Ride1Up recently threw its hat into the electric mountain bike ring — and not with a tentative little toss, either. The new Ride1Up TrailRush is the company’s first fully fledged, fully class 3 eMTB, and it’s aiming to take a big bite out of a segment that has traditionally been dominated by pricey, big-brand models.
Ride1Up TrailRush Video Review
To see this e-bike in action during my own testing, check out my video review below. Then keep reading for my complete thoughts on this awesome new electric mountain bike.
Ride1Up TrailRush tech specs
- Motor: Brose TF Sprinter mid-drive motor (90 Nm torque)
- Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h)
- Battery: 36V14Ah (504Wh)
- Frame: Aluminum alloy 6061
- Fork: 120mm Rockshox Judy Siler TK Air Fork
- Weight: 57 lb (25.8 kg)
- Brakes: Tektro Orion HD-M475 quad-piston hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Brose color LCD display, integrated torque sensor, dropper post, three color options, two frame sizes, mounting points for rear rack, distinct and utter lack of a kickstand (maybe that one’s a bug…)
- Price: $2,095
A good eMTB for a great price?
Let me give you the bottom line up front: The TrailRush delivers serious off-road capability, name-brand components, and a high-end German-made mid-drive motor system at a price that’s going to make a lot of riders do a double-take. In a good way.
For years, Ride1Up has been carving out a reputation as the go-to brand for affordable, high-performance e-bikes that don’t feel cheap. Commuters and casual riders already know the name well, but the TrailRush marks a new chapter for the brand – one that swaps city streets for singletrack, gravel fire roads, and just about anything else you can point a set of knobby tires at.
At the core of the TrailRush is the Brose TF Sprinter mid-drive motor, delivering an impressive 90 Nm of torque. For those not deep in the eMTB weeds, that’s plenty of grunt for steep climbs and technical trail work, and it puts the TrailRush right in the ballpark with much more expensive bikes from the likes of Specialized or Bulls – both of which often use the same Brose platform or other comparable German mid-drive systems like those from Bosch.
This mid-drive motor system is paired with a bottom-bracket-integrated torque sensor, which means the motor’s output feels smooth and intuitive, responding to your pedal pressure rather than just cadence. And not only is the assistance more natural feeling, but it’s also whisper quiet. Like, it literally is as quiet as a whisper. When I ride on gravel or anything else that has a bit of a crunch under my tires, I seriously can’t even hear the motor. If I’m on something soft and quiet like grass, I can just barely make out the faint sound. In the highest power mode, it’s a tiny bit louder, but this is still one of the quietest mid-drive e-bike motors I’ve ever tested. It’s a dream when all you really want to do is enjoy the beautiful outdoors around you and not listen to the whine of plastic gears.
The motor runs through a 10-speed Shimano Deore M6000 drivetrain with a clutch derailleur to keep chain slap in check when the trail gets rowdy. Shifting is crisp, and with the 11-36T cassette out back, you’ve got a nice wide range to tackle everything from flat-out fire road sprints to granny-gear climbs.
Power comes from a 36V 14Ah Phylion battery with Samsung cells, tucked neatly into the frame. Ride1Up says you can expect long-range performance, and while exact real-world numbers will depend on terrain and assist level, pairing that capacity with a mid-drive motor and efficient torque sensing should get you well beyond the kind of short-loop range you might expect from hub-driven budget bikes with throttles.
And that’s one important note here. Yes, the 36V battery is lower voltage than a lot of other models out there, and the 504 Wh isn’t exactly blowing battery capacity out of the water. But the bike is torquey and the lack of a throttle means that 504 Wh lasts a lot longer than you think. I could easily get 30 miles (50 km) of off-road riding in medium power levels, and would certainly get significantly more if I had the leg muscles to keep the bike in the lowest power level all the time.
Built for real trail work
This isn’t one of those “mountain-style” e-bikes that’s really just a cruiser with knobby tires. Ride1Up spec’d the TrailRush with legit off-road parts:
The 120mm RockShox Judy Silver TK air fork up front gives adjustable, tunable suspension for real trail comfort. This isn’t some junk spring fork – it’s the real deal.
