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yea...  was the last hold out with my posse of moto-heads...    that changed as we were at PACE and was to be the only one without an e-bike.     To my surprise...   there with a big red bow...  a new Levo with a card on it. A gift from my kid sister and nephew...   they had secretly worked with my bud and TJ's. have to admit...  it is a hoot...    not the same,  but fast and fun.   now if I ride alone..   I'll take the Hightower ...   but with a group of e-dudes it is a conga line through the trees.  

Next weekend, there is an event for running (AM)/ biking (PM) in Georgetown. I ran a 5K with the same organization late last year and it was really well organized. Looking forward to trying one of their bike events.  https://www.tejastrails.com/edge

Hit me up if you get to Salida this summer - I'm up there much of the year these days. I've ridden the Crest 30+ times - to be fair, it doesn't get any easier as you get older. I've got the whole thing divided into 45 min segments -- makes it mentally easier. Always a fun day out!

Good strategy. Out here it is now almost 50/50 on bike vs. e-bike and it feels like the shops are primarily selling e-bikes, so the regular bike base is stagnant to shrinking. But with 2-3000 feet of climbing, it's reasonable to consider a motor. I swapped from 32x50 to 30x50 and it was a nice little upgrade. My hardtail is 32x42 is a bit of a push on most trails. I think you'll find the lighter bike with the more aggressive gearing will be a significant upgrade for you. I think you'll do fine on Monarch Crest with your new bike, a lightweight XC bike should do fine.