Hyper Raises the Bar With the Electric MTB-FS Hardtail: Cruises In for No More Than $600

Folks, the Hyper E-Ride FS is an e-bike built by Hyper Bike Inc., a manufacturer established by former BMX champion Clay Goldsmid. Over the years, this team has supported the BMX industry and finally decided that MTBing needs to be added to their list. With their ability to be some of the most versatile bikes around, it was bound to happen eventually.

Well, one trinket this crew has available to the public is this here hardtail e-bike, and while I'm a sucker for hardtails and trail-ready two-wheelers, the reason I chose to bring this particular specimen to light is that it cruises in with one of the most affordable price tags I've seen for a 29-inch bike in a very long time, only $600 (€580 at current exchange rates)! That's literally less than the price of some e-scooters, and this is a bicycle. Let's explore the lifestyle you can lead with this puppy and if it's worth the cash.

Just to kick things off, I want you to imagine that you just broke open your piggy bank and decided to buy this EV. When that happens, you'll purchase an aluminum frame shaped for easy mounting and dismounting, yielded by a slanted and bent top tube. The down tube, as is customary of e-bikes, will be where you can access a removable battery pack. The motor is mounted onto the rear hub.

With that, it's important to note that bikes are designed for a particular type of terrain, and the FS is one that appears to be prepared for just some light single-track work and for helping your rush around your city landscape. Sure, you can attempt more challenging tracks, but I'm not too sure how much you should tempt fate with an e-MTB that costs you just $600. Nonetheless, if you stick to the bike's design limits, you should have one heck of a time.

For example, that rear motor runs under 250 watts and can offer assistance up to 20 mph (32 kph). While that sounds like what's readily available on the market, there's no mention of the level of torque it can produce.

Powering that motor is that removable battery I mentioned earlier. I keep pointing out that it's a removable pack because you may need to pick up another too. After all, you're only going to get a top range of 20 miles (32 kilometers) out of this 7.8-amp-hour juice box. Yup, pick up another one for sure, and the bike's base price leaves room for that option.

If you think about it, 20 miles is not the sort of range that you can ride with for days, and frankly, you'll rarely use all of it if you stick to an urban setting. When you want to take things off-road, you could very well pick up a bike rack and add it to your car. Once you're on the trails, a suspension fork will take up some of the hits you'll be taking.

There is no mention of how much travel is available or who may be the manufacturer behind the component, but it doesn't look to be boasting more than 100 millimeters (4 inches) of travel, and I don't think you'll be finding a RockShox or Fox fork on this one. As you may have expected, Shimano is the manufacturer called upon for the drivetrain and rocking 1x6 speeds.

Now, don't expect too much from this machine; after all, it's only running you a mere 600 bones. But, if you get a couple years of riding out of it, I think you'll be happy. Heck, it's not every day you grab an e-bike for this price, and that's something to think about.