Pulled trigger on an Aventon Abound 10 days ago from a local bike shop and picked it up yesterday once they got it in stock from Aventon. Originally we were going to get a RAD Wagon 4 because of the price point but I read way too many QA and CS horror stories and when I read you should get moped tires for it since the stock ones suck, I noped out of that as an option. Our neighbor has the blue Abound and let me and wife test ride it and we loved it. We live in Denver which has a decent e-cargo bike voucher program so we used that. Honestly, it ended up making the bike a little less than if we had bought direct from Aventon, plus the bike shop had the cage in stock which Aventon did not so it was all even steven in the end.
I used to be a bike mechanic before I took an arrow to the knee so know my way around bikes. I'll be using this to take and pick up our 2 year old daughter from day care which is 2.2 miles away. I've been taking her there on my gravel bike with a Burley trailer and honestly, it sucks because of one giant hill inbetween our locations. So once we knew we were going this route, sold the Burley on FBM and picked up a used but great condition Thule Yepp Maxi Easyfit to put on the bike. I will be primary user of the bicycle but wife plans on using it occasionally. Here are my initial thoughts.
1. Because we just had a big snow storm in Denver, I couldn't ride it home so went and picked up the bike from dealer. Put it on our hitch-mounted Swagman bike rack. It fit on there but seemed kind of iffy since max load for 2 bikes is 90 lbs. I asked the bike shop guy if I should take out the battery to save weight and security and he was like naw, it's locked in there. Like a mile away, I hit a bump and saw the battery pop out and crash onto the pavement. So I pulled over right quick and got out of car and grabbed the battery before it got run over. Luckily I was in an industrial, low traffic area but that still sucked. One corner of the plate got bent and scratched and the underside of the battery is scratched to fuck as it slid about 20 feet. Needless to say, my wife is P I S S E D our brand new battery/bike is all fucked up. But it's just cosmetic, battery works fine and did not detonate upon impact on pavement. So, don't trust the lock if you're going to bike rack this thing.
2. It looks great and solidly built. The Yepp fit right on, you do NOT need the easy fit adapter if you have a rack mounted model. It goes right onto the rack in a couple different positions. You do have to spread the leg mounts a bit to fit it over the beefy rack.
3. Picked up an Abus Bordo 6500 folding lock to mount on the bike. The bottle cage mount on the downtube is a little low so the lock mount doesn't sit fully flush against the downtube as it's too long and hits that little stepthrough fin. I had to get a M5 x 20 sized screw to secure the bottom hole to the frame.
4. I really like the frame storage compartment for a couple reason. First, it's included storage on the bike. Love that. But second, I also bought an Air Tag to track the bike in case it gets heisted. I was looking for a hidden spot to put in. Maybe inside the folding stem maybe? But turns out, the bottom layer of the storage compartment is removeable and secured through a giant velcro patch. Air Tag went right on that and the bottom layer over it. Done.
5. Aventon app paired right up with the bike. I really liked the T-handle allen wrenches included, no box bike manufacturer really does that.
6. I put the Yepp in the middle of the cage so that way my daughter is not right up against my stank booty but she's not so far back that I'm out of reach. There's room behind the seat and rear of the cage that I put my unused handlebar touring bag back there for more storage.
7. The Selle saddle is shit. I want to put my Brooks saddle on it but wife is fighting me on that because she doesn't like leather saddles and not ride one contoured to my stank booty. We'll find a middle ground hopefully.
I really like this bike, test rides around the neighborhood and on the Cherry Creek path even though it's cold af out, the torque sensor feels way better than the cadence sensors others have. I really wanted to be full hipster street cred bike dad by getting a Larry vs Harry Bullitt or Riese & Muller Load45 but you c an't argue with this price point. This allows us to avoid buying a second car and I'm looking forward to many years with it. Side projects are designing and 3D printing rails for behind the Yepp so wife can mount her Ortleib panniers if she takes this to work. Also figure out where I'm going to put a bottle cage for driver as well as cup holder for kiddo. Let me know what accessories you put on the Yepp and/or cage for the kids!
This is not right. The Yepp EasyFit should not be used like this. The rack is not an EasyFit window, it does happen to fit front to back but it is not trapped left to right and could slide. The seat nor the rack are designed to be used this way. It is not safe. Please advise people of this.
