I’ve never written a review before, but lets give this a shot.
My journey started with a my buddy buying an analog fatty and encouraging me into following him. I’m 63 years old, live at 8,400ft elevation in Eastern Sierra, been riding eMTN bike several times a week for just over a year, and it seams like everything I ride is uphill. I tried my buddy’s bike and I could not climb my normal route (1,000ft/7miles). I began researching fatty eMTN bike and quickly found Borealis Keystone. I lamented for several weeks and pulled the trigger early November 2024.
I had questions on choosing the right tires/wheels. The staff was very helpful discussing my riding style/needs and helping me select the right combination (26”, 4.8”).
The bike arrived 3 weeks later (delayed at my request d/t travel). It was meticulously packed and I assembled it on my workbench/clamp. It took about 4 hours (I’m kind of slow and it was the first time. I had not changed my own tire in 50 years). I called the shop for assistance in assembling/sequencing the rings at the head tube. They were quite helpful and got me back on track. I was surprised to learn the bike did not include pedals and it took me several days to acquire some. [Recommendation to Borealis, give options to choose pedals/opt out during the purchase process, just like tires and wheels].
This bike has exceeded every expectation. It handles soundly. Shifting and breaking were flawless without any user adjustments. I can travel uphill/downhill with confidence.
Regarding the battery/range. My ride last week (1hr:43min, 2,746ft elevation gain, and 14 miles) left me using 40% of the battery. I failed to charge that night. I followed this with a longer/steeper ride/climb (3 hrs, 3,865ft, 25 miles) and ran my battery dry in the last 1/2 mile. I mostly ride in ECO mode and occasionally use TRAIL and seldom use BOOST. I can conclude that if you need more than 5 hrs and 6,600 elevation gain, and 40 miles, on 3-5 psi, then you might consider carrying an additional battery.
Regarding versatility, during these two rides above, I traveled on snow, ice, sand, rock garden, slush, hard pack road base, gravel, asphalt, and 12” deep creek. During these two rides, I only lost control when crossing the creek and found an unexpectedly deep rut. This caused me to step off my bike. On other rides, I went down when hitting ice as I did not opt to put studs in the tires (live and learn).
There is truly no terrain this bike cannot handle (however, I recommend considering studs for ice, I have not tried this option).
Today, I noticed my rear brake was soft and the lever pulled back to the bar. I had to stop my ride. I’ll take it locally for a bleed tomorrow morning and hope to ride in the afternoon.
If you want to HAVE A BLAST on the mountain or just want to expand your riding season to 12 months a year, this bike is for you!
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