly accelerates the Soltera.2. And the torque sensor allows the bike to smoothly transition power intuitively. That means the harder you pedal, the harder it accelerates, without jerkiness.

The bike rides smoothly and in an upright position, making it ideal for the commuter who isn’t probably wearing spandex. The Essenza+ seat is pretty comfortable but not fantastic. Again, let’s remember the price here.

I personally loved the user interface. The Aventon Soltera.2 uses a simple button system to turn the bike on and off, adjust electric assistance levels through eco, tour, sport, and turbo modes, and operate the turn signals and lights. A throttle at the left thumb lets you coast around without pedaling. The gears operate through a Shimano Revoshift seven-speed twist shifter on the right hand.

I’m not a huge fan of the twist shifter. Thumb shifters are more intuitive for most people, and you’re less likely to shift the wrong way after a little practice. But oh well, once again, the budget strikes.

The wheels and tires are unbranded, but both seem stout and appropriate.

Is It for You?

So, who should get the Aventon Soltera.2? I think this one hits a lot of the market. If you want to ride a bike around the city in an upright position and do it on a budget, this bike is ideal.

It’s light enough to manage on stairways or public transportation. It looks good, is easy to assemble, and gives a nice range for most riders to easily get where they need well within a single charge.

You can even change it from a class II to a class III (25 mph) bike by unlocking it on the app!

It competes well with the lighter, but less featured, Velotric Thunder 1 ST. The Thunder 1 is also a wonderful e-bike commuter, but rides lighter, with less acceleration. The Aventon Soltera.2 adds a hand throttle, a more powerful motor, a screen, and turn signals. In many ways, it’s an ideal commuter bike.

My biggest concern, as with all e-bikes, is longevity. Will Aventon continue to make batteries and motor parts to maintain this bike for years to come? I can only guess.

But I’ve enjoyed my relatively brief test so far and will continue riding it this summer. I’ll update the article if I have any other major revelations.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a slick commuter bike at a very reasonable price, Aventon’s Soltera.2 seems like an excellent choice.