{"id":179747,"date":"2022-07-26T11:10:05","date_gmt":"2022-07-26T18:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=179747"},"modified":"2025-11-20T23:01:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T07:01:35","slug":"first-look-co-op-cycles-generation-e-electric-bikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/first-look-co-op-cycles-generation-e-electric-bikes","title":{"rendered":"First Look: Co-op Cycles New Generation e Electric Bikes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you design for fun? This seemingly simple question became a raison d\u2019etre<\/em> for the team developing the newest category of Co-op Cycles electric bikes, the Generation e1.1<\/a> and Generation e1.2<\/a>, says Ilya Brukhman, the design lead for the bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur member and customer research showed very clearly that \u2018fun\u2019 is the No. 1 motivation for both current e-bike riders and for prospective e-bike riders,\u201d explains Brukhman. \u201cSo that became the lens through which we viewed all of our design decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Co-op Cycles Generation e 1.2<\/a> ($1899), one of two models in the series. Available in three colors (from left): saguaro, desert sunset, pitch black. REI Co-op Members<\/a> get early access thru 8\/31. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Co-op Cycles team was also fun-focused when it developed its first<\/a> two e-bikes, the CTY <\/a>e2.1<\/a> and CTY e2.2<\/a> models, and I can attest that my CTY e2.1 is as fine a mood enhancer as any gear I\u2019ve ever owned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s different about Generation e? Brukhman says the team re-imagined everything about the design platform. With the CTY e-bikes, “we chose to add capability to more traditional bikes,\u201d says Brukhman. Having a familiar frame and 27.5-inch wheel size made the CTY e-bikes more approachable; they’re also faster and more fitness-oriented than Generation e. \u201cWith the Generation e,\u201d said Brukhman, \u201cwe choose to break that mold and go in a totally different direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first things you\u2019ll notice about the Generation e models is the low, step-through frame. Its urban utility aesthetic has a higher purpose, though: It allowed the design team to sneak in functionality that makes the bike easier, and yes, \u201cfunner\u201d to ride. Because the frame <\/s>also sits atop smaller, 20-inch wheels, the bike has a low center of gravity that makes it super nimble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the most exciting moments for me was receiving our first sample and getting to ride it on the bike trail that runs along the back of our facility,\u201d says Brukhman. \u201cWe have a ton of expertise on the team that helped bring this vision of a fun and nimble bike to life, but nothing compares to throwing your leg over the frame for the first time. The bike wants to go. It\u2019s zippy and just begs you to zoom around town,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n