Aventon Abound SR Review

The Aventon Abound SR looks like a shrunken version of the Abound, but it's chock full of new technology, making it more useful than ever. Arriving as a Class 2 e-bike, the bike uses a throttle and pedal assist. Its powertrain is already proven using the same 720Wh (36V, 20Ah) battery and 750W hub motor as the Abound. A die-cast aluminum frame rides upon 20-inch wheels clad in 3-inch tires. A low step-through height and a roomy cockpit make getting on and off the bike a breeze. Despite its compact size, the SR has quite a bit of space for gear and can haul up to 440 pounds.

Performance Comparison

Ride

Cargo bikes can sometimes feel awkward and precarious to ride. Packing them up with gear or passengers can exacerbate that feeling and make riding them nerve-wracking. The Abound SR focuses on ride quality first, with a stable, predictable feel that allows you to focus on enjoying the ride. The shorter wheelbase makes the bike feel less unruly and easier to maneuver while distracting little from the bike's cargo-hauling ambitions.

Aventon made some changes that are readily apparent when you see the bike. The long collapsible stem has been replaced with a solid quill-style stem and 680mm wide BMX handlebars; this gives the front end a much more stiff and responsive feel. The steering never feels vague or twitchy. The tires have been upgraded from 2.4" to 3.0", and that extra volume provides more cushion, traction, and comfort but harms the bike's range.

Aventon's 750W hub motor running off the bike's 36V architecture provides powerful torque on a variety of terrain. Even when loaded to capacity, I had no issue starting uphill on throttle power alone. As a Class 2 bike, the throttle speed is limited to 20mph, but unlike the larger Abound, you can increase the pedal assist speed limit to 25mph. This made the bike a lot more convenient. 20mph is fine with a kid on the back, but being able to increase your speed after school drop-off is quite nice.

The SR uses a torque sensor to measure your input and adds power proportionally. 165mm crank arms connect with a 52-tooth chainring up front, giving the bike a pedalable feel at higher speeds. There is an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain with a 12-32 cassette in the rear and an easy-to-use trigger shifter up front that mounts under the handlebar. The wheels are heavy-duty with 13 gauge spokes up front and 12 gauge in the rear laced with three cross-to-brass nipples. The spokes in our rear wheel became detensioned after about 100 miles of use which required removing the rear wheel and retensioning the spokes to the proper spoke tension.

The component choices for the SR are all sensible and well thought out, but the big news on this bike is in the technology you don't see. Aventon's own ACU (Aventon Control Unit) uses GPS and 4G connectivity to provide over-the-air updates and bike tracking. Using the app, you can lock the bike, which locks the kickstand into place and alerts you via alarm and push notification if the bike senses movement. You can set up a geo-fence so the bike can't be powered outside a designated area, which may be a handy feature for teens. You can track the bike's location using its built-in GPS or activate “lost mode,” which locks the kickstand and sounds the alarm if the bike goes missing. I tested this system, and it came up a bit short; the ACU does not appear to use high-frequency location refresh, so the app often gave me a location for the bike that was hours or days old. There isn't a way to refresh the location through the app. Hopefully, this is an issue that can be addressed with a software update.

A suspension fork with 50mm of lockable travel keeps the front end comfortable. The dropper post from the Abound has been replaced with a 50mm suspension post that works well to soften the rear end. The post they chose works well and doesn't suffer from stiction like many of the cheaper posts on the market. The Aventon-branded Selle Royal saddle has a handle on the rear, making it convenient to maneuver and scoot the bike from side to side. Hydraulic disc brakes are standard; Aventon uses a 203mm rear and 180mm front rotor.

Full fenders, a rear wheel guard, a rear rack with 143-pound capacity, and integrated lighting with turn signals are all included. The puncture-resistant 3.0" tires with reflective sidewalls really increase the comfort of the bike. They use an inverted tread pattern that favors hard surfaces, but we found them sufficient for a few excursions beyond the pavement.

I loved the size of the SR; it's similar to the Specialized Globe Haul ST, and I found both bikes to be far more useful and versatile than I expected. Parking, storage, and transporting the SR didn't require much extra effort. Aventon recommends the bike for users between 4'11" and 6'3", and our testers near the ends of this spectrum all used the bike with no complaints.

