alot of the reviews are very interesting to say the least, ill start off by saying, this is my first ebike, and i came into this knowing i purchased the cheapest bike they had, no shocks, so im not going to complain about the ride, small little tires so im not going to complain about any flats, and a small motor so im not going to complain about it being not powerful enough.

i will say, luckily im mechanically inclined, but i can totally see the "how to" build your Soltera video throwing people off since its for the 2 and not the 2.5 and there are some differences but with some patience and some common sense i was able to build mine and ride it in 30 mins.

as far as performance goes im not sure what people where expecting out of this model but i took it to work today (only a 3.5mi ride) but still it performed just as expected, maybe even better, took little to no effort to cruise at 19mph and when my legs got tired just apply the throttle and hold for 30 seconds then keep pedaling, actually got to work early because i avoided so much traffic and i didnt feel any sort of being tired from the ride while at work due to how easy it is to ride.

the display and app work well together, the oem lights are bright enough, the gearing is fine for a city bike, i think alot of the one star reviews are from people expecting $2,000 performance from a $1,000 bike, i dont regret my purchase at all, and if i get a flat then ill replace the tires with more rugged tires no big deal.

if Aventon is reading this i really think you should pull a 2.5 off the line and have your team assemble it on video and post it to your site, or youtube channel would kept you avoid alot of these one star reviews.

Easy assembly, and a fun bike

I think this is a great city e-bike for the money, and I'm enjoying riding this bike a lot as a first time e-bike owner.

I purchased this bike on a Black Friday sale for $1,000, which I consider to be a great value for the money. Even at the original price of $1,200, the combination of hydraulic disc brakes and a torque-sensor are great bang for buck specs. I'm sure the next revision of the Soltera is coming soon, but I have no regrets purchasing this bike at this price point. I also purchased the handlebar mirror, bell, and Aventon rear-rack compatible with the Soltera 2.5, and all accessories fit well and were pretty easy to install.

This is my first e-bike I've ever owned, and I wanted a bike that would be good for both grocery/shopping runs, as well as commuting on transit when needed, and I think it fits those requirements well. At about 46 pounds stock, and closer to 50 pounds with a rear rack, lock, and accessories, it's still possible for me to pick this bike up and carry it up or down stairs in a pinch, which is significantly harder for other long-range e-bikes like the Level 3, which clocks in closer to 70 pounds. This is important for me, as it means I could load it onto a bus bike rack or take it on local metro to extend my options. The lighter weight also means it is feasible to ride without motor assist, whether you want more exercise or if you run out of battery on a ride, which is a great fallback capability.

As far as the motor goes, it is definitely on the low end of assist power, which I knew going in. That being said, it has plenty of assist for riding in hilly terrain, especially if you shift down into your lowest gear. The gear range is not the best, but a combination of the lowest gear + high assist will get you up all but the craziest of hills. However, you won't be getting up those hills on throttle alone, so be aware. Overall, I feel like the biggest shortcoming of the lower power motor is the throttle, which I mostly use at intersections or to get around obstacles. On this bike, you get a bit of a kick, but I still have to pedal to pick up a lot of speed. Again, this is a tradeoff you're getting for having a lightweight city bike, and the tradeoff to me is worth it, but this isn't a bike you'll just be throttling around everywhere.

The other big aspect of an e-bike is range. I've taken this on at least one 20-mile ride so far, and I was able to complete the ride with only starting at 75% charge. By the end, I was nearly out of charge, and I had an issue where I was at 20% charge, then turned the bike off, later turned it on, and was at 6%. This could be because the battery was new and still calibrating, but be careful when doing your first couple long rides that you may have less range than it appears. I would also recommend always charging the battery to 100% before going on any long rides (which the manual recommends as well). And again, if you underestimate the range or your battery dies before you expect, you can always shift down and pedal without assist to get back in a pinch, so no worries about getting stranded or having to get a rideshare if you have the stamina to finish.

Finally, I have some criticisms of the assembly process. I assembled this bike at home with my partner, and while I've never built a bike before, I am pretty well versed in bike parts and bike maintenance, so I'm somewhat knowledgable and not a newbie. Unfortunately, both the printed instructions and the instructional assembly video on YouTube include instructions for assembling the Soltera 2, the predecessor to this bike. While largely the same, there are some differences between the two, and also some details that the are not clear in the instruction manual. A quick list of issues I had with assembly:
- The QR code on the box leads to a 404 web page
- The handlebar stem is flipped backwards for shipping purposes, so make sure to flip it so the long end is facing away from the center of the bike. This was a simple mistake on my part, but it wasn't explicitly called out, and I got a few steps in before I realized the issue.
- The bike headlight is installed on the *bottom* of the handlebar clamp, not the top. If you look closely at the pictures/videos you can see this, but it's not called out in the instructions, so I again had to fix this during the build. Otherwise, the headlight is blocked by the bike's display on the handlebars.
- There are disc brake inserts on the front fork calipers, so make sure to remove them before installing the front wheel, otherwise the disc won't slide between the brake pads

Overall, I feel the bike is a great value for the money and checks the boxes I was hoping for for a lightweight, minimal city e-bike. I would recommend updating the assembly instructions to be more clear, as that's the first experience you have with the bike. Otherwise, I think you'll be happy if you go in knowing this bikes' strengths and weaknesses.

My daughter loves her new Soltera 2.5 . Its fast, light and nimble.She also gets a lot of compliments how beautiful it looks.

So far it has been a great purchase. Lots of goodies for this price point, and usual Aventon reliability, fit and finish. Smooth, light, quick, comfy seat, good ergonomics, more upright than my Trek FX 2 hybrid. I like this geometry better (6’0” tall). Three things I wish were better: I wish there were a couple more
color options, thumb shifter vs grip shifter, and a frame that could accommodate gravel tires (42-44). But this is not a dealbreaker to me at all, and I am very happy with the purchase.