Santa Monica Ebike

I had been researching eBikes for 1.5 years and had finally settled on a highly recommended, sub-$2k, ebike. I went to a local dealer to buy the bike and the dealer asked me to take his Santa Monica prototype, a bike I had never seen before, for a ride. Compared to the bike I went there to buy, the SM had 50% more power, a higher wH battery, larger brakes, a better display and a lower step-over height, a critical requirement as I have a disability that restricts my leg motion. Plus it was less expensive. I put in an order for the Santa Monica that day. I picked up my new Santa Monica several months ago and have been enjoying it ever since. I ride it in PAL 1 most of the time; it cruises up our steepest local hills in PAL 2 (out of 5) at 15 MPH with me pedaling. This bike is fast! One review showed a pedal assisted speed of 37 MPH in Unlimited mode. The acceleration in PAL 2 puts a smile on my face; PAL 5 lets me effortlessly accelerate up the steepest hill in my riding area, a buddy's long driveway with a grade illegal for public roads. I am getting over 60 miles on a charge (mostly flat roads, PAL 1, pedaling full time to maximize my exercise). This is very well built, beautiful (mine is blue) with welds and paint that are easily the equivalent of bikes double the cost. It is a solid feeling bike; even large bumps hit at 15 - 20 MPH don't cause frame flexing. It is a fun bike that looks like a low speed cruiser but can turn into a rocket (Unlimited PAL 5) if you want. If you are looking for a great sub-$2K cruiser that you can look forward to riding every day, , this bike is worth a look.

After speaking with two AIMA reps, I was told there is a firmware update available to fix the battery "sleep mode" issue after charging. They were eager to solve any issues. Hoping this works as I love the bike.

The bike is great. I swapped the tan seat and grips for black like the Big Sur. But, like another reviewer mentioned, if you charge it and leave it plugged in after fully charging, you have to remove the battery and push a button to wake it up. I only left mine for about 15 minutes after fully charging and had to wrestle the battery out, reset it and reinstall it. Not happy with that. Customer service said they're aware but there is no fix as of now.
Not sure I want to deal with that for the life of the bike. The plug/unplug "fix" didn't work for me.

I am in my late 60s, and have been road riding on my Trek bike for many many years. My typical ride in the afternoon is around 10 miles and on the weekends I do a lot more.

With age, comes infirmities. And my left knee began making an unusual sensation when peddling hard like up a hill. I’ve been to a doctor and there’s nothing serious just some minor wear.. Certainly not worth doing any intervention.

A friend of mine at work mentioned an E bike. I was completely unaware of how they operated. I did some research, and the more I read the more I felt this might be a solution.

I found a local dealer, who had fabulous reviews. So I went down and visited and rode several bikes with the Santa Monica being the top choice by a country mile.

Once I learned of all of the phenomenal seamless operations, combined with the lengthy test ride I had, I purchased it on the spot.

In all of my riding days, I have not had as much fun as with this bike. I still burn the same number of calories as I always have, but travel three times the distance. You will see on multiple YouTube videos review after review singing the praises of this bike, and they are all true.

I live in a rural area and most of the errands I run are 4 to 5 miles. I always had used my conventional bike, but down here in Florida you arrive sweaty and hot. With this bike, I have run virtually every errand instead of using my car and arrived comfortable but yet still have a good workout. Basically, you can dial in as much effort as you want to expend. If I’m going on a simple errand, I used more pedal assist to keep me from getting overheated.

The features on this bike are absolutely fantastic. I did see another review where the owner was displeased with the charging feature requiring the removal of the battery. I have two battery batteries, and I charge one out of the bike inside where I am available to monitor it. When it’s time to ride, I simply place it in the Bike, remove the other one for its charging cycle when it’s convenient for me.

I cannot believe how much fun these bikes are, and this one in particular is fabulous. Of the many features that I like, I believe the torque sensor is a superior method of gauging how much pedal assist is needed.

I cannot recommend this bike more highly.

The is only day 4 with the Santa Monica and we like a lot of things about it. It's a beautiful bike with many useful features. Unfortunately, we are going to exchange it for a different brand. If you leave this bike plugged in after it has reached full charge, the bike does not wake up by pushing either of its two power buttons (yes. it has two) on the handlebar. You either have to unplug as soon as it reaches full charge or you will have to completely remove the battery, push a button on the battery to reactivate it, reinsert the battery, and then power on the bike. If you are like me and charge while you sleep, you will need to go through this "wake up" routine every time that you unplug (if you reached full charge). This is a terrible design that is not published anywhere and comes as a deal breaker surprise to us, after buying the bike and bringing it home. I had to figure out the workaround on my own before the very first ride as the bike wouldn't power on. This is sad because it's an otherwise great bike, hopefully Aima will change this less than practical battery management design.