The Best Mountain Ebike
Canyon Spectral: ON CFR
There is some tension over the presence of electric bikes on trails. Still, if you love the sport but are getting older, an e-MTB is the best way to keep doing what you love. WIRED reviewer Stephanie Pearson loved Canyon’s Spectral: On CFR (9/10, WIRED Recommends).
The Spectral: On CFR is a playful ride, with a larger 29-inch front wheel and a smaller 27.5-inch back wheel on a full-carbon frame with front and rear suspension. You can pick a 720- or a 900-watt-hour battery (the small frame size only comes with the 720); the 720-Wh battery has a quoted range of about 51 miles. Pearson had fast, powerful, and joyful 15- to 25-mile rides on singletrack that left the battery only half-empty. As always, be sure to test out a new electric mountain bike to make sure you know what it feels like before you try an electric assist on any terrain that is super gnarly.
★ Alternative: I am seriously considering buying the Trek Fuel EXe ($9,199). Trek’s adaptive assistance is quiet and perfectly calibrated; the motor is quiet and the battery invisible. When I climbed, it just looked and felt like I was … a little bit more in shape than I was. It’s the perfect bike if you don’t want to buzz cross-country trails, but just need a little assistance to get to the top without falling. It comes in several different iterations. Bike people are crazy, and at $6,500, the cheapest version is not outrageously priced for a full-suspension MTB, even without electric assistance.