When the folks at Aventon rolled out their first-ever mid-drive e-MTB earlier this year, they expected a small degree of head-scratching from consumers.
With the brand’s new mid-drive motor, a first for Aventon, and reliable components made to stand the demands of trail riding without making the bike completely unaffordable, Aventon hopes the Ramblas will prove to be the perfect entry point for new e-MTB riders, and a long-term companion that is as effortless to upgrade as it is to charge up steep hills with ease.
Aventon Ramblas A100 motor
One of the most striking developments equipped on the Ramblas is Aventon’s all-new A100 motor.
The motor is the brainchild of Aventon engineers who developed it in-house. It’s not just an existing white-label motor with Aventon branding etched into it at the last minute.
This particular motor provides a whopping 100 nm of torque, which is more than enough to climb any kind of terrain, whether smooth, rocky, or somewhere in between, with ease.
Guillaume Crepin, Aventon’s product marketing manager for Europe, said the reason Aventon engineers decided to create a mid-drive motor stemmed from the need for reliable power delivery and the right level of power for the bike’s intended use.
Previously, all other Aventon bikes have featured a rear-hub motor.
“You can have a much more smooth and instantaneous power delivery with a mid-drive motor,” Crepin said. “That’s not the same feel that you get with a hub motor.”
He said you also can’t get the same level of power from a hub-driven motor, which is particularly important when navigating mountain bike trails.
With a range of up to 80 miles, and three different levels of pedaling assistance riders can customize with the Aventon app, The Ramblas provides a firm foundation for trail riders to begin exploring.
Aventon Ramblas components
Aventon’s intentionality with its new motor carried over into the components selected for the Ramblas.
From its grippy Maxxis Rekon 29 x 2.4″ tires, 130mm travel coil fork, 150mm travel dropper post, and SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain, the Ramblas looks and feels like a true mountain bike right out of the box, and is rock-solid and reliable on the trail.
At an MSRP of $2,899, the Ramblas costs considerably less than many other e-MTBs on the market, especially those outfitted with features like a dropper post and powerful 100nm motor.
Erin Machan, a product manager for Aventon, said the components that ended up on the final version of the Ramblas represent a reliable starting point but are simple to upgrade as a rider’s needs develop along with their skill level and time on the bike.
“Start with this. Have a good foundation. Have a good frame that can take any level of component and upgrade when you’re ready, and when you’re serious, and when you decide that you’re committed to this activity,” Machan said. “It is an entry-level e-MTB hardtail, and it is an approachable price point and approachable spec. It’s a recognizable spec.”
The Ramblas features a UDH derailleur hanger that can accept pretty much any drivetrain, standard boost spacing for the wheelset, along with traditional headset spacing, and standard stem and dropper post sizes that easily match up to a wide variety of options on the market.
Aventon Ramblas reliability
Through the process of design, Crepin said Aventon leaned upon its own staff and network of riders to dial in the motor to make it smaller, quieter, and more powerful.
“The market right now has settled at something like 85 to 90 nm as kind of the high-end tune,” he said. “Going for 100 nm tells us that we have power in reserve. The motor can withstand the usual 60 to 90 nm that most people will use on a daily basis while riding, and also gives us that extra oomph that you might need for heavier riders, for people who want to do bike packing, or who may want to commute with a couple of bags and put a rack on it.”
Aventon offers a two-year warranty on its bikes, including motor replacements and warranty parts. However, Crepin said he’s been riding these bikes for around 10 months, one of which has more than 800 or so miles on it, and still works the same as it did when it first came out of the box.
He has a second Ramblas he’s been riding harder at bike parks and other trail systems and has similarly seen no problems.
Crepin said even at nearly a year in, the bike still holds enough power for 50- to 60-mile trekking-type uses over mixed technical terrain.
“I’ve done tests last year with 5,000 feet of climbing with one battery and I was in freezing temperatures in Austria,” Crepin said. “Still, I don’t see the battery getting weaker than before.”
Aventon Ramblas Personality
Many e-bikes feature things like throttle levers and top speeds approaching 30 mph. The Ramblas does not. As a Class 1 e-bike its max speed is just above 20 mph. The reasoning for that, Machan said, was to remain true to mountain biking norms and trail rules.
Machan said Aventon easily could have called the Ramblas a Class 1 bike and allowed riders to unlock it to hit a 28 mph top speed. She said the brand recognized that some riders may not be happy that they opted out of that option. But keeping the bike in the Class 1 category means it will be welcome and allowed on pretty much all mountain bike trails.
“If we come out with a mountain bike and say it’s a Class 1 and then let it go to Class 3, then we are not actually playing by the rules and we’re not actually in the mountain bike space,” she said. “We want to show that we were serious about making bikes that are actually mountain bikes.”
From its motor to its design and components, the Ramblas is unmistakably a trail bike and one of the most affordable out there that offers the opportunity to hit the trails with confidence right out of the box, along with a ton of room to grow.
