The loser of the test: Trek Rail 9.9.

[urastus]

somehow fundamentally flawed or if this can all be attributed back to sizing issue

isn't it just different? For example, I'm more interested in shorter wb and chainstay, and steeper ha and if possible steeper sta. That would suit my style of riding and what I'm interested in - tight stuff and climbing. Speed downhill isn't my priority. I would have thought that most other folk would prefer the trek - that sort of geo supports the trend.

 

[The Loam Wolf]

Appreciate you posting in here Drew!
I think you have touched on a key point for most of the people here - investing in an ebike is a rather big decision and with the supply chain disruptions, it can almost feel like a gamble ordering a bike that you are only likely to see 3-6 months later (and 0 chance of demo'ing one!).

With the Rail in particular, ordering a 2022 version felt like an educated gamble - the existing rail had generally been top of most reviews and shootouts and the proposed changes looked from my perspective like they could only make the bike even better (new bosch smart system, bigger battery, GEO numbers matching the Slash etc).

I think this is why some of us here are left scratching out heads and trying to determine if the bike is now somehow fundamentally flawed or if this can all be attributed back to sizing issue being the culprit. As it turns out for me personally, the extra reach will likely be perfect as i've always been an inbetweener height.

Thanks Oupy, to further agree, we are very aware of the price, commitment and potentially long wait times and it would suck to be disappointed after going through all that. Hopefully in our round table discussion and other reviews, our concern is shown to viewers. It's why some may view us as being a bit critical or picky. We think if brands are asking 10k plus, things should be really dialed! Granted, everyone is different and has different body types and parameters, but we try to be as open and honest as possible.
We DO NOT charge for reviews, take no money to be involved in any of our product tests and brands who send us product know that we put honesty up front.

Regarding the Rail, i honestly believe if this bike was a bit shorter, more of our riders would have really liked it. If you were an in-betweener before, you'll likely be happy. What we think however, is that Trek will be creating a much larger in-between audience. When we got this new Rail on fast, chunky trails it absolutely rips! But on tighter, raw or multi-use type trails, the length (reach and chainstays!) Did have us feeling that length was less than ideal. But again, some may be taller, or only ride faster / open trails. In which case, this bike is a lot of fun.

Regarding battery noise, our bike had none. It was very quiet and did not rattle. We try to address notable things like that, as you may have noticed from our criticisms of Norco bikes hardware loosening, and many others having issues. We're not afraid to criticize or point out low points, but we never do it just because, or without reason.

Thanks
Drew

 

[JP-NZ]

Thanks for the input Drew, its great to have someone that was involved in the review come onto the forum and chat.

You guys do a great job across the board, big thanks from the other side of the world in little ole New Zealand

 

[The Loam Wolf]

T

Thanks for the input Drew, its great to have someone that was involved in the review come onto the forum and chat.

You guys do a great job across the board, big thanks from the other side of the world in little ole New Zealand

Thank you for watching JP! We do our best to present the info we believe matters, and comments from awesome fans like you make all the stress and effort worth it. We really do lose sleep over how our fans/viewers take in our content. It means a lot.
Thanks
- Drew