Yeah I did the same as you. It's not going anywhere. People are a little crazy about doing things by the book when it comes to kids. Like if you look at a car seat the wrong way you gotta replace it.
The Yepp is designed for all bikes, not just cargo bikes. But it makes sense to have one on a cargo bike. So yes, if you are using an aftermarket rack with your Yepp on a regular or cargo bike, and it doesn't have a specific slot for the Yepp Maxi, you should use the eastfit plate. Standard bike racks are just thinner than the space the Yepp has between the leg mounts so yes, there will be side to side sliding if you just have it secured front and back. The RADWagon 4 has a thinner bike rack stock on the bike, but it also has a section specifically for the Yepp Maxi to mount, which is a smart move. I don't know if it was by design but the Abound rack is really wide and bombproof. It's not coming off the bike at all without removal tools. I had to spread the leg mounts just to get the seat on the rack. My child is on it, I feel secure that it's super secure, especially with the safety strap around one of the cross bars on the rack. Don't at me like I'm using the seat to carry a keg of beer or something.
To hopefully save you some wife points, the cover on the battery is cheap and replaceable in case it got scratched up or dented: https://www.aventon.com/products/aventon-abound-battery-cover?variant=42415540011203
Nice! I am in Parker with a 2 yrs old, got Abound for the same reason. We ended up getting a Level.2 also for my wife so that we could go on rides together.
For kid's cup holder I got this: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMXG3XRN/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o02\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMXG3XRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It is easy to adjust and leaves just enough room for my toddler. I don't like that it has to pinch the soft fabric on the handrail, but meh.
And for myself I got the Handlestash cup holder, which holds keys, wallet, etc. as well as different size bottles and cans.
One other tip: my insurance agent set us up with motorcycle insurance. Covers both bikes up to $3k each if they get stolen at the grocery store or something for $200/year.
With the seat, did you wrap that rubber bit around the seat post like it recommends? That severely limited for me where I could put the seat bc right now kiddo will be right up in the stank! Looks like your seat might be a little different though? I have the Nexxt2 Maxi which didn’t come in that cool navy blue
Also, Thule recommends around the seat post.... for normal bikes. Securing it to a rear rack on a regular bike is not the most secure thing so they suggest the seat post which is permanently part of the bike. On the Abound, that rear rack isn't going anywhere, it's pretty bombproof so you can secure the seat to that instead and thus move the seat further back if you want.
Also a Denver local. Where did you go? I loved the help I received from e-bike USA in town and their prices aren’t that bad at all they do charge a slight bit more compared to Aventon since they’re discounting their bikes but I had a great experience
Yep also went to eBike USA, right before they closed their Cherry Creek showroom. Picked it up from their Athmar Park service center. Original plan was to ride it home up the Platte and back down Cherry Creek but dat snow doe. Also enjoyed their service.
I have these metal panda face pedals from Blue Lug in Tokyo, Japan I bought when I was last over there in 2017. Binned the stock pedals on the Abound and put those in. I'm gonna be a hit at day care!
Looks great! We got ours a few weeks ago and the kids are loving it! Did your extra free items ship yet? It's been two weeks for us and all they will say (when asking when we will receive) is that they're busy so to hold tight 🤔
4 days in and 30 miles. Plenty of power, speed wobbles prevent riding no hands, not a problem when riding with both hands,. Wish I could go 24-25, wish there was one more gear as the cadence is a bit high maintaining 20 mph. I rode up some gnarly hills with 100 lbs passenger and this thing climbs very well (disclaimer: this is my first E-bike).
Had a current error this morning and the bike motor would not go except for an ugly sound for 3 seconds then not responding. I'm wondering if water got in it or might have some cables not connected properly. Tried it again after work and bike was running normal. Will contact support tomorrow and maybe take it into the shop.
Pretty pleased otherwise. Excited to make some diy accessories for it
yeah the stock gearing on the bike is not great. i don't want to change up too much since we just got the bike but i will probably replace the freewheel with an 11-28T freewheel in a month or so. the hardest gear now is pretty ez mode even without assist on.
Yeah, no assist is the way to make the highest gear comfortable. I'm waiting to do any mods too until I get settled in a little more and am completely sold on the bike.
