How to Choose Mountain Bikes

When progression is the name of your game, the Co-op Cycles DRT 3.3 bike is your full-sus friend, with wide trail tires that prioritize rollover while giving you enough width for traction and cushion.
Imported.
Best Use | Mountain Biking |
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Mountain Bike Style | Trail |
Frame | Co-op Cycles 6061 aluminum |
Bike Suspension | Full Suspension |
Fork | RockShox Revelation Motion Control RC |
Fork Travel | XS: 120 millimeters |
Rear Shock | RockShox Deluxe Select+ |
Crankset | Shimano SLX 32T |
Bottom Bracket | Shimano BB-MT800 |
Shifters | Shimano SLX; 12-speed |
Rear Derailleur | Shimano SLX; 12-speed |
Rear Cogs | Shimano SLX; 10-51T, 12-speed |
Number of Gears | 12 gear(s) |
Brake Type | Hydraulic Disc Brake |
Brakes | Shimano SLX |
Brake Levers | Shimano |
Rims | XS: WTB ST Light i30 TCS 2.0; 27.5 in. |
Front Hub | Shimano SLX, 15 mm with thru axle |
Rear Hub | Shimano SLX, 12 mm, 12-speed with thru axle |
Wheel Size | XS: 27.5 inches |
Tires | XS: Maxxis High Roller 27.5 x 2.4 in. |
Tire Width | 2.4 inches |
Handlebar Shape | Riser Bar |
Handlebar | Co-op double butted aluminum riser |
Stem | Co-op Cycles 6061 aluminum |
Seat Post | X-Fusion Manic Dropper w/remote; 100 mm/150 mm |
Saddle | Giant |
Pedals | Not included |
Headset | FSA internal headset |
Chain | Shimano SLX, 12-speed |
Dropper Post | Yes |
Weight | 31.5 pounds |
Bike Weight | Bike weight is based on median size, as sold, or the average of two median sizes. |
Gender | Unisex |
Sustainability | From a Climate Label Certified brand |
XS | S | M | L | XL | |
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Height Range | 5'0"-5'3" | 5'3"-5'6" | 5'6"-5'9" | 5'9"-6'0" | 6'0"-6'3" |
Reach | 400 | 425 | 450 | 475 | 500 |
Stack | 561 | 561 | 601 | 619 | 638 |
Effective Top Tube | 550 | 575 | 611 | 641 | 671 |
Seat Tube Center-Top | 360 | 395 | 430 | 465 | 500 |
Standover Height | 760 | 763 | 788 | 790 | 797 |
Head Tube Angle (degrees) | 66 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 67 |
Seat Tube Angle (degrees) | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
Bottom Bracket Height | 20 | 20 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Wheelbase | 1124 | 1149 | 1188 | 1221 | 1254 |
Chainstay | 433 | 433 | 441 | 441 | 441 |
Fork Offset | 46 | 46 | 51 | 51 | 51 |
Measurements are stated in millimeters unless otherwise indicated.
From feedback to field testing, all of our gear is dialed-in by REI Co-op members. Their adventures informed every stitch and detail—making for better, longer-lasting gear.
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I was a roadie looking to try mountain biking, and knew I wanted a bike with all the bells and whistles - full suspension, dropper post, modern geometry - that wouldn’t break the bank. The DRT 3.3 is serious bang for the buck and fit the bill perfectly. My much more knowledgeable friends and family took a look at the construction and components and urged me to jump on it immediately. This bike handles trail obstacles easily and - after I took a class - my confidence has grown by leaps and bounds. I’m sure this is all the bike I need for the trail riding I want to do. It’s also quite attractive - it blended in perfectly when I took it to Moab!
