Awesome rig. I have the Rail 9 GX 22 model, it is a big upgrade over my old bike.. 2019 LT9. I had my local revert to tour lite, regular tour is too much like emtb mode and so far away from eco for me
Cheers Rob, another great video, as a novice I really appreciate you explaining EVERYTHING in detail. My bike knowledge has grown exponentially due to your great videos. Cheers Pete 🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️
I am glad you found a bike you like that fits your riding requirements. I am a trail rider and none of the things the trek rail has makes any sense for me. My current favorite is a Nox tour with sachs motor, better display, better motor, steeper head angle and all the parts will be provided to the published specification.
Very nice bit of kit Rob, I've upped the travel on my rail to 170 front and put a 60mm stroke ohlins on, it's brilliant, handles like a dream imo. Also purchased from Blazing bikes, an excellent shop.
Spot on Rob. We think exactly alike. I own a highly modified Rail 7 and Intense Tazer and I'm sold on the full 29er platform. Hands down the new 22 platform is the bike to own this year. Can't wait for my 9.9 to come in
You told us it was coming... Nice Bike, Congratulations! No wonder you liked riding the Reign E+, it has a very similar geometry (flipchip in high) Looking forward to the next video on that bike. Cheers!
Awesome bike and in my opinion its the perfect E-mtb. Look forward to seeing how this goes for you given how many bikes you get to experience. With you all the way regarding choosing a bike based on it's motor. Currently riding a brand with a Shimano EP8 but have a Bosch powered bike on order, the day it arrives won't be a day too soon. Another cracking vlog Rob.
Great bike and undoubtedly the best motor and battery combination currently on the market, I wouldn’t even consider a bike with any other system at the moment. l love the way the battery integrates into the frame. I currently ride a cube stereo but my next bike will be either whyte or trek.
Fantastic and congratulations on the new ride. I was impressed with your Cheeb build and wanted to do a similar build. Couldn't have the frame set sent to the USA they have an agreement with Luna so I bought there X2 in Norway it's an ELife. I changed the front fork to a Zeb ultimate 170 29er making it into a mullet. I also have a coil 160 rear. We get to have the larger Bafang motor also has a throttle all I can say is wow! Luna reprograms the motor the more force you give the more power is delivered peddling tops out at 20 mph throttle and pedaling tops out at 27 mph. Cheers from Northern California!
Agree with the mullet assessment. Also the smaller rear wheel will not go over bumps as well as a 29. That Bosch screen is just waiting to get lost. Cool bike, you may as well have the most power, though I wouldn't change bikes because of it.
I too had an issue with the short dropper post. My new large, Rail 7 came with a 150 dropper, but soon after swapped it for a 200 mm KS. I'm 183 ht. Also changed grips at shop to BONTRAGER SATELLITE Isozones. They are fantastic! Totally in love & awe with bike, & the way it handles on all terrain. I mainly do rugged east coast Aussie fire trails so it gets a really good workout.
Congrats on the new bike. Great bike that one. I feel the same way about colours too. When Haibike released the FLYON series, I bought the NDURO FLYON 8.0 instead of the garish red, black and yellow 10.0. I would have preferred the 10.0 with a single/different colour. But hey, we can't have it all.
I think that red, black & yellow looks awesome - but the bottom line is there REALLY should be much more choice from makers in terms of colour. We are paying a lot, and often there’s no choice :#
If it's got the wrong dropper than advertised, go to the shop you bought it from and get them to warranty it, my mate bought a Large Remedy a couple weeks ago and it came with a 100mm dropper, meant to be long. He just warrantied it and trek sent him a correct length dropper
I never get bored of watching videos about the trek rail, they completely validate my purchase!! Good call on ditching the bontranger stuff, just remember to degrease and loctite (blue) all of your linkage bolt's 👍
@3:00 the background music gets loud and even before your voice is competeing with the music track. Rob, I want to hear YOU-you are the star of the show. Thanks for the great closeups! Hate the Bosch controls. They need to deploy their superior NYON display
Amazing coincidence .... today was new eBike day for me too. I stuck with Mondraker and Bosch. Could've got yourself a Mondraker Level RR. Bosch, 180mm, 29er, all Ohlins and high-end component spec. Ride's like a dream. There's your Alps destroyer
@@RobRidesEMTB Been on one for 1.5yrs so far. Best bike I've ridden full stop (including the DH rigs I've had). Ride everything with it from Surrey Hills trails to Bikeparks. It does everything really well. A true one bike does it all. This bike actually took my riding up a few levels without me expecting it. Mondraker Forward Geometry is the Holy Grail. Look big on paper but wait till you ride them
Are you planing to use the stock tires? With burlier tires you easily add 0.5kg. And weight will go over 24kg + pedals. Very acceptable weight. But i think there should be an universal tire and pedal template. That all manufacturers had to use. Then skimping weight on vital components as tires are wouldnt matter.