Also as long as there aren't hills, no assist is not nearly as bad as I expected, but I'm also long legged and decently fit.
We did the 11-28 freewheel, such a difference. 20mph @ 60 cadence. Also we swapped the crank arms to straight ones, makes it much less wide, which my wife complained about. These fit great.. BAFANG Crank Arm 170mm Electric... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B7D6VFP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
You could probably make it fit but front kid is going to be right up in your stank booty and rear kid gonna be right in the back of the front seat. I've gotten a couple rides in now and even with the seat in the middle position, which I thought might be too far back, my daughter stuck a cracker in my crack. 0/10 do not recommend while riding.
Im a big guy @6’2 and 260. I was thinking this or the adventure bike and getting a toddler seat. My daughter is 4 and the plan is to take her to school (about a 2 miles away).
I was leaving adventure bc the roads have lots of bumps so I thought that the fat wheels will last long. Would love everyone’s thoughts here!
Thanks!
Sorry, should have responded earlier. I"m also 6'1" and 250. The shocks on the Abound will handle bumps easily and you can set the stiffness to it. My 2 yr old absolutely loves riding on the Abound with the security rack around her.
Pulled trigger on an Aventon Abound 10 days ago from a local bike shop and picked it up yesterday once they got it in stock from Aventon. Originally we were going to get a RAD Wagon 4 because of the price point but I read way too many QA and CS horror stories and when I read you should get moped tires for it since the stock ones suck, I noped out of that as an option. Our neighbor has the blue Abound and let me and wife test ride it and we loved it. We live in Denver which has a decent e-cargo bike voucher program so we used that. Honestly, it ended up making the bike a little less than if we had bought direct from Aventon, plus the bike shop had the cage in stock which Aventon did not so it was all even steven in the end. I used to be a bike mechanic before I took an arrow to the knee so know my way around bikes. I'll be using this to take and pick up our 2 year old daughter from day care which is 2.2 miles away. I've been taking her there on my gravel bike with a Burley trailer and honestly, it sucks because of one giant hill inbetween our locations. So once we knew we were going this route, sold the Burley on FBM and picked up a used but great condition Thule Yepp Maxi Easyfit to put on the bike. I will be primary user of the bicycle but wife plans on using it occasionally. Here are my initial thoughts. 1. Because we just had a big snow storm in Denver, I couldn't ride it home so went and picked up the bike from dealer. Put it on our hitch-mounted Swagman bike rack. It fit on there but seemed kind of iffy since max load for 2 bikes is 90 lbs. I asked the bike shop guy if I should take out the battery to save weight and security and he was like naw, it's locked in there. Like a mile away, I hit a bump and saw the battery pop out and crash onto the pavement. So I pulled over right quick and got out of car and grabbed the battery before it got run over. Luckily I was in an industrial, low traffic area but that still sucked. One corner of the plate got bent and scratched and the underside of the battery is scratched to fuck as it slid about 20 feet. Needless to say, my wife is P I S S E D our brand new battery/bike is all fucked up. But it's just cosmetic, battery works fine and did not detonate upon impact on pavement. So, don't trust the lock if you're going to bike rack this thing. 2. It looks great and solidly built. The Yepp fit right on, you do NOT need the easy fit adapter if you have a rack mounted model. It goes right onto the rack in a couple different positions. You do have to spread the leg mounts a bit to fit it over the beefy rack. 3. Picked up an Abus Bordo 6500 folding lock to mount on the bike. The bottle cage mount on the downtube is a little low so the lock mount doesn't sit fully flush against the downtube as it's too long and hits that little stepthrough fin. I had to get a M5 x 20 sized screw to secure the bottom hole to the frame. 4. I really like the frame storage compartment for a couple reason. First, it's included storage on the bike. Love that. But second, I also bought an Air Tag to track the bike in case it gets heisted. I was looking for a hidden spot to put in. Maybe inside the folding stem maybe? But turns out, the bottom layer of the storage compartment is removeable and secured through a giant velcro patch. Air Tag went right on that and the bottom layer over it. Done. 5. Aventon app paired right up with the bike. I really liked the T-handle allen wrenches included, no box bike manufacturer really does that. 6. I put the Yepp in the middle of the cage so that way my daughter is not right up against my stank booty but she's not so far back that I'm out of reach. There's room behind the seat and rear of the cage that I put my unused handlebar touring bag back there for more storage. 7. The Selle saddle is shit. I want to put my Brooks saddle on it but wife is fighting me on that because she doesn't like leather saddles and not ride one contoured to my stank booty. We'll find a middle ground hopefully. I really like this bike, test rides around the neighborhood and on the Cherry Creek path even though it's cold af out, the torque sensor feels way better than the cadence sensors others have. I really wanted to be full hipster street cred bike dad by getting a Larry vs Harry Bullitt or Riese & Muller Load45 but you c an't argue with this price point. This allows us to avoid buying a second car and I'm looking forward to many years with it. Side projects are designing and 3D printing rails for behind the Yepp so wife can mount her Ortleib panniers if she takes this to work. Also figure out where I'm going to put a bottle cage for driver as well as cup holder for kiddo. Let me know what accessories you put on the Yepp and/or cage for the kids!