I did a lot of research of bikes in this price range before purchasing and I don't think you can find a better equipped bike than this. I really enjoy riding it and feel like there are a lot more capabilities to the bike than what I have. I might mention the new XLS rear hubs has 102T, hardly any lash in the crack engagement, very nice. The Debonair shocks are high quality and great performing too. The only recommendation I have is to go through every bolt upon receipt, I had my rear brake come loose on 2nd ride. Highly recommend if you don't want to break the bank and want a really great bike.
The DRT 3.3 bike is amazing. It’s large and takes time to get use to if you never had a Mountian bike. Handle bars very wide and grips a bit hard on the hands. Otherwise very comfortable and easy to ride an maneuver. Living in Florida why would you need a mountain bike? Well it’s practical there are great trails here. Just rode Alafia yesterday and the DRT 3.3 preformed better than the rider. Also let me shout out to the REI bike technicians in Tampa. What a great group to assemble your bike and take care of tune ups. So helpful and friendly, on a scale of 1-10 they deserve a 15+. Can’t wait to become a better rider to really put the bike to the test.
Had been in the waitlist for the Medium size of this bike for 2 months and finally a mishap with my old DRT 1.2 ended with this awesome bike. I have been doing intermediate level MTB for 4 months now and this bike is has been a charm. I am 5ft 7 inches and Medium on this bike is perfect for me.The dropper post are great for going downhill and the shocks works wonders. My only complaint is that changing the gear sometimes is rough. But overall everything I wanted in a bike!
Very happy with CO-OP DRT 3.3. Like many people looking at these I was torn between 3.1, 3.2 and some competitor bikes in this price range. It’s really hard to find a full suspension bike in this price range with decent components. I couldn’t match REI’s overall value of the 3.3 with any other bike I could find - and I looked for weeks! I thought the price jump from 3.1 to 3.3 was too big until I checked the prices of the upgraded parts. It’s a good deal for the better Shimano SLX, better suspension, better brakes. If you are thinking of getting the 3.1 and upgrading later - just get the 3.3 - you’ll save money. I was unsure of the color from the online pictures - I bought this online sight unseen. Now that I have the bike, I absolutely love the color. It’s closer to an exotic burnt orange color and looks like a high end bike. it’s a good looking bike. The bike rides very well. My large frame full-suspension DRT 3.3 feels lighter than my son’s small frame hard tail DRT 2.1. It doesn’t feel too heavy at all. The 2.4in tires roll surprising well on smooth roads. They’re great for tearing up back dirt roads and trails in rural GA. There’s a lot of competition in this price range but you won’t find full Shimano SLX with good quality suspension and brakes. And if you can find comparable - it’s out of stock. Grab an REI 3.3 while you can!
I have had the DRT 3.3 for about 3 months now. It is a nice bike as other reviews have mentioned. The problem I am having is with the paint which chips off rather easily. My previous bike had a hard powder-coat finish which you could literally not scratch unless you used chisel. This bike and the matte ember color scratches very easily leaving the white aluminum primer coat visible. REI should change the type of paint used. I rate the bike and ride 5 stars but rate the paint 2 stars which averages to about 4 stars.
Rides like an absolute dream. I'm getting back into mountain biking as an adult after a 20-year break, and I wanted a full-suspension bicycle that could bring me back up to speed. I was initially considering the 3.1 model with a plan to upgrade the suspension, brakes, and switch to thinner tires over time, but opted to test ride both models in the store and I'm SO glad I did! I didn't expect to feel much of a difference at my level, but WOW the 3.3 impresses. The superior suspension and brakes made for the better ride and I loved how easily it hopped; the rear-suspension lockout feature clinched the deal. I would've been satisfied with a 3.1, but I absolutely love the 3.3. I'm confident I won't need to upgrade the stock parts on this bike, and it will take me everywhere where I want to go. I just spent the day on rooty, sandy, rocky local trails with a few steep sandy hill features, and I absolutely love this bike! Nice to know: This bike runs LONG, so if you have long legs, size down. (I'm 5'6 with a 30" inseam, and the medium was too long for me - the small fits great!). The small frame does NOT come with pre-drilled holes for a water bottle mount. After a bit of time spent riding, the hubs are totally silent- nice! The wheels are tubeless-ready and were so easy to switch.
