Is a lightweight e-bike viable for a long commute?
Suburban commuting is boring. It entails mostly driving on the freeway if you are lucky, and sitting in traffic if you are not. You cannot read a book or watch a video, and you can barely listen to an audiobook — taking your mind off the road is very dangerous, after all.
The suburban commute puts a lot of miles on your car. An office 25 miles away from home means driving 50 miles a day. This is 250 miles a week; or 1,000 miles a month; or 12,000 miles a year. Some would say this is a fairly low yearly mileage, but after being indulged in a work-from-home environment, any commute is a pain now, even if it is just a couple days out of the week.
But if I have to commute, can I make it more meaningful? If I wanted to read, I could take a bus. If I wanted to exercise, I could ride a bike. Can I combine the two? Welcome to my quest of finding a working combination of public transport, biking and walking to commute 25 miles one way.
My commute
The commute I need to take starts and ends with relatively flat segments, each two miles long, separated by a 14-mile long stretch of a freeway going over a hill, and a 7-mile mostly urban segment.
I’ve ridden a bus the entire route — it took twice as long as driving. I then added a bike to the mix, riding the first and the last segments — this cut the time down to one and a half hours — about as much as I have to sit through in a car when a local golf club has a tournament.
Then I rode the first, third and last segments on a bike. The local bus in the third segment sits in traffic with other cars and has 27 stops along the way, so I hoped that by using side roads I could be as fast as, if not faster, than the bus during rush hour, and, as a bonus, get some exercise. Sadly, a canyon along the way made it nearly impossible. I am not fit enough to ride 2 miles up an incline, which can be as steep as 30% in a couple of places.
Which made me think about e-bikes.
E-bikes with Pedal Assist System (PAS)
Since I want to travel the 14-mile long freeway stretch by bus, I want to find an e-bike that is lightweight enough to be lifted up and mounted on a bike rack or even carried inside a bus. On flat terrain, I would ride faster than usual thanks to the added boost from the electric motor, which would also help on steep inclines.
So, I started researching e-bikes weighing about 40 lbs with power assist. These are the e-bikes I have short-listed.
The first two were available in my local bike store, so I went to check them out:
Aventon Soltera.2
The Aventon Soltera.2 looks just like a normal bike, has a removable battery, and weighs about 46 pounds.
I rode 400 feet up an 8%-grade hill; I started at 15 MPH and reached the top at 10 MPH, breathing faster than normal but not losing my breath. Riding downhill to the store, I easily went above 20 MPH, at which point the bike cut off the assist. It is a Class 2 (up to 20 MPH) bike, although there are reports that it can be unlocked with an app to Class 3 (up to 28 MPH).
The 350W motor is anemic from a standstill, so do not expect to beat traffic when the light goes green. In fact, the bike encourages frequent gear shifting. Starting from the shortest gear, the motor provides a substantial boost, then helps accelerate up to 20 MPH, after which you are on your own.
The thumb throttle allows maintaining speed on flat roads, but I personally would just pedal on the tallest gear. The throttle can be removed in case operating the e-bike with a throttle is not allowed.
The original Soltera launched in early 2022 as a single-speed version with rim brakes, which weighed 41 pounds and was sold for $1199, and a 7-speed version with disc brakes for $1299.
The Soltera.2 is offered only as a 7-speed version with disc brakes and three frame sizes. The bike that I tested had a large frame, which was the perfect size for me.
Reduced from the original $1,399 to $1,199, and now to $999, it looks like a great deal. I have a hunch it will be discontinued any day now; on the Aventon’s website some sizes were in short supply just a couple of days ago, and now they are gone! The Soltera.2 launched in August last year, so I expect an updated version very soon, and of course the price will go up again.
Velotric T1
I checked out the Velotric T1 as well. My local bike store sells it for $1,799, and on the Velotric website it has been reduced from $2,199 to $1,599. The medium size is sold out, while the large one is on pre-order. The medium frame that my store had worked just fine for me.
I did not take it for a ride, as the bike needs to link a smartphone and register the rider’s fingerprint — too much tech if you ask me.
Aside from the smart features, the bike is almost perfect: it looks very clean with steel cables and its hydraulic brake lines completely hidden in the frame and fork. It’s very light for an ebike; only 37 pounds. With an integrated battery it looks just like an analog bike.
The T1 was introduced in the summer of 2023, so it’s up for an update, hence the heavy discount and the depletion of stock.
Velotric T1 ST Plus
The Velotric T1 ST Plus would be a closer match to the Soltera.2, but my store did not have it.
Ride1Up Roadster V3
The Roadster V3 has just replaced the V2, advertised as weighing only 39 pounds, but Electric Bike Report measured 44 pounds with the battery, just 2 pounds lighter than the Soltera.2 and $300 more expensive at the current price.
The [intermediate] verdict
All in all, if you are not turned off by the 46 lbs weight, cable-operated disc brakes, Shimano Tourney groupset, narrow tires, and the $500 price of a replacement battery, I think the Soltera.2 looks like a crazy deal right now if you need a universal/urban e-bike.
As for me, I am very tempted to snatch it while it is still available — after all, my local store has it in my favorite color and my favorite size!
Stay tuned! I am going to follow up with more info and will reveal my choice! In the meantime, watch the video companion to this article, if you haven’t already. ■