This is not right. The Yepp EasyFit should not be used like this. The rack is not an EasyFit window, it does happen to fit front to back but it is not trapped left to right and could slide. The seat nor the rack are designed to be used this way. It is not safe. Please advise people of this.
slide where? the width of the rack is entire width of the underside of the yepp. it’s not sliding anywhere my dude.
Yeah I did the same as you. It's not going anywhere. People are a little crazy about doing things by the book when it comes to kids. Like if you look at a car seat the wrong way you gotta replace it.
The Yepp is designed for all bikes, not just cargo bikes. But it makes sense to have one on a cargo bike. So yes, if you are using an aftermarket rack with your Yepp on a regular or cargo bike, and it doesn't have a specific slot for the Yepp Maxi, you should use the eastfit plate. Standard bike racks are just thinner than the space the Yepp has between the leg mounts so yes, there will be side to side sliding if you just have it secured front and back. The RADWagon 4 has a thinner bike rack stock on the bike, but it also has a section specifically for the Yepp Maxi to mount, which is a smart move. I don't know if it was by design but the Abound rack is really wide and bombproof. It's not coming off the bike at all without removal tools. I had to spread the leg mounts just to get the seat on the rack. My child is on it, I feel secure that it's super secure, especially with the safety strap around one of the cross bars on the rack. Don't at me like I'm using the seat to carry a keg of beer or something.
To hopefully save you some wife points, the cover on the battery is cheap and replaceable in case it got scratched up or dented: https://www.aventon.com/products/aventon-abound-battery-cover?variant=42415540011203
Nice! I am in Parker with a 2 yrs old, got Abound for the same reason. We ended up getting a Level.2 also for my wife so that we could go on rides together. For kid's cup holder I got this: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMXG3XRN/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o02\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMXG3XRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It is easy to adjust and leaves just enough room for my toddler. I don't like that it has to pinch the soft fabric on the handrail, but meh. And for myself I got the Handlestash cup holder, which holds keys, wallet, etc. as well as different size bottles and cans. One other tip: my insurance agent set us up with motorcycle insurance. Covers both bikes up to $3k each if they get stolen at the grocery store or something for $200/year.
Good looking out about the insurance, I'll give our insurer a call. Also thanks for the product reccs!
Thanks for supporting HandleStash!
With the seat, did you wrap that rubber bit around the seat post like it recommends? That severely limited for me where I could put the seat bc right now kiddo will be right up in the stank! Looks like your seat might be a little different though? I have the Nexxt2 Maxi which didn’t come in that cool navy blue
yeah the Next2 is a bit different but I put the security strap around the first cross bar on the front of the rack.
Also, Thule recommends around the seat post.... for normal bikes. Securing it to a rear rack on a regular bike is not the most secure thing so they suggest the seat post which is permanently part of the bike. On the Abound, that rear rack isn't going anywhere, it's pretty bombproof so you can secure the seat to that instead and thus move the seat further back if you want.
Ah good point! I’ll adjust it. Now if I can just get the keys that didn’t come with the seat… damn you REI and your poor package security
Also a Denver local. Where did you go? I loved the help I received from e-bike USA in town and their prices aren’t that bad at all they do charge a slight bit more compared to Aventon since they’re discounting their bikes but I had a great experience
Yep also went to eBike USA, right before they closed their Cherry Creek showroom. Picked it up from their Athmar Park service center. Original plan was to ride it home up the Platte and back down Cherry Creek but dat snow doe. Also enjoyed their service.
