I fell into I fell in love with the REI CTY e2.1 from the moment I saw its lava-hot frame come out of the box in my garage. The bold red color and easy-to-assemble frame screamed, “Ride me now!” There were no barriers to entry, like an app you had to download. All I had to do was turn on the bike and start riding. (Note: If you’re not comfortable riding the bike and live near an REI, the store will put it together for you and also offer a year of free tune-ups.)
So I did. I pedaled through the city on a scenic tour, through busy intersections, down some steep residential streets to a bike path that led to a rocky beach on the shore of Lake Superior. The bike’s upright geometry, which made me slouch less than other e-bikes I’ve tested, made the world pop. I noticed the smell of lilacs on the breeze and bright shades of green after a wet spring — details I don’t always catch when I’m hunched over the handlebars.
At the beach, I met my partner, who was very kind and brought us a picnic. We ate cheese and crackers and drank rosé wine until the sun set behind the hills of the city. I purposely stayed outside until the mosquitoes started buzzing so I could compete with the sun and my boyfriend in his car back home. It may have been partly the glass of rosé or the beauty of an early summer evening, but the 35-kilometer round trip in the CTY e2.1 made for an especially fun Friday night.
About the city
The CTY e2.1 is the entry level upgrade. CTY e1.1 ($1,299)I think it’s worth the extra money, especially considering it’s still under $2,000 and goes on sale fairly frequently. The CTY e2.1’s battery capacity is more than adequate. That day, after a 1,000-foot, 0.6-mile climb up the steep hill to my house, I had 39 percent battery left to spare, having cycled through the four levels of assistance over the course of a leisurely four-hour ride through the city.
As a commuter bike, the CTY e2.1 is a very well-equipped machine for its price. It’s a top-of-the-line e-bike with a 250-watt Shimano E5000 motor, paired with a 36-volt, 418-watt-hour lithium-ion battery that can go up to 20 miles per hour and has a range of about 60 miles in Eco mode. The battery runs the full length of the sloping down tube, and according to my scales, it weighs about the same as a sack of potatoes. But it’s still easy enough to pop out with the twist of a key to charge it independently of the bike.
Photography: Stephanie Pearson
A front fork dampens road rattle, and hydraulic disc brakes make braking more precise. The 2-inch-wide Schwalbe Big Ben tires have a robust tread for a city bike, offering good traction. The reinforced tire sidewalls are also reflective to make you more visible at night.
Additional amenities include comfortable gel grips and a foam-padded seat, a riding position with raised handlebars and a bright headlight, and a sturdy kickstand for when you finally need to park. It doesn’t have fenders, though, which is surprising since it got pretty sloppy on a ride after a rainstorm. The bike is certainly fun, though, and rides well on all kinds of city streets, from smooth, paved paths to bumpy, potholed roads. It’s not a bike to take on gravel roads or single-bike trails.
Affordable and suitable
At this price, you can’t expect to have it all. There are still some areas that could use improvement. First, at 54 pounds, 8 ounces (size large), it’s not lightweight — a factor that doesn’t necessarily weigh you down when driving around a flat city, but does make it difficult to maneuver around the garage or carry up the stairs.
Photography: Stephanie Pearson
Also, the 250-watt hub motor is pretty standard on many e-bikes, but this one only has 60 newton meters of torque compared to at least 80 on other e-bike motors. The lack of torque, which is the acceleration that keeps your bike moving forward especially on climbs, makes the CTY e2.1 a weak climber. So it may not be the best choice in a city like San Francisco (or Duluth, where I live).
Lastly, I love that the bike is minimalist in its electric aspect, meaning it doesn’t require an additional app to ride. But the display is the size of a wristwatch face. And while it does provide plenty of basic data, like mileage, miles per hour, and power mode, the buttons are so close together and the display is so hard to read that it’s nearly impossible to see while riding—a factor that’s not only frustrating, but can also be dangerous. Still, if all you need is an extra push on your multi-mile commute, the CTY e2.1 is a good choice, especially in red.
