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It’s the battle of the best fat tire E-bikes - this review will compare the Aventon Adventure, Veloctric Nomad 1, and Ride1Up Rift. They all have identical tires, brakes and motor sizes, but there are plenty of distinguishing factors for each bike. Here’s a direct comparison:
[ninja_table_builder id="8380"]Aventon Aventure
Things We Love
The bike looks great, with beautiful paint and welds, and has great clean cable management. We also like the look of the built-in frame battery.
The previous Aventon E-bike models had black and white displays, but Aventure comes with their brand new color display, which shows battery levels and carbon offset.
Our Aventure arrived 90% assembled, which was a plus.
The adjustable front suspension is excellent, and we had no problems riding up large curbs.
The front light is small, but it is extremely bright, more than enough for night riding.
This bike is enjoyable on long rides. It is geometrically well designed, making pedaling a breeze, and the seat is also quite comfortable.
The Aventon website lists accurate range testing figures from real-world tests, ranging from 19 miles at 28 mph pedal assist, up to 53 miles at 11 mph with pedal assist (or 27 miles with 20 mph throttle-only). This is something we’d like to see from all PEV manufacturers, instead of the standard “60 miles in eco mode under ideal conditions” nonsense.
Room For Improvement
There is no voltage reading on the display, so you can’t double check the battery gauge. The Aventon Aventure connects via a mobile app, but it can be glitchy on Androids.
There is a significant delay in both throttle and pedal assist.
The bike rattles when jumped off curbs, which isn’t unsafe but is a bit annoying.
Throttle maxes out at 20 mph, which feels disappointing given the 750W motor.
The Aventure comes without a pre-installed bell or horn.
Velotric Nomad 1
Things We Love
The geometry of the Nomad 1 is perfectly designed, and we even enjoyed riding this E-bike without pedal assist.
Engineers and designers from several high-end bike brands came together to form new ebike company Velotric and it shows in their design and product. Velotric has the bloodline of premium bike manufacturers like Lime, Specialized, Decathlon, and Giant.
The hydraulic suspension feels amazing.
The styling is nice, and there are 7 color options to choose from.
The seat is comfortable.
The stem and handlebar have a cross-hair design to help you line up the handlebars with precision. It is much easier than doing it by eye, making assembly a breeze. We don’t know why other companies haven’t copied this design yet.
Comes with a pre-installed bell.
A huge plus for the Nomad 1 is the UL certified LG/Samsung battery (the only one on this list with a UL certification).
This bike boasts the best water resistance rating on the list, at IPX6.
The crisp display can be read in direct sunlight.
The battery matches the frame in all colors except Indigo Grey.
Room For Improvement
We really hated the rear light which has its own separate battery. The light isn’t that bright and if you forget to turn it off, the battery for that small light will die.
The pedal assist level dictates throttle level, which can be irritating.
Front light is not bright enough for confident right riding.
Instead of metal fenders, this bike has cheap-looking plastic fenders.
We were disappointed with the low top speed (20 mph).
The Nomad 1 only comes in one size, so it’s not suited for smaller or much larger riders.
While the display is crisp, it is grayscale and lacks the sharp color of the other bikes on this list.
The Nomad 1 required much more assembly when unboxing than the Aventure or the Rift.
The Axle bolt on the rear motor sticks out with no cover, which seems like an oversight.
See our full review here: https://freshlycharged.com/velotric-nomad-1-is-an-affordable-quality-fat-tire-electric-bicycle/
Ride1Up Rift
Things We Love
We love the ability to carry an additional passenger, up to 150 lbs. The rear seat is plenty comfortable, and we can imagine this would be great for someone with kids or a significant other they want to carry around. Some ebikes can feel imbalanced when carrying a passenger due to incorrect bike geometry, but the Rift has no problem in delivering a comfortable ride for both passenger and driver.
The 48V 20Ah LG battery is the largest on this list, and provides excellent range.
The crisp display is full color.
The seat is soft and comfy for long rides.
The IP65 water resistance rating is impressive.
This bike has the best hydraulic suspension we’ve ever tested, with 120mm of travel. It feels great, and is excellent for all terrain types. When Andrew (a 200lb rider) tested it, the suspension never bottomed out.
We love the 26″ by 4″ puncture-resistant tires.
Fenders offer great protection and feel sturdier than the Aventure or the Nomad.
Room For Improvement
Our box arrived in pretty terrible condition. Luckily the only damages to the actual bike were cosmetic, however.
There is significant delay from the pedal assist when you stop pedaling. There is also delay when changing pedal assist levels.
Both lights (front and rear) are underpowered.
Very heavy (87 lbs)
No torque sensor.
See our full review here: https://freshlycharged.com/new-ride1up-rift-electric-bicycle-review-fat-tire-ebike-with-plus-one-capability/
The Winner: Ride1Up Rift
Although this is the more expensive bike of the three, it makes up for it with luxurious suspension, a larger battery, and the ability to add an extra passenger. Those three main things make this bike our top pick in the fat tire E-bike category. If you’re on a budget, we’d recommend the Aventure for its beautiful styling, quick top speed and super bright headlight.
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