As with other cargo bikes, the bike's utility is really unlocked with the addition of accessories. Aventon offers quite a few different ways to customize this bike to your needs. From baby seats to large baskets, Aventon makes accessories that let you customize the bike to your needs. We purchased a Captain's chair and footpegs with our bike and found them useful for hauling kids (5 to 10 year olds) around town. The Captain's chair is padded on the bottom and back and uses handrails on the sides for a little one to hold on to. It seems like a good solution, but it got poor reviews from the kids I put in it. The side rails make getting in and out of the chair more difficult, and a forward bias to the bottom cushion made my tester kids feel like they were sliding forward while riding.

Range

The standard Abound performed very well in our range test, and since the SR uses the same motor and 720 Wh battery, we went into testing with high expectations. The SR version of this bike is 3 pounds lighter and uses 3" tires instead of the 2.4" tires found on the longer model. The tires certainly add comfort, but they impact the range substantially. After fully charging the battery and inflating the tires to their maximum recommended pressure, I set out on a range test using only the throttle in the bike's most powerful (turbo) setting. When the battery was depleted, I had ridden 28.4 miles with over 1600 feet of elevation gain. There was no pedaling during the test, but a fair bit of it once the battery died.

The bike remained powerful until the last mile of our test when you could see voltage numbers dropping and the speed taper to single digits. Aventon lists the battery at 720Wh, but the fine print on the battery itself reads 733Wh. Unlike most e-bike batteries, the battery has no key. To remove the battery from the bike, you unlock it electronically, and it ejects upward. This saves you from carrying another key on your ring and gives the bike a cleaner appearance and a virtually theft-proof battery.

Power

An integrated torque sensor and 750W motor give the SR smooth, predictable power that feels robust but never unexpected. In our uphill test, the bike accelerated to 19.9mph, and the speed dropped to 16.3mph on the steepest part of the grade. In our flat land acceleration test, the throttle shot us up to 20mph in just 5.1 seconds, 2.8 seconds faster than the Specialized Haul ST.

When we tested the bike on the dynamometer, it produced 1234 watts of power at the wheel with a peak torque of 46.7Nm. This is exceptionally strong but about what we expected after riding the bike for a few months. Even when fully loaded, the bike doesn't feel like it struggles to accelerate or carry speed. Aventon lists the motor's torque at 80Nm, which may very well be correct, but they're assessing the motor's power alone while we are testing the amount of power that gets to the wheel. This allows us an apples-to-apples comparison of power and torque between bikes.

When it's time to add a bit of leg power, the 165mm cranks push a 52T chainring with guards on the inside and outside to prevent derailment. In almost all riding situations, these shorter crank arms keep the pedals from contacting the ground. There are four pedal assist (PAS) modes to choose from: Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo. Eco gives the least assist, enough to compensate for the bike's weight, but it doesn't feel like much help. In Turbo mode, you feel like you're spinning the cranks to give the appearance of pedaling, while most of the power comes from the motor. I preferred riding in Sport mode as it provided a noticeable boost without taking the fitness component out of my ride.

Cargo Carrying

The Abound SR looks much more compact than most cargo bikes, and this helps it feel nimble and easy to park. The low-mounted rack extends above the frame to the tip of the fender. The rack has a maximum carrying capacity of 143 lbs. You can use the rack to carry a friend, a kid, cargo, groceries, or anything else you can fit on its 21" x 6" surface. Pannier mounts sit lower than the top, allowing you to use panniers while also using the top of the rack for gear.

The head tube has mounts for a front rack that you can purchase from Aventon. Once installed, the 8-pound rack can hold up to 33 pounds of gear. They also sell a square-ish rear rack that sits on top of the existing rack and expands its surface area while leaving room for panniers. If you have a passenger seated on the rack, there is very limited room for panniers simultaneously, but I found room for a small backpack between rider and passenger. The bike isn't long enough for running boards, so it uses foldable pegs instead. I like that they're compact and fold out of the way, but my junior tester says she prefers conventional running boards that give more support to her feet; there were instances of interference between the passenger and rider's feet.

