I could sum up the TrailRush’s ride quality by saying it has several good traits, and even some great ones, with no glaring weaknesses. But let’s dig into the details.
The overall build is solid. At 59 lbs, the bike is on the heavier side, but the motor easily offsets the weight in the upper level PAS modes, and I actually appreciated the planted, stable feel the weight provided on the trail.
Ride1Up has always done a great job with paint, and our Cobalt Blue tester looked sharp, while the other color options appear equally appealing based on photos. A few minor aesthetic drawbacks are worth noting, like the bulkiness of the motor and some exposed cabling, but it’s far from being a clunker. As a bonus, the frame can hold two water bottle cages, which is always nice to see.
Fit and geometry are dialed in well for an XC ride. While the bike only comes in two frame sizes, I think Ride1Up did a good job splitting the difference. The longer wheelbase and chainstays help with stability, and there’s enough variation between the Medium and Large sizes to find a reasonable fit. Two sizes is limited by eMTB standards, but at this price point, it’s a fair tradeoff to keep costs down—and thankfully, the geo feels well thought out. If you can confidently swing a leg over it’s standing height, you should do well on it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the fork. It was the candidate I thought would be subject to lower quality given the rest of the bike, but it’s a nice air fork that is plush but supportive too. It holds up on bumpier singletrack and handles trail chatter without compromising pedaling efficiency during long rides through the countryside.
The 4-piston Tektro brakes also impressed. While we don’t conduct formal braking istance tests for eMTBs and focus on feel and modulation instead, these passed our real-world checks. A 200mm front rotor might be nice for added heat dissipation given the bike’s weight, but I never felt it was necessary during testing. I’m probably just greedy.
The Maxxis tires offer the kind of dependable traction that’s made them a go-to on bikes like this. I also appreciated that the wheels are tubeless-ready, so you have the option to run lower pressures and worry less about flats.
The display is on the simpler side, which I actually prefer on a mountain bike. It’s easy to read at a glance, and the buttons for changing PAS levels are tactile and respond quickly. While there aren’t motor tuning options available, the default programming felt spot-on for the TrailRush’s XC intentions, so I didn’t find myself wishing for more customization anyway.
