Review: Aventon Ramblas ADV
- kelly jorgensen
- May 5
- 8 min read
A Review Of The Aventon Ramblas ADV eMTB And First Ride Thoughts Video.
Aventon started back in 2013 with an industry disrupting fixed gear bike they infused with hydroform technology which at the time seemed unattainable. They become a well know fixed gear brand bringing home in 2015 winning the Red Hook Crit in Barcelona, Spain. In 2018 Aventon launched their first electric bike: the original Pace 500. Since then they have been bringing more innovation and expanding into multiple categories of e-bikes. In 2024 Aventon launched their first ever electric mountain bike (eMTB), the Aventon Ramblas ADV, the bike I have been riding for a few weeks now and the one we will focus on in this review. While the bike that has the stolen the show recently, the newly released Aventon Current full suspension eMTB, I feel like the Ramblas shouldn't be overlooked because it lacks a rear shock. Too many people buying a mountain bike, whether they are just getting into the sport or people that have been riding for a while looking for a new bike will make the mistake of buying bad full suspension over a good hard tail due to lack of budget. I see way to many people spend money on an old full suspension with outdated geometry and garbage components when they could have bought a modern hardtail with good geometry and solid components that would be a much more capable and dependable bike than the cheap full suspension they found on marketplace. I feel like this applies to eMTB's as well. There are plenty of high performance full suspension dream eMTB's out there to choose from, but those also come with a dream bike price tag that many of us just can't afford. If you're my friend and you have less than $3,000 to spend on a new eMTB the Ramblas is the bike I would tell you to buy.
First Ride Thoughts
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Model - Ramblas ADV Ebike
Weight - 54 lbs
Total Weight Limit - 300 lbs
Range - Up to 90 miles
Frame - 6061 Single-Butted Aluminum Alloy
Fork - Rockshox Psylo Silver R, 35mm Stanchions, coil, 44mm offset, 15x110mm BOOST, 1.5"tapered steerer tube, Rebound adjust
Rear Spacing - 12x148mm
Fork Spacing - 15x110mm
Rear Wheel - 29in, 32hole, BOOST Thru Axle, Presta Valve, Tubeless Ready
Front Wheel - 29in, 32hole, BOOST Thru Axle, Presta Valve, Tubeless Ready
Tires - Maxxis Rekon 29"x2.4" Tubeless Ready
Ebike System
Speed - Class 1 (The bike is adjustable to Class 3 in the Aventon MyRide app and is not throttle compatible)
Motor - Aventon a100 mid-drive. 36v, 250W (sustained), 750W (peak), 100NM torque. IP67 rating
Motor Torque - 100Nm
Motor Power - 250W (750W Peak)
Display - Aventon BC201
Battery - Aventon 708 WH. 36V LG 21700 cells
Battery Weight - 8.44 lbs
Sensors - Double Sided Torque Sensor Integrated in Motor
Charger - 42V 4A charger
Charging time from 0% to 100% - 5 hours
Lights - Integrated
Front Brake - SRAM DB6 4-Piston Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Rear Brake - SRAM DB6 4-Piston Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Rear Brake Rotor - SRAM G2 200mm
Front Brake Rotor - SRAM G2 200mm
Drivetrain
Rear Derailleur - SRAM NX 12-Speed
Shifter - SRAM NX
Chain - SRAM 12-Speed
Cassette - SRAM SX 12-Speed 10-50T
Chainring -SRAM 34T
Crankset - 165mm ISIS Splined
Pedals - 9/16" Alloy Platform
Saddle - Aventon Saddle
Seatpost - Manic LC 150mm travel for size M-XL. 31.6mm ø. 395mm length
Handlebars - 760mm width, 35mm clamp diameter, 33mm rise, 3* upsweep, 9* backsweep.
Grips - Aventon Lock on grips
Headset - T51Ks 28.6*56-56*39.8/ H:23.4mm
Technical Overview
Ramblas comes out of the box as a Class I ebike, with pedal assist. The bike is adjustable to Class 3 in the Aventon MyRide app and is not throttle compatible. The bike is rated at an IP67 waterproof rating, meaning it can be fully submerged for short periods of time.