Since cargo bikes can be configured in so many different ways, and each will excel in different ways, I encourage all interested in buying one to research the accessories and the bikes. Some cargo bikes have only limited accessories offerings, while others have accessories that can substantially add to your overall purchase price. Similarly, you should consider the weight of accessories and how they will affect how you use the bike. Our test bike weighed in at 81 pounds, 4 ounces. With the battery removed, the weight drops to about 72.7 pounds, which is light enough to be carried on several bicycle racks. Adding even a few accessories can bring the weight to over 75 pounds, making the bike much harder to transport.

Interface

Aventon uses its BC147 display on this bike, an all-in-one display with integrated control buttons. Five buttons on the left side of the unit sit next to your left hand. A power button sits in the cluster's center, measuring 9mm from corner to corner. I appreciate how compact the unit is, but this makes it hard to operate using gloves. Next to the power button are buttons that control your turn signals, and above and below are multi-function buttons. The upper button increases your pedal assist level, and if you hold it down, it activates the bike's built-in headlight. The lower button decreases the level of assistance, and if you press and hold, it will activate the bike's walk mode, where it can power itself at walking speed. This feature can be useful if you push the bike uphill or through a pedestrian area. Pressing both upper and lower buttons simultaneously gets you into the bike menu, allowing you to lock/unlock with a passcode or access more ride data.

The color display is clear and has a high resolution, but also tiny. Measuring just 38mm from corner to corner, the screen can be a bit hard to read. Pedal assist levels display an icon with a different color for each setting, making it easy to see which setting you're in. Similarly, the current speed is displayed in large font and is easy to read while riding. However, the battery's state of charge is incredibly small and hard to read even while stopped. You can't change the data layout, but you can switch to a screen that shows your projected range.

A USB-C outlet on the side of the display allows you to plug a phone in while you ride. You'll need a phone mount, which is not included, but the BMX handlebar gives you ample space to mount one on the crossbar. With a phone plugged in and running the Aventon app, you can use it to navigate, change settings, and enjoy a digital dashboard experience. The bike and battery are built to IPX-4 standards, meaning the bike and its electronics are resistant to water coming from any angle but should not be submerged. The bike has a 4 amp charger, allowing it to charge fully in about 4.5 hours. Most ebikes use 2 amp chargers that charge at half the speed.

Assembly

The Abound SR shipped to us in a standard-size bicycle box weighing over 100 pounds. The box is a clam shell style that allows you to remove the top of the box, and the base serves as an assembly stand. Once we had the packaging removed and the handlebars installed, we found it advantageous to use the bike's center mount kickstand to support the bike while finishing the assembly. The packaging is largely recyclable cardboard and includes instructions and the necessary tools for assembly. If you're unsure of your ability to assemble the bike, watch a step-by-step assembly video on Aventon's website or use a local bicycle shop. Aventon has partnered with over 1000 bike shops to help get their bikes on the road while maintaining direct-to-consumer pricing.

You can see in the video above how simple the assembly is; the total time from start to finish was 22 minutes, which did not include charging the battery. There were no steps that we found difficult or particularly mechanically complex. Inflating the tires can be tricky, depending on what kind of pump head you're using; there is limited clearance between the hubs and 20" rims.

Should You Buy the Aventon Abound SR?

Cargo bikes can be outrageously useful, and even if you don't have hauling ambitions, the SR's utility makes this bike a winner. I loved riding around on this bike as a commuter. Being able to lock the kickstand down provided enough security in my sleepy mountain town but may not be sufficient for areas with more bicycle theft. Considering this bike's excellent ride quality, utility, convenience, and technology, it's an incredible value worthy of consideration. I'd advise you to assess how you might use a cargo bike and consider how many car trips you could replace; this bike might pay for itself.

What Other E-Bikes Should You Consider?

Prior to testing this bike, my favorite compact cargo bike was the Specialized Globe Haul ST, but with recent price increases, it costs almost twice as much, and it isn't twice the bike. It's still an amazing little cargo bike, but the Abound SR hugely undercuts its value. I priced both bikes out, and the Haul ended up being $2500 more than a similarly equipped Abound. If you want a bit more space, the RadWagon 5 is a fabulous bike that feels like a family Volvo. The RadWagon is comfortable, stable, and also quite heavy. If you'd like to spend less, the Lectric XPedition is our top choice for value in a cargo bike. It's an impressive bike that is only outshined by its price tag.