Full disclosure: I’m a runaway fan of commuter ebikes as a result of they eradicate using automobiles and make mundane errands far more enjoyable. Electric mountain bikes, not a lot. For an able-bodied bike owner, including an electrical motor to the equation seems like overkill. Plus, in my unscientific opinion, due to their weight and gravitational drive, e-MTBs appear to do extra injury to filth trails, freak out different riders and wildlife, and really feel much less protected than typical mountain bikes.

To my shock, nonetheless, I discovered that two of those three points are debunked in a 2022 ebike research report formulated by the Federal Highway Administration Western Federal Lands Highway Division and the US Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center. Per the report, e-MTBs on trails displace soil and frighten wildlife to no larger extent than typical mountain bikes do (with the caveat that not a lot analysis is on the market on the latter problem). In phrases of security, it’s not clear whether or not the report is particularly referring to e-MTBs, however it states that ebike and traditional bike harm patterns are related, though ebikes are likely to have the next charge of mind trauma accidents. Further, ebike-related accidents are greater than 3 times as prone to contain a collision with a pedestrian.

I’m sufficiently old to know higher than to tempt destiny when my mind is within the steadiness, however I’m nonetheless younger and silly sufficient to crave pace and enjoyable. And if there’s one motive folks experience e-MTBs, it’s as a result of they’re enjoyable. REI’s new electrical mountain bike is a response to the general public’s seemingly insatiable want to amp up that issue.

There are a number of situations wherein e-MTBs will be actually useful. They’re nice for individuals who can’t experience a standard mountain bike for no matter motive, for emergency responders who want quick entry to hard-to-reach areas, and for hunters who need a substitute for a four-wheel all-terrain automobile. They are additionally more and more the selection for mountain bikers who dwell in precise mountains and need to cowl lengthy, steep uphill climbs briefly order in capable of go down quicker. With all this in thoughts, I suspended my ethical handwringing for a number of weeks to check REI Co-op Cycles’ new DRT e3.1.

When the bike arrived, I used to be impressed with its specs. The Class 1 bike, which provides pedal-assist as much as 20 mph, has an aluminum body with a Bosch performance-line mid-drive motor and a 625-watt-hour battery within the downtube. The bike additionally has a dropper seat publish, 140 mm of journey within the entrance RockShox Recon Silver RL Solo Air Fork, and 130 mm of journey within the rear RockShox Deluxe Select Plus RT shock, all of which places this within the mid-travel path bike class, capable of deal with most any sort of singletrack that non-enduro or downhill riders will need to deal with. The 12-speed drivetrain is Sram SX Eagle, and the bike rolls with 2.5-inch-wide Kenda Nevegal tubeless-ready ebike tires. The smaller body sizes are outfitted with 27.5-inch wheels, and the medium by means of XL frames get 29-inch wheels. All that, and the olive-green matte end has class.