Well, well, well...
You see a budget price, but is this bike made with budget parts?
The short answer is no — But there may be more to it...
At the core of the Avanti Discovery-E Low is the renowned Shimano E5000 motor, a hallmark of efficiency and whisper-quiet performance (seriously, we could barely hear this motor at all! All power, and next to no noise).
For $2899 (while stocks last) the Discovery-E Low towers over other bikes in the budget category with superior build quality, efficiency and design. Shimano's legacy in the biking world guarantees you a ride powered by top-notch engineering, setting it apart from the generic motors found in other bikes within this price range.
However...
It should be noted that this motor achieves 40 N.m of torque. Not a slouch by any means, but also not a high-powered hill climbing machine either.
This is a city bike that does great for city riding! However, chuck some more beefy tyres on it and it becomes a natural on the rail trails as well.
So full marks on the motor. 10/10 for what it's designed for.
While the price tag may place the Discovery-E Low in the budget-friendly category, the important components and technology embedded within tell a different story.
There are so many cheap, hastily assembled bikes flooding the market. These bikes can often have great specs like "500W Hub Motor" and "1000Wh Battery" but then can break after a month of use. Great specs on paper don't always indicate good value for money. Often, quality is over looked with budget bikes and it's more about what specs they can cram into the bike for the cheapest price possible.
BUT...
This isn't the way with Avanti, or the Discovery-E.
What you get: A motor from a trusted brand that has undergone rigorous scrutiny, ensuring it exceeds your expectations.
What you DON'T get: A cheap motor from some factory floor on the other side of the world that had next to no testing or development.
Hailing from the illustrious Avanti, a trusted Australia/New Zealand bike brand and a sibling to industry heavyweight Scott, the Discovery-E Low benefits from a heritage of relentless research, development, and meticulous testing.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows though...
To keep this bike affordable, Avanti has made some necessary cuts in cost. This has been done very cleverly, thinking of you (the rider) and how they can make the bike a bit cheaper for you without compromising the feel of the bike.
The notable cuts in cost here are the lower-end Tektro brakes and the HL Zoom 187D front forks.
HOWEVER, these parts are still absolutely great for what you'll be using the bike for.
So, the Tektro brakes. What are they like?
Well, there is no random questionable quality here. Tektro make brakes from the low-end all the way to the highest-quality downhill mountain bike brakes.
What does this mean for you?
It means that they know how to make a fundamentally solid brake — Even when they are making cheaper brakes like the Tektro M275 Hydraulic's that come on the Avanti Discovery-E.
These brakes are cheap, don't get me wrong. They don't have the stopping power of a pair of $479 Tekto Racing Products DH-R Evo's but they don't need it!
The brakes that come on the bike are fit for purpose, there isn't any need to install the highest-end expensive brakes. The brakes it has already work great in the environment it is made to be ridden in. As long as you're not planning on ridding up and down Baldwin street (steepest street in NZ) all day you should be fine.
Being made by Tektro they're are likely to be made to a higher manufacturing standard than other random brake brands around the same price.
Onto the forks...
Avanti chose to put the HL Zoom 187D front forks on the Discovery-E.
Again, not a bad fork at all. It will take the abuse of city conditions as well as your favourite rail trails. This fork may not be the latest and greatest RockShox Zeb that comes on the likes of the Avanti Hammer LT2. But this is a $2900 bike not a $9299 Hammer LT2. So for the budget category these shocks with 40mm of travel will be more than enough for a comfortable, reliable ride.
Final Verdict:
So, is this the best budget e-Bike at the moment? We think it might take the cake. Covered in well known brands associated with quality we think that this bike is your best bet if you are looking for an e-bike that is an investment.
In other words, if you want the bike to last.
If you want a high-powered, fast, ridiculously long range e-bike then you have two options.
Option A: Step up into high-end bikes and pay thousands more for a quality E-Bike from a known brand with years of research and development under their belt. You'll get the highest quality components and the best specs.
Option B: Grab a random budget brand fresh from the factory. I'm sure you'll have a blast for as long as it lasts. But the sad reality is that we see these budget bikes with "great specs" (on paper) come through our workshop all the time. We've seen snapped & cracked frames, broken motors, dysfunctional brakes and a host of other issues.
This is why we refuse to sell bikes like these. You're much better off sacrificing some of the on-paper specs and buying something that is held to a high manufacturing standard like Avanti is.
So in saying that, I would go for a less powerful bike like the Avanti Discovery-E Low that I know is built with quality components over something else that has better on-paper specs but is straight from a factory in China with little to no research and development.
The Avanti Discovery-E Low is our #1 pick for e-bikes under $3000. If you want quality on a budget, this is a great option.