Aventon Abound Review 2024

Intro

In our Aventon Abound review we will look at the frame design’s versatility as well as how well-suited the motor and battery are to its intended use. And then there’s the question of just how much a rider can hope to carry on this e-bike. It features Aventon 750W brushless, geared hub motor found on many of their e-bikes and it is powered by a 720Wh lithium-ion battery. Rounding out the basics are a 7-speed Shimano drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes.

Compact cargo e-bikes sit between commuter e-bikes and long-tail e-bikes in length. The major difference between compact and long-tail cargo designs is that the longer wheelbase makes the long-tails a bit harder to maneuver. That is, thanks to a longer wheelbase, the long tails carve wider turns and need more room to turn around. Compact cargo e-bikes split the difference between long-tails and commuters and tend to feel a bit more stable at speed than commuters do.

The Aventon Abound features a modular design that allows the buyer to set it up as the ultimate neighborhood delivery runner, or as a way to ferry little ones to daycare or kindergarten, or a bigger kid to school. And because it can be set up with a front basket, carrying little people doesn’t preclude stopping to pick up a few things for dinner.

Let’s take a deeper look at what makes the Aventon Abound such an exciting compact cargo e-bike.

E-Bike Category: Compact cargo

Who the Aventon Abound Electric Bike Is for: This is an ideal e-bike for anyone looking for a car substitute that will allow them to commute to work and home as well as run errands like grocery shopping.

Aventon Abound E-Bike Specs

• Battery: 720Wh lithium-ion
• Expected Range: Up to 50 mi. per charge
• Charger: 3A
• Motor: 750W brushless, geared hub motor, producing
• UL Certification: UL 2849 (complete electronic system)
• Pedal Assist: 4 PAS levels
• Throttle: Included
• Display: LCD smart display
• Headlight: Included
• Taillight: Included
• Frame: 6061 hydroformed aluminum
• Fork: 50mm travel suspension fork
• Fenders: Included
• Kickstand: Dual-leg, motorcycle-style
• Handlebars: Alloy, 700mm wide
• Grips: Ergonomic comfort
• Drivetrain: 7-speed Shimano, 14-28t cassette
• Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes, 180mm rotors
• Pedals: Alloy, with reflectors
• Saddle: Aventon
• Tires: 20 x 2.4-in., low-profile tread

In-Depth Aventon Abound Review

Aventon Abound Review: Comfort, Handling, and Ride Qualities

Compact cargo e-bikes are one of the most intriguing subcategories of e-bikes out there. They can do everything a commuter can do, but offer the rider a degree of versatility most e-bikes can’t match. Let’s consider what someone can do with a compact cargo e-bike.

For starters, compact cargo e-bikes are terrific for families with one kid or two small kids. It’s easy to haul them and thanks to a motorcycle-style, dual-leg kickstand, loading kids is easy as well. For the rider who wants to keep the car parked—or even ditch the car altogether—the carrying capacity the rear rack allows offers riders the ability to do their grocery shopping and most other errands on two wheels, not four. Getting the dry cleaning might be a hair awkward, though.

With 20-in. wheels and a wheelbase that is only a bit longer than the wheelbase of most commuter and all-terrain e-bikes (5-in. longer than Aventon’s Aventure), the Aventon Abound maintains a remarkably maneuverable character, whereas a long-tail cargo e-bike is long enough to seem inconvenient if you’re not toting multiple kids.

The Aventon Abound comes in a single size, but features a reasonable 16.8-in. reach and a standover height of 18.6 in. An aluminum gusset fills part of the lowest portion of the step-thru frame, increasing the standover height, but this is necessary to maintain frame strength and stiffness.

Making a compact cargo e-bike like the Aventon Abound practical for families means making it easy for different riders to use. To that end, Aventon gave the Abound a steering mast that allows for quick adjustment of the handlebar height and a lever-operated dropper post that makes for quick changes in saddle height; there may not be a better quick-change setup out there.

The steering mast can be folded and thanks to the dropper post, should someone need to fit this in the back of an SUV, minivan or station wagon it can be made small enough to fit in a reasonable space.

Aventon gave the Abound a 50mm-travel suspension fork to smooth the ride, which will be noticeable as the ride on 20-in. wheels tends to be rougher than with larger wheels.

Aventon Abound Review: Motor, Battery, and Drivetrain Performance

Any time we talk cargo, utility or compact cargo e-bikes, power is an issue. The e-bike needs enough power that when loaded with more than just the rider that the motor can accelerate the e-bike up to speed and get it over hills.

The Aventon Abound is equipped with a 750W brushless, geared hub motor which has enough power to tackle big hills as well as getting up to speed with a kiddo on the back.