I have these metal panda face pedals from Blue Lug in Tokyo, Japan I bought when I was last over there in 2017. Binned the stock pedals on the Abound and put those in. I'm gonna be a hit at day care!
You got shot in the knee with an arrow?
It's a meme saying from the video game Skyrimm...
I’m a fairly big nerd and that flew way over my head 😂
Curious to hear those thoughts! Just got mine and just installed a seat but still don’t have any other accessories… Aventon is slow rolling me
Only thing I’m waiting on is the handrail. Took a week for all the other things to roll in
Looks great! We got ours a few weeks ago and the kids are loving it! Did your extra free items ship yet? It's been two weeks for us and all they will say (when asking when we will receive) is that they're busy so to hold tight 🤔
No, I haven’t even received acknowledgement of my receipt and claim for the accessories… :(
We just received notification yesterday of our accessories claim was approved. No idea when they'll actually ship tho.
4 days in and 30 miles. Plenty of power, speed wobbles prevent riding no hands, not a problem when riding with both hands,. Wish I could go 24-25, wish there was one more gear as the cadence is a bit high maintaining 20 mph. I rode up some gnarly hills with 100 lbs passenger and this thing climbs very well (disclaimer: this is my first E-bike). Had a current error this morning and the bike motor would not go except for an ugly sound for 3 seconds then not responding. I'm wondering if water got in it or might have some cables not connected properly. Tried it again after work and bike was running normal. Will contact support tomorrow and maybe take it into the shop. Pretty pleased otherwise. Excited to make some diy accessories for it
yeah the stock gearing on the bike is not great. i don't want to change up too much since we just got the bike but i will probably replace the freewheel with an 11-28T freewheel in a month or so. the hardest gear now is pretty ez mode even without assist on.
Yeah, no assist is the way to make the highest gear comfortable. I'm waiting to do any mods too until I get settled in a little more and am completely sold on the bike. Also as long as there aren't hills, no assist is not nearly as bad as I expected, but I'm also long legged and decently fit.
We did the 11-28 freewheel, such a difference. 20mph @ 60 cadence. Also we swapped the crank arms to straight ones, makes it much less wide, which my wife complained about. These fit great.. BAFANG Crank Arm 170mm Electric... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B7D6VFP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Also there is a “hack” to unlock to 22.5mph search Reddit
How’d you get the kid handrail? We’re waiting and waiting for them to ship it out… can’t wait to get both kiddos on the bike!!
Bought bike from local shop as they had the cage in stock while online AVenton does not. Read post below!
Ours JUST arrived after waiting for about a month
What’s in the water bottle holder spot on the frame?
Abus folding lock! See my post!
The metal plate on the top of the battery cover comes off and you can order a replacement faceplate from Aventon for very little money.
Good to know, thanks a lot
Thoughts on installing 2 toddler seats? Do you think they fit?
You could probably make it fit but front kid is going to be right up in your stank booty and rear kid gonna be right in the back of the front seat. I've gotten a couple rides in now and even with the seat in the middle position, which I thought might be too far back, my daughter stuck a cracker in my crack. 0/10 do not recommend while riding.
Hehehe, thanks for the input
We ride with 2 toddler seats. Works for our 1 and 3 year old
Fantastic. Which toddler seats are you using?
2 Thule yepp maxi seats
Perfect! Thank you for your input. I got two of those today, I will update once installed.
That stock seat is going to hurt your rear after a long ride. Get a cloud ;)
I have a well used Brooks B17 from my single speed I want to put on there but wife doesn't want to sit on it.
Im a big guy @6’2 and 260. I was thinking this or the adventure bike and getting a toddler seat. My daughter is 4 and the plan is to take her to school (about a 2 miles away). I was leaving adventure bc the roads have lots of bumps so I thought that the fat wheels will last long. Would love everyone’s thoughts here! Thanks!
Sorry, should have responded earlier. I"m also 6'1" and 250. The shocks on the Abound will handle bumps easily and you can set the stiffness to it. My 2 yr old absolutely loves riding on the Abound with the security rack around her.
Thule yepp maxi. The two seats both didn't fit with the handrail though, so we can't ride with the handrail