Blast Uphill, Rip Singletrack, or Commute to Work: Aventon Ramblas ADV Review

We sped down Cement Creek Road between 11,000-foot Cement Mountain and Red Mountain’s ridge. The sun was setting on our double-track return. For the first time on our ride, I easily rolled at a faster clip than my e-bike partner, Dane Tudor. He was on a full suspension e-MTB, while I was testing the updated Aventon Ramblas ADV hardtail e-mountain bike.

Clearly, this playful, nimble hardtail design is made to transfer power to the ground. The tread pattern enables the bike to roll quickly and efficiently: Maxxis Rekon tires utilize a tightly spaced, ramped center tread. The design minimizes resistance, losing less energy to the ground. The set spins fast on hard-pack, gravel, and pavement.

When Aventon launched the original Ramblas 2 years ago, GearJunkie praised its mid-drive performance. We celebrated the accessible price point for breaking down the cost barriers of pure mountain biking. It earned its reputation as an excellent entry-level eMTB platform.

In this refresh, Aventon kept the original chassis’ stable geometry but focused on rider feedback. By quiet-tuning the motor (among my favorite attributes), refining touchpoints, and incorporating a tubeless wheel setup, this iteration solidifies itself as a trail-eager hardtail. The Ramblas ADV outperforms its price tag.

In short: Agile and fun to maneuver, the Aventon Ramblas ADV ($2,899) is an exceptional, sub-$3,000 electric hardtail mountain bike that masters cross-country singletrack and fire roads. While its nonlocking coil fork remains a limitation depending on rider weight, its newly silenced 100Nm mid-drive motor, revamped dropper post actuation, and tubeless setup deliver solid trail confidence for much less than the competition.

Curious how this refreshed trail machine stacks up against the newest commuter options and cargo fleets? Sprint over to our comprehensively tested round-up of the Best Electric Bikes.

The Quietest Motor We’ve Ever Ridden: Silencing the Powerful A100 Mid-Drive

This spring, I had an opportunity to ride Aventon’s new Ramblas ADV in Colorado. I rode the bike on technical high-alpine desert trails, dirt roads, and chunky motorized singletrack in the mountains.

On our first ride, we immediately noticed how quiet Aventon’s new motors are. The most critical evolution on the Ramblas ADV is tucked directly into the bottom bracket. These motors are the quietest e-mountain bikes I have ever ridden, including all the top brands.

Aventon’s engineers successfully muted the noticeable motor whine of the original version, making it significantly quieter and giving the pedal-assist engagement an incredibly natural, seamless surge. The updated, second-generation Aventon A100 mid-drive motor pushes out the same hill-crushing 100 Nm of torque and 750W of peak power — but with acoustic refinement.

Intelligent Auto Assist & Ride Tune

When I first started riding e-mountain bikes, the mode management added an entirely new layer of engagement. Beyond braking, shifting, and pedaling, you’re constantly managing the motor’s power output — which can be exciting. It can also introduce a new challenge for green e-bikers.

To fix this, Aventon introduced a dynamic Auto Mode. The power setting automatically senses your physical output and trail grade to adjust the motor’s assist on the fly. I thought it was a great bridge of two worlds: The ride felt more mentally streamlined — more like riding my analog MTB — without sacrificing the motor’s velocity.

For riders who prefer granular customization, the Aventon App’s “Ride Tune” lets you connect via Bluetooth to manually adjust the motor settings. Micro-adjustments include the maximum torque and pedal response acceleration (i.e., sensor sensitivity). You can also change the assistance levels (as in, the percentage of help provided relative to your pedal input). The overrun is fixed and cannot be adjusted.

Tubeless Transition

One of the brand’s biggest complaints about the original model was that it wasn’t tubeless. Aventon equipped the ADV model with premium, tubeless-ready 29-inch wheels and high-traction Maxxis Rekon 29” x 2.4” tires.

Transitioning to tubeless allows you to drop tire pressures significantly lower. That adjustment improves traction across a variety of surfaces and eliminates pinch flats.

Overhauled Dropper Post Mechanics

A reliable dropper seatpost is key for tackling steep, technical descents. While the dropper still offers a generous 150mm of clearance, Aventon overhauled the handlebar-mounted remote actuation lever.

The updated lever design makes it effortless to move the saddle down with a quick thumb press. Overall, the cockpit is clean and tidy.

Composed Class 1 and Class 3 Versatility

The Ramblas ADV steps out of the garage as a regulated Class 1 trail bike, capping assistance at 20 mph to stay compliant with singletrack and multiuse trail rules.

However, if you want to use the bike as an aggressive pavement commuter during the work week, you can use the smart app to toggle it into a Class 3 configuration. This unlocks the mid-drive, providing smooth assistance up to 28 mph and expanding the bike’s everyday utility.

Critique: Stiff Springs & Fixed Dampening

The updates are stellar, but the front end still falls back on a familiar entry-level compromise.

Our biggest complaint is that the RockShox Psylo Silver R 130mm fork relies on a traditional coil spring system rather than an adjustable air chamber. This leads to two limitations: no sag or weight adjustability, and limited controls with no compression adjustment dial or mechanical lockout lever for climbs.

So, while the 35mm stanchions provide stiff, confident steering for average-sized riders, the fork is likely tuned for rider weights in the 160- to 190-pound range. Heavier riders will likely find the suspension too soft and bouncy. For my ride partner and me, the suspension felt too stiff. That said, you can swap the coil spring for one with a different spring rate to better match your weight.

Core mountain bikers might question the integrated handlebar headlight, which reflects Aventon’s roots as a commuter e-bike brand. Ultimately, we saw the included component as useful and didn’t find it detracted from the ride. It isn’t noisy and doesn’t noticeably crowd the cockpit. Having an included light is a helpful safety feature for trafficked roads and bike paths at dawn or dusk.

It also seemed misplaced to include a kickstand on an eMTB. I removed it.

Conclusion: Who It’s For

The Aventon Ramblas ADV is an ironclad choice for cost-conscious trail riders, as long as they don’t mind giving up full suspension for that power transfer. For hardtail enthusiasts — who typically ride smoother cross-country singletrack and hard-packed fire roads — it’s hard to beat the playfulness, energy, brakes, and Auto mode of this e-mountain bike.

A full-power e-mountain bike, it matches the peak power and torque of well-established bikes like the Santa Cruz Bullit, though it comes at the lowest price. However, aside from being in a different category, the Bosch motor on the Bullit is much smoother and more intuitive. The Ramblas ADV is a heavy hardtail that will blast up hills and double as a commuter, but lacks high-end trail refinement.

At an aggressive price point of $2,899, it sidesteps expensive construction but favors a few select name-brand components like SRAM 4-piston hydraulic brakes and a smooth 12-speed drivetrain.

If you want a full-power, fairly customizable e-MTB hardtail that skips the premium price tag, this refined Ramblas ADV is arguably the best value of its kind on the modern dirt market.