I really like your videos Rob. Lots of enthusiasm and good explainations. I am an older novice and bought a 21 Rail 9.7. Chose it over the 21 Levo because of commenters talk and my own test experience of the Bosch over the Brose motor as well as reliability issues with the Brose. I find however that the Turbo mode is altogether too sudden on anything technical here in the Colorado mountains and I can only use it on more open flowing sections. Really find the idea of changing the power by 10% increments on the newer Levo Brose's a superior idea and wish Trek incorporated something like that. Plus the integration is so much cleaner it is not even funny. If I had gotten the Levo however I would forever be wondering what the Bosch would be like and when I can use that Turbo mode it is fabulous.
Indeed on the Bosch CX. I bought my new Cube Stereo 140 HPC SL based on that. We are the same size and i did choose the XL @Cube. But will change the stem to one that is 20 mm. shorter. Love the balance of the new bikes indeed. Now starting to learn to use the bike again on new ways. How many km's and hm+ do you get out of the 750 battery? Last week i got more than 85 km and 1600 hm+ on tour+ mode (had more than 10% left at the end and started with 95 %). Heigt 190, weight 81 (without gear).
We got the same dropper post mate. Mines been flawless. And the pump valve on the top if it does need a bit more wind. Didn't realize the XL was that long... I'm interested....
Also interesting take on the geo. I noticed Loam Wolf reviewers thought Trek took a step backward in 2022 and wished they had size between the medium and large.
Great intro to this new Rail. I am demo’ing one this week and I’m quite looking forward to it. It’s a ‘21 model with the smaller battery/different frame/different Bosch controller/etc but it will be my first time on a Bosch motor. Eager to know how the range might stack up against the 750Wh battery as I will likely save my nickels and dimes for the newest model. One thing I wonder is if anyone’s experiencing any damage to the new control unit. It seems awfully exposed up there on top of the handlebar. I kinda wonder if there’s an opportunity for an aftermarket ‘cage’ of sorts to affix around it, the way I have seen the brake reservoirs of dirt bikes protected. Of course this would probably necessitate using alloy handlebars instead of clamping on carbon bars, but I wouldn’t mind that - I’ve read those Bontrager bars are quite stiff, maybe too stiff.
Absolutly agree with you Rob, Tall riders, Long chainstays think the chainstay length should grow with the frame size, some companies do this actually on non e-bikes !
Rob. great review. I could'nt agree with you more about motor selection. This makes a "big difference." I have a Cube with Bosch Gen 4 motor system and ride with friends who all have Specialized Levo and Kenevo's. We all agree...Bosch motor just tips the balance with perfectly balanced power when its really needed.. This begs the question.....dream build...S-Works Levo with Bosch Gen 4??? if only....LOL
Nice bike. I love your paint job. Very tasteful. I'm with you, I'm not a fan of the Bosch controller and screen. I love the integration of the Levo. But I hear what you're saying about the motor performance. Enjoy it.
Ya, colored bikes are tough. I think they look great out on the trail but I prefer to look at a black or grey bike. I have the 2021 Rail 7 with the red colorway but I'm thinking of having it professionally painted a solid black.
So the bike being longer I’ve ordered an xt 9.8 in a medium that is my size. When I sat on it it didn’t feel any longer, the reach felt good. Hope it doesn’t feel too big on the trails. When I tested a Trek this year I was riding a rail 9gx . That’s what Trek were only offering for testing. not the new geo.
My 2020 rail 7 had sush a plush suspension out if the box. I never did anything crazy , just easy trials and Sunday stolls , so I didn't need anything upgraded
I have a Canyon eSpectral and love it. Hired some trek rails last year up Coed y Brenin and was very underwhelmed with the way it rode. Hope your new one rides better. Couldn’t wait to get home and back on my Canyon with its Mullet set up 👌🏽😉🏴
Sweet bike, congratulations. Just a suggestion I have a trek rail 5 and with your suggestion from an old video I went to 155 crank arms. What a big difference. Almost no pedal strikes and pedals as good if not better than the 165.
Happy for you, nothing better than new bike day. Just got a new kenevo comp, awesome bike. Also came with 150mm post and for an s5 it was meant to come with 170mm, Chester concert store sent me a 170mm when u asked for a swap out 😁👍😁
I was interested to see that you started by saying the only downsides were the control switches and the battery key but ended up saying you upgraded the suspension and seat post to get the bike you wanted - a slack-angled 160/170mm enduro emtb. That is precisely the description you gave in 2019 for the Vitus e-sommet which you also described as "sorted", which I bought for myself based on your recommendation, Rob, and sorted is how it's remained. I don't much see the point in spending all that money only to have to spend even more after the fact, TBH.
That Vitus was well ahead of its time and remains a sorted bike! Its actually one of the lightest full power long travel ebikes, I think some riders have got that under 22KG which is great
@@RobRidesEMTB And with a spare battery, I get an enormous 1008Wh capability which enables really deep penetration into my local mountains. I'm still looking at "latest" emtb's and finding myself going... "Yeah. Still not as good as mine". 😉😂
Hey Rob. Thanks for the super super quick response to my cry for help! And even better still you have helped settle my stomach 😅 I wish I could come and try your stead out for size…..thanks for the very kind offer…..but Nelson New Zealand is a tad too far 🤔😏😜. You should do a trip to NZ. Epic mountain biking here. Would make an interesting project for your channel 🤔🤔. Cheery and megathanx again. Andrew
Since you mentioned that looks are important to you, I personally, don’t like mixing orange forks with red bikes. They look great on black or blue, but I’d lose the orange stickers on a red frame.
