The first (and last) e-bike I owned wasn’t great. I bought a folding one several years ago for around $700. Out of the box, the disc brakes squealed horribly and the motor felt underpowered. Parts that were supposed to be tight were loose and vice-versa. But I still loved it dearly, and rode the absolute crap out of it in New York until I moved across the country and had to sell it.
The Aventon Level 3 is nothing like that bike. This commuter e-bike from one of America’s most popular brands is powerful, sturdily built, easy to use, and remarkably feature-packed right out of the box. The all-around outstanding package helped me fall back in love with e-biking after a couple of years out of the saddle.
[Full disclosure: Aventon provided a Level 3 for my long-term review.]
Aventon Level 3: What I Liked
The Level 3 changed the way I got around Oakland, California, for the several months I had it. It was a joy to hop on day in and day out thanks to its solid construction, ample power, and long range. It retails for $1,899. But since Aventon replaced it with the upgraded Level 4 not too long ago, the Level 3 can be found at some third-party retailers for a deep discount.
Gallery: Aventon Level 3
The Level 3 is a Class 2 e-bike, meaning that by default it can go up to 20 mph. For me, that was plenty. It’s enough to mostly keep up with cars on city streets, which is one of the biggest safety and convenience benefits of an e-bike. If 20 mph is not enough for you, however, Aventon has an answer for that too.
By syncing the bike to Aventon’s surprisingly intuitive smartphone app, you can dial the top speed for pedal assist up to as high as 28 mph, which is generally the limit for street-legal Class 3 e-bikes in this country. Apart from on wide open bike lanes with little cross traffic, I found 28 mph to be a bit nerve wracking, though, so I stuck to the 20-23 mph range. I absolutely loved getting places nearly as quickly as I would in my car—and far faster when you consider the extra time required to find parking.
You can engage the Level 3’s 500 watt (864 watt peak) motor via both pedal assist and a thumb throttle, though the latter tops out at 20 mph no matter what you set as the top speed for pedal assist. I pretty much exclusively pedaled. Unlike some more moto-style e-bikes, the Level 3 feels like it’s designed to be pedaled, with a generous range of gears and a typical bike-like riding position. I felt like the bike got away from a stoplight faster with a push from the pedals, and the bike’s torque sensor made for super-smooth and predictable power delivery across the speed spectrum.
Out on the road, the Level 3 feels sturdy. It can easily handle its top speed and doesn’t feel like it’s about to rattle to bits. It’s comfortable, too. The front fork eats up bumps large and small, and relieves strain on your arms and wrists. Ditto goes for the suspension seatpost, which smooths out the road imperfections that would otherwise be punishing on the rear and lower back. It all means you can ride fast without feeling like you’re about to be bucked off by an errant pothole. Hydraulic disc brakes in front and rear also give the Level 3 plenty of stopping power.
The removable 20 amp-hour battery provides a rated 70 miles of range. Maybe that’s true in the bike’s Eco setting, which I only touched once when I was afraid of running out of charge on a ride. I pretty much exclusively used Sport mode and pedaled up to 20 mph. I got about 40 miles, give or take, on a full battery. That was enough that I didn’t really ever think much about range.
Aventon sprinkled in lots of thoughtful touches that make the Level 3 experience that much more enjoyable. You get a bright, integrated headlight plus a taillight—a life saver for someone like me who constantly forgets to charge or bring his. The bike also comes with fenders in front and rear, a hefty rear rack, and ergonomic grips that are kind to the wrists. There are turn signals you can operate from the button pad on the handlebars, but I rarely touched those.
I’ll be honest: I didn’t check out the Aventon app until a few months in, because I didn’t expect much. Boy was I wrong. The app is slick, packed with useful features, and took just a minute or two to sync up with the bike. For instance, you can customize the ride modes to your liking by tweaking the torque and pedal response. You can set the bike’s rear wheel to lock when it’s powered off, which came in handy the couple of times I parked it outside for more than a few minutes. If someone does manage to walk off with your bike, you can track its GPS location via the app.
I’ve always liked getting places on two wheels, and I have a 1990 Specialized Hardrock that typically serves as my around-town bike. But during my time with the Level 3 I definitely found myself jumping in my car less and reaching for the bike more. I loved getting across town quickly, without breaking a sweat, and without needing to find parking.
Most e-bikes can manage that, but the Level 3 made it particularly straightforward and fun. That’s one of the benefits of spending a little more to get a fully fleshed bike from a big-name brand.
What I Didn’t Like
My list of gripes is short and petty, because there really is a lot to like about the Level 3.
Given the laundry list of classy included features, I was surprised to find that there was no horn or bell. That’s especially important to have when you’re whizzing down a bike lane at close to 30 mph. Even my crappy e-bike from several years ago had a horn, albeit a grating one.
Aventon’s security features are a great touch, especially for anyone who plans on parking a nearly $2,000 bike on a city street. Included in those is an optional alarm that beeps any time the bike gets jostled. In my experience, it was a bit overeager. I kept the bike leaning against the railing in my apartment building’s stairway, and the alarm would trigger whenever someone walked up or down the stairs. That could use some fine-tuning.
The following is less a gripe and more a word of advice. Fairly quickly, I realized that, at nearly 70 lbs, the Level 3 was a handful. If you’re shopping for a bike that you need to lug up and down stairs in an apartment building (like I do), I’d consider lighter options.
Verdict
The awesome power of e-bikes is that even a rudimentary one can get you out of the house, into the fresh air, and hitting your errands with a smile on your face. Throw in a sturdy build, good ergonomics, and helpful built-in features, and an e-bike only becomes a better car replacement for short trips. The Level 3 nails the basics and then some.
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