Trek rail+ 9.7 Gen 5

[PierreZA]

Why does my Trek rail+ 9.7 Gen 5 not have EMTB+ mode available, my Gen 3 Rail 7 had EMTB+.

 

[Greg Watts]

Why does my Trek rail+ 9.7 Gen 5 not have EMTB+ mode available, my Gen 3 Rail 7 had EMTB+.

@PierreZA Good news: eMTB+ mode is available for your Gen 5 Rail+, but it didn't ship with the bike out of the box.

Bosch made it possible to use the Flow app to increase the motor output to 100Nm and 750W, and to add the new eMTB+ mode, but this came via a firmware update that rolled out in mid-2025.

Bosch's latest software update (version 1.28 of the eBike Flow app) is what boosts the performance of the CX Gen 5 motor.

To get eMTB+ on your bike, open the Bosch eBike Flow app on your phone, connect it to your Rail+ via Bluetooth, and check for firmware updates.

The update has been available since July 2025, and all you need to do is connect your phone to the bike using the Bosch Flow app and update the firmware.

It takes about ten minutes. The software updates are configured free of charge via the Flow app, though it's worth noting the update is subject to the bike manufacturer's approval for each given bike.

Trek has approved it for the Rail+ Gen 5, so you should be good. If the update doesn't appear immediately, make sure the Flow app itself is fully up to date first, then try reconnecting.

Some owners have reported issues unlocking the new settings, and Bosch has noted that in some cases the manufacturer uploads the upgrade in two stages, so you may need to run through the process twice.

As for your Gen 3 Rail 7 having eMTB+ already, that's interesting. Any Bosch CX motor with the Smart System, including the Gen 4, is compatible with the new eMTB+ mode as long as the bike manufacturer enables it.

If your Gen 3 was on the Smart System (the higher-spec Gen 3 models were), it may have picked it up through a similar update. Either way, once you get the firmware sorted on the Gen 5, you'll have eMTB+ plus the 100Nm and 750W that the Gen 3 hardware can't access.

 

[PierreZA]

I have done all the updates available, my LBS which is a Trek dealer connected to the dealer site/app and replied that it's a Trek thing which seems to be for South African only. Can you please confirm whether this is true. I must add, I have 3 riding friends with the same bike and none of us have access to EMTB+ mode.

 

[Greg Watts]

I have done all the updates available, my LBS which is a Trek dealer connected to the dealer site/app and replied that it's a Trek thing which seems to be for South African only. Can you please confirm whether this is true. I must add, I have 3 riding friends with the same bike and none of us have a...

@PierreZA Right, I owe you an honest correction here. I was too confident in my previous reply, and I apologise for that. What your Trek dealer is telling you appears to have some weight behind it.

Bosch's own documentation states that if the riding mode function is not visible, "it may be because the manufacturer of your eBike has not provided for the subsequent change of the riding modes set."

In other words, Trek controls which modes are enabled for each bike model, and they can restrict this on a per-region basis.

There's also evidence that Bosch maintains a database linking software versions to country and motor serial number, so regional restrictions are very much a real thing in the Bosch ecosystem.

The eMTB+ mode itself is definitely real and exists for your motor hardware. Bosch confirms eMTB+ is available for the Performance Line CX (BDU384Y) and several other CX variants.

To activate it, you'd go to eBike settings > Custom riding modes > Edit list, and swap it in for another mode.

But that's the catch: if Trek hasn't authorised that mode for South African-market bikes, the option simply won't appear in the Flow app no matter how many times you update.

The fact that you, plus three mates with the same bike, all can't see it is pretty compelling evidence that this is a deliberate regional lockout by Trek rather than a glitch. Whether it's a regulatory thing, a homologation issue, or just Trek being Trek, I genuinely don't know. What I would suggest is escalating this directly to Trek's head office rather than relying on the local dealer. Trek South Africa may just be parroting what they've been told, but Trek's global support might be able to explain why it's locked, and whether there's any prospect of it being enabled. It's also worth checking the Trek Owners' groups on Facebook for other SA riders who may have found a workaround.

Sorry again for the overconfidence in my last post. The hardware can do it; Trek just hasn't flipped the switch for your market.

 

[PierreZA]

Thank you for the replies and advice, at least I now know my LBS (which I love) gave me the correct info.

 

[Greg Watts]

Thank you for the replies and advice, at least I now know my LBS (which I love) gave me the correct info.

Glad the mystery's solved, even if the answer is a bit frustrating. A good LBS that gives you straight information is worth its weight in gold, especially when the alternative is an AI confidently telling you to just update your firmware.

If Trek ever does unlock eMTB+ for the South African market, it should just appear in the Flow app after an update, so worth checking periodically. In the meantime, the custom mode tuning in Flow can get you reasonably close to the eMTB+ feel if you play with the progressive support curves. Not identical, but better than nothing.

 

[PierreZA]

It's strange that it only applies to Gen 5, my mates with Gen 3 and 4 Rails all have EMTB+.

 

[Greg Watts]

It's strange that it only applies to Gen 5, my mates with Gen 3 and 4 Rails all have EMTB+.

That is genuinely strange, and it makes the whole situation even more frustrating. If your mates on Gen 3 and Gen 4 Rails genuinely have eMTB+ showing in their Flow app, then it's not a hardware limitation at all, it's something specific to how Trek has configured the Gen 5 for your market.

Bosch's documentation confirms that the bike manufacturer controls which riding modes are available, and they can restrict this on a per-model and per-region basis. The fact that Trek has apparently enabled eMTB+ on older Rails in South Africa but not the Gen 5 suggests this is a deliberate configuration choice for that specific model, not a blanket regional lockout.

That's worth raising directly with Trek's head office rather than just the local dealer. Your dealer has confirmed it's "a Trek thing," but the question they probably can't answer is why the Gen 5 is treated differently when older models in the same market have the mode available. Trek's global support might have an actual answer, or at minimum, a timeline for when it might be enabled.

It could be a homologation delay, a firmware staging issue with the new Gen 5 platform, or just an oversight. Either way, four riders with the same bike and the same missing feature is strong evidence that something needs escalating beyond dealer level.

Sorry I can't give you a definitive answer on this one. It's clearly a Trek decision rather than a Bosch limitation, and the inconsistency between generations makes it worth pushing harder on.

Greg Watts | EMTB Forums Official Bot - I am an AI and can make mistakes I give one answer per summon. Tag me again if you need more