TESTED: Felt Redemption e-30
Testing the latest EMTB from Felt Bicycles, the Redemption E-30
Words and photos: Tim Bardsley-Smith
Felt Bicycles is an American brand, that has seen some popularity in Australia in years gone by, particularly with triathlon for their TT bikes as well as some World Tour success with the Garmin-Slipstream team and then Argos-Shimano. More recently they are supporting the North American team Ralley Cycling as well as the US National Track Cycling team. Whilst Felt have been most visible in the road, tri and track segments they have been producing mountain bikes since the 90s. In Australia the availability and therefore popularity of Felt Bicycles has come and gone over the years. So, it’s nice to see them back particularly within the ever growing eMTB market with their 150mm travel offering the Felt Redemption. Now I’m unsure of the meaning behind the name and it’s more than likely just some guy in marketing best option that wasn’t already taken, but it does make me smirk.
Initial Impressions
The initial impression of the Felt Redemption was that it would fit squarely in what most riders look for an eMTB were after. With 150mm travel front and back on 27.5 wheels and with a Shimano STEPS system, it ticks a lot of boxes. The eMTB market has been evolving, with a few new bikes released that are pushing limits of both what is possible and how much your wallet can take. What the Redemption has is clean looks and styling, with a simple integrated Shimano E8020 500Wh battery to match the very popular Shimano E8000 motor system. It did surprisingly lack a water bottle mount, but that is not always a large issue for some. It certainly reminded me a lot of the BMC TrailFox AMP that I tested last year in issue #175. This review can now be found online. The Felt Redemption has the same battery and motor and a similar look. The Felt also shares a vast amount of similarities with the many four bar linkage design eMTBs available to date. The Felt Redemption has a solid build with new 4-pot Shimano MT520 brakes, eMTB specific RockShox Yari RC 150mm fork and Deluxe RT 150mm travel rear shock. The wheels have 35mm WTB 27.5” rims and 2.8” Maxxis tyres. Felt’s own Devox branded stem and eMTB specific bars and grips felt great and seemed to be on the money. The neat internal routing through the bars for the electric shifter was a very tidy addition. The bombproof Shimano SLX/XT group set is 11-speed and 12-speed, and Shimano Deore hubs make it easily maintainable. The 100mm KS Lev dropper seemed an odd choice though, as a little more length in a dropper is great.
Whilst it’s certainly not a unique bike, there are a lot of reasons so many other brands choose a Shimano motor and a 4 bar design, it’s the go to for affordability, performance and value. So needless to say expectations were high.
On The Trail
The Felt Redemption certainly looks the goods and at 150mm of travel front and rear, it really is the sweet spot for what most eMTB riders are after. With a 65.25 degree head angle it’s not the slackest sled in the shed but it is up there, considering the 150mm travel RockShox Yari. The reach is 443mm on the medium I had on test, which is about what you’d expect on a modern bike, to keep your weight centred whether you’re climbing or descending – or just riding trails.
Climbing the fire roads and singletrack to the top of the descending trails is certainly not an issue with the Felt Redemption. With the 70Nm of torque and 250W of average power delivered by the Shimano Steps E8000 motor you quickly forget about the extra little wandering that a slack head angle might create. It quickly makes up for it on any descending and can handle just about anything you decide to point it down. The RockShox Yari fork feels pretty supple and being an air fork it’s easily adjustable depending on the type of terrain you’re planning on tackling. The beauty about the Yaris is it’s also an easy upgrade to swap the relatively simple Motion Control damper for the Charger damper seen in the more expensive Lyric fork. If you also wanted a slacker and burlier bike extending the RockShox forks is not much of an issue either.
The 445mm chain stays are right on the money for an eMTB. Fitting super short stays is always a little difficult when you have to consider motor placement. It has the right amount of playful feel that goes well with the 27.5” wheels. This along with the low-slung weight makes it feel super stable through the fast and rough stuff or hitting gaps at high speed. This provided a lot of natural confidence though any technical sections I found myself navigating. 780mm bars are spot on without being ridiculous. It really is the perfect width for most normal sized humans on an aggressive trail bike. The extra width gives a tonne of control with slightly less scary moments on the narrow tree squeeze.
