2022 Aventon Sinch Step-Through Review

Video Review

Written Review

What is going on, awesome peeps and welcome back to another episode of Electrified Reviews! Today we’re reviewing the Sinch Step-Thru folding electric bike from Aventon. This is without a doubt one of the sleekest looking folding e-bikes we’ve seen to date, and it’s also one of the most comfortable to ride, thanks in large part to those super sweet, super fat 4 inch wide road tires. It feels more like riding a moped than a bicycle.

Aventon is an e-bike company we’ve grown fond of over the years. After reviewing the Pace 500, Soltera, Aventure and Sinch step-over, we’re more confident than usual when we say, this brand knows what they’re doing. 

The Sinch Step-Through comes in two colors, Moss Green, which we’re reviewing here today, and Bonfire Red, and has a starting price of $1,799 USD. It also comes with a 1-year warranty and free shipping to the contiguous United States. 

Right, let’s dive into the specs. 

Powering this portable little folder is a 500 watt hub motor in the rear wheel. This motor will bring the Sinch Step-Through up to a top speed of 20 mph via the thumb throttle or cadence sensing pedal assist, which makes this ride a class 2 electric bike out of the box — perfect for riding in strictly regulated areas. But, if you’ve got private property or just live somewhere where the e-bike police are chill, you can crank up the top speed to around 24 mph in the settings. Nice.

The Sinch Step-Through’s motor is powerful enough to ride the bike like a moped using just the throttle, and also climb some modest hills, but it’s not so powerful that it’ll gulp up the battery. 500 watts is right in the Goldilocks zone.

When it comes to electron juice, aka batteries, the Sinch Step-Through is rockin’ a 48 volt, 14 amp hour locking removable battery that’s expertly fitted into the main tube. Aventon estimates the max range for this battery is 54 miles when using pedal assist level 1. Now, at this point in the review we normally break down the reality between max range estimates and real world max ranges, but it appears Aventon has done our work for us. 

They’ve already done their own real world range testing and here’s how it breaks down.

When using pedal assist level 1, which tops out at 10 mph, you’ll get around 54 miles per charge.

When using pedal assist level 2, which tops out at 13 mph, you’ll get around 52 miles per charge.

Level 3 will get you 15 mph and 38 miles.

Level 4 will get you 17 mph and 33 miles.

Level 5 will get you 20 mph and 25 miles.

Using throttle-only without pedaling will get you 30 miles per charge… which seems to indicate that Aventon wasn’t going max speed the whole time during that test. It’s also worth noting here that Aventon’s real world range tests were calculated using a rider weight of 165 pound and on flat terrain. So there’s still going to be some wiggle room with this, especially when you factor in variables like wind, hills, tire pressure, cargo, and all that good stuff. 

But! And this is a big but, we think this is a fair real world estimate. At Electrified Reviews we generally cut max estimated ranges in half, and it looks like Aventon did the same thing. 10 points.

The Sinch Step-Through is a chonky little folder with a curb weight of nearly 68 pounds. But with that higher-than-average curb weight comes a higher-than-average payload capacity of 300 pounds. This is perfect for those planning on loading the optional rear rack up with extra cargo.

Despite the heft, the Sinch Step-Through rides like a Caddy. It’s a decently soft ride with the front RST Guide suspension, which have 45 mm of travel, and cornering with this folder feels a little like leaning a motorcycle around turns. It’s not that dramatic of course, but the 20 inch by 4 inch Chao Yang street tires have, just, such a unique feel to them. And, I’ve got to say, the gum sidewalls on these tires are sweet. They really add to the overall vibe of this e-bike, and as a bonus, they also add some extra suspension quality. But for those of you who want an even cushier ride, we recommend a seat post suspension. Those things work wonders. 

Now, if you want to take the Sinch Step-Through on some gentle trails, that’s fine, the frame can handle it, but steer clear of extreme single-track riding. The folding mechanisms on the Sinch Step-Through are beefy, but let’s not test the limits of their structural integrity. 

One of my favorite things about the frame on the Sinch Step-Through is that it allows for internally routed wires. This is a hard feat to achieve with folding e-bikes, which is why most folders have externally routed wires. This leaves the Sinch Step-Through looking clean and tidy. 

In the back of the Sinch Step-Through we’ve got a 7-speed cassette and a Shimano Acera derailleur, which is a huge step up from the entry-level Tourney, and on the handlebars we’ve got trigger shifters instead of the often used Shimano SIS Index thumb shifter. Another huge upgrade point.

To bring the Sinch Step-Through to a stop we’ve got mechanical disc brakes with 180 mm rotors in the front and rear wheels. These brakes have good stopping power and are easy to maintain over time. They’ve also got motor inhibitor built in to the brake levers so whenever you hit the brakes, the motor instantly shuts off. This is a huge safety feature and means you’ll never be fighting against 500 watts of power when you have to stop in an emergency situation. Cool beans.

The display on the Sinch Step-Through is aces. It’s bright, it’s easy to read in direct sunlight, and it’s got tons of cool information beyond just the usual speed, battery level, range and all that. It also will tell you how many pounds of CO2 you’ve reduced from riding electric, how many trees you’ve saved, and how many calories you’ve burned. 

The display is controlled by the independent button pad on the left side of the handlebars, which is also where the throttle sits, but you can also use the Aventon mobile app to control the display settings. The app has some additional features in there as well like a native social sharing platform and goal setting. Pretty groovy stuff. 

Overall, the Sinch Step-Through is a winner any way you look at it. The specs are impressive, but so is the fit and finish. It’s a great pavement pounder and light trail rider that you can fold down and throw in the trunk of your car. It’s got good power and good range, more than anything it’s a blast to ride.