You cannot beat the price given the good quality components for intermediate to advanced-intermediate riders. I researched and compared on my own, and leaned on two people who have much more technical knowledge of bikes than me, and they agreed this would be the right choice. I love it. I've been out around 20 times so far, including on some technical ups and fast and technical downs and long (15-20 mile) rides, and unlike my last MTB, this bike is more capable than its rider, so I expect it to suit me for years to come. I mountain-biked in my 20s and 30s then got back into it the past year after a long hiatus, and since bikes have changes so much, I quickly realized I was bumping up against the capabilities of my 10-yo Cannondale, in part because I needed something more capable on downs and drops. Also, the single front chain-ring of newer bikes is a HUGE improvement that reduces "which lever to shift which way" confusion. I'm not expert, by any stretch, and I'm not afraid to hike-a-bike to avoid injury, but I love blue and black trails in Sedona and Flagstaff and can keep up pretty well on the downs. So... No quibbles on the bike itself, but I have had 2 Allen screws come loose, one on the rear-brake lever and one on the rear-brake mechanism (rattle, rattle, dang good I found it before damage or loss of braking). I think in both cases it owed to either incomplete put-together by REI or, and this is fair: I just need to do routine inspections and tightenings. This is a great bike for the price, and a great bike period. If you find a similarly equipped new bike for less, be sure and compare the quality of the components. One tip: You won't find many reviews of REI bikes at traditional bike publications — for whatever reason, they just don't seem to cover them much. But REI isn't goofing around with this one.
I spent a lot of time doing research on which mountain bike to get. I am an avid cyclist, coming from the roadie community, and when I came to searching for a mountain bike, I wanted to make sure I didn't just get an entry level bike, but a solid contender, that will be future proof (well, we're never immune to n+1, am I right, or am I correct?) I wanted to be future proof enough, that years from now, I can still shred the gnar without having to upgrade components. This bike was it. Solid contender in the components that REI selected to outfit this full-suspension frame with. Everything from the groupset to the suspension set, this beast is a solid contender, and could easily be compared to $4k name brand bikes. SLX is an amazing groupset, and not only is the shifter and derailleur SLX, but even the brakes and brake levers! But that's not all - even the wheel hubs, the wheel hubs! - are SLX! Fast rolling, lightweight and low maintenance Shimano componentry that is sure to last years of riding. I haven't even mentioned the RockShox suspension set... these aren't generic suntours, or entry level RockShox either, it's mid tier, with DebonAir (top tier) RockShox tech that is in the forks - and honestly, most weekend warriors won't need much more than what this bike is offering - if you're on the fence, buy it! If you have the budget for a name brand, save your money, and buy this! (REI is truly making a name for itself in the bike industry, and who knows, REI may very well be a name brand in the coming years.) Lastly, keep in mind that when buying a bike via REI.com, you can get free shipping by doing an in-store pickup ($75 value), and then get it professionally assembled by a trained bike tech ($65 value), and then get it professionally tuned (because bikes that come in the box, are not tuned or dialed in, let alone, all the bolts safely torqued to manufacturer specs) by said bike tech ($90 value), AND as if that wasn't enough, you get an additional professional Bike Tune within the first 6 months of ownership (another $90 value)! So in all, $320 value, totally complimentary just by purchasing via REI! So definitely have to factor that in when comparing prices with other online retailers! Seeya on the trails, friends!
I looked at many brands and ultimately selected the Co-op Cycles DRT 3.3. I found it to be an excellent bike and having mid-range Shimano components was also an excellent price. Informally, I found it to be about $1K less than other brands for an equal bike, and that is without including the $330 dividend! I did replace the saddle right away, but that is almost a given on any bike for me.