Climbing
Honestly, climbing a hardtail eMTB isn't that deep. It's a hardtail so of course it's efficient. It has a motor so you don't have to try super hard unless you want to. But there are definitely some things to point out. Starting out with the motor. The Aventon a100 mid-drive motor has 250W (sustained), 750W (peak) power and 100NM torque. It gives you the option of running in ECO, Trail, Turbo or Auto mode. Each mode is customizable in the Aventon app allowing you to choose how much power you are getting from each of the power modes. Auto mode adjusts how much assistance the motor gives based upon how steep the trail is. I have been riding in the stock settings. I have mostly ridden in the Trail or Auto modes, unless I am on a long, straight and open section of trail or fire road, then I will put it into turbo. I feel like there is plenty of power and torque and I don't feel like I would ever need much more than this except for maybe long, steep fire roads or double track. The power delivery from the motor always feels consistent, intuitive and natural. Even in Turbo mode the power comes on in a controlled manner so you never feel like you are going to loop out and land on your back. The motor is pretty quiet and honestly just kind of fades away in the background. If I were to pick something out that I don't love, there is some rattling coming from the motor somewhere. Seated climbing is super comfortable. Geometry is pretty spot on for most trail riding and even riding flat and rolling terrain. With a 66.5° head tube angle and 74.5° seat tube angle the bike doesn't wander and the bike feels balanced on mellow and steeper climbs. The front wheel stays put and weighted on steeper climbs but my hands don't get sore and tire on mellower terrain like when riding some enduro bikes with super steep seat tube angles. Also, that saddle is really comfortable!
Descending
Going downhill is still the most fun, even when your'e riding an ebike. The Ramblas a fun bike going down for sure. You aren't going to be ripping full speed down steep, gnarly chunky lines with wreckless abandon. It is still a hardtail. But that doesn't mean you can't do it. You just need to be a bit more careful picking your line and taking it a bit slower. The Rockshox Psylo Silver R fork with 130mm of travel does a great job of smoothing out the bumps. Lower end coil sprung forks have come a long way. They used to be pretty sticky and quite noisy too, like there were a bunch of loose bits inside just clanging around. This fork is buttery smooth and super quiet. Being a coil sprung fork though, it does have it's limits. If you are a larger sized human like myself (270 lbs) you will want to see about swapping out the spring for something stiffer. I never had any harsh bottom outs but I do blow through most of the travel pretty easily. One of the biggest parts of going downhill is being able to stop. You can carry more speed when you have good brakes by being able to brake later. A lot of times bike brands will spec a bike with the weakest, stupidest brakes possible to keep the price down. Aventon was smart and put the Sram DB6 brakes on the Ramblas. With the DB6 brakes, the price stays low but the braking performance is high. The Sram DB6 4 piston brakes paired up with the 200mm rotors do a great job of bringing the eight of the bike and all of my weight to a stop. The lever feel is good and doesn't feel too grabby. They have some decent modulation with plenty of bite when you need it. There is no bite point adjustment or anything but there is a reach adjust for the levers. One thing I really noticed on the Ramblas was how well it cornered. The bike is really well balanced and I never felt like I was fighting to stay centered over the bike. With the chainstays at 465mm and the reach at 481mm, I felt like the ratio bewteen front and rear center was about perfect. The chainstays are all the same lenght per size so the size medium may feel a bit more rearward biased. Typically it is the small and medium sizes with the better rear to front center ratio and the large and XL sizes get too short. Long chainstays are so hot right now in case you didn't know. Just look at the geo charts on Forbidden bikes. :) Once up to speed the 54 lb eMTB actually feels pretty nimble and the bike is easy to move around and manipulate through and over roots and rocks. Despite the longer rear end that front end of the bike is pretty easy to get off the ground. The Ramblas comes with tubeless ready wheels and tires and I suggest doing it if you plan on taking it on actual trails. You can run lower pressure in your tires by going with a tubeless set up and that helps a ton with bumps and trail chatter. It's like giving yourself a few more mm of travel up front and soften up the back end a bit as well. I like the Maxxis Rekon tires spec'd on the Ramblas. They have very low rolling resistance but plenty of traction and a pretty predictable feel when cornering and leaning the bike over. If I am being picky, the one gripe I have with the Ramblas is the 490mm seat tube length. That means I am stuck with a 150mm dropper post and I have gotten used to having around 210mm of seat post drop. Not a deal breaker for me but definitely something to be aware of if you are picky about having the most amount of drop possible on your seat post. Other than that, the Ramblas is a ton of fun!
Other Stuff
If you find yourself riding around town, commuting or riding paved trails you can go into the app and turn the Ramblas into a class 3 ebike that tops out at 28 mph. Integrated head and tail lights make this bike a great choice for riding around town and commuting too. The bike is also rated at an IP67 waterproof rating, meaning it can be fully submerged for short periods of time. The battery is removable and extra batteries can be purchased which is cool if you are out camping or something and need to swap batteries out while the other one is charging. The frame design and paint job is super rad on this bike as well. Aventon isn't half assing anything here.
Who Is This Bike For
The Aventon Ramblas is for anyone that wants a solid eMTB with good components that just work. Also for someone who doesn't have a huge budget and wants something simple and easy to maintain. The coold thing about the Ramblas is you can ride it on real mountain bike trails or you can use it as a commuter or just out crusiing paved trails or all around exploring. I am going to be using this as a bikepacking rig that I will take to get to some backcountry spots for flyfishing that would take much longer on foot. The Ramblas is an awesome all-rounder do everyting ebike for beginner and advanced riders alike.
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