REI Co-op Cycles CTY e2.1 Review: Affordable and Dependable

I fell in emotion with the REI CTY e2.1 the infinitesimal I saw its blistery lava framework travel retired of the container successful my garage. The racy reddish colour and an easy-to-step-through framework screamed, “Ride maine now!” There were nary barriers to entry, similar an app that I had to download. All I needed to bash was crook the motorcycle connected and ride. (Note: If you are uncomfortable assembling the motorcycle and unrecorded adjacent an REI, the store volition physique it and besides connection 1 twelvemonth of escaped adjustments.)

So I did. I pedaled crossed the metropolis connected a scenic drive, done engaged intersections, down a fewer steep residential streets to a cycling way that led to a rocky formation connected the shoreline of Lake Superior. The bike’s upright geometry, which had maine little hunched implicit than other e-bikes I’ve tested, made the satellite pop. I noticed the odor of lilacs connected the breeze and the superb hues of greenish aft a soggy spring, details I don’t ever drawback erstwhile I’m crouched implicit handlebars.

At the beach, I met my spouse who was bully and brought a picnic. We ate food and crackers and sipped rosé until the prima dipped debased implicit the hills of the city. I purposely stayed retired until the mosquitoes started buzzing truthful I could contention the prima and my fellow successful his car backmost to our house. It whitethorn person partially been the solid of rosé, oregon the quality of an aboriginal summertime evening, but the 22-mile circular travel thrust connected the CTY e2.1 made a Friday nighttime particularly fun.

About Town

The CTY e2.1 is the upgrade to the entry-level CTY e1.1 ($1,299). I deliberation it's worthy the other money, particularly considering that it's inactive good beneath $2,000 and besides goes connected merchantability rather often. The artillery capableness of the CTY e2.1 is much than adequate. On that day, aft a mile-long, 1,000-foot ascent backmost up the steep elevation to my house, I had 39 percent of artillery powerfulness near to spare, aft toggling done each 4 levels of assistance passim an ambling, four-hour circuit of the city.

As an municipality commuter, the CTY e2.1 is simply a nicely packaged instrumentality for the price. It is a people 1 ebike with a 250-watt Shimano E5000 motor, accompanied by a 36-volt, 418 watt-hour, lithium-ion artillery that boosts up to 20 miles per hour, and a scope of astir 60 miles successful Eco Mode. The artillery runs down the full magnitude of the sloping downtube and, per my scale, is astir the aforesaid value arsenic a sack of potatoes. But it's inactive casual capable to instrumentality retired with the crook of a cardinal to complaint it autarkic of the bike.

A beforehand fork dampens the roadworthy chatter and hydraulic disc brakes marque stopping much precise. The Schwalbe Big Ben 2-inch-wide tires person a hefty tread signifier for an municipality bike, offering bully traction. The tire’s reinforced sidewalls are besides reflective to marque you much disposable astatine night.

Added amenities see comfy gel grips and a padded foam saddle, a cockpit with riser bars and a agleam headlight, and a hefty kickstand for erstwhile you yet request to park. No fenders, though, which is shocking arsenic it got rather sloppy connected a thrust aft a storm. Nevertheless, the motorcycle is nary uncertainty amusive and navigates each mode of metropolis streets well—from smooth, paved paths to bumpy, potholed roads. It’s not a motorcycle to instrumentality connected gravel roads oregon singletrack.

Affordable and Adequate

At this terms point, you can’t expect to person it all. There inactive are immoderate areas that could usage immoderate improvement. First, astatine 54 pounds 8 ounces (size large), it’s not light—a origin that doesn’t needfully bog you down portion tooling astir a level city, but it does marque maneuvering it astir the store oregon hauling it up steps hard to manage.

Also, the 250-watt hub centrifugal is beauteous standard-issue connected galore e-bikes, but this 1 lone has 60 newton meters of torque arsenic opposed to astatine slightest 80 connected different e-bike motors. The deficiency of torque, which is the acceleration that keeps your motorcycle moving guardant particularly up hills, makes the CTY e2.1 a wimpy climber. So, this whitethorn not beryllium the champion enactment successful a metropolis similar San Francisco (or Duluth, wherever I live).

Finally, I emotion that the motorcycle is minimalist successful its e-ness, meaning it doesn’t necessitate an accompanying app to ride. But the surface is astir the size of a wristwatch face. And portion it provides plentifulness of basal data, similar mileage, miles per hour, and powerfulness mode, the propulsion buttons are truthful adjacent unneurotic and the surface is truthful hard to work that it’s astir intolerable to spot portion riding—a origin that is not lone frustrating, but tin besides beryllium dangerous. Still, if each you request is an other propulsion connected your multi-mile enactment commute, the CTY e2.1 is simply a bully option—especially successful the reddish color.