Put the flip chip in the high setting and run a 27.5 in back! That would be sick! You would still have long chainstays for stability, but with better turning and no wheel buzzing your butt!
4:14 I have this remote. I found it to be too slippery, atleast with without any rubberized stuff. So I used anti slip tape. The holes don't give much grip. But a great remote.
I love the paint job on it. I have a Scott eride Ransom which also has a key to remove the battery. I know your not a fan of key removal and tbh I never ride from home so its no biggy for me to carry my key on my car and house keyring. However, bearing in mind I charge my bike with the battery in situ, I found that when I went away for a week 3 months after buying the bike and needed to remove the battery to charge it in the hotel room, It took me half an hour just to get the key into the slot due to the grit and sand that had found its way in over previous rides. Solution, you know that really dense black packing foam that comes with a lot of delicat packages, or the jigsaw type workshop floor tiles you get. Just cut a circle of that with a stanley knife and use it as a bung, put a smear of greas on the back and it keeps grit and water out of the keyhole.
So now you make my head spin Rob. I am 180 cm and I was determined for size L. This long reach scares me a bit. I drive size L but at a reach of 46cm (Merida). Now what ??? 😐 Size M in Trek seems small ... P.S. I'd like to make similar modifications😊
How about tires and rims ? Any change ? Love your explanation ebaike =rails ame as slash in theory. Good look and enjoy the raid . Got also a rail and superb dream come true. Seattle
Nice bike. I would have bought one if there had been any availability last year. I got a Whyte E150S and absolutely love it. I agree, Bosch motor all the way, after trying all the others.
Hey Rob, love the new Rail! I actually got the Rail 7 Medium 2022 but not loving the suspension and would like to upgrade. Only issue is I’ve been struggling to understand what would be compatible… I want 170mm up front and maybe increase in the rear, what would you recommend?
Congrats on the bike. It’ll be great to see your long term review. I have the 21’ 9.8 XT and found that many of the parts that come on the bike are not up to par. For example, I noticed that your 22’ still comes with e13 crank arms. It’s rubbish. Same with the Bontrager wheels and tires. On top of that, the chain ring comes loose after many hours of big hit riding. I also wonder if you’ll need a strap for the battery as they often come loose and fall out for the 21’ models. All this is repeatedly mentioned on your forums for the Trek. Anyways. Happy riding and congrats. At the end of the day, these are amazing bikes!!! 👏 👏 👏
I have the same ‘21 as you. What do you think of the navigation on the kiox? I can’t believe how crappy that thing is. It’s just unusable for me. Oh and I totally agree about the tires, I replaced them after 2 rides for dhf and dhr. Haven’t seen any issues with the cranks yet, but my bike only just passed the 600km marker
@@visserswp haven’t used the navigation yet for the kiox. But not much use for me since I’m not in the road much. If anything, I use other apps on my phone to find apps. Good choice on changing the tires. They’re ok, but definitely doesn’t stand up to other choices that you get. Maxxis, Schwalbe…
Hey Rob I bought this years Trek Rail 9....bike is fantastic does everythgin very well. One thing worth metioning on the 9 is the Code Rs just aren't good enough.
Weighed a couple of times to make sure. Lightweight tyres, smaller 150mm dropper all shedding a lot of weight to what the finished weight will actually be.
Currently tyraing to decide between a gen 2 rail 9 & a gen3 levo comp alloy. Whats ur thoughts on both for riding a variety of trails in the tweed valley?
I am also going with a Bosch equipped bike and that is probably going to be the Rail XT for me too. I also want to convert it to a longer travel rig, so I am really looking forward for your next video on the new set up and how it rides! However, I liked the color on that Rail you tested better. Anyways, the bike is awesome! Oh, almost forgot, even though I am going with a Bosch bike, I would like to see what that Kelly’s Theos is capable of! Cheers!
Love the bike, ticks a lot of boxes for me too. Not loving the huge bosch remote either, I like the Shimano one from a simplicity standpoint. Wonder if there is going to be any aftermarket remotes in the future 🤔
Im 6' 3" too and i currently ride a large turbo sl, my brother in law is 6' 5" and has the xl levo, which I ride some too and fit on but it just feels huge
Salut , sunt Emilian din România și am 46 de anii . De peste 20 de anii merg pe bicicleta și ador mult lucrul acesta , dar nu am ajuns sa pot lua o bicicleta electrica, din cauza prețului mare pe care le au acestea . Miar plăcea sa încerc una electrica, pe un traseu Sinaia spre cota 200 , acest traseu este unul foarte spectaculos pentru cei care practica acest spor. Știu sigur ca nu voi putea sa fac acest traseu nici o data , pentru ca nu îmi pot permite cumpăra o asemenea bicicleta. Când vad asemenea clipuri sufăr mult pentru ca nu voi putea face. Felicitari
Congrats to your new bike! For me, the Bosch System would be a NoGo. I don´t like this chunky Remote and Display... and the motor is a bit to synthetic for me.
