Aventon Sinch Review

If you have ever looked at what’s available on the market these days when it comes to e-Bikes, you will know only too well just how varied it is. There are some foldable models, some with narrow and thin tires, others with fat tires, some designed to be rode in the city, others designed for off-road and mountain biking trails. In this review, I will be taking an in-depth look at the Aventon Sinch e-Bike.

Aventon are a Canadian-based business founded in 2012 in Ontario. Over the years, they have been responsible for the design and manufacture of many leading models in the market. The Sinch is the latest in a long line of high quality, affordable e-Bikes. A foldable bike with fat tires, it is capable of being ridden on various surfaces and benefits from an excellent range.

The Speed

To start the review, I wanted to discuss speed, as this is undoubtedly something that will interest anyone looking for an e-bike, regardless of their needs. You want to know that it will be worthwhile spending more than you would for a manual bike. As it is categorized as a class II electric bike, the Aventon Sinch is capable of reaching the maximum speed limit for e-bikes in the US of 20 and 15 mph in the UK.

It is capable of this speed thanks to the high-capacity 48v lithium-ion battery that powers the 500-watt (peak of 750-watt) rear hub motor, With the motor comes five different levels of pedal assist and an efficient throttle. An important factor to consider, something that’s true of the majority of rear hub motors is that it makes quite a bit of noise. I didn’t mind it really, but I can understand if you are riding at slower speeds and constantly hearing the rumbling, it could be frustrating.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the noise reduces considerably when you hit the top speed of 20mph or thereabouts.

Aventon Sinch Overview

This step-through version of the classic Aventon Sinch foldable electric bike is almost like a completely different bike to previous models. Although they share the same motor and have the same frame-integrated battery, that is where a lot of the similarities end. One of the most crucial and noticeable differences is the switch from boxy-tube shapes that make the frame look similar to the Adventure model rather than the very ovalized and sharp tubing on the previous incarnation of the Sinch.

The company has also updated the frame closure mechanism with the latch being more attractive, bigger, and feeling securer.

One downside, though, is that despite the efforts that have been made to redesign and create the Sinch anew, there is no way to properly secure the bike once you have folded it into two parts. Don’t let that put you off as it’s a common issue among many modern foldable e-bikes.  

The Setup

Compared to other e-bikes, the Aventon Sinch is incredibly easy to set up. It literally just requires that you take it from its box, remove all the packaging and hen unfold it. The only major tinkering you have to do is adjust the saddle post and handlebars for your height and comfort, pump up the tires and, of course, charge the battery. In terms of the time it takes, I had the bike setup for my height within just 10 minutes.

Riding the Aventon Sinch

Now that I have run through the basics, it’s time to get to the real meat of this review with what it is actually like to ride. As you can imagine, if you are aware of fat tire bikes and how they ride, you will know they can be a whole lot of fun. That is true with the Sinch. It was so much fun riding it. I really can’t complain much about the ride. It was so smooth, stable, and very comfortable.

What it lacks in features and not having quite as wide a range of adjustable heights for different riders, it makes up for delivering a glorious ride.

Compared to some folding models, it did not fill me with concerns or worries. This was, in part, thanks to the RST Guide ML-20 suspension fork that effectively dampens the cracks and bumps in the road. If you are not interested in using the suspension, you can easily lock it out. This combines with the fat and luxuriously thick 4-inch tires that provide exceptional air volume for the cushy ride that you have been dreaming of.

It was still a stable and confident ride when I took it to higher speeds. Even navigating over obstacles and taking turns is easy enough work.

I was very surprised by just how well the Aventon Sinch handles itself on even the steepest hills. Uphill is actually rather enjoyable, and the pedal assist feature means you can give your legs and feet a bit of a break. The throttle definitely helped, but even without using the throttle, I found it to be high performance.

For the price, this is great, but it’s made even greater by the fact that it weighs 68lbs and is not therefore especially light.

The Tektro Mechanical Disc Brakes

You may have heard, if you have done any research, some complaints, and negative comments about the effectiveness of mechanical disc brakes. Many consider they are not as powerful and are cheaper brakes that cannot handle high speeds and high weights.

However, this is more truthful when it comes to unbranded mechanical brake systems. When it is brands like Tektro, that have many years of experience, mechanical brakes can perform just as well as hydraulic options. The thing I have found and that most experts agree upon is that it usually depends on how well they have been set up.

Even if you were not concerned about the breaking power, it is crucial because often fat-tire models are faster and heavier than the alternatives and if you are new to electric bikes or less experienced, you want good brakes to help you out when things take a bad turn.

The Tech

While it’s not likely to make or break the efficiency of an e-bike, the tech and the user interface can just help to make things more enjoyable when you are riding it. The Sinch benefits from having a large and clear LCD display screen and easy to find and use controls. This is one of my favorite parts of the bike overall. It has a slightly elevated design and as you can connect it to your smartphone and use the Aventon app, changing settings is not hard at all.

On the handlebars on the left-hand side, the control unit is located. The throttle sits next to the left grip and can be pressed with just your thumb. Then to the right is a smaller unit with five individual single function buttons.

All the metrics you would expect are logged and highlighted on the screen, so you can toggle between trip time, trip distance, average and max speed, odometer, and the amount of calories you burned.

I really liked the display and appreciated its dark background and white characters, along with the additional data fields both in white. The only downside I would note is that while the most important information like assist level and current speed are very clear, additional information is smaller in size and font, so less clear.

The battery display is impressive and offers the best of both worlds, as most e-bikes tend to either have bars that represent battery charge and or a percentage of what’s left – the Sinch doubles down and has both.

One of my favorite aspects of the control unit from the point of view of trying to do my bit for the planet is the fact that I could see an approximate calculation of the carbon dioxide reduction each trip and subsequent trees saved, in addition to of these metrics over time too.

The only downside I can find with the control panel and display unit is that some of the information is harder to see than others. Which could be a problem if you are always riding in bright conditions or if you have any vision impairments.

When you connect it to the app it is even fuller in features and adjustable settings like speed limit, screen brightness, speed units and more. It will also record and monitor your rides and share stories and pictures if you choose to with the wider Aventon user community.

Summary

So, if you are wondering whether or not you should get this e-bike, if it falls within your budget and you are taken by a foldaway bike that has thick tires, this is a good option. It handles well on most surfaces and in most conditions, has a reasonably good suspension system, brake system and pedal assist system and with Shimano gears, it gives you all you might expect from a more expensive model. While it has its downsides, these, in my humble opinion, are not dealbreakers.