The first Volton Alation I got to ride and review arrived at my house in a large box in 2012. I was impressed with the purpose-built frame designed to keep battery weight low and centered on the bike and the overall power of the 500 watt motor and 48 volt battery. The components all worked well and the price was pretty reasonable. The founder of Volton, Joe Marchfield, was (and still is) very easy to reach for support and questions. I’m a fan of off-road capable ebikes that offer suspension and rugged tires and this one goes a step further with fenders, lights and threaded eyelets (for adding a rear rack). The Alation series only comes in two sizes (medium for high-step and a bit smaller for step-thru) but this is fine for average sized riders (I’m about 5’9″ and it feels perfect. The bike offers great power, doesn’t produce excess noise from the motor or rattling accessories and the different color options add a bit of fun.
Having ridden three different versions of this ebike (most recently in late 2014) I continue to be impressed with the little improvements Joe and his team make. My favorite has been a rubber edge piece that reduces rattling on the battery cover and keeps dust from getting into the downtube. This was introduced in 2013 and the battery setup has been further improved in 2014 with a canvas bag surrounding the actual cells pack inside. The bag system looks nicer, reduces rattling and friction wear inside the frame and makes it easier to take the pack out for charging or storage. Other updates to the newer Volton Alation 500 seriese of electric bikes include a nicer headlight that attaches directly to the top curve of the suspension fork (it’s solid and doesn’t bounce around), an integrated bell that’s built right into the Tektro brake lever and an aluminum bash guard. Also, the front and rear fenders have been extended to reduce water and mud splashing. Due to the length of the rear fender two support arms have been added that connect with the rear dropouts for improved strength.
The motor driving the Alation 500 offers, you guessed it, 500 watts of power. It’s a geared design which provides more torque but doesn’t weigh as much as a gearless equivalent. While there are more moving parts inside, gearless hubs have come a long way and are standard fair on ebikes these days. This one runs smooth and stays relatively quiet but is noticeable during full acceleration and climbing. It really shines in off road and hill climbing applications because it’s just so powerful when combined with the higher voltage battery pack. To avoid damage and overheating there’s a built in sensor that automatically shuts the bike down (though I’ve never encountered this on my test rides). If this happens, just give the bike a rest and let it cool for five minutes or so. It should work just fine after that. Note that for smaller riders, those looking to save some money or those who don’t plan on climbing as much Volton does offer a 350 watt Alation as well.
The battery unit powering this bike offers a whopping 48 volts of power and 11 amp hours of capacity. That’s an awesome combination and it really shows when you twist the throttle. This is a strong bike and I’ve read that you can even adjust the computer to make it go a bit faster than the 20mph set limit by exploring the menu. Aside from the power, the big draw of this battery design is how it’s mounted on the frame as mentioned earlier. It’s hard to find an ebike with a downtube-mounted pack for ~$2,000 and while this design isn’t quite as fancy as one of the off-road Neo or Stromer bikes, it’s very capable and accomplishes nearly the same end result.
All things considered, this bike is still one of my favorites because it offers great value. I like the new color choices (black with red highlights or white on white). The battery pack cover works a lot better and the controls are very intuitive. The LCD computer is large making it easy to read but also has a set of rubberized buttons that extend from the main unit over to the left grip making them convenient to reach when riding. You don’t have to compromise your grip too much to change pedal assist levels. There are five modes of assist that run off of a pedelec sensor. It’s not quite as fluid as a torque sensor, and for some off road riding that’s a drawback, but it works as expected switching on and off as you pedal and stop. While the pedal assist settings give you exercise when riding and extend battery range, the bike also offers a twist throttle on the right grip that performs as you might expect.
In terms of gearing, the Alation 500 offers seven speeds which is enough to climb but still reach higher top speeds on flats and downhills. The highest cog is an extra large “granny gear” for ascending steep hills. There’s only one ring on the front and it’s protected by an aluminum bash guard that keeps your pants from snagging and getting greasy (this used to just be plastic). A couple of missed opportunities I see with this bike are that there’s nowhere to mount a water bottle cage and the rear light requires its own batteries, making it easier to forget to turn on or off after a ride. The Volton Alation is a solid bike designed to offer great value. The company is friendly and responsive and the design is quite advanced and aesthetically pleasing considering it’s at least $500 less than similar models from larger brands like IZIP and Easy Motion.
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David
11 years agoI just ordered an Alation 500 from Volton bicycles. Looking forward to unboxing and tons of riding!
ReplyRodney
11 years agoI emailed Volton and exchanged emails with Joe the owner. We set up a date and time and he brought out a couple bikes for me to try out. I chose the Alation 500. I’ve had it a couple days and have already put almost a hundred miles on it. It performs well and looks good. Joe is a nice guy to do business with and would recommend buying a bike from them to my friends.