What a New Bike Day!! - awesome. I'm a new to the e-mtb scene with an 'old' Trek Powerfly 9.7 fs LT and loving every minute of it.... p'raps one day. Got a query though - does having a great chunk of the frame cut away for the battery to slide in remove rigidity / strength of the frame overall ? ...... and don't the constant stresses created by the battery effectively being part of the frame affect the batteries themselves ?..... obviously better folks than I have come up with this amazing design solution but was just wondering ? Good to hear about the Large frame size / tall rider combi too. I'd just come from a Large Scott Aspect hardtail and was thinking the I was borderline XL at 6'1". Consequently I was thinking about XL with the Trek but immediately came across this one at L (at the very right price)and went for it - man and machine as one 😁👍
Hey Rob, would you mind informing the total length? I'm still waiting for mine in NZ but I'd like to get a custom cover and need that info, couldn't find anywhere. Cheers
Nice work, shame the alloy and low end 9.7 didn't get the geo tweaks as well. I was running the fox 38 on my devinci ac, being a clyde the pressures where near the limit for sag. I'm running a zeb this season and it's better suited for larger riders with that air piston diameter. Congrats and enjoy! 🤘
I'm obviously biased Rob since I ride a 2020 Rail, but I'm excited to see what you do with this bike, with the extra travel it's going to be an absolute beast! 🤟
Nice bike, just the Bosch system is a big to much. I had my first day on the bike you tested the Reign E1 and the ride went great. In XL it is on the heavy side, motor is really quiet (more than in Trance I tested last year). Going down on trails it performs great.
Why ? Haha because you have a Emtb Channel . I would say the Frame is more old-school design same like Merdia / Orbea / Marin etc Shock lay out . The Bosch remote thing is gone in the first crash . The weight is with real tires and some inserts easy up to 25kg so like all the others as well . I would say you had so much more exiting bikes on your channel . AMD don't get me wrong I really enjoy your content and that was only my first expression of the trek bike .
Rob, have you ever tried the new Mondraker Crafty XR which looks like a cracking bike with 150/170 ohlins suspension, Bosch CX, 750w battery, X01 and 29” Mavic E-Deemax wheels. Seems like a killer spec for £8999
That teaser looks phenomenal. Absolute beast :)
Massively appreciate Rob using (both) the metric system (and imperial in some cases) when talking about the bike. Thank you!
Bosch / 29er / 750Wh battery, An amazing canvas to build a dream super enduro electric mountain bike! What you guys think??
Great looking bike, Rob! But I’m not surprised by the weight. The bike is still 2 pounds heavier than my Levo pro, which has the 700 W battery…
@@BikeIntelligencer Levo killing it on the weight / integration / software and frame design. They did an outstanding job with that bike!
Awesome rig.
I have the Rail 9 GX 22 model, it is a big upgrade over my old bike.. 2019 LT9.
I had my local revert to tour lite, regular tour is too much like emtb mode and so far away from eco for me
@@RobRidesEMTB yeah but what I heard Brose engines are still not very reliable comparing to Shimano/Bosch because they are belt operated.
I'm a smaller battery fan. I think a 500wh is a better compromise. If you really need more range buy a second battery.
It's a very beautiful e bike and colours are amazing,red on black you can't be wrong and that dark- cherry color it's amazing,love IT ! ! !
Cheers Rob, another great video, as a novice I really appreciate you explaining EVERYTHING in detail. My bike knowledge has grown exponentially due to your great videos. Cheers Pete 🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️
I am glad you found a bike you like that fits your riding requirements. I am a trail rider and none of the things the trek rail has makes any sense for me. My current favorite is a Nox tour with sachs motor, better display, better motor, steeper head angle and all the parts will be provided to the published specification.
Very nice bit of kit Rob, I've upped the travel on my rail to 170 front and put a 60mm stroke ohlins on, it's brilliant, handles like a dream imo.
Also purchased from Blazing bikes, an excellent shop.
@@phantombigballs8165 That's unbelievable! There's no excuse for that :#
Great vid, cheers Rob. I’ve bought one on the stength of your (& others’ reviews) hoping to pick it up later this week. Can’t wait
Spot on Rob. We think exactly alike. I own a highly modified Rail 7 and Intense Tazer and I'm sold on the full 29er platform. Hands down the new 22 platform is the bike to own this year. Can't wait for my 9.9 to come in
You told us it was coming... Nice Bike, Congratulations!
No wonder you liked riding the Reign E+, it has a very similar geometry (flipchip in high)
Looking forward to the next video on that bike. Cheers!
Awesome bike and in my opinion its the perfect E-mtb. Look forward to seeing how this goes for you given how many bikes you get to experience. With you all the way regarding choosing a bike based on it's motor. Currently riding a brand with a Shimano EP8 but have a Bosch powered bike on order, the day it arrives won't be a day too soon. Another cracking vlog Rob.
Great bike and undoubtedly the best motor and battery combination currently on the market, I wouldn’t even consider a bike with any other system at the moment. l love the way the battery integrates into the frame. I currently ride a cube stereo but my next bike will be either whyte or trek.
