A few years ago, I reviewed Aventon’s Ramblas eMTB. It was a fun bike with a mid-low-level spec. And I remember thinking the Ramblas could be so much better with just a little bit of upgrading to a few key areas. So, that’s what I did.
Listen, the Ramblas is already a great eMTB at an affordable price. Priced at $2899, it’s one of the only sub $3000 center-drive eMTB hardtails out there. Aventon’s proprietary A100 center-drive motor is 36v, 250W (sustained) and 750W (peak), and has a claimed 100 Nm of torque. with an IP67 rating.
The Ramblas comes from the factory with a decent spec. It sports a SRAM NX Eagle 1×12 drivetrain and a RockShox 35 Silver R, 130mm fork. It stops with SRAM DB8 hydraulic brakes with 160mm rear and 200mm front rotors.
The unbranded wheels are pretty heavy and don’t come ready to run with tubless tires. They do, however, come with a decent set of Maxxis Rekon 29 x 2.4 rubber. So, as you can see, it’s not bad, and the factory spec is great for that price point.
What Upgrades?
Aventon markets the Ramblas as its MTB/Urban eBike. It has all of the attachment points for racks and fenders, and would make for a great commuter. It even comes with integrated front and rear lights, as well as turn signals.
I’ve ridden it in its stock form for a few rides, and it was fun, but the stock RockShox fork and the dropper post left me wanting. Aventon says the Ramblas can be upgraded like a “regular” mountain bike, so I thought I’d give that a try.
So I scrounged around my shop and thankfully found a lot of parts that would swap right over. You may not have a number of spare parts lying around, but the key here is that the specs are all common MTB sizes.
And it’s nice to know that it can be done relatively easily on any type of budget.
Upgrade List & Weight Savings
Anywho, here’s a list of what I swapped in:
Starting weight: 56 lbs
- Handlebar: PNW carbon Loam Bar
- Stem: 5DEV Titanium two bolt
- Fork: FOX 36 Performance Elite, 140mm travel, Grip X
- Dropper Lever: PNW Loam
- Dropper Post: PNW Loam, 31.6
- Grips: Ergon GE1 Evo Factory
- Saddle Ergon SM Pro Men in size M/L
- Shifter: SRAM GX T-Type Eagle AXS
- Rear Derailleur: SRAM GX T-Type 12-speed
- Rear Cassette: GX T-Type 10-52t
- Wheels: DT Swiss XM 1700 Aluminum, Hooked, Crotchet tubeless TC, 30mm inner width, 32H
Hubs: Front: DT Swiss XM 1700 Spline, 110 x 15mm boost thru-axle. Rear: DT Swiss XM 1700 Spline, 148 x 12mm boost thru-axle (yes, the Ramblas has a Boost rear end) - Tires: Teravail Kessel: 29 x 2.6 (front), and 29 x 2.4 (rear), setup tubless
Weight after the above upgrades: 51lbs, 11oz
How’s it Ride?
It rides fast and nimbly, and feels a boat-load lighter. The FOX 36 fork is a game-changer (as would a RockShox fork of equal quality compared to the stock 35 Silver R). I think the biggest change I notice is where you’d expect it: swapping to lighter wheels. It feels like it just moves less heavily, if that makes sense. Before the upgrades, the Ramblas rode fine; it just felt a bit sluggish and cumbersome at times. But now, it feels a little more like an “analog” mountain bike, and feels more nimble and capable.
The other noticeable change was swapping out a 130mm fork for a 140mm fork. The extra 10mm of travel has translated to an ever-so-slightly slacker front end. The FOX fork is a much higher-end fork, so the ride quality, adjustability, and shock absorption are way better than the stock RockShox. Plus, the FOX fork is a little more aesthetically pleasing and gives the bike a better look overall.
I used the SRAM GX T-Type Eagle AXS rear derailleur, shifter, and cassette, but kept the stock front crank arms and chainring. The stock front chainring is a 34t, combined with the GX T-Type 10-52t cassette that I swapped in, gave me slightly more desirable gear inches for climbing.
To be exact, it dropped from 20.1 gear inches down to 19.3. With pedal assist, you wouldn’t think this would be a big deal, but it is. Not only better for your knees, but it’s also better for helping to prolong battery life.
Take a look below at the Ramblas stock geo, in the XL size.
Ramblas Stock Geometry
Increasing fork travel by 10mm generally results in a head tube and seat tube angle that is about 0.5º slacker, while raising the BB 3-4mm, and slightly decreasing the reach. Both the stock 130mm fork and the swapped 140mm fork have the same offset of 44mm.
| Frame Size | Small | Medium | Large | Extra Large |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel Size | 27.5″ | 29″ | 29″ | 29″ |
| Seat Tube Length | 380mm | 410mm | 450mm | 490mm |
| Top Tube Length Horizontal | 594.5mm | 616.5mm | 642mm | 668mm |
| Bottom Bracket Drop | 55mm | 55mm | 55mm | 55mm |
| Head Tube Length | 125mm | 125mm | 135mm | 135mm |
| Head Tube Angle | 66.5° | 66.5° | 66.5° | 66.5° |
| Seat Tube Angle | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° |
| Rear Chainstay Length | 465mm | 465mm | 465mm | 465mm |
| Front Wheel Center | 720mm | 744mm | 770.5mm | 796mm |
| Wheelbase | 1179.5mm | 1203mm | 1230mm | 1256mm |
| Reach | 415mm | 432.5mm | 455mm | 481mm |
| Stack Height | 640mm | 656.5mm | 665mm | 665mm |
| Fork Length | 530mm | 547mm | 547mm | 547mm |
| Fork Offset | 44mm | 44mm | 44mm | 44mm |
| Trail | 108.6mm | 117mm | 117mm | 117mm |
| Standover | 683mm | 702mm | 712mm | 719.5mm |
| Rider Height (Range) | 155 – 165 cm 5’1″ – 5’5″ | 165 – 176 cm 5’5″ – 5’9″ | 177 – 188 cm 5’10” – 6’2″ | 188 – 195 cm 6’2″ – 6’5″ |
In The End
This was a fun experiment to see how easy it would be to upgrade an entry-level eMTB. The Ramblas makes for a decent platform to build upon.
The Aventon Ramblas is priced at $2899, and it is a ton of bike for that price. And at that price, it still leaves you room for some nice upgrades.
If you are looking for a hardtail eMTB, and you don’t want to drop $5000+, then I would take a serious look at the Aventon Ramblas. You can ride it in its stock form for as long as you like, upgrading slowly as things break or wear out. At the very least, you’ll end up with a really fun eMTB.
Check out the link for more of the details on the Ramblas.
