Spring is in the air and it’s time to start shopping for a new ride. To that end we present seven bikes that caught our fancy and deliver no matter where you want to spin your wheels.
ENVO | D50
The perfect e-bike for short-haul commuters, running errands, and lazy-day cruising, this baby comes with the capability to haul a lot of cargo. A class 3 e-bike with a burly 750W motor it can hit 28 mph and provides pedal assist, making it ideal for anyone who wants to replace driving with cycling in some capacity. (A class 2 version, which is legal in more bike path situations, delivers 50W of power and tops out at 20 mph.) Even better, you can add a second battery to ride longer distances without stopping to charge up. Better still? You can upgrade it and ride it as a hardtail mountain bike on trails where it’s allowed (hell, with 80mm of travel in the front fork and disc brakes you can even get it on a bit of dirt without upgrades). That all adds up to a bike you can trust as your go-to vehicle anywhere. $2,099; envodrive.com
Salsa | Fargo Apex 1
Here’s a touring bike that can piece together routes on pavement, gravel, even singletrack. The steel frame can withstand a lot of punishment, and drop bar geometry gives it a mountain-bike feel on the descents. Highly customizable (though also good-to-go with factory specs) with the ability to swap in drivetrains and ready for bikepacking thanks to well-placed cargo mounts, this ride helped us dream big. $2,599; salsacycles.com
Canfield | Nimble 9
This steel hardtail appealed to the purists among us—and, truth be told, it can handle gnarly terrain, as well as many full-suspension bikes with less maintenance hassle. Credit that performance to 29-inch wheels and a 150mm front fork. Plus, it can run 29-plus and 27.5-plus wheels as well as 2.8-inch tires. That all adds up to a bike that can punch far beyond its weight on technical terrain and pedals up like a dream. Best of all, Canfield is based here in Colorado in Fruita, one of our favorite places to ride. $3,375; canfieldbikes.com
Trek | Domane+ SLR 7 AXS
Sure, that’s a hefty price tag, but this e-road bike is worth the cash if you need electric power to reach your goals on the pavement. With a carbon frame, manufacturer weight of 27.56 pounds, and all the electronics artfully built into the frame, it doesn’t look or feel like some bulky e-ride. The assist is smooth, quiet, and easy, hitting speeds up to 28 mph. It’s the bike for you if you are past your best days but still want to hang with amped-up friends. $10,000; trekbikes.com
Giant Reign Advanced Pro 29 | Reign Advanced Pro 29
Here’s the bike to make your enduro race ambitions a reality. The beefy 170mm fork with 44mm offset and 146mm of travel in the rear gives you the confidence to point it downhill and pop over features—but don’t think this beast is a dog on the ups. Designed with 29er specific geometry in the composite frame, the bike engages on the uphills thanks to the Maestro rear fork, which makes climbing responsive and smooth. It’s the answer to all those rocky Front Range rides. $4,150; giant-bikes.com
Canyon | Torque:ON CF Roczen
The beauty of an e-downhill-bike (where it is allowed) is that you don’t have to worry about the ups the way you would with your old acoustic beast. A 180mm RockShox Zeb Ultimate RC2 front fork and RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate rear suspension suck up all the hits with aplomb. The 720W and 900W batteries give you the power to take it anywhere and hold a decent charge. And the Ken Roczen artwork gives it a dash of motocross steeze. $8,999; canyon.com
Yeti | SB120 C2
There’s a certain feeling of “I am on the right bike” you get when you show up at the trailhead on a Yeti (based here in Golden, Colorado). The SB120 is the cross-country ride for those of us who love the whole package of mountain biking. The 120mm front fork is more than adequate for long rides and it is simply a dream on those long, lovely grunts up. $4,640; yeticycles.com