Fantastic and congratulations on the new ride. I was impressed with your Cheeb build and wanted to do a similar build. Couldn't have the frame set sent to the USA they have an agreement with Luna so I bought there X2 in Norway it's an ELife. I changed the front fork to a Zeb ultimate 170 29er making it into a mullet. I also have a coil 160 rear. We get to have the larger Bafang motor also has a throttle all I can say is wow! Luna reprograms the motor the more force you give the more power is delivered peddling tops out at 20 mph throttle and pedaling tops out at 27 mph. Cheers from Northern California!
Hey Rob Rides Emtb! That should be a great handling ebike! I look forward to the upgrade vids! Ride ride ride!
Fantastic review. Beautiful beast and those Fox 38s. Oooohhh yeah!!
Congratulations
Agree with the mullet assessment. Also the smaller rear wheel will not go over bumps as well as a 29. That Bosch screen is just waiting to get lost. Cool bike, you may as well have the most power, though I wouldn't change bikes because of it.
I too had an issue with the short dropper post. My new large, Rail 7 came with a 150 dropper, but soon after swapped it for a 200 mm KS.
I'm 183 ht.
Also changed grips at shop to BONTRAGER SATELLITE Isozones. They are fantastic!
Totally in love & awe with bike, & the way it handles on all terrain.
I mainly do rugged east coast Aussie fire trails so it gets a really good workout.
Congrats on the new bike. Great bike that one. I feel the same way about colours too. When Haibike released the FLYON series, I bought the NDURO FLYON 8.0 instead of the garish red, black and yellow 10.0. I would have preferred the 10.0 with a single/different colour. But hey, we can't have it all.
I think that red, black & yellow looks awesome - but the bottom line is there REALLY should be much more choice from makers in terms of colour. We are paying a lot, and often there’s no choice :#
If it's got the wrong dropper than advertised, go to the shop you bought it from and get them to warranty it, my mate bought a Large Remedy a couple weeks ago and it came with a 100mm dropper, meant to be long. He just warrantied it and trek sent him a correct length dropper
I never get bored of watching videos about the trek rail, they completely validate my purchase!! Good call on ditching the bontranger stuff, just remember to degrease and loctite (blue) all of your linkage bolt's 👍
Good tip! thanks.
@@RobRidesEMTB Also if you have E13 cranks, get some self extracting crank bolts to stop your pedals falling off!! 👍
I'm getting my Rail 9 next week, are there issues with loose bolts?
@3:00 the background music gets loud and even before your voice is competeing with the music track. Rob, I want to hear YOU-you are the star of the show. Thanks for the great closeups! Hate the Bosch controls. They need to deploy their superior NYON display
Amazing coincidence .... today was new eBike day for me too. I stuck with Mondraker and Bosch. Could've got yourself a Mondraker Level RR. Bosch, 180mm, 29er, all Ohlins and high-end component spec. Ride's like a dream. There's your Alps destroyer
That bike looks perfect!
@@RobRidesEMTB Been on one for 1.5yrs so far. Best bike I've ridden full stop (including the DH rigs I've had). Ride everything with it from Surrey Hills trails to Bikeparks. It does everything really well. A true one bike does it all. This bike actually took my riding up a few levels without me expecting it. Mondraker Forward Geometry is the Holy Grail. Look big on paper but wait till you ride them
quite like the colour,personally i would add the coil shock as well.nice though.
Are you planing to use the stock tires? With burlier tires you easily add 0.5kg. And weight will go over 24kg + pedals. Very acceptable weight. But i think there should be an universal tire and pedal template. That all manufacturers had to use. Then skimping weight on vital components as tires are wouldnt matter.
I really like your videos Rob. Lots of enthusiasm and good explainations. I am an older novice and bought a 21 Rail 9.7. Chose it over the 21 Levo because of commenters talk and my own test experience of the Bosch over the Brose motor as well as reliability issues with the Brose. I find however that the Turbo mode is altogether too sudden on anything technical here in the Colorado mountains and I can only use it on more open flowing sections. Really find the idea of changing the power by 10% increments on the newer Levo Brose's a superior idea and wish Trek incorporated something like that. Plus the integration is so much cleaner it is not even funny. If I had gotten the Levo however I would forever be wondering what the Bosch would be like and when I can use that Turbo mode it is fabulous.
Indeed on the Bosch CX. I bought my new Cube Stereo 140 HPC SL based on that. We are the same size and i did choose the XL @Cube. But will change the stem to one that is 20 mm. shorter. Love the balance of the new bikes indeed. Now starting to learn to use the bike again on new ways. How many km's and hm+ do you get out of the 750 battery?
Last week i got more than 85 km and 1600 hm+ on tour+ mode (had more than 10% left at the end and started with 95 %). Heigt 190, weight 81 (without gear).
We got the same dropper post mate. Mines been flawless. And the pump valve on the top if it does need a bit more wind.
Didn't realize the XL was that long... I'm interested....
The XL is right up your street!! Long bike, big wheelbase!!
Nice bike! Can't wait to see how it turns out after the suspension bump.
I love this TREK Emtb, weight is light, 90 NM is enough power n 750wh optimal power.
