BESV TRX 1.5 Review: Hardtail E-Bike For Trails & Long Climbs

Written by: Chris Van Leuven | August 18, 2026 | Time to read: 6-7 min

The TRX 1.5 keeps the formula pretty simple: an aluminum hardtail, a 120mm fork, 29-inch wheels, wide trail tires, and a powerful Shimano mid-drive.

The battery is integrated into the downtube, while internal cable routing helps keep the frame clean. There’s no rear shock or dropper post. Up front, you get a 120mm RockShox Recon Silver fork, and the bike rolls on Maxxis Ardent 29 x 2.4-inch tires.

The 29-inch wheels roll easily over ruts and small rocks, while the wide Ardent tires add traction on loose dirt and provide enough tire volume to take some of the bite out of rough sections. The 120mm fork gives the front wheel room to move through roots, rocks, and ruts without turning the bike into something designed around downhill riding.

It’s perfect for forest roads, moderate singletrack, and long days covering dirt. And there’s a good argument for keeping the rear end simple. A hardtail has no rear shock or suspension pivots to maintain, and on smoother terrain you don’t have rear suspension moving underneath you. If your trails are more rolling than rowdy, that simplicity makes a lot of sense (I generally prefer a hardtail bike).

The Shimano EP8 motor is one of the strongest parts of the TRX 1.5. With 85Nm of torque, there’s enough assistance for steep fire roads and sustained grades. More importantly, the mid-drive layout keeps the motor working through the bike’s drivetrain, so gearing and cadence still matter.

That suits mountain biking particularly well. However, on loose dirt, simply dumping power into the rear wheel isn’t always helpful. Choosing a lower gear, keeping your cadence steady, and letting the motor provide assistance makes it easier to maintain traction as the grade steepens.

The EP8 motor doesn’t eliminate the need to pick a gear or find traction. You still have to ride the climb well; the motor simply gives you considerably more power to work with.

The TRX 1.5 is a Class 1e-Bike, with pedal assistance up to 20 mph. That’s plenty for this kind of riding. On dirt, I care far more about how the motor responds on a steep grade than whether it can push the bike to commuter-bike speeds.

The 504Wh battery isn’t huge by current e-MTB standards, but range will depend heavily on elevation gain, assist level, rider weight, terrain, and temperature.

Shimano Deore 10-speed is a proven mountain-bike drivetrain, while hydraulic disc brakes are exactly what I’d want controlling a roughly 53-pound e-MTB. The RockShox fork and Maxxis tires are well-known trail components, and together they give the TRX 1.5 a practical setup for the terrain it’s designed to cover.

Mountain bikes have become incredibly capable, but it’s easy to buy far more bike than your trails require. Rear suspension is valuable when you're repeatedly hitting rocks, roots, drops, and bumps, but not everybody spends Saturday looking for rock gardens.

The TRX 1.5 makes the most sense for riders who spend their time on:

• Fire roads and long dirt climbs
• Rolling and moderately technical singletrack
• Mixed trail systems where 29-inch wheels and 120mm of front suspension are enough
• Longer off-road rides where Shimano EP8 assistance helps take some of the work out of sustained elevation gain

There’s no rear shock or suspension linkage to maintain, and the hardtail chassis doesn’t have suspension you'll rarely use. The tradeoff shows up when the trail points downhill and gets rough. Rear suspension helps keep the rear wheel balanced through repeated impacts and technical descents. If that’s the terrain you seek out, BESV’s full-suspension TRS line is the better fit.

For riders more interested in exploring dirt roads, linking trail systems, riding rolling singletrack, or getting into electric mountain biking, the TRX 1.5 covers a broad range of terrain without trying to be an enduro bike.

If you search for the BESV TRX 1.5, you may run across specs that don't match the bike covered here. BESV has sold different TRX 1.5 configurations outside the U.S. The U.S. version reviewed here uses the Shimano EP8 (EP800) motor, a 504Wh battery, a 120mm RockShox Recon Silver fork, and a Shimano Deore 10-speed drivetrain.

That distinction matters when shopping used. Pay attention to the model year and specifications of the individual bike rather than assuming every TRX 1.5 you find online has identical components.

And, every e-Bike also goes through a professional 50-point inspection. That means the frame, drivetrain, braking system, wheels, tires, and suspension are inspected and tested. The battery, motor, and display are diagnosed, and anything that doesn’t meet Upway’s standards is repaired or replaced. Also, software is updated when applicable, before the bike receives a test ride and a final quality-control check.

Upway also provides inspection findings and mechanic’s notes for individual bikes when available. On an e-MTB, those details tell you considerably more than mileage and a handful of photos.

Certified pre-owned e-Bikes from Upway also include a 1-year warranty and a 14-day test-ride policy, giving you time to make sure the bike, and especially the fit, is right.