Co-op Cycles  DRT 1.1 Mountain Bike

I first want to say I purchased this bike on March 14/2020 and I have put a lot of miles on the bike so far. I am a semi short guy at 5ft 8 and I am hefty at 233lbs. I want to add that info because I have had NO issues with this bike at that weight. My girlfriend and I ride as much as we can and so far I am loving it. So far I would say if you are new to mountain bike riding on trails and also do a good bit of road/sidewalk riding this bike works well. We ride to our local park and then ride some of the trails. I will be honest the trails would be considered very easy but I do enjoy it a lot. Buying this bike has inspired me to make trails on our property. I've also started a lot of research on mountain bikes and I feel this is a good starter bike that you can learn to ride on and learn to perform your own maintenance. My next bike will be a full suspension bike but I will always use this bike for going to the store and rides to the park.

While my review is of the DRT 1.0, the only difference with the DRT 1.1 is the frame size (XXS) and tire size (26x2.1). Everything else is exactly the same between the two models, and therefore the problems will be the same. The worst thing is, these problems do not exist on other reputable bike lines around this price point. The biggest problem with this bike is the external cable routing. It really is a cheesy setup that is held on by zip-ties as mentioned by another reviewer. This means that you cannot carry this bike on the most common bike carriers which support the bike under the top tube. If you do so, you will risk damaging the cables and/or the zip ties. Even at this price point ($600 as of April 2022), you can easily find internal-cable mountain bikes that don't have this issue. The second major issue here is the 3x drivetrain. The Shimano Tourney is the lowest level drivetrain they make. There is a reason bike mechanics are really familiar with Tourney adjustments and repairs... that's because they get a lot of practice on them! I would consider Shimano Altus/Acera as the bare minimum for entry-level quality. Aside from the quality of the drivetrain, the 3x drivetrain is a really obsolete setup that is much too complicated for a young or less-experienced rider. My daughter usually only used the middle and smallest chainring. The largest chainring was never used, even when she probably should have used it to go keep up on the fast segments. Again, if you are looking for a usable entry-level mountain bike, look for a 2x drivetrain (1x is even better, but gets pricier). This bike is also very heavy for its size. On the plus side, this bike does have hydraulic disc brakes, which should be the minimum standard for mountain bikes, regardless of level. It also has a 100mm travel fork in all sizes. So how do you find a bike to address the shortcomings of the DRT 1.1? Well, there is the Co-op DRT 1.2, but that makes a huge jump to a $1000 price point. REI should really find a middle ground between $600 and $1000, but unfortunately you have to look elsewhere. I won't mention the brand, but the absolute minimum MTB I would ever consider has a 2x Shimano Altus drivetrain and internal cable routing for $720. You can get a 1x Shimano Deore model for about $850. These two component packages are as good as--or better than--even the DRT 1.2, but the 1.2 does have a better fork than those less expensive alternatives. I also prefer the DRT 1.2 tubeless-ready presta rims vs the non-tubeless schrader rims on the alternatives. This same brand has a $620 model with internal cable routing, but it has a 3x Tourney drivetain and mechanical disc brakes which are marginally better than the old-style rim brakes, and I would NOT recommend it. The bottom line here is that bikes always involve cost-quality compromises and trade-offs. In 2022 with inflation, $600 is actually below entry-level. An acceptable entry level floor is more likely $700-750. REI has a very competitive bike in the DRT 1.2 for $1000, but they really need to look at the market between the 1.1 and the 1.2 (and raise the bar on the 1.1) because I think they are missing out. A last word on wheel sizing. My daughter is 4'7" but with relatively long legs for her height. She was riding a 20" bike last summer but went through a growth spurt to get to her current height. She was actually too big for our 24" hand-me-down MTB. I initially thought a 26" would be right for her, but even the DRT 1.0 (discontinued) was a bit on the small side. We ended up getting her a 27.5" wheel size in roughly the equivalent of the DRT 1.2 XS frame size and it is perfect for her, with plenty of room to grow. So don't be afraid to make the jump from a 24" wheel size to a 27.5". Be careful with the "room to grow" adage, however. Don't get a bike that is too big (and hers is not) and expect your kid to grow into it. They have to feel comfortable on it and have the proper standover clearance TODAY. All the "room to grow" means is that you should probably choose the bigger frame size if your kid is right at the edge of two different sizes.