Love from Jakarta INDONESIA.
Congrats Rob.. an awesome bike for sure! Love the XT, motor, and color scheme... Can't wait to see your upgrades.. Fox 38 etc... Nice choice 👌
Stay tuned! coming soon!!
Also interesting take on the geo. I noticed Loam Wolf reviewers thought Trek took a step backward in 2022 and wished they had size between the medium and large.
I ordered the same bike, it's scheduled to arrive in April. Can't wait :)
Great intro to this new Rail. I am demo’ing one this week and I’m quite looking forward to it. It’s a ‘21 model with the smaller battery/different frame/different Bosch controller/etc but it will be my first time on a Bosch motor. Eager to know how the range might stack up against the 750Wh battery as I will likely save my nickels and dimes for the newest model. One thing I wonder is if anyone’s experiencing any damage to the new control unit. It seems awfully exposed up there on top of the handlebar. I kinda wonder if there’s an opportunity for an aftermarket ‘cage’ of sorts to affix around it, the way I have seen the brake reservoirs of dirt bikes protected. Of course this would probably necessitate using alloy handlebars instead of clamping on carbon bars, but I wouldn’t mind that - I’ve read those Bontrager bars are quite stiff, maybe too stiff.
Absolutly agree with you Rob,
Tall riders, Long chainstays think the chainstay length should grow with the frame size, some companies do this actually on non e-bikes !
Yes, we need size specific chain stays!!
Rob. great review. I could'nt agree with you more about motor selection. This makes a "big difference." I have a Cube with Bosch Gen 4 motor system and ride with friends who all have Specialized Levo and Kenevo's. We all agree...Bosch motor just tips the balance with perfectly balanced power when its really needed.. This begs the question.....dream build...S-Works Levo with Bosch Gen 4??? if only....LOL
awesome bike, agree the led display not great-however not tested.
great video Rob I've just bought Giant reign E+2 after your review which helped a lot
Nice bike. I love your paint job. Very tasteful. I'm with you, I'm not a fan of the Bosch controller and screen. I love the integration of the Levo. But I hear what you're saying about the motor performance. Enjoy it.
Ya, colored bikes are tough. I think they look great out on the trail but I prefer to look at a black or grey bike. I have the 2021 Rail 7 with the red colorway but I'm thinking of having it professionally painted a solid black.
Colour for me is not a issue, it's usually about availably ,so u get what they can supply here in Aussie, Cheers Rob
So the bike being longer I’ve ordered an xt 9.8 in a medium that is my size.
When I sat on it it didn’t feel any longer,
the reach felt good.
Hope it doesn’t feel too big on the trails.
When I tested a Trek this year I was riding a rail 9gx . That’s what Trek were only offering for testing.
not the new geo.
Lovely bike! I've had this sizing issue with my dropper on the Giant reign E+2. The medium is meant to come with a 150 dropper but i got a 125.
Yes, my demo Reign was specced with a 170mm and arrived with a 150mm
The Bike Yoke Revive is a great dropper post. I've had mine for 2 years, it's still super smooth and I've never had to re-lube it.
Its great isn't it!
My 2020 rail 7 had sush a plush suspension out if the box. I never did anything crazy , just easy trials and Sunday stolls , so I didn't need anything upgraded
I have a Canyon eSpectral and love it. Hired some trek rails last year up Coed y Brenin and was very underwhelmed with the way it rode. Hope your new one rides better. Couldn’t wait to get home and back on my Canyon with its Mullet set up 👌🏽😉🏴
The colour Rob is nice,,,, ya can take that one to Scotland and realy have a bash about with 750💪😀👌
Sweet bike, congratulations. Just a suggestion I have a trek rail 5 and with your suggestion from an old video I went to 155 crank arms. What a big difference. Almost no pedal strikes and pedals as good if not better than the 165.
Happy for you, nothing better than new bike day. Just got a new kenevo comp, awesome bike. Also came with 150mm post and for an s5 it was meant to come with 170mm, Chester concert store sent me a 170mm when u asked for a swap out 😁👍😁
I was interested to see that you started by saying the only downsides were the control switches and the battery key but ended up saying you upgraded the suspension and seat post to get the bike you wanted - a slack-angled 160/170mm enduro emtb. That is precisely the description you gave in 2019 for the Vitus e-sommet which you also described as "sorted", which I bought for myself based on your recommendation, Rob, and sorted is how it's remained. I don't much see the point in spending all that money only to have to spend even more after the fact, TBH.
That Vitus was well ahead of its time and remains a sorted bike! Its actually one of the lightest full power long travel ebikes, I think some riders have got that under 22KG which is great
@@RobRidesEMTB And with a spare battery, I get an enormous 1008Wh capability which enables really deep penetration into my local mountains. I'm still looking at "latest" emtb's and finding myself going... "Yeah. Still not as good as mine". 😉😂
Great video Rob. I just ordered my Trek Rail 9.8 today! It won’t arrive until June however 🙁.
I like the colour, BikeYoke dropper, and the Öhlins damper.
