The Summit 1 is not peak e-mountain bike, but it’s a great all-rounder

How well this works comes down to the software that interprets the current level of assist, the user’s preferences, and what the torque sensor is telling it. Velotric’s software is good, but it’s not the best I’ve used. There were a number of cases where I experienced a sudden burst of acceleration when it really wasn’t needed. This never produced a problem akin to my earlier wipeout on a different bike, where I found myself moving much faster than intended, but it did require some rapid adjustments.

Short of the peak?

How do the compromises Velotric made to hit its price point work when you get the Summit 1 onto some trails? Pretty much how you’d expect from reading between the lines above: It’s a solid experience, but one where the compromises occasionally make themselves felt. The Kenda tires, while fine for most of the ride, seem a bit more likely to experience small slips on the most difficult terrain. And the pedals offered the least grip of any I’ve tried on trail rides to date, meaning my feet got bounced off them more than I’m used to.

None of this created a serious problem during any of the rides, in part because I’m new enough to mountain biking that I’m approaching difficult terrain cautiously—any problems came at a time when I was moving slowly anyway. What it did mean is that I was more likely to have to stop and restart a few times on the most difficult stretches. Since a restart sometimes meant walking the bike up some unpleasant slopes, I came to appreciate the inclusion of a throttle.

The converse of this is the experience on anything but the most challenging trails—meaning anything but hilly, tree-root-filled singletrack—is absolutely fine. I had no problems rolling through heavily banked turns or bouncing along rough trails on the flats. If you’re not on some of the hairiest terrain on my test ride, things are great. (Do keep in mind that “hairiest terrain” on the East Coast may elicit a chuckle from those out west.) So the compromises Velotric had to make to hit its price point will only make themselves known if you plan to do some fairly aggressive trail riding.