2023 Aventon Pace 500.3 Review

Video Review

Written Review

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This is the Pace 500.3 from Aventon. It’s the latest addition to their lineup and features a 500w motor, hydraulic brakes, and best of all–it has a torque sensor. It is also one of the most comfortable Ebikes I’ve ever ridden, based on the upright riding position and handlebar ergonomics. So, does it have any major flaws? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to find out.

The Pace 500.3 has a starting price of $1,699 which puts it smack dab in the middle of the affordable category. Aventon offers free shipping, a 14-day return policy, and a 1-year warranty. They are arguably one of the bigger names in the direct-to-consumer markets in the US, and with this revamped Pace, I think they intend to stay there. For a full list of specs, you can use our compare too to see how the Pace 500.3 stacks up against the competition.

MOTOR

Now, let's talk about the heart of this electric stallion – its motor. The Pace 500.3 sports a 48V, 500w brushless rear hub motor, giving you the power to conquer hills like a mountain goat on steroids. This bad boy ships as a Class 2 Ebike, but is configurable as a Class 3, allowing you to reach speeds of up to 28 MPH with pedal assist. It features a responsive torque sensor and a handy-dandy thumb throttle on the handlebars. You have access to the full gambit of power at any assist level, which is a plus for us!

BATTERY

The Pace 500.3's battery is like the Energizer Bunny's older, cooler sibling. This removable battery is a 48V, 12.8Ah (614Wh) battery and utilizes LG cells, ensuring your Ebike's got some serious juice that will last for many charges. The 48V, 3 Amp fast charger will have you back on the road in 4-5 hours – just enough time for a leisurely lunch and a catnap. Another cool feature of this fast charger is the Aventon logo is the charge indicator light, so when the Aventon symbol turns green, you’re good to go! With an estimated range of 25-48 miles, you'll be exploring far and wide before needing a recharge.

FRAME

The Pace’s frame is a very accessible step-through. With a standover height of just under 17 inches, this frame is going to be an option for a whole plethora of people. You know, I think we need to use that word more. Plethora…just rolls off the tongue. The reach is only 14” or less, so again it’s suitable for…well you know. The bike weighs in at 52 pounds, which for an Ebike feels extremely light. Now, to be fair, we’ve been reviewing some heavier, fat-tire bikes recently, so in comparison to those, this thing felt much more in line with a regular bike in that regard. It has attachment points for front and rear fenders, and a rear rack if you’re looking to haul some stuff around. You can get all of those online at Aventon.com. It has a weight capacity of 300 pounds, so if you did end up snagging the rear rack, you’d be able to haul quite a few things.

SUSPENSION

So how does it feel to ride this thing around? A lot more comfortable than you might expect for an Ebike without traditional suspension. Up in the front, we have a rigid fork that surprisingly dampens a lot of the road vibrations. I’m only saying I was surprised because I was expecting a much stiffer ride feel, and I didn’t get that at all. The saddle we have here does have some springs in the rear, which add a bit of cushion to your cushion. The design was sleek, and created a good attack angle for the pedals, leading to an overall very satisfactory riding experience. Aventon also offers a seatpost suspension, which would definitely improve the suspension here, but as I mentioned, it really was a great, smooth experience right out of the box. The Innova tires measure 27.5” x 2.2”, and are lined with some very useful sidewall reflective stripes, which make them excellent for nighttime riding. The light is also mounted up on the handlebars, which is another safety feature, but we’ll talk about that when we get to the extras later on in the video.

BRAKES

The Pace 500.3 comes equipped with hydraulic brakes, which for an Ebike that is capable of Class 3 speeds, is definitely a must-have. I probably would have done a few more skids and slid around in the grass a bit more, but remember we’re giving this model away, so I had to take it easy since I assume the winner is going to watch this video. We’ve got 180mm rotors on the front and rear, and the brakes stopped the bike well on either grass or cement, so I don’t have any complaints about them.

DRIVETRAIN

The Pace 500.3 comes with 8 speeds and utilizes a Shimano Altus derailleur to shift through those gears. Now, you’ll hear me say this on the riding test, but it’s worth noting here, that the combination of the torque sensor and the geometry make this one of the most comfortable, relaxed city Ebikes I have personally ridden. Now, to be fair, I’m usually scooting around on a fat tire monster, or some hybrid/light off-road Ebike, so maybe I’ve just been missing out on all the cool city bikes out there! Either way, it was a blast to ride. The gearing was perfectly matched, so we don’t get any ghost pedaling at higher speeds. I only test-rode it in Class 2, so speeds of 20MPH, but even then it would seem like even the top speeds of 28MPH would have been a good fit in the gearing department.

LIGHTS/FENDERS/EXTRAS

When it comes to extras, there are lots of cool features that pop out. There are some missing essentials if you wanted to utilize this as a commuter, such as fenders, or rear rack, but both of those can be picked up from Aventon upon checkout. There’s also the app integration which is really awesome! We’ll probably have to dive into that in a future episode, as there are tons to cover there! But just know, it’s pretty cool. We get an integrated front light that is mounted high up on the handlebars, which is a safer and more efficient spot when compared to a front-fork-mounted light. We’ve got twin integrated taillights, located on the seat stay, with brake signaling, and we also get turn signals, which is a pretty sweet feature for cruising in an urban environment.

COCKPIT

Let’s pop into the cockpit and see what we’re working with here. We’ve got these slight-sweptback cruiser bars that make the riding experience so comfortable. We’ve got locking grips, which is fantastic, and they are a modified ergonomic type of grip. They have enough padding space to feel like I’ve got a solid grip but not too much to make them feel flat, like other ergonomic grips. The LCD display is bright enough to use on a hot Texas day and shows you pretty much everything you’d want a display to show, plus some cool stuff about displaced Co2 and saving trees. Now, I think this would be a cooler app-only stat because I wouldn’t need to know this during my ride, but it is a cool feature to be able to track your impact on this blue-ish, green-ish rock we call home.

USE-CASE

So who is this bike for? The Pace 500.3 is for anyone that is looking to get an approachable, comfortable city bike that could be used for cruising around your neighborhood and flying down bike paths, or someone who is looking for a comfortable commuter to get to and from work. As mentioned, you’d need to add the rack and fenders to it, but if you do, I can guarantee you that commuting may end up being your favorite part of the workday. It can handle some crushed stone pathways easily and even ride across coarser stone pathways pretty well, but I don’t see this being something you’d take off-road regularly. So, if you’re looking to do some exploring deep in the woods, this might not be for you, but if you’re planning to stick to city streets and bike paths, the Pace 500.3 is definitely worth test riding.

OUTRO

So what have we learned today? We’ve learned that I could ride this bike for hours, and continue talking about how I could ride this bike for hours, for hours. But in all seriousness, the Pace 500.3 is a well-built Ebike, from a reputable company, and with Aventon’s warranty and a price tag of $1,699, this is set to be a stellar Ebike in the Affordable or City categories