Powering the Abound is a 720Wh lithium-ion battery, which is a reasonably large size. Aventon estimates riders will be able to cover up to 50 mi. per charge, but it’s important to bear in mind that as the payload weight increases, range will drop, so we would caution potential buyers to consider 50 mi. to be a best-case-scenario, reflective of no extra load.

Helping to increase the Aventon Abound’s range as well as its responsiveness is a torque sensor. The presence of a torque sensor means that the moment the rider begins pedaling the motor applies power—there’s no waiting for the cadence sensor to tell the motor to wake up. Better yet, with a torque sensor the motor responds to changes in how hard the rider is pedaling, accelerating as they pedal harder and easing off when pressure on the pedals lightens. Torque sensors help to extend an e-bike’s range by using the battery’s capacity more efficiently.

Aventon did a nice job of keeping the Abound affordable, but that did give this e-bike one shortcoming: the drivetrain. It is equipped with a 7-speed Shimano system, using a 14-28t cassette, which is a narrow range of gears for an e-bike that may be carrying some serious weight. The Aventon Abound is designed with a 440-lb. weight capacity, which is substantial by any measure. When getting up to speed or climbing hills, low gears help take some of the strain off the motor so that it will last longer.

Aventon Abound Review: Braking, Safety & Warranty

With cargo and utility e-bikes hydraulic disc brakes are a must-have, and fortunately the Aventon Abound is equipped with them. Granted, with a 440-lb. weight capacity this e-bike needs more stopping power than is typical. To meet that need, Aventon chose 180mm rotors, which are bigger than is considered necessary for an e-bike with 20-in. wheels—the smaller the wheel the more leverage the rotor has.

Any time we look at an e-bike meant to carry a passenger other than the person pedaling, we give it some extra scrutiny. The Aventon Avound comes better-equipped than the majority of compact cargo e-bikes we review. While it doesn’t come with a seat or handlebar for a passenger, it does come with a rear wheel skirt to keep a passenger’s feet from getting into the spokes and running boards to give them a safe place to put their feet.

Aventon covers their e-bikes with a two-year warranty, which is better than most within the direct-to-consumer space. To find a better warranty a buyer has to turn to the legacy bike companies like Specialized.

Aventon Abound Review: Recommendation/Final Verdict

When someone wants to buy an e-bike that will substitute for a car, or maybe even replace it, versatility is the name of the game. Commuter e-bikes may be the hottest category in e-bikes because they are an obvious alternative for one of the greatest needs for a car: driving to and from work each day. But most commuters can’t do much more than their daily commute. But add a basket or two and stops at the grocery store, hardware store or bike shop become rather easy. And for families, the compact cargo e-bike is a way to accommodate a growing child that a child seat mounted on the rack of a commuter can’t match for long—most child seats are good for about a year.

With the Aventon Abound buyers get an e-bike that is adaptable to their needs. It’s a bit like buying a compact SUV. The buyer may not know every task or errand they’ll ever need it for, so buying something that leaves the owner contingency is generally the way to go. That’s why pickups, right?

Any time we look at a cargo or utility e-bike, one of our first questions is whether or not the manufacturer spec’d a motor up to the task of moving an adult plus a child and groceries. Aventon’s 750W brushless, geared hub motor has the muscle necessary to do the job and it is aided by their choice to spec a torque sensor, which eliminates the pause between when the rider begins pedaling and when the motor kicks into gear. It makes the throttle noticeably less necessary.

Aventon includes a terrific package of accessories on the Abound. It ships with front and rear lights—and the rear light includes turn signals—fenders, a rear wheel skirt, running boards for little passenger feet and the rear rack to which seats or a basket can be mounted. They also include a small bag that sits in the frame just behind the rider; it’s perfect for holding a lock or other small necessities.

Even before the introduction of the Abound Aventon offered a wide range of accessories for their e-bikes including baskets, bags, lights, locks, tools and helmets, not to mention replacement parts including batteries and chargers. With the Abound they have added a rear basket, large panniers, a seat and handrails.

To the degree that the Abound has any weaknesses, we would point to the 7-speed drivetrain as lacking a sufficiently wide gear range for anyone who must contend with hills in their riding. Drivetrains with nine or more speeds not only offer a wide range of gears, but they are easier to shift when climbing a hill. The other weakness the Abound suffers is that it isn’t long enough to hold two kids once they are both of elementary school age. For anyone who has ever heard, “Stop touching me! Dad, he won’t stop touching me!” this won’t need further explanation. That’s not enough to disqualify this e-bike, though.

When we consider the price of this e-bike, its overall design, ride quality, ease of transport and general versatility, it stacks up as one of our favorite compact cargo e-bikes on the market. It compares favorably with e-bikes from its major competitors. Any list of our favorite compact cargo e-bikes would include the Aventon Abound.

Thank you for reading through our review of the Aventon Abound. Still have further questions? Wondering how it compares to a similar e-bike we’ve reviewed? Let us know in the comments below!