ReplyCourt Rye
11 years agoCool! Thanks for the testimonial Rodney. I hope the bike works great for you and it’s nice to hear that Joe is offering good customer support :)
ReplyEldRick
10 years agoIt would take about two minutes to drill a couple of holes in the battery cover to mount a water bottle.
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoWell… you’d void the warranty and risk starting a fire when the cells rub against the top of the screws or bolts. The cover on these is also light-duty and I’m not sure if it would hold a water bottle or just rattle around a lot and potentially get bent. Here are some alternative options that wouldn’t void the warranty.
ReplyCommonSense
10 years agoThat was a good idea Rodney, I guess I will do the same. Have my eyes on the El Legs, but you never know.
ReplyAlex
10 years agoHow would this compare to an E3 dash for commuting approx 40 miles per day on paved roads? I know you classify it as a mountain bike, but I am torn between the low price point of this model vs the sleeker design of the E3 dash.
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoGreat question, they are both excellent bikes. The IZIP E3 Dash uses a gearless motor that’s quieter, more efficient and also faster (it’s a speed pedelec capable of 28mph top speed) but given your needs for 40 mile range I think either could work (as long as you got the larger battery size on the Alation 500). I recommend topping off after 20 miles (like if you’re commuting to work) vs. draining with the full 40 miles which can be hard on any pack. Both of these ebikes have removable packs so that’s great, they both have suspension but the larger knobby tires on the Alation will feel softer… the downside is that they create more drag. Hope this helps :)
ReplyAlex
10 years agoof course, draining lithium batteries quickly and completely isn’t very good for them. what i mean is, which or both would be better for a smoother/faster/better road commute? is the 20 for alation (and 28 for the izip) a hard speed limit or can it be overcome with stronger legs?
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoBoth of these electric bikes care capable of being pedaled beyond their “top speeds” and that is the case for most ebikes but not all. The 2015 Polaris electric bikes for example, have an auto regen feature that shaves off additional speed and converts it into electrical energy to charge the battery.
ReplyRejean Martel
10 years agoGreat reviews, i learned so much…Thanx. Is Volton ship to Canada ? Is it free shipping ? I guess i would have to pay custom fees , duties, etc…? I would like to email Volton but i don’t know their email address… I really enjoy all your ebikes reviews…Great jobs you’re doing…
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoThanks Rejean! I can’t answer the shipping question for you directly but I did find the Volton phone number and email address listed here: http://www.voltonbicycles.com/contact/ if you reach out I’m sure they will respond and help you :)
ReplyJohannes
10 years agoThanks for the fantastic review. I would like to get the step through model for convenience, but am worried about it’s stability. Do you think the stability of the step-through frame is good enough for riding trails occasionally, or is that just impossible with such a design?
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoHi Johannes! Yeah, these are solid bikes at a good price. Great question about frame strength… I’m not sure how big of a difference there will be between the traditional diamond frame vs. the ST. I’m sure the diamond frame is stronger but given the oversized down tube and reinforced mini top tube on the ST it might be just fine. This would be a great question for Joe, the founder of Volton. I’ll ask him to comment here or provide some feedback for you :)
ReplyJoe Marchfield
10 years agoHi, this is Joe from Volton. I wanted to chime in and reiterate what Court communicated. There is more torsional strength in the diamond frame but…
The down tubes are robust aluminum. So are the head tubes and chain stays and the rest of the frame. Any light (to light moderate) trail riding would be well handled on the Alation ST. Would I recommend riding it over heavily rutted trail, while descending at a high speed – No. But getting off the beaten path is always recommended by me. On any of our bikes.
I wouldn’t urge customers to value increased rigidity more than getting a bicycle that is easy to mount and dismount, especially if the trail riding is infrequent and on mild terrain. Most people would have a difficult time perceiving any flex while riding our aluminum step through. The exception to this would be if you were a heavier rider (+225) and riding the bike roughly.
ReplyDarko Trifunovic
10 years agoHello, I am a 6’7″ 240 lb landscaper in Toronto, Canada. I got hurt in an automobile accident a couple years back and I now mostly supervise job sites. No point of me having a truck really. I am looking at e bike that can handle my size while pedaling in safety boots. Can I get your recommendation? Great website and videos! Thank you.
