What a time to be alive and a fan of e-bikes. Gone are the days when you had to dole out thousands of dollars for a janky e-bike with less range than a remote-controlled toy.
Case in point, the Aventon Soltera step-through!
I don’t know what kind of engineering black magic the Aventon engineers are using, but they somehow managed to produce an affordable, gorgeous commuter with pretty decent specs.
Sure, it doesn’t come with the most powerful motor or battery, but it will make your short trips around town much more enjoyable. And on top of that, it looks pretty damn cool.
I forgot to tell you in the intro that this is the Soltera actually comes in two flavors: step-over and step-through.
The reason why I’m not doing a dual review right now is that there are significant differences between the two.
For starters, the step-over Soltera comes with dinky little caliper brakes that offer less breaking power than just yelling, “stop!”
To make things even worse, the step-over version comes with a single gear. You rarely see regular single-gear bikes these days, let alone electric bikes.
The funniest thing about all this is that both versions are priced the same. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t go for the step-over Slotera even in my wildest dreams.
So, what does the step-through Soltera have to offer?
Well, a pretty sexy frame design, for starters.
The frame is fashioned in the same way as a high-end touring bike. In other words, there aren’t many unnecessary accents or accessories - just pure functionality.
With that said, the front forks are pretty thick, which kinda’ adds the perfect contrast to the whole minimalistic aesthetic.
The cables are routed through the frame, which just further adds to the sleekness of the frame.
On top of that, the Soltera is pretty lightweight. It weighs just a tad under 41 pounds. So even if you're not the most able-bodied, you’ll have no trouble lugging it around.
One little detail that blew me away was the tail lights. They’re integrated into the frame, which is something you don’t see in affordable e-bikes.
Unfortunately, this also means you’ll have to go through the whole trouble of fixing the tail lights when they eventually die. On the bright side, I’ve gone through hundreds of user reviews, and no one mentioned tail lights giving out.
This being a budget-oriented e-bike and all, there aren’t any accessories. The Soltera is as bare-bones as it can get.
Still, you can buy all the accessories you want from Aventon’s store. It’s far from cheap, but hey, it’s there. At least the cargo racks are affordable.
The only thing that rubs me the wrong way about the frame is the battery placement.
The battery is integrated into the lower side of the downtube, which makes taking it out a bit frustrating because you have to move the front wheel out of the way.
Motor
Aventon Solter comes with a 350-watt rear-gear motor.
At first glance, you might think that 350 watts of power isn’t enough to get this bike to 10 MPH, let alone 20 MPH.
But when you consider this bike weighs just 41 pounds, it all clicks. You don’t need a beefy motor if you’re not going to drive a lot of weight.
Of course, this motor produces almost no torque, but it will reliably get you to the max speed of 20 MPH in no time.
One thing that I noticed when riding the Soltera around is that the motor didn’t give any noticeable assistance until PAS 3. But that’s the case with most cheap e-bikes with underpowered motors.
I think Aventon should’ve just put 3 levels of PAS instead of 5, but I guess five levels of pedal assist sounds better than three.
At least there’s a thumb throttle when you get tired of peddling. Just keep in mind that it will cut your range by more than half.
The one component where Aventon didn’t spare any expense was the LCD display. It’s extremely well-lit and easy to read.
You can also pair the controller with your phone and get some juicy info about your ride, such as calorie burn, total C02 reduced, as well as a nifty google maps integration.
Battery
Although Soltera comes with a pretty slim battery, it can churn out quite a lot of range.
The battery can hold only 10 Ah of charge. This will get you around for about 40 miles of range.
However, there are some caveats.
If you want to squeeze out every foot of range from this battery, you’ll have to ride this bike on PAS 1. This means you’ll be draining more of your energy rather than the battery.
Naturally, as you up the PAS level, the range drops off. At PAS 5, you can expect around 20 miles of range. Maybe you’ll squeeze out another mile if you’re super skinny.
What really blew me away was the range on the throttle. I don’t know how, but I managed to squeeze out 15 miles without turning the pedals once.
But this is not where the good stuff ends. Although it’s integrated, you can remove the battery from the frame and charge it somewhere more convenient.
As for the recharge time, it takes around 5 hours to top the battery off from 0 to 100 percent.
Brakes
One of the components that manufacturers usually cheap out on is the brakes. Sadly, this is also the case with Soltera.
Don’t get me wrong, 150 mm mechanical disc brakes are leagues better than caliper brakes, but they still leave a lot to be desired.
Yes, I had no issues coming to a full stop, but it took suspiciously long. I wouldn’t trust these brakes on any other surface than the pavement.
Thankfully, Soltera was built for pavement, so the brakes are adequate, at the very least.
Tires
Soltera features your run-of-the-mill 700c wheels and tires. They’re nothing to write home about, but they get the job done. In fact, these are your standard road bike wheels.
At least Aventon used a known brand of tires - Kenda. Just like the wheels, they’re pretty standard.
Since they’re pretty thin, they don’t do a great job of absorbing road shock, so if you don’t like a bumpy ride, I recommend you skip buying this bike.
I wouldn’t ride this bike on anything other than pavement. I mean, you can, but your spine, crotch, and kidneys will suffer greatly.
Comfort
I have to admit, Soltera is not the most comfortable bike in the world. There’s no suspension and since it comes with standard 700c wheels, there are no fat tires to absorb the road shock either.
However, this bike isn’t meant for long rides, so I took that into account when reviewing this bike.
So, for short rides, the Soltera is amazing. The ride is a bit bumpy, but nothing intolerable.
On top of that, I had no trouble finding a comfortable riding position since I’m a bit on the taller side.
If you’re planning on taking this bike for longer trips, then I recommend you get a suspension seat add-on. Yes, it does cost an arm and a leg, but it will make your ride astronomically more comfortable.
What I Like About Aventon Soltera Step Through E-bike
Whenever I get to ride a budget e-bike such as the Soltera, I can’t help myself not to geek out about all the value it provides.
I’m happy to say that this e-bike has a lot going for it.
The main thing it’s got going is the price. There are just a handful of other e-bikes that provide this much bang for the buck.
Of course, there’s also a gorgeous frame design. The frame lines are aggressive but sleek, which makes for one gorgeous-looking e-bike.
And then there’s the range. This is one of just a handful of e-bikes that actually managed to provide the range as advertised.
Sure, you only get the full range if you are on pedal assist 1, but having 20 miles of range on pedal assist 5 is incredibly impressive for a budget e-bike.
What I Don’t Like About Aventon Soltera Step-Through E-bike
As is the case with everything in life, there are always some drawbacks.
The biggest issue I have is the underpowered motor. It’s not just underpowered, it’s sluggish too.
It took me nearly 20 seconds to reach the top speed of 20 MPH on PAS cranked up all the way to 5.
I know the bike is light and that the motor can drive it just fine, but having a little more power would go a long way.
I also don’t like how uncomfortable it can get. Sure, it’s all fine and dandy on shorter rides, but your crotch, back, and kidneys will start feeling the road after about 10 miles.
Advice To Consumers
If you’re strapped for cash and need a reliable bike for short trips around town, Soltera is perfect for you. If you need anything more than that, I recommend you take a look at some of Aventon’s other e-bikes.
Our Rating - 86/100
Affordable, sleek, and with a decent range - the Aventon Soltera has a lot going for it. Although it doesn’t come with the beefiest of motors, the Soltera will get you across town surprisingly quickly. Although it starts showing its flaws on long-range rides, this bike is perfect for those short trips around town.