Aventon Abound cargo e-bike

Aventon Abound Cargo E-bike | CleanTechnica Tested

July 25, 2023July 17, 20241 year ago Jo Borras 0 Comments

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Sometimes things don’t go the way you think they will. Case in point: when I found out Aventon would be shipping me one of its brand-new Abound cargo e-bikes, I immediately began to daydream about putting my youngest on the back seat, riding out to the OPRF farmers’ market, and filling the front basket with pricey (but worth it) Pilgrim Congregational Donuts, Lyman Avenue Bread, and eggs from the Ellis Family Farm. Alas, it was not to be.

Partly because the Aventon Abound doesn’t ship with a kids’ handrail or seat pad standard — but, more significantly, because my wife immediately claimed the Abound and has been making up reasons to ride it for the last week and a half.

Aventon Abound | Family Hauler

I get it. The Abound is a fantastic bike.

The torque sensor that decides when to apply power from the Aventon’s 750W motor recognizes your pedal output and matches it, for a more natural riding experience than you’d get from less expensive (read: cheaper) bikes that make do with a cadence sensor. Even in “turbo” mode — the most aggressive of the four available pedal assist levels — the Abound never feels jerky or sudden.

Instead, the Abound is smooth. The pedal assist plays a part in that, but so, too, does the bike’s weight — a stout 81 lb — and frame geometry. The rake and trail of the front suspension, the smallish 20” wheels, and the fact that the bulk of the bike’s weight is right around the roll center make for a bike that feels a lot more “normal” to ride than it might appear to at first glance.

Heck, it’s downright flickable.

It seemed flickable, anyway, in the mile or so that I got to ride it before the wife decided to take it for a quick spin around the block (just to check it out). Then a trip to the grocery store to grab some milk (we’re almost out). Then over to her brother’s place a few blocks over. Then to the park for her pickleball game. Then …

You get the idea.

The Bike, Itself

Despite its relatively low price of $2199, the Aventon Abound doesn’t skimp on equipment. The battery is a 720wH unit using LG battery cells that’s neatly integrated into the Aventon’s slick, original design frame. An easy-to-read LCD display puts your speed, mode, and state of charge a mere glance away, too, and the Aventon app — which allows you to control screen brightness, top speed, and other variables, is second only to NIU’s (and it doesn’t have a cargo bike).

While we’re on the subject of Aventon’s competition, I have to take a minute to point out that Aventon’s display is the first I’ve noticed that puts “Trip CO2 Reduced” and “Trip Trees Saved” metrics in the main display. It’s a gimmick, of course, and I can’t imagine it’s particularly accurate (especially since we’re replacing EV miles and not, say, 1-ton dually diesel miles), but it speaks to a real environmental focus at Aventon that feels like mostly lip service from other brands.

Another example: Aventon’s packaging. Where other “green” manufacturers pack boxes with Styrofoam and plastic, my Abound arrived surrounded in artfully folded cardboard that wasn’t just recyclable, but compostable, too.

That’s a significant difference.

Another difference? Unlike many e-bike brands, Aventon owns its own factory in China — and is making moves to build another factory in the US. Aventon’s founder, JW Zhang, believes that a highly automated US factory could compete on price with a factory in China due to shipping and supply chain costs. “Automation also would enable us to shorten the time of delivery to the consumer,” Zhang told Bicycle Retailer in fall ‘21. “Today, from sourcing raw materials to building a complete bike and getting it to the customer takes two to three months. We want to be able to provide a much better experience, more customization, and shorter delivery times — within a month. With pre-assembled bikes, for most customers, we might be able to deliver within a day.”

In a world with hundreds of e-bike brands competing for the same buyers with white-label bikes and pretty websites but nothing of substance to really differentiate them, it seems like Aventon stands apart.

If I ever get to ride the Abound again (she took it to the pool a few hours ago), I’m sure I’ll feel good about that.

ELECTRICAL SPECS & FEATURES

Battery : Removable Internal Lithium-ion 48V, 15 Ah (720 Wh) w/ LG Cells
Display: BC280 LCD Smart Easy Read Display w/ Backlight and App Connectivity
Motor: 48V, 750W Brushless Rear Hub Motor w/ Torque Sensor
Headlight: Included
Taillights: Included, w/ Turn Signals
Pedal Assist: 4 Levels (Eco/Tour/Sport/Turbo)
Range: Up to 50 Miles
Throttle: Thumb Throttle on Handlebars