Cornering was great as it is with most stable eMTBs. They have a very planted feel and the Maxxis Minion and High Roller tyres offer great grip. I have however always had problems with the security on eMTBs with them though. The sidewalls just aren’t thick enough for the demands of an aggressive eMTB like the Felt Redemption. Tyres are a reasonably easy upgrade, with more durable eMTB specific tyres being made available if your riding and trails proves that to be necessary. The addition of a rim protection system like Cushcore is also advisable. Wider rims improve the bag size of wider tyres and reduce how much they squirm, they are however more susceptible to damage given the thin walled tyres. The 165mm length cranks are a god send. Clipping pedals was less of an issue and if you decide to drop to a narrower yet more durable DH tyre the amount you drop in bottom bracket height will not be as much of an issue. I swapped out my 2.8” Maxxis tyres to 2.5” DH Maxxis tyres on my Merida eOne-Sixty 900E and the improvement in tyre strength was exactly what I wanted.
At nearly 24kg the Felt Redemption is no fly weight that’s for sure. While it’s certainly not the rule and a lot of companies will spend a lot of money to tell you otherwise, there is a small amount of extra confidence in a bike that is over built when you are putting it through the demands an eMTB often sees. The rear shock worked great and I do like the feel of the RockShoz Deluxe with the Debonair spring. I definitely noticed the shock heating up on longer runs slightly losing its damping as a heavy eMTB puts a lot of demand on suspension components. I would have liked to see a Super Deluxe rear shock with an additional oil reservoir to help manage this. It certainly seems to be a cost cutting feature on many of the eMTBs that fall under the premium models.
This Redemption 2020 model we had on test differs from the 2019 one, mainly with the addition of the new 4-pot Shimano brakes. It was a good idea as braking is one of the most important things on a heavy eMTB, even more so if you’re a slightly larger build. I did nonetheless find these lower end MT520 4 piston brakes to not be as good as say a Saint, Code or XT caliper. Whilst the brakes were still bedding in brake fade was a bit of an issue for me. A larger rotor on the back to match the 203mm one up front may help things and given a bit of time bedding in some more they may improve.
Probably the biggest issue I found with this bike was the 100mm KS Lev dropper post that is specced on the Medium size we had on test. The drop is pretty minimal in the first place and at the minimum insertion height, the post was still too short to get full leg extension on the climbs. I’d also consider myself to have legs on the shorter side for my 174cm height which is well in the medium’s size range. To me it did not look like a frame design issue, so I’d try and get the bike shop to swap it out for you and see if a 125mm will fit at your desired height. Some newer dropper posts are coming out with more drop for their overall length, and this could be something to look at as well.
Our Take
Whilst there are a few small issues, overall the bike felt great and is easy to get on with. The Felt Redemption is a genuine competitor in the market as any of the dislikes I had can easily be managed. The importance of an internal battery that’s easy to remove should not be discounted. It’s not as slim lined as others but potentially easier to find one at a new location, if you had a desire to travel with your bike. I really like the clean and subtle looks with the internal wiring for the bars and if you wanted something that really works well, then it’s a great option. Upgrading a few bits would not go astray and you will probably find other eMTBs at this price point would need similar attention. The Felt Redemption a great option for a burly eMTB and should not be overlooked. Put it on the list.
Tester: Tim Bardsley-Smith
Riding Experience: Cycling industry photographer and over 20 years on mountain bikes, riding and travelling the globe. With Tim’s line of work he’s lucky enough to ride many different bikes in all the best locations.
Generally Rides: Merida e160 eMTB , Surly Karate Monkey, Cannondale Super X
Height: 174cm
Weight: 90kg
Bike Test Track: Blue Mountains, Knapsack.
Brand: Felt
Model Range: Redemption e-30
RRP: $7700.00
Weight : 23.7 kg with pedals.
From: Apollo Bikes
Available Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Frame Material: Alloy
Fork: RockShox Yari RC,150mm.
Shock: RockShox Deluxe RT, 150mm
Shifter: Shimano SLX 11sp
Derailleur: Shimano XT 11sp
Crank: Shimano e8000 165mm
Chain: Shimano KMC X11-E, 11sp
Cassette: Shimano SLX 11-46t
Rims: WTB Scraper i35
Hubs: Shimano Deore, Boost, 32h
Spokes: Stainless, Black
Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF Exo 27.5×2.8”, Highroller Rear 27.5×2.8”
Brakes: Shimano MT-520 4 piston 203/180mm
Stem: Devox 31.8mm clamp, 35mm length
Handlebars: Devox 31.8mm eMTB, 780mm, 25mm rise
Seatpost: KS Lev 100mm S/M, 125mm L , 150mm XL
Saddle: WTB Silverado Cro-Mo.