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoHi Darko, what your talking about makes good sense. Biking is fun and often convenient if you don’t have to carry a lot of stuff around. Given your height and weight, I’d suggest looking at ebikes with a range of sizes. A few brands come to mind including Easy Motion which has the EVO Cross in Large as well as IZIP which has the E3 Dash in Large or going for something with several sizes like the Haibike XDURO RX 29″ which would be perfect for you given the larger diameter wheels (lifts the frame up higher) and the four sizes (go with the largest) and the super powerful and efficient mid-drive motor from Bosch. The Haibike is more expensive but definitely worth it in my opinion, especially given your body type. The neat thing is, if you do need to pull a trailer with it, the hardtail rear portion of the bike could work great for towing something like the Burly Travoy which connects to the seat post. It may be difficult to find some of these bikes in Canada so also consider checking out OHM which I know is carried in Toronto, also BionX is based there and makes some great kits if you want to go that route. I still like the idea of a the Haibike because it has a nice suspension fork, comes in the large sizes and is really capable with the Bosch drive unit :)
ReplyTom Gates
10 years agoHello Court, enjoy all your reviews. How would you compare the new mid-drive to the rear hub motor? Price is pretty close. There are a lot of mid-drives popping up. Thanks Tom
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoFor the Volton line I prefer the more powerful 500 watt geared rear hub motor and 48 volt system. I hear they are going to offer a 500 watt mid-drive at some point and then it might get my vote but as for these reviews. I enjoyed the higher power system more and also the cost savings of the hub motor :)
Replyjustin
9 years agoThis review makes me question your ability to review any bike. I had to put one of these together for a Volton customer. It was shipped to my shop and the owner of Volton paid the shop to build it up for the customer. It was the biggest piece of junk I have worked on in a very long time. So many aspects of this rig are just wrong and for you to give it a 9.5 is absurd.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoThanks for sharing your feedback, the review was done in early 2014 and the score is based on the lower price point and customized frame. It’s a value ebike, I tried to cover it as thoroughly as I could listing pros and cons and it’s always nice to get feedback from shops or true owners since my time is so limited with reviews most of the time :)
ReplyYoung
9 years agoHi Court, You mentioned top speed as 20 mph, but I heard from few other sources that with pedal assist, it can go around 23-25 mph on flat surface. I’m about your height and weight; Can you please let me know based on your experience , what the top speed with pedal-assist will be? thx, Young
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Young! I think the other sources are correct… This (and some of the Easy Motion and Pedego models) can indeed top 20 mph in pedal assist mode. I put 20 because that is the stated top speed and it may take some tinkering with the onboard computer to up the max speed. Ride safe out there :)
ReplyYoung
9 years agoI did see your post on this, where you can re-configure LCD computer to raise the top speed. But why would you have to configure the LCD computer. Is top speed limitation setup on default stock setup and this LCD computer will raise that limit? I’m also assuming that this will also decrease the total range on the bike, right? I currently e-Joe Epik SE, is there away to raise top speed on this as well, since its at 20mph?
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoEach bike’s a little bit different in terms of speed limit and computer interface but it is generally true that if you raise the top speed and choose to ride faster you will expend more energy at high speed due to increasing drag. Here’s some data on the topic and a quote summarizing it: “With a doubling of speed the drag (force) quadruples”. This means that going twice as fast means you use four times as much energy. Higher speeds on an ebike quadruple the power consumption and thus reduce range at an equivalent rate.
ReplyJames
9 years agoJustin, what were the faults of the bike? Joe, care to comment?
ReplyMorgan
9 years agohi and thanks for the review. Your site has been extremely helpful in helping me research ebikes. I’m pretty set on buying a volton. I think the 350 should be ok vs the 500 since my area is totally flat and I only weight 145 lbs. I do really need the bike to go 20 mph but it sounds like the 350 will do that for me. I just have one question, if I order this online direct from Volton, do you think I can assemble the bike myself with very little mechanical skill?
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Morgan! It sounds like you’re being very even handed about this purchase and I agree that 350 watts is probably enough for some around town riding given your weight and emphasis on utility vs. speed. I ordered one of these online a while back and it did take some effort to move the large package, open the box and setup the handle bars and wheel but it wasn’t that bad. You could always take it to a local shop for a quick tuneup afterwards. Volton tries to do most of the work for you but without the correct tools and knowledge it can feel a little uncomfortable and it is easier to leave something like the derailleur out of tune. Here’s a review where I actually talk about the unboxing and show some setup process, just watch the video, it should be similar to what you’d encounter with any of their models.
ReplyKevin
9 years agoJust past 1150 miles on mine tonight. Other than a couple of flats, no issues at all with this bike. I love it. Beware though, the speed is addicting and if your like me, you’ll want more no matter how much this gives you. I’ve had mine up to 30 coming off the bridges. Too heavy, and I’m not in good enough shape for more than that yet. I’ll stay with this a bit longer, then look for something even faster. For now though, this is great!!
