2025 Rocky Mountain Reaper Powerplay 26 Shimano E-Bike

This is a first for Vital as we review a full-suspension e-MTB aimed at kids - the Rocky Mountain Reaper Powerplay 26. We won't be surprised if a bulk of your response to this bike is something along the lines of "Don't make kids soft by giving them a motor! Make them earn their laps." That's how we generally feel too, but we wanted to A) test this bike and B) see if our pint-sized punters would shun regular mountain bikes altogether after motorized assistance to the top of the hill.

At the time of this review, Rocky Mountain has recently gone through corporate restructuring and their future is a bit unknown. We've been told that shop and brand support should operate as normal, but we do not have actual experience as a customer of Rocky.

Highlights

• FORM Alloy frame with mid-high pivot Smoothlink suspension
• 26-inch wheels (24-inch-wheeled version for $4,599)
• RockShox Deluxe Select shock, 130mm travel
• RockShox Reba R Fork, 140mm travel
• S4 Dyname mini motor
• 240wh battery
• 40nm torque, 300w max output
• Shimano CUES 10-speed drivetrain
• 155mm cranks
• X-Fusion Manic dropper, 125mm
• One size - recommended rider height, 4'6" - 5'1" // 137 - 152cm
• Weight: 42.5lbs // 19.27kg (with pedals)
• Price: $4,899

Geometry

Overview and Setup

The arrival of a first e-MTB for a youngster is apparently quite exciting. Thoughts of blazing by neighborhood locals on regular bikes are hardly containable as a young imagination goes wild before straddling the motorized beast. When our 11-year-old tester laid eyes on the Reaper Powerplay 26 for the first time, being patient enough to actually get the bike setup was a struggle. "Is it charged? What's this button do? How fast does it go? How do I turn it on? The color is cool. Wow that's heavy." The level of excitement was easily on par with that of Christmas morning. Our tester, at 4'9", was right in the sweet spot of Rocky's suggested height range, and the Reaper looked like it was well suited for his dimensions. The 640mm wide Rocky bars with SDG Slater grips were just right for kid mitts, and the choice to spec the two-piston brakes with short-reach levers is a huge plus. There are too many kids bikes out there with adult brake levers that can make it tough for little hands to grab a handful of anchor in a hurry.

The Reaper Powerplay is also offered in a 24-inch-wheeled version for $300 less than our $4,899 26-inch model. The 24 and 26 use the same frame, but there is an adjustable headset cup and chainstay length to accommodate the different wheel sizes. Setting up suspension is just like any adult mountain bike with the air-sprung Reba R fork and Deluxe Select shock and testing was kicked off with recommended fork pressures and 30% sag on the shock.

The price-to-spec value on the Reaper Powerplay isn't the greatest when compared to adult e-bikes. Other grown-up e-MTBs have nicer spec yet cost less or the same as our Reaper. $4,899 is a massive amount of money to spend on a growing youngster's two-wheeled endeavors, and since the availability of full-squish kid-e-peds is basically none, we're not going to go any deeper on the price or the value. It's a unique bike for a rider in a very comfortable situation.

Rocky's top-tube-integrated Jumbotron screen made navigating the system menu a breeze and parameters were easily deciphered. Of course the first thing any good e-MTBer will do is make sure Turbo mode is turned up to full blast, and that's exactly what was explored. Rocky has Eco, Trail, Trail+ and Ludicrous modes, and the Reaper comes pre-programmed with Factory, Tune A and Tune B, all which can be tweaked. Tune A had the power boosted to +2 in Ludicrous, so that's what was selected. Additional rider pages and data can be found within system and what's displayed on the Jumbotron during rides can be changed.

On the Trail (and in the Neighborhood)

Before the Reaper could even get into the dirt, its first three battery charge cycles took place thanks to drag races in the neighborhood streets. Sprinting laps at 20mph in Ludicrous mode is the bee's knees and the Reaper was getting a workout. The bike and its Dyname 4.0 Mini system pulls a kid along with more than enough power to ignite a smile. All-in-all, out of the 137.4 miles put on the odometer during the test period, probably half of those miles were on neighborhood streets, racing around or towing friends in sleds as they skitched on snowy days. When the trails were shredded, the bike lived in Ludicrous mode because the local bike park is prime territory for quick climbs and quicker descents. We never took the Reaper Powerplay out for an extended ride that would require battery management to be considered, but Eco mode definitely revealed the bike's 42-pound weight. There was assistance in Eco, but it was quite negligible with the tune we ran. Trail and Trail+ were seldom used, but even in full-time Ludicrous, the battery life usually lasted longer than the attention span of the young rider.

When the odometer hit about 80 miles, problems arose. The bike was clicking and clacking and we figured the derailleur needed a tune. It turned out to be the lower pulley wheel near the chainring. The wheel, which is plastic, had lost half of its teeth (see photo above, with the red bearing). Rocky quickly sent us a replacement but since the bike was noisy but ridable with the half-tooth wheel, the Reaper was still rallied in the neighborhood. Not long later, during a neighborhood cruise, the CUES 10-speed derailleur gave up at the rear pin of the parallelogram. Rocky also sent us a replacement derailleur, and the test was completed without incident. As the bike was inspected further, however, we noticed that a plastic cover on the non-drive side was cracked near a bolt that we hadn't touched (photo below). We would hope the pulley and plastic item would be covered under Rocky's warranty, but would a new pulley be needed every 80 miles? If so, how long would replacements be sent out for free?

These short-comings that arose early in the bike's life were disappointing. The mid-high-pivot design and the fit of the Reaper were really enjoyed by our adolescent ripper as he tackled some of the rougher terrain in our local bike park. He commented about how well the bike pushed through our chunky cement trail and appreciated the bike's grip and stability in berms and turns. Managing the heft of the bike in the air was considerably more challenging as the rider felt more like a passenger than a pilot, but the wheels always touched down successfully. The Reaper Replay 26 is a fun bike to ride and not only because it offers an easy way up.

What's the Bottom Line?

The answer to B) from our question above is that our tester still loves regular pedal mountain bikes even after time aboard the Reaper Powerplay 26. While the "free" ride to the top was much appreciated, a love of the e-bike's utility for skitching friends on snowy streets or sprinting laps faster than 20mph was where our particular frother found the most value in having a battery and motor. On the trail, the motor didn't really make mountain biking more or less fun. It was the descending performance that brought the smiles. What turned that smile upside-down were the problems that arose with durability during the test. Issues that impacted whether the bike could be ridden crept in way too quickly; namely a worn out pulley which is a critical part of the drivetrain. Our exploded CUES derailleur could have been a fluke, as we've had fine experiences with the gear-changer on other e-MTBs, so we may be able to let that one slide a bit. The cracked plastic, however, just adds to our overall disappointment with what really is a fun bike on the trail. Hit up www.bikes.com for all things Rocky Mountain.

Update - Rocky Mountain replied about the worn out pulley wheel and said this is the first time they'd seen a wheel wear out so quickly. Other Rocky Powerplay adult e-MTBs use the same setup and they go hundreds of miles without needing replacement.