It’s the battle of the big boys; Godzilla vs Kong played out on singletrack. Trek Rail and Haibike AllMtn are e-bike monsters in their own right, with powerful motors, beefy batteries and plenty of travel. But which would win the fight for your hard-earned cash? In this blog, we’ll compare the two and help you decide which of these beasts is right for you if you’re in the market for a “full fat” e-bike.
The Trek Rail has been a rip-roaring success for the US brand and continues to be the most popular e-mountain bike with Big Bear Bikes customers. It’s a burly beast, with long travel suspension front and rear, a powerful motor, excellent range and knobbly tyres. Rail is confidence-inspiring on technical sections and helps you handle the rough stuff with ease.
The Haibike AllMtn is also a robust and powerful machine that’s well up for the trails, delivering assist you can really feel. One standout difference from the Rail is that Haibike have opted for a mullet set-up throughout the AllMtn range, clearly aiming to make this big bike more nimble and fast-turning. As is typical for this German manufacturer, there’s also some excellent branded componentry in places where Trek have put their own products on the Rail.
Here’s a look at Trek Rail and Haibike AllMtn in more detail.
The Trek Rail is powered by a Bosch Performance Line CX motor that provides up to 85 Nm of torque and a battery with 500 to 750 Wh of power, depending on the model. There are four power modes and the range on a full charge is up to six hours, depending on how much assist you’re using. Rail will send you flying up climbs that previously left your lungs burning.
AllMtn is powered by a variety of motors from Yamaha and Bosch delivering 80 to 85 Nm of torque, depending on the model. There’s not a lot of difference in battery across the range, with lower models getting a hefty 720 Wh InTube and the top of the range Special Edition equipped with a 750 Wh version, so there’s plenty of power there for long rides and heaps of climbing. Haibike says this is good for 30 to 160 miles on a full charge, depending on the level of assist you’re using.
Based on Trek’s Slash enduro bike, the Rail has slack geometry and a RockShox full suspension set-up with 150mm of rear travel and a 160mm fork. This is a bike that eats up all the trails can throw at it and gives you maximum control on the steepest, gnarliest descents.
The Haibike AllMtn e-bike has a pretty relaxed geometry that makes it easy to handle on even the most demanding trails and aims to make it comfortable varied trails. There’s 160mm suspension front and rear.
Weighing in between 23kg and 25kg depending on the model, Rail is overall the lighter of the two. It’s more than a third heavier than Trek Slash, the acoustic bike it’s based on, because of that larger frame, bigger motor and battery. As a result, it’s never going to feel as nimble as what is Trek’s flagship enduro bike. However, that extra weight is very confidence inspiring when tackling more technical terrain as it provides an anchored feel and better stability.
Haibike AllMtn tips the scales at around 24kg for the carbon-framed Special Edition, going up to 27kg for the lower range models. That extra weight can make it a little less agile in the tighter, twistier sections but it’s pretty similar to the Rail everywhere else and AllMtn riders should be competing with their Trek-riding mates pretty comfortably while out on the trails.
The Trek Rail 5 500W Gen 2 starts at £4,150 with the range topping out with the Rail 9.9 XX1 AXS Gen 4 at £12,950. Right now we have as much as £1,400 off selected Rail models in our spring-summer sale. Take a look here.
The Haibike AllMtn range goes from the AllMtn 1 at £3,949 up to the Allmtn CF SE at £7,699, also with reductions across the range. One model we love is the AllMtn 10, which has the cheaper aluminium frame but is packed out with really nice componentry for the price, including Shimano XT groupset, FOX suspension, Mavic E-Deemax wheels and Maxxis Minion DHC II tyres.
Mark Fletcher was looking to buy his first e-bike. After months of research and putting a Trek Rail through its paces in Dalby Forest, he came to us wanting to look at a Haibike AllMtn 7. He left with an AllMtn 10 and two months on he couldn’t be happier with it. We asked him what he thought about the Haibike AllMtn vs Trek Rail.
Mark said: “I started thinking about an AllMtn because there were some very specific things I wanted from an e-bike. I wanted a mullet and I wanted a particular level of groupset; either SRAM GX or Shimano XT. The level of spec on the AllMtn 10 compared to the 7 is incredible for the difference in price. I also love the frame design. It’s a bit like Marmite but the way the frame flows from the front to the back is brilliant.
“I have a couple of mates with Rails and they saw my AllMtn and said ‘Wow! Look at the spec on that!’ One of the main things is the tyres. It comes with Maxxis tyres which I prefer to the Rail’s Bontragers. I also love the simpler controller. I just want to know how much power I’m getting and how much battery I’ve got left.
“I actually rented a Rail for three hours and its back end kept biting me on the descents so that’s why I wanted a mullet. The way the AllMtn is in a corner is fantastic. How agile it is going downhill: The bike does not feel like it weighs 25kgs. The first time I rode it I was grinning from ear to ear. My wife asked me what was wrong. I said, ‘There’s no way a 25kg bike should be able to do THAT’.
“For the past two months I‘ve ridden it the way it should be ridden - full send. I’ve just dropped it off at Big Bear for a service and check but I can say everything is still where it’s supposed to be. There’s this quest out there for the ‘do-it-all’ bike and I think I’ve found it. I can jump. I can descend. I can climb. The length and riding position are fantastic.
“There’s nothing it can’t do. It’s absolutely brilliant.“
Haibike are really pushing the premium brands with the latest iterations of bikes like AllMtn and the recent lightweight, natural feeling LYKE. AllMtn is a good match for Rail when it comes to oomph you get from the motor and also the range, and both have a lot in common when it comes to the ride experience, ability over rocks and roots, and that planted feel on the trails.
The key differences are that mullet set-up on the AllMtn, which isn’t for everyone, although it’s definitely a revelation for some because of the extra agility. Then there’s Haibike’s polarising frame design: some love it and some… really don’t love it. It’s clearly a matter of taste but one thing that’s not up for debate is their ability to come up with some very tasty colourways.
Haibike do tend to pack in some awesome branded componentry for the price, which is typically less than equivalent Trek models, which is a real positive for the German brand. However, some people simply want to own a Trek and that’s understandable because the build quality is off the scale.
In the end, you’ve got to decide for yourself. Compare Trek Rail and Haibike AllMtn with a test ride at Big Bear Bikes in Southgate, Pickering.
