Aventon Pace 500 e-bike review: Great balance of price, power, and heft

Biking as a form of travel is nothing new, and the United States is probably the furthest behind in maintaining it as a regular form of transport. Here in northeast Tennessee, we're only just getting used to the bike lanes being painted throughout our town.

We are not BicycleInsider. This review is not painted as "by bicycle experts, for bicycle experts," but instead as a primer for folks new to e-bikes and the Aventon Pace 500. From what we've seen, the Aventon Pace 500 is a great introduction to the e-bike phenomenon.

Aventon Pace 500 e-bike design and features

The Aventon Pace 500 is a step-over cruiser frame with sweptback handlebars. It weighs 52 pounds, can achieve up to 28 miles per hour with pedal assist, and has a 25 to 48-mile range on a single charge.

It has eight speeds with five levels of pedal assist. It has a 300-pound weight limit.

A digital display shows information like speed, range, battery remaining, and pedal assist level. There is also a hidden USB-A port to connect and charge your phone if needed.

Integrated headlights and taillights turn on with a button press. The taillights light up when the brake levers are pulled.

The controller for pedal assist is located on the left handlebar, right next to the throttle. Buttons for powering the bike, toggling the lights, and controlling the throttle assist level are here.

The throttle lever is next to the controller and easily be pressed with a thumb. It is helpful for getting started from a stop and speeding up on demand without pedaling.

The battery is integrated with the frame with a charging port at the top. The 500W motor is in the back wheel and doesn't stand out.

The cross bar design reminds us of bikes we rode as a child. It is a classic design and feels sturdy when riding around town.

Aventon Pace 500 e-bike assembly, riding, and maintenance

I was somewhat intimidated by picking up biking anew at 31 years old. The Navy did a number on my joints and back, but perhaps that's why I was the perfect candidate to try Aventon's bike. The low-impact exercise and pedal assist made this a much more approachable activity.

If biking is something you're interested in for exercise, commuting, or even just for fun, the Aventon Pace 500 has proven to be a great option. There are lighter e-bikes out there, but we feel this one is the perfect combination of size, range, and durability.

Assembly

The Aventon Pace 500 arrived in a few boxes and required some assembly. It didn't take long, and the instructions were straightforward.

All of the parts and tools needed were included in the box, and an official video on YouTube guided the process. The front wheel needed to be attached, the handlebars adjusted, and the battery inserted.

After inflating the tires and checking the seat position, it was ready to ride. Note we've added a few accessories to this bike, a MagSafe mount keeps our iPhone in place and visible on the handlebars, and an AirTag is hidden in a reflector under the seat.

The battery takes between 3 and 7 hours to charge. It has no battery memory issues, so a recharge after each ride is recommended.

Riding the Aventon Pace 500

Once we adjusted to having a throttle and pedal assist, riding came rather naturally. The brakes felt great and stopped the bike swiftly, and then the throttle allowed our ride to resume quickly.

The display shows needed information brightly, even in the sun. As we rode across town, we could see exactly how fast we were going and the slowly diminishing battery level.

After crossing town to a local seafood restaurant, it showed we had ridden nine miles and had about 70% battery left. That was in line with the rated 40-mile range.

This isn't a sport bike, so there aren't any shocks to absorb bumps. We could feel every big bump and crack in the road.

The seat is comfortable, but it takes some getting used to. We were certainly saddle-sore after the first couple of long rides.

The bike performs excellently and has a pleasant whirring sound when the motor is operating. It isn't loud but is audible in quiet locations.

The speed picks up quickly when increasing the pedal assist levels. Being able to hit 20 MPH in just a few pedal pushes is quite exhilarating.

While we don't recommend repeating this for obvious safety reasons, we also rode on gravel trails with the Pace 500. Parts of the nature trail near our home are covered in gravel rather than paved. The bike was able to propel us, pedal-assisted, up a small sloped gravel trail without issue.

If the bike senses a loss of traction, the pedal assist feature turns off abruptly. The bike handled the gravel path without issue on our multiple passes, and the tires held up fine.

On paved roads, the bike performs perfectly. It glides smoothly across the pavement with little effort and makes slight inclines feel like nothing with pedal assist.

This is an e-bike with electrical components and a motor, but rain isn't an issue — we've been caught in a downpour while riding. However, Aventon warns against prolonged exposure or using vehicle mounts in rain storms.

Aventon rates this e-bike at a 28 MPH top speed. We've come close to this number, but you'd have to pedal pretty hard at the highest gear with level 5 pedal assist to hit it. Our usual max speed was around 20 MPH.

Maintenance

Unlike some of the things we've reviewed for AppleInsider, the Aventon Pace 500 is a piece of machinery that requires regular maintenance. Aventon recommends weekly and monthly checks.

Like any bike, it needs regular checks on part tension, chain stretch and lubrication, and wiring integrity. The owner can easily perform basic cleaning and checks using the tools from the box.

Brake pads, shift cables, and tires may need replacing from time to time. In this case, it may be best to find an e-bike specialist to perform the work for you. We certainly will be.

App connectivity and Apple Health

The Aventon e-bike has a connected app experience. It provides data about rides, metrics from total ride time and distance, and can even record a trip.

The app connects to the bike via Bluetooth. The app must remain open for accurate tracking when on a ride.

The Aventon app has an in-app community where users share photos and stats from bike rides. The app's features may be interesting and valuable for some, but it wasn't something we cared for.

Instead, we relied on workout tracking on the Apple Watch. After a few moments of riding, the Apple Watch would detect a bike ride and offer to track it.

The Apple Health and Fitness tracking metrics are far superior to what is offered by the Aventon app. This is due to tracking the user's health rather than just the bike.

We'd be more interested in the Aventon app if it had Apple Health integration. That would enable combining our tracked workout on Apple Watch with accurate biking data from Aventon for a better data set.

It is unlikely that Aventon would ever implement such features, so we'll stick with Apple Health. The Apple Watch can even intelligently determine if the rider is on an e-bike with pedal assist or not.

Should you buy the Aventon Pace 500?

The Aventon Pace 500 is priced at the low end of the e-bike spectrum but still has everything you'd need. It has a long-range, powerful motor and durable build.

Like any vehicle, e-bikes can range from minimum specs and build to high-end luxury devices. We've seen prices from $1,000 to $10,000 across the spectrum of features and designs.

The Pace 500 lands in a good spot. It isn't in the cheapest bracket, for good reason, but it isn't too pricey at $1,699.

We believe this is an excellent option for first-time e-bike owners.

Aventon Pace 500 Pros

• Long 40 mile range
• Fast at 28 MPH top speed
• Sturdy frame, good tires
• Bright display
• Easy to access controls, throttle

Aventon Pace 500 Cons

• Heavy at 52 pounds, but not too heavy
• Basically zero shock absorbency
• Aventon app is too basic, not integrated with Apple Health

Rating: 4 out of 5

This is an excellent e-bike, and if we were rating it based on the bike alone, we'd likely rank it closer to a 5 out of 5.

However, this is a technology website, and the tech is lacking here. The connected Aventon app experience needs a serious upgrade and tie-in to Apple Health.

Where to buy the Aventon Pace 500 e-bike

The Aventon Pace 500 is available on the Aventon website. There are two color options — SoCal Sand and Midnight Black.

There are two frame sizes based on user height, Regular and Large. Both cost the same amount.

Get the Aventon Pace 500 for $1,699.