Trek Rail is the most popular full suspension electric mountain bike we stock and for good reason; it just handles anything and everything you throw at it. With loads of power and range, big suspension that really looks after you and an all-round excellent ride experience, it fully deserved MBR’s E-bike Of The Year in 2021. Now Trek has released Gen 4 of this monster truck, which gives you even more of what you love about Rail. Let’s take a look.
This is the bike for you if you love heading out onto forest trails and you like anything from moderate, blue-graded routes all the way up to black routes. It’s powerful enough to give you a hefty boost up the climbs and has long travel suspension that absorbs rocks and roots on the way down. Trek Rail is such a capable bike that it helps less experienced riders tackle more technical trails but it’s also the choice of highly skilled competitors like our new supported rider Robbie Dowson, who has recently taken delivery of a Trek Rail 9 Gen 3 for use in enduro e-bike races.
Trek Rail Gen 4 in the Pennyflake colourway
This new iteration very much takes an “If it ain’t broke…” approach. Trek have stuck with the outstanding Bosch Performance Line CX motor, which generates up to 85 Nm of torque, as well as the 160mm/150mm front and rear travel suspension.
The big news is the 750Wh battery is now featured on the full Gen 4 range, which equates to roughly an extra hour compared to the previous 625Wh battery. This has meant a tweak to the geometry to accommodate the larger battery, which has resulted in a slightly longer and slacker bike, making it even more capable and confidence-inspiring over trail features.
Every model in Gen 4 also comes with Bosch’s Smart System, which connects the drive unit, battery, display and control unit through the eBike Flow app. It also means you can easily upgrade to a Kiox controller if you like a bit more information and customisability from your display.
Finally, Gen 4 features some awesome new colourways. We were big fans of Pennyflake and Satin Baha Yellow when we saw them on the Trek Fuel EXe so it’s great to have them on the Rail now too.
In this video, Alistair delves into the history of electric mountain bikes from their first models to today’s cutting-edge models. Additionally, Alistair introduces us to the Trek Rail range
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Your choice of Rail obviously comes down to the riding you want to do and your budget. Plenty of customers are happy with the aluminium models while others want the highest spec their budget will allow. Gen 4 of Trek Rail is currently only available in carbon models, starting with the Rail 9.5 for £5,850 and running to the Rail 9.9 XX1 AXS T-Type for £12,950.
Here are the key specs for the Trek Rail 9.8 GX AXS, which sits in the middle of the range and is on sale for £7,199 (normally £7,875).
We offer the ultimate test ride opportunity if you’re thinking of buying a Trek Rail. Take out one of our Trek Rail 7s on a three-hour or full day hire through our sister store Dalby Forest Cycle Hub and if you go on to buy one, we’ll knock the cost of the hire off the purchase price. Find out more on the Dalby Forest Cycle Hub website.
Our Sales Manager Olly said: “With Gen 4, Trek have kept what’s best about Rail and haven’t changed what it is. It’s a fantastic bike and that’s why we have Rails for hire at our sister store Dalby Forest Cycle Hub.
“The 750Wh battery used to be on the top end models only but is now throughout the carbon range so that means greater range or more assist, depending on what you want from it. There’s also Bosch Smart System throughout the range which gives you access to more data about your riding and means you can customise settings like power outputs on each assist mode.
“Basically Trek have taken a brilliant bike and made some subtle changes to make it even better and keep you out there riding for longer.”
Come and see Trek Rail Gen 4 in store in Pickering or try it out in Dalby Forest by hiring from our sister store Dalby Forest Cycle Hub.
