A few years ago, I reviewed Aventons 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, thats what I did. Taken right after I finished the build. (Photos / Ron Frazelle)Listen, the Ramblas is already a great eMTB at an affordable price. Priced at $2899, its one of the only sub $3000 center-drive eMTB hardtails out there. Aventons 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 112 drivetrain and a RockShox 35 Silver R, 130mm fork. It stops with SRAM DB8 hydraulic brakes with 160mm rear and 200mm front rotors.Wheel swap DT Swiss XM 1700 wheelset & the Teravail KesselThe unbranded wheels are pretty heavy and dont 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, its 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. Aventon controls and the PNW Loam Carbon Bar and Loam Dropper LeverSRAM GX T-Type AXS Shifter and a Spurcycle OG Bell, of course!Ive 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 Id 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. PNW Loam Dropper Post5DEV titanium two bolt stemAnd its nice to know that it can be done relatively easily on any type of budget. Upgrade List & Weight SavingsAnywho, heres a list of what I swapped in:Starting weight: 56 lbsHandlebar: PNW carbon Loam BarStem: 5DEV Titanium two boltFork: FOX 36 Performance Elite, 140mm travel, Grip XDropper Lever: PNW LoamDropper Post: PNW Loam, 31.6Grips: Ergon GE1 Evo FactorySaddle Ergon SM Pro Men in size M/LShifter: SRAM GX T-Type Eagle AXSRear Derailleur: SRAM GX T-Type 12-speedRear Cassette: GX T-Type 10-52tWheels: 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 tublessWeight after the above upgrades: 51lbs, 11ozHows 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 youd 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 wouldnt think this would be a big deal, but it is. Not only better for your knees, but its also better for helping to prolong battery life. Take a look below at the Ramblas stock geo, in the XL size. Ramblas Stock GeometryIncreasing fork travel by 10mm generally results in a head tube and seat tube angle that is about 0.5 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 SizeSmallMediumLargeExtra LargeWheel Size27.5292929Seat Tube Length380mm410mm450mm490mmTop Tube Length Horizontal594.5mm616.5mm642mm668mmBottom Bracket Drop55mm55mm55mm55mmHead Tube Length125mm125mm135mm135mmHead Tube Angle66.566.566.566.5Seat Tube Angle74.574.574.574.5Rear Chainstay Length465mm465mm465mm465mmFront Wheel Center720mm744mm770.5mm796mmWheelbase1179.5mm1203mm1230mm1256mmReach415mm432.5mm455mm481mmStack Height640mm656.5mm665mm665mmFork Length530mm547mm547mm547mmFork Offset44mm44mm44mm44mmTrail108.6mm117mm117mm117mmStandover683mm702mm712mm719.5mmRider Height (Range)155 165 cm 51 55165 176 cm 55 59177 188 cm 510 62188 195 cm 62 65In The EndThis 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 dont 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, youll end up with a really fun eMTB. Check out the link for more of the details on the Ramblas.Aventon.comThe post Aventons Mid-Drive Ramblas eMTB is Even More Fun After a Few Upgrades appeared first on Bikerumor.