Sam2 vs Rail

[Good Times]

Ahoy hoy. I've got a 2yo Trek Rail 7. Done some mods to brakes and drivetrain, and generally adore it. Only grips is the forks can feel harsh on a big hit (Yari upgraded to Lyrik). She's up for a new cassette and if I were to upgrade the fork, I'm potentially near the price of a new Sam2 6.8 or 6.9.

I know and trust the Bosch CX, so question is would this be a good move going to a 170mm bike (Rail is 160/150) or will it be a lot different? I like the idea of more supple downs, but I love my bikes to be fun and playful as well. I do 90% enduro/XC, but even though the downhill stuff is a small proportion, that's where you don't want to sacrifice anything. And I figure being an ebike, why not!

 

[Doomanic]

She's up for a new cassette and if I were to upgrade the fork, I'm potentially near the price of a new Sam2 6.8 or 6.9.

That's one expensive cassette!

I think @TheBikePilot has a Sam and he's probably ridden a Rail.

 

[Doomanic]

Not forgetting that @Rob Rides EMTB has ridden both and owns a Rail.

 

[Good Times]

Hahah sure is! I've been looking for a cassette for about 9 months now....ugh. And that's the issue, you can't even look at a bike here let alone ride one with the supply issues.

 

[Husky430]

Had the same dilemma with my Merida getting older and loosing it's resale value and therefore 1 was wanting to update.
Rode a Trek Rail 9 in Derby recently and loved it so thought that was the way to go.
Can't find one up here in QLD for love or money but then started to research a bit more and have settled on a Sam 6.9, way cheaper and it bit more DH orientated than what I was looking for.
Seems pretty bullet proof though and even if it weighs a bit more, it's an Ebike and who, at the end of the day, doesn't want to own and drive a Ferrari. Will probably mullet it as have seen quite a few reviews where they recommend that to make it a bit more playful. Going to look at it in the flesh tonight so a little bit excited after weeks of surfing the net.