The Tektro Orion HD-M745 quad-piston hydraulic brakes provide serious stopping power, even from higher speeds, and are exactly the kind of powerful braking system you want on long, steep descents.
Even the Exaform KSP900 dropper post with 150mm of travel is a serious value-add component, letting you get the saddle out of the way when it’s time to point downhill or just lowering it for comfortable stops. If you didn’t quite set your saddle height appropriately, you can adjust it on the fly instead of hopping off and fiddling with the height on the side of the road or trail.
And those Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR 29×2.6” tubeless-ready tires, which are practically the default choice for aggressive trail riders thanks to their traction and durability, are a major step up from the typical Kendas we see on budget “mountain bikes” that aren’t really meant for real trails.
Add in the set of 780mm-wide MTB bars for leverage, thru-axles for robust hub and wheel mounting, and you’ve got a package that’s ready for real-world trails — not just a parking lot test ride. Though if you did want to turn it into a mall cruiser, it actually has bosses ready to accept a rear rack, meaning you could do cargo duty during the week and then hit the trails on the weekend!
Class 3 speed, XC range
The TrailRush is set up as a Class 3 eMTB, with pedal assist up to 28 mph. That’s practically a requisite in North America, where everyone wants to eke out as much speed as they are legally allowed. Keep in mind, though, that some trails do limit riders to Class 1 e-bikes that can only hit 20 mph. But the bike can be limited to slower speeds to comply, which is fairly common these days.
I touched on range when mentioning the battery above, and this is always a tricky topic with eMTBs because ride styles vary so much. But the combination of a 504 Wh battery, a high-efficiency Brose system, and a rider who uses lower assist settings could easily stretch up to 50 miles on mixed-terrain rides, according to the company. Hammer it on full boost non-stop though, and expect your range to suffer accordingly.
Ride feel and budget positioning
While the TrailRush is pitched as an XC/light trail bike, the geometry and build hint at a versatile personality. The 120mm travel fork and relatively slack front end should make it stable on descents, while the mid-travel setup keeps it lively and efficient on climbs. The quad-piston brakes are overkill for some riders, but anyone actually hitting big descents will be happy to have them! Plus, they’re extra punchy in the case of emergency braking.
And as I mentioned, the Brose system is also known for its quiet operation, which is a subtle but important part of the ride experience. There’s no harsh whine here, just a muted hum that lets you enjoy the sound of your tires on dirt.
With an MSRP of $2,095, the TrailRush is hundreds of dollars below the nearest D2C competition and thousands below the legacy mountain bike brands. That’s going to open up the mid-drive, name-brand suspension eMTB experience to riders who might have written it off as financially out of reach.
Of course, there are tradeoffs. At this price point, you’re not getting a carbon frame or the latest 12-speed drivetrain. The fork is a capable RockShox Judy Silver rather than a higher-end Pike or Lyrik. But those choices feel smart – they keep costs in check while still delivering a genuinely trail-worthy package.
My takeaway
Ride1Up’s entry into the mountain bike space was always going to be interesting, given how well they’ve nailed the commuter and city bike categories. The TrailRush doesn’t feel like a half-measure or a “we can do it too” model; it feels like a deliberate, well-specced eMTB built to meet real rider needs at a disruptive price of $2,095. And it focuses on their core audience: riders who want a quality bike but aren’t necessarily going to spend an entire paycheck or two to get it.
For riders looking to break into the eMTB world without dropping $6,000–$8,000, the TrailRush could be a game-changer. The Brose mid-drive alone is a huge plus, bringing smooth, natural-feeling power and enough torque to handle genuine trail challenges. Pair that with real suspension, a dropper post, great tires, and quad-piston brakes, and you’ve got a bike that’s ready to do more than just look the part.
It’s also a statement. The TrailRush shows that Ride1Up is willing to take the same value-driven approach that’s made their commuter bikes so popular and apply it to a category where “budget” has often meant big compromises. The real-world ride matches the spec sheet, which I think will end up making this one of the most important new eMTBs of the year. Not because it’s better than the competition, but because it’s good enough to get so many more people into eMTBs at a reasonable price, and on something built well enough to give them a safe and fun adventure.
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