Powerfly vs rail review

[Marke]

I have a powerfly lt8 2018 (3000+ km on the clock all off road) and hired 2 rails for a day from the lbs. Nice bikes but wont be upgrading as not much difference. Battery is bigger but heavier - stands to reason as no significant advances in battery energy density in the last few years. Most of my rides are for a couple of hours so I don't need to lug a big heavy battery around. Also my battery design fits in a rucksack better. The new battery design in longer and thinner and also (as far as I know) requires a proprietary trek cover which needs to be attached / detached every time you swap batteries. I have never flattened 2 500wh batteries on a long ride and do not need 2 600wh batteries.


Motor similar to the last version, not night and day difference. I ride my bike on private land alot and like the motor to be unrestricted, it is currently not possible to derestrict the latest bosch motor. I found the lack of assistance over 15 mph irritating. The waterproofing seal design around the front sprocket looks similar to the previous design - ie not very waterproof. I need a derestricted 100% waterproof motor and an internal gearbox to upgrade. Also, full disclosure ... I don't stand to make any money from bike sales

 

[Doomanic]

I had 2200 miles (and three motors) on my 2017 Powerfly LT8 (Quasimodo as it will now be called) and recently changed to a Rail 7 thanks to Trek's excellent warranty.

Almost every ride I did used all the battery, with me riding back to the car on several occasions on mandraulic power alone, which wasn't a whole lot of fun. The new motor is much better when off or over the assist limit. There's a section of fire road on one of my regular loops that I couldn't ride up over the limit on Quasimodo, but I tanked up it at 18-19mph on the Rail. The motor feels the same under power, which I like, but it's possibly noisier (I can't decide it's louder, or just different).

I've only got one ride in so far but already I can feel the difference in handling. The Rail is much livelier; I can actually wheelie it and turns better than Quasimodo ever did, even though I haven't got my hands on a Magic Mary for the front yet.

Swapping batteries going to be an expensive pain in the arse, but at least with bottle cage bolts it should be possible to fit an e-booz or @TrailwattsUK extender.

 

[Zimmerframe]

but at least with bottle cage bolts it should be possible to fit an e-booz or @TrailwattsUK extender.

Or a cling film dispenser...

 

[MattyB]

...I need a derestricted 100% waterproof motor and an internal gearbox to upgrade.

The anti-tamper functionality is not going away; all the manufacturers are going to implement something similar in the next few years to remain compliant with EU regs. The waterproofing I wholeheartedly agree with, and the gearbox too; problem is most of the motor manufacturers seem to be chasing smaller, lighter and more powerful. That combination is not likely to improve overall reliability in the med term.