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The Best Editor-Tested Electric Bikes for Conquering Steep-Ass Streets

Tired of arriving sweaty? I climbed brutal hills and subway steps with various ebikes, and these are the clear winners.

By Matt Jancer | Reviewed by Ysolt Usigan

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Maybe you live a life of ups and downs. And by that I mean your bike your way around a city that’s built over lumpy hills. Or, you simply like speed. Or, you hate pedaling your heart out only to arrive at work, your friend’s house, or the café sweatier than the cast of a Joel Schumacher movie. Or, you have mobility obstacles that make pedaling a bike difficult. Or, you want to give up visiting the gas pump and replace your car, even if just for some of the time.

Cars may be more expensive than ever, but electric bikes (ebikes) have gotten significantly better and gradually cheaper since I began testing and reviewing them six years ago. I’ve ridden so many that I’ve lost track. Even just counting up those that I’ve thrown a leg over in the past year would be tough. There are lots of good ebikes these days. Only a few are truly great. Here are the greatest hits that you can buy today.

quick list: the best ebikes at a glance

Light, and Not Just on Your Wallet: Aventon Soltera 3 ADV

Feels Most Like a Regular Bike: Specialized Turbo Vado SL2 5.0 EQ

An All-Around Good Bike for Everywhere: Velotric Summit 2

The Cargo Queen: Lectric Xpedition2

An Affordable Carbon Fiber Bike: Urtopia Carbon Classic

The Classic Car: Bluejay Premiere Lite

MY methodology: how i chose the best Electric bikes

I rode all of these ebikes across the rough, mean, hard-on-your-spleen busted pavement of New York City. Most of them I assembled. There are tons of ebikes on the market, and some of them are quite good. I’m a picky, picky appraiser. Bad ebikes with rattling components, junky brakes, and clunky drivetrains don’t get to live on this list. Even decent ebikes that I’d ordinarily recommend with reservations don’t get a starring role here. Only the best ebikes, the ones I’d unequivocally and enthusiastically recommend as worth your hard-earned dough, make an appearance in this guide.

Light, and Not Just on Your Wallet: Aventon Soltera 3 ADV

This was a bike I was determined not to like from the moment I unboxed it and began assembly. You can read further into how the Aventon Soltera 3 ADV won me over in my review, but chalk up my change of heart to its effortless jog to 18 MPH, single speed not withstanding, and its deceptively grippy tires.

Making an ebike weigh just 37 pounds, which is light for an ebike, and selling it for $1,499 is a neat trick. Aventon pulled it off by eliminating fenders and cargo rack, which you can easily add to the Soltera 3 ADV because it has a fairly conventional bike profile, electric bits aside. It’s not like a VanMoof or a Super73 where the only accessories that’ll fit are ones purchased from the brand.

The Soltera 3 ADV didn’t go totally barebones, though. It still has hydraulic disc brakes, built-in headlight and taillights, and a Gates carbon belt in lieu of a chain. If you just want a cheap bike—and yes, $1,499 is somewhat cheap for an ebike—that’s light enough for you to carry upstairs and pedal easily once the battery runs dry, the Soltera 3 ADV is the bike to beat right now.

Read my review on the Aventon Soltera 3 ADV.

Feels Most Like a Regular Bike: Specialized Turbo Vado SL2 5.0 EQ

Specialized nailed all the details with the Turbo Vado SL2 5.0 EQ. The grips are my favorite in the biz: Ergon GA3. The saddle is comfy. There’s a comprehensive suite of smart capabilities packed into the frame, including Apple’s Find My tracking and a built-in security alarm, not to mention the rear cargo rack, full fenders, and 28 MPH top speed (no hand throttle, though). And weighing in at a somewhat scant 44 pounds, no less.

More than any other ebike I’ve ever ridden, this one feels the most like pedaling a conventional bike. You get only the vaguest sense........

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