Am I dumb for even considering this?

Posted by implicate@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 25 comments

Hi all, I need some community input.

I own a Bull Copperhead EVO am1, which is a great bike. We have a young kid now, so I do not do any actual mountain biking anymore.

Mostly what we do is cruise around trails nearby, and also sometimes hook the kid trailer up.

I'm also contemplating starting to commute to my office on bike occasionally, which is about 10 miles away.

I'm thinking about switching to something that has a throttle, and is able to be unlocked to a higherax speed.

I'm seriously considering the Aventon Aventure 3.

Is this a dumb swap idea? Every component on the Bulls is better, and the bike is like 20lbs lighter.

I'd also be losing a ton of money on the trade in.

Help!

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Yaakeqin@reddit

Aventure 3 is a nice bike. It's not dumb.

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I wouldn’t. I don’t know where you ride but if you have steep hills, the middrive you already have is a blessing. I have a dual motor e scooter that I sometimes use for commuting so I’m not opposed to throttles. But if I’m on a bike, it’s so I can pedal a bike.

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Nebulon-B_FrigateFTW@reddit

Throttle is situationally nice, but not a huge deal. Higher speeds can be useful (on a 25mph-limit road, only being able to go 20 leads to cars really wanting to overtake you, so you can't stay away from them). Weight limits are often rather arbitrary, and may be based on assumptions about suspension performance.

I wouldn't make that change. I would instead be looking at getting a cargo ebike to deal with the main potential problem of needing to haul things.

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Still-Bee3805@reddit

Have you considered changing the tires? Why buy another bike until you have to?

I actually have scooter tires on my e-bike.

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implicate@reddit (OP)

I don't think tires can change any of the reasons I've listed that I'm considering swapping for, otherwise I might consider it.

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Still-Bee3805@reddit

Street tires are very different than trail tires. That was the only point I was trying to make.

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vexingpresence@reddit

Why not just keep the Copperhead? You don't need a throttle to commute. There's a whole community of folks who cycle to work without a battery on r/bikecommuting

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implicate@reddit (OP)

Throttle is a want, not a need.

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vexingpresence@reddit

Yeah I was just using it as a point of comparison. Pedaling is fine.

What about the aventon is better than the copperhead?

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implicate@reddit (OP)

throttle, higher max speed, higher max weight limit, more comfortable riding position, multiple security features.

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vexingpresence@reddit

Depends how much those features are worth to you, though with the security features it seems you mean the gps tracking stuff? If your bike DOES get stolen are you intending to go and retrieve it yourself? Because just knowing where it is doesn't let you actually rescue it unless you want to square up with bike thieves yourself.

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implicate@reddit (OP)

It also has a rear wheel lock feature, a movement alarm, and geofencing.

and to answer your question: Yes, if it got stolen I would have no problem going renegade and recovering that shit myself. I live in Seattle, the cops are basically worthless.

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vexingpresence@reddit

At this point mad max should be set in the US, scary shit goin on there with your lack of proper policing xwx;;

The geofencing and rear wheel lock won't matter much if someone just picks up the bike, so I don't think they're super useful features honestly. If they're going to steal it they're planning on wiping/replacing the controller module. But if the GPS tracking is a big deal for you, then go for it.

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implicate@reddit (OP)

Idk, I mean it's all deterrent, right?

Just like anything, if someone REALLY wants it, they'll probably get it.

But.. in a pretty populated public area, someone trying to pick up a 75lb bike with locked wheels, and try to drag it out of the area while an alarm is going off is going to be pretty damn conspicuous.

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vexingpresence@reddit

Yeah it really depends on where you're parking it. In Aus if I was parking it in broad daylight I think a sound alarm and some good quality locks would be enough of a deterrent, the time it takes to cut through 2 locks with a sound alarm going off would attrack too much attention and they'd just go for an easier target.

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taktyx@reddit

Depends on your commute path. I would not get the aventure for a regular road of paved path commute since you already have a emtb that’s better. Get a commuter model that’s cheaper and better suited to paved riding.

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implicate@reddit (OP)

I wouldn't say that commuting would be my main purpose, though. Main use case is cruising paved, gravel, and dirt trails with and without the kid trailer.

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atlasraven@reddit

Sounds like a fat tire ebike would fit the bill.

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implicate@reddit (OP)

The Apipas M2 seems like a big downgrade from the Aventon Aventure 3, which is in turn a big downgrade from my current bike.

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implicate@reddit (OP)

it is absolutely a downgrade

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ellipticorbit@reddit

I personally think that a throttle would be part of the downgrade, as (for me) a good pedal assist is a much more natural biking experience compared to any use of a throttle.

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implicate@reddit (OP)

Fair, but I'm not looking for a natural biking experience.