2022 Evelo Aurora Sport Review

Video Review

Written Review

The Evelo Aurora Sport is a remarkably nimble step-through that offers a comfortable, upright riding posture and a high-quality build at an unusually affordable price of $1,999 USD. And this is actually a pretty big deal because up until recently, the starting price for the Aurora was actually $2,499 USD. 

Aside from great components and a well-thought-out design, the Aurora also comes with an industry leading 4-year warranty. Fantastic. 

Evelo is also known for their excellent customer service and staying power. They’ve been around for over a decade now. Man, I can’t even remember what I was doing that long ago. 

Evelo also offers a 21-day at-home trial AND free shipping, as well as white-glove assembly at your local bike shop for just $95 bucks. That’s an exceptionally good deal for assembly, but the truth is, Evelo’s electric bikes arrive nearly fully assembled and are pretty easy to put together. Most of you out there will be able to get the Aurora out of the box and onto the road in less time than it takes you to make an extra crispy grilled cheese sandwich. 

As you can see, we’re off to a good start here, but let’s see what else we get for $1,999.

For starters, the Aurora’s 750 watt Bafang hub motor is equipped with a larger core compared to other similar motors. This equates to better reliability, and better thermal dissipation. And a cool motor is a happy motor. 

This 750 watt Bafang hub drive can take the Aurora up to a top speed of 20 mph out of the box, but don’t worry, all you Electrified Reviews speed racers out there can crank it up to 25 mph in the off-road mode. HackHunter, I’m talkin’ to you, buddy.

You can reach this top speed using the cadence sensing pedal assist, or the thumb throttle. Cadence sensors are notorious for their latency with motor activation and deactivation, but the Aurora does a good job keeping this to a minimum. And since the throttle is live from 0 mph, you can also use that to override the cadence sensor and help get you going from a dead stop. 

And last, but certainly not least, this motor can crank out 85 Newton meters of torque, which you can most definitely feel when accelerating and climbing hills. The acceleration on the Aurora is really quite good for a hub drive. It’s got a lot of pick up and go, and it breezed up the gentle hills we encountered during testing with ease.

You’d think with a 48 volt, 11.6 amp hour battery, that the range wouldn’t be so great, but Evelo’s advanced battery management software squeezes every last electron from the cells for an impressive max estimated range of 25 miles with throttle only, and 45 miles with pedal assist. 

This battery is locking and removable, and fits seamlessly into a recess on the main tube. It’s a little high on the frame though, which slightly increases the center of gravity, but overall, the Aurora is still surprisingly agile, especially given the fact that the riding posture is so relaxed and upright. Normally with a cruiser-style body position you have to sacrifice a bit of maneuverability, but not so with the Aurora. 

In fact, with the front Suntour XCM suspension and puncture resistant Innova 26 inch by 2.8 inch oversized tires, the Aurora is a competent trail rider. It felt rock solid on the light off-road sections we tackled while filming this review. 

Another reason the Aurora feels so sturdy is because of the frame construction. The Aurora is beefy, with excellent welds, a 15mm through axle and great geometry. There’s not a single rattle to be heard while riding this e-bike. I’m telling you this ride is quiet as the night. 

The Aurora’s curb weight is about 68 pounds, and can support riders up to 350 pounds. And for riders more than 350 pounds, Evelo has custom options for the frame. 

The rear rack is another cool point on the Aurora. It has a max payload capacity of 45 pounds and it’s welded directly to the frame, so that thing isn’t going anywhere. This is ideal for those that want to use the Aurora as a commuter. A frame welded rack adds a great deal of confidence when loading up your precious cargo. 

Given that the Aurora is a step through, we should probably talk about its approachability. It has plenty. It’s geared for riders from 5’4” to 6’2” and has a minimum standover height of just 22.5 inches, which makes mounting and dismounting breezier than the Santa Anna winds. 

The minimum saddle height is also exceptionally low at just 34.75 inches — the max is 40.5 inches by the way — but the issue here is that the included seat post is too long to drop the saddle to its minimum height. For riders around 5’4”, you might want to break out a hack saw.

When it comes to brakes, the Evelo Aurora is outfitted with Tektro Aries mechanical disc brakes with 160 mm rotors in the front and rear wheels. Look, the stopping power on the Aurora is good, but we’ve been showering this electric bike with praise, so let’s find something to nitpick here. 

I think upgrading from 160 mm to 180 mm rotors would make a big difference in stopping power, especially since we’re dealing with mechanical disc brakes, which require more hand pressure than hydraulic disc brakes. 

180 mm rotors would also come in handy when taking the Aurora off-road. Mud and dirt and gunk tends to reduce the efficiency of disc brakes, and a larger diameter rotor would help compensate for that. 

On the other hand, the Aurora’s built-in motor inhibitors instantly cut power to the motor whenever you hit the brakes. This is a must-have safety feature for e-bikes, and doubly so hub drives, which have that motor latency that we talked about. We’ll give Evelo 10 points for safety.

What’s that? You want to hear about the derailleur and shifter? Great. Because I am stoked to talk about it. We’re looking at a Shimano Tourney 7-speed derailleur, but the really cool part here is the Shimano Revo Shifter. Oooo E! Man this thing is fun to use. Instead of triggers or a thumb shifter, the Revo Shifter is a grip shift. So you twist your wrist, just as if you were revving a motorcycle, and the gears change. It’s got such a satisfying click, and it shifts are smoother than an Olympic figure skater. 

On the other side of the handlebars we’ve got the independent button pad and the thumb throttle, and right in the middle we’ve got the LCD display, which is plenty bright to easily read in direct sunlight.

Overal, the Evelo Aurora is an absolute steal at $1,999 USD. This is a versatile step through electric bike that can do just about anything and go just about anywhere.