An online e-bike order is hard to undo once the carrier has it. The questions that matter are fit, the class your roads allow, and the written cost of sending it back. This is not a ride test, not legal advice, and not a price list. Model prices and Class labels were not on the policy pages we read.
Use and fit, before the card
- Commute, cargo, trails, or a mix, and whether the usual trip has a hill
- Your height and inseam against the size chart. If you are between sizes, ask the seller before you pay.
- The bike's listed weight, and whether you can lift it onto a rack or into a building
Class is a local question
A product page can say Class 1, 2, or 3. Those labels are not one rule for every country, state, city, campus, or trail. The definitions below are California's, from Vehicle Code section 312.5, for an electric bicycle with fully operable pedals and a motor of not more than 750 watts. Another jurisdiction may use different numbers, or may not use these classes at all. A trail manager can be stricter than the state. This is not legal advice. Confirm the class you are allowed to ride with the authority that owns the path, and read the label on the bike. Do not treat a marketing label as permission.
| California Vehicle Code § 312.5 | What that section says |
|---|---|
| Class 1 | The motor assists only while the rider is pedaling. It is not supposed to propel the bike on motor power alone, except a start or walk mode up to 3.7 mph. Assistance stops at 20 mph. |
| Class 2 | The motor may be used to propel the bike without pedaling. It is not capable of providing assistance once the bike reaches 20 mph. |
| Class 3 | The motor assists only while pedaling, with the same 3.7 mph walk-mode exception, and stops assisting at 28 mph. The bike has a speedometer. |
Read 7 November 2026 from the text of California Vehicle Code section 312.5 published at california.public.law, which tracks that section. The legislature's page is leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Federal product law is a different definition and does not create these three classes. 15 U.S.C. § 2085 (United States Code, 2023 edition, Government Publishing Office) defines a low-speed electric bicycle as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and a motor of less than 750 watts, whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered only by the motor and ridden by a 170-pound operator, is less than 20 mph.
Our own summary, which is not the statute, is e-bike classes explained.
Range claims need the assumptions
Ask what rider weight, assist level, and terrain the range number uses. We are not reprinting a range figure, because we did not test a battery and the policy pages do not state one.
Damage and returns we could read on 6 November 2026
| Aventon, from its terms and warranty | Velotric, from its return policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Try-at-home window | 14 days. Unused means 1 mile or less on the odometer. | 14 days from receipt. The page says the try has no mileage cap. |
| Unused return cost named in the policy | $125 return shipping for a bike. No restocking fee in that unused case. Outbound shipping is not refunded. | $200 restocking fee. A prepaid label comes only after they approve the return. |
| Ridden, still inside the window | Return shipping plus 50% of the purchase price, under 20 miles, undamaged. | 22% of the bike item price, if it meets the condition rules. |
| Shipping damage | Tell them within seven days and send dated photos. | Get the damage rule in writing before you order. We are not adding a deadline we did not quote. |
| Shop purchase | Read the site terms for site orders. | The site policy does not cover a bike bought at a shop. Use that shop's rules. |
Sources, read 6 November 2026: Aventon terms, Aventon warranty, Velotric returns. Aventon also said free shipping on orders of $100 or more to the 48 continental US states, and weight-and-size shipping outside those states. Neither brand link on this site is an affiliate link.
Service after the box is gone
Ask where authorized service is, and what a common part usually takes to arrive. Assembly questions belong in the same email: how much is left to assemble, whether torque specs are in the box, and whether a shop has to finish it.
Print the fit, safety, and returns checklist and send the unanswered lines to the seller. The policy comparison is Aventon vs Velotric. Buying steps are in how to buy an e-bike online. Battery care, separate from this purchase list, is battery care. Research rules are on the methodology page.
Open Aventon's site →Official site, not an affiliate link
Open Velotric's site →Official site, not an affiliate link
How this page was made: from each provider's official product and pricing pages and its public documentation, read on the date named in the page. We have not run a hands-on test, lab benchmark, or paid user study for this page. A step-by-step section describes the vendor's published flow. It is not a test we performed.