Hey Rob. Thanks for the super super quick response to my cry for help! And even better still you have helped settle my stomach 😅
I wish I could come and try your stead out for size…..thanks for the very kind offer…..but Nelson New Zealand is a tad too far 🤔😏😜.
You should do a trip to NZ. Epic mountain biking here. Would make an interesting project for your channel 🤔🤔. Cheery and megathanx again. Andrew
Very nice bike! I just bought a new Giant Trance X, I love it but wishing I had more battery already, so great choice.
Oh Rob, I’m surprised you didn’t stay with Spesh mate. Yea I’m not keen on the trek colour either, and the controls are very chunky. But enjoy
The bike geometry is very good!!
Gin in hand new wireless headphones engaged.
Since you mentioned that looks are important to you, I personally, don’t like mixing orange forks with red bikes. They look great on black or blue, but I’d lose the orange stickers on a red frame.
Put the flip chip in the high setting and run a 27.5 in back! That would be sick! You would still have long chainstays for stability, but with better turning and no wheel buzzing your butt!
4:14 I have this remote. I found it to be too slippery, atleast with without any rubberized stuff. So I used anti slip tape. The holes don't give much grip. But a great remote.
I love the paint job on it. I have a Scott eride Ransom which also has a key to remove the battery. I know your not a fan of key removal and tbh I never ride from home so its no biggy for me to carry my key on my car and house keyring. However, bearing in mind I charge my bike with the battery in situ, I found that when I went away for a week 3 months after buying the bike and needed to remove the battery to charge it in the hotel room, It took me half an hour just to get the key into the slot due to the grit and sand that had found its way in over previous rides. Solution, you know that really dense black packing foam that comes with a lot of delicat packages, or the jigsaw type workshop floor tiles you get. Just cut a circle of that with a stanley knife and use it as a bung, put a smear of greas on the back and it keeps grit and water out of the keyhole.
So now you make my head spin Rob. I am 180 cm and I was determined for size L. This long reach scares me a bit. I drive size L but at a reach of 46cm (Merida). Now what ??? 😐 Size M in Trek seems small ... P.S. I'd like to make similar modifications😊
True, it really kick when pedalling
Congrats on the personal bike! Good choice, and telling considering the sheer number of bikes you've ridden.
Hi Rob, interested to see how you set up the front forks, I have a rail 9 alloy and was thinking of doing the same.
How about tires and rims ? Any change ? Love your explanation ebaike =rails ame as slash in theory.
Good look and enjoy the raid . Got also a rail and superb dream come true. Seattle
Nice bike. I would have bought one if there had been any availability last year. I got a Whyte E150S and absolutely love it. I agree, Bosch motor all the way, after trying all the others.
Hey Rob, love the new Rail! I actually got the Rail 7 Medium 2022 but not loving the suspension and would like to upgrade. Only issue is I’ve been struggling to understand what would be compatible…
I want 170mm up front and maybe increase in the rear, what would you recommend?
I'd go Fox 170mm Ebike fork if budget will allow. RockShox ZEB Ultimate in 170mm is also great choice.
Congrats on the bike. It’ll be great to see your long term review. I have the 21’ 9.8 XT and found that many of the parts that come on the bike are not up to par. For example, I noticed that your 22’ still comes with e13 crank arms. It’s rubbish. Same with the Bontrager wheels and tires. On top of that, the chain ring comes loose after many hours of big hit riding. I also wonder if you’ll need a strap for the battery as they often come loose and fall out for the 21’ models. All this is repeatedly mentioned on your forums for the Trek.
Anyways. Happy riding and congrats. At the end of the day, these are amazing bikes!!! 👏 👏 👏
I have the same ‘21 as you. What do you think of the navigation on the kiox? I can’t believe how crappy that thing is. It’s just unusable for me. Oh and I totally agree about the tires, I replaced them after 2 rides for dhf and dhr. Haven’t seen any issues with the cranks yet, but my bike only just passed the 600km marker
@@visserswp haven’t used the navigation yet for the kiox. But not much use for me since I’m not in the road much. If anything, I use other apps on my phone to find apps.
Good choice on changing the tires. They’re ok, but definitely doesn’t stand up to other choices that you get. Maxxis, Schwalbe…
@@notdeadyetmtb1467 you’re supposed to be able to use it off-road, at least according to bosch that is
Hey Rob I bought this years Trek Rail 9....bike is fantastic does everythgin very well. One thing worth metioning on the 9 is the Code Rs just aren't good enough.
Surprised at the weight especially with that big battery. Sure your scales are ok? Like the colour, good for visibility too.
Weighed a couple of times to make sure. Lightweight tyres, smaller 150mm dropper all shedding a lot of weight to what the finished weight will actually be.
Welcome 2 the club Rob Best bike on the market 👌
Have you tried the KTM Prowler Exonic E-Bike with the new Bosch? But the Trek is a beauty for sure. Congratulations.
Currently tyraing to decide between a gen 2 rail 9 & a gen3 levo comp alloy. Whats ur thoughts on both for riding a variety of trails in the tweed valley?