ReplyRory
9 years agoOne has to doubt if Stromer welcomes Volton with such enthusiasm.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoYeah, it’s more competition… I bet Specialized views Stromer in a similar light ;)
ReplyRobert Perini
9 years agoI have browsed almost every e bike and have put the Volton at the top of my prospects. I’m a, 68 years old and have a few health issues but love the outdoors. I am Canadian and spend the winters in Arizona. Can it be shipped to Canada or would I be better off to wait and have it shipped to my Arizona address. The dollar differential is significant right now and that is all that is holding me back. Also thinking of a step thru for the wife . We would mostly ride paved trails but venture out as we get more proficient on the bikes. Is there a deal for seniors and two bikes.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Robert! I’ve heard about the exchange rates being rough for Canada right now… That, combined with shipping Internationally could end up being more expensive. I’d try to get it in Arizona if possible. As far as Senior discounts and stuff, I’d reach out directly to Volton through their website here which has a phone number +1 (855) 486-5866 and email form. The founder, Joe, is a really nice guy and you can tell him you were on Electric Bike Review learning about his bikes and that might help.
ReplyFranck
9 years agoGood evening, I am considering buying an Alation 500. Having a three years old child, I would like to install a child seat on the back. Can you confirm that it is possible? Thank you
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoCool! My guess is that yes it’s possible to install a child seat on the back of this bike because it has threaded mounting points near the drop outs and up on the seat stays. Normally these are used for mounting a cargo rack but some seats like this Yepp GMG Maxi are designed to fit there as well. I cannot say for sure as I haven’t tested it myself but my bet is that it would work and that there are other seats out there as well that you could try. I hope this helps! You could pose this question in the EBR forums as well and see if anyone else has tips on child seats for ebikes and the Alation 500 in particular :)
ReplyFranck
9 years agoThank you so much for answering so quickly and for your feedback. I found a dealer who sell this bike in the Bay Area, I will ask him directly about the child seat. I will have to commute with my son. We will commute in San Francisco (and climb two short but very steep hills) and we will weight around 200-220 pounds together. Please, could you answer these questions: 1 – I believe it is not a great idea to buy a bike with a Rear-Mounted Hub + a carry rack that transport the battery (for example like the IZIP E3 Path) ? It would be a lot of weight in the back right ? 2 – Would you recommend that I buy the Voton Alation 500 or the Volton Alation Mid-Drive 350 ? Thank you so much for your help ! Happy thanksgiving
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Franck! Yeah… if you put the motor and battery towards the back of a bike it changes the balance and handling. I prefer mid-mounted batteries and Volton has the Alation 500 with this style while also using a hub. For the money, you get more power with a geared hub motor and if you’re planning to carry children then this could be a great option. Mid-Drive systems are also powerful and efficient but without shift sensing they can wear the chain and gears down more quickly. You might also have to focus more on how you ride with a mid-drive and if you’ve got kids on board that could be distracting. I think I’d get the Alation 500 with a standard hub motor personally. Hope this helps, Thanksgiving was great :D
ReplyFranck
9 years agoThank you so much for your feedback, it is so useful. I will definitely buy the Alation 500. I can’t wait, I am so excited! Best regards
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoAwesome! The planetary geared motors that Volton uses have been around for many years and are made in large quantity so they don’t usually have any defects and tend to last a long time. I hope you enjoy the bike and get excellent support from Joe at Volton. Chime in again someday once you’ve had a chance to test it out, feel free to post pictures of your project in the Volton forums as well, there might be others considering a similar setup with kids https://electricbikereview.website/community/forums/8fun/ :D
ReplyAlex
8 years agoI’ve had this bike for two months and absolutely love it. The only thing I would say is that taking the battery out is a bit of a pain. Putting the cover back on is a bit of a struggle. It is not as smooth an operation as the better built bike. I stopped trying to do that and just charge the bike from the port instead of removing he battery.
ReplyCourt Rye
8 years agoWell put Alex, I agree completely… their solution looks decent but isn’t as refined or convenient as some others. I love that it’s possible to take the pack out but would probably leave it in most of the time too just like you’re saying. Glad you’re loving the performance of it and that it’s holding up well :D
ReplyAlex
8 years agoThanks Court. I am a huge fan. Can’t wait to see you take your niche to the next level. Th Alation is a beast. That is what I love. I would have gladly paid $100 more for a better battery removal solution. It leaves you feeling less when you watch the better configurations. Hope Joe reads this. It is the only thing on the bike that dips below acceptable. I repeat, this bike is a beast, just needs a tweak.