I am also going with a Bosch equipped bike and that is probably going to be the Rail XT for me too. I also want to convert it to a longer travel rig, so I am really looking forward for your next video on the new set up and how it rides! However, I liked the color on that Rail you tested better. Anyways, the bike is awesome! Oh, almost forgot, even though I am going with a Bosch bike, I would like to see what that Kelly’s Theos is capable of! Cheers!
Kellys Theos vid coming in March!
I love the XT brakes on my ebike too. Love them!
Nice video Rob , I want one of these for riding trails, but what would you recommend for commuting?
Love the bike, ticks a lot of boxes for me too. Not loving the huge bosch remote either, I like the Shimano one from a simplicity standpoint. Wonder if there is going to be any aftermarket remotes in the future 🤔
I always enjoy watching your videos Rob. That looks like a sweet bike!
Thanks for watching Brendan 👊
Way to go
Let us know how that rail rips with the ohlins and 170
Im 6' 3" too and i currently ride a large turbo sl, my brother in law is 6' 5" and has the xl levo, which I ride some too and fit on but it just feels huge
Nothing wrong with the zeb rob, infact there easier to set up, but the fox bling, yeh I get you.
Zeb is a great fork
Salut , sunt Emilian din România și am 46 de anii .
De peste 20 de anii merg pe bicicleta și ador mult lucrul acesta , dar nu am ajuns sa pot lua o bicicleta electrica, din cauza prețului mare pe care le au acestea .
Miar plăcea sa încerc una electrica, pe un traseu Sinaia spre cota 200 , acest traseu este unul foarte spectaculos pentru cei care practica acest spor.
Știu sigur ca nu voi putea sa fac acest traseu nici o data , pentru ca nu îmi pot permite cumpăra o asemenea bicicleta.
Când vad asemenea clipuri sufăr mult pentru ca nu voi putea face. Felicitari
Congrats to your new bike! For me, the Bosch System would be a NoGo. I don´t like this chunky Remote and Display... and the motor is a bit to synthetic for me.
What a New Bike Day!! - awesome.
I'm a new to the e-mtb scene with an 'old' Trek Powerfly 9.7 fs LT and loving every minute of it.... p'raps one day.
Got a query though - does having a great chunk of the frame cut away for the battery to slide in remove rigidity / strength of the frame overall ? ...... and don't the constant stresses created by the battery effectively being part of the frame affect the batteries themselves ?..... obviously better folks than I have come up with this amazing design solution but was just wondering ?
Good to hear about the Large frame size / tall rider combi too. I'd just come from a Large Scott Aspect hardtail and was thinking the I was borderline XL at 6'1". Consequently I was thinking about XL with the Trek but immediately came across this one at L (at the very right price)and went for it - man and machine as one 😁👍
What he the e13 cranks , rob , had mine changed on warranty on my cube , they flex and bend to the point they hit the chain stays
That's a good looking bike 👍
Looking forward to a video about the preparation for your Alps trip 😀
Coming soon!
Hi Rob, what decathlon chain oil would you recommend??
No mountain bike for a normal ebike.
I just got a Sam² 6.9 and wish it had the new 750wh battery. I was looking at the rails 9.8 /9.9 but nothing available for some time.
Rob I must confess... I'm surprised you didn't buy a 2022 S-Works Levo. Why did you choose trek instead? Isn't the S-works Levo the best of the best?
Good, can you review the trek rail 5 2022 please, i wold like to know the range, components and endure characteristics.
Hey Rob, would you mind informing the total length? I'm still waiting for mine in NZ but I'd like to get a custom cover and need that info, couldn't find anywhere. Cheers
Nice work, shame the alloy and low end 9.7 didn't get the geo tweaks as well. I was running the fox 38 on my devinci ac, being a clyde the pressures where near the limit for sag. I'm running a zeb this season and it's better suited for larger riders with that air piston diameter. Congrats and enjoy! 🤘
I'm obviously biased Rob since I ride a 2020 Rail, but I'm excited to see what you do with this bike, with the extra travel it's going to be an absolute beast! 🤟
Cheers Phil 👊
Nice bike, just the Bosch system is a big to much. I had my first day on the bike you tested the Reign E1 and the ride went great. In XL it is on the heavy side, motor is really quiet (more than in Trance I tested last year). Going down on trails it performs great.
Why ?
Haha because you have a Emtb Channel .
I would say the Frame is more old-school design same like Merdia / Orbea / Marin etc Shock lay out .
The Bosch remote thing is gone in the first crash .
The weight is with real tires and some inserts easy up to 25kg so like all the others as well .
I would say you had so much more exiting bikes on your channel . AMD don't get me wrong I really enjoy your content and that was only my first expression of the trek bike .
Trust you will be doing a full ride vid on the new beefed up Trek 🤘
Rob, have you ever tried the new Mondraker Crafty XR which looks like a cracking bike with 150/170 ohlins suspension, Bosch CX, 750w battery, X01 and 29” Mavic E-Deemax wheels. Seems like a killer spec for £8999
Haven’t tried it but it sounds real good
This bike is $4k more than the Reign E+1 in Canada, is it worth it?
Rob please run some hope hoops and not bontys, please,,, and I've had my XT for 14 month and didn't know I could double down shift😀👍
It seems like there are a lot of things you don't like and are planning to change some of these . ?