Trek Rail Review | A Plush, Powerful & Frustratingly Near-Perfect Electric Mountain Bike

The updated Trek Rail features a burlier chassis, tweaked geometry and smart integration from Bosch. So, is this the best all-round electric mountain bike on the market? We took the Rail up to Mt Buller as part of the Ride High Country Test Sessions to find out!

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Trek Rail Video Review Contents

0:00 - Intro
0:21 - Trek Rail Overview
0:46 - Frame, Motor & Battery
1:23 - 2023 Trek Rail Updates
1:43 - Trek Rail Sizing Geometry
2:45 - Trek Rail Price & Specs
3:25 - Trek Rail Weight
3:42 - Trek Rail Sizing & Setup
4:46 - Testing The Trek Rail 9.8 XT
5:13 - Strengths
7:40 - Downsides
9:39 - Trek Rail vs The Competition
10:32 - Flow's Verdict

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[bwdown]

I own this exact model 9.8XT. Had it for 5 months and just passed 1, 000km on it. One of the best handling, most capable EMTB there is. Brilliant bike

[vjyazis-ymuh]

One of the most clear and well-spoken presentations I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. 🎉

[deanmcphee]

Great review. I bought the Gen 3 Rail 5 and so far have been very impressed with almost every aspect of the bike. It's surprisingly agile for a heavy bike in tighter twisty sections and it eats up rough trails effortlessly.The Rail loves to jump landing so composed and smoothly even with my average riding skills. the Bosch motor is so torquey and is often adequate in eco mode, the biggest issue by far is my Trek Fuel ex8 has been permanently parked gathering dust since owning the Rail

[able]

I have a rail 5 bought new 2 years ago I love it, zero issues

[andrewau]

I have returned the 23 9.8 because of gear slipping issues transitioning from downhill to uphill. Ended up having to get off the bike to try and engage the gear and my last track ride, the chain broke on a 4 month old bike and had to walk it back to the car. I expected so much more with the price point. Trek dealer has been good and offered to fix it for the second time, but considering my options and I don't want to be in and out of the shop all of the time.
This is a great review. So down to earth and no BS. Thanks Flow!

[TravisSmith]

Awesome video guys! I just purchased a 2022 rail 9.7 Carbon and couldn't be more happy with it. It takes every trail in Whistler with ease, from 'Top of the World' in the bike park, to just about anything else I throw at it in the valley. For BC riding the stock tyres are garbage - chuck on a pair of sticky 2.5 Assegai DH tubless tyres front and back and run 18-20 psi and watch this thing come alive! From big rock rolls to loamer forest mossy knar - new rubber changes this bike. Other than tyres im not wanting for any upgrades yet. The bike truly gets you amped to ride! The battery (625W) lasts FOREVER, I just lapped the flank 3 times over and still had 20% left (3500 feet of STEEP elevation). It charges super quick too. I feel its pushing me to ride faster and more confidently with each ride. You can Monster Truck this thing down just about anything, and then point it uphill on Turbo - and it likes to lift the front wheel (which i LOVE). The bosch motor is amazing, MTB being simply brilliant for climbs and TOUR for techy UP/DOWN sections. It blows away the hippies on the mid-power ebikes that cost WAY more (I honestly don't get THAT fad, but each to their own) and even the Shimano engine lads shoot you envious glances when they think you aren't looking 😂. I must be lucky too as I have zero battery clunk, in fact the bike is very, very quiet. I 100% recommend this bike. Its a blast.

[vaughanboyce]

Ive got a 22 rail 9 Large and it has been sublime best balanced ebike I've ever ridden, no issues and the geometry fits me way better, I like a reach of 460-470mm and find the new carbon models to long or too short and tbo i think the 625w battery is the goldilocks size and not carrying unnecessary extra weight.

[galgtr]

I have the same bike as in this review. its just killer. No problem at all, everything work super.

[joeblackp]

Got the exact same bike about a month ago, absolutly great bike.

[thepriusgod]

I have the 9.7GX. It is my first mountain bike. I love it. It is truly a beast that can roll over anything. Turbo mode is insane. With that being said, it is a little unweildy for a novice mountain biker like myself. The 29 inch wheels and burly frame are hard to control in tight spaces at times, especially given how quicly it can pick up speed. But I'm sure a more experienced rider would have no problem. Overall, I love my bike, and it inspires confidence on a lot of terrain.😃👍🏼

[ab_mtb]

What a fantastic video, so well put together & presented. Was all set to buy a turbo levo alloy comp in the sales but found a few gen 2 rails for even less. Which has restarted the internal debate again 😂

[Extremegaz]

Great informative video guys, I've had my rail since 2021 and had no problems except to replace rear wheel bearings and a chain and tyres, the bike and motor are excellent.

[IT-frwb]

Just got my hands on a 22 Rail7… scary quick/ totally sold+convinced I’ve got a huge improvement on my 2017 Focus Jam2

[tomcollins]

Thanks Will, a great review of the bike with all there important details covered. I love coming here for reviews, especially as I am a NSW rider and you're reviewing the bikes we can get our hands on in our landscape. Makes a big difference. I am really keen to know what you would suggest IU get as a bike given my small stature. I am only 165cm tall, but fit a medium in some bikes. The rail has really caught my eye and from your review it appears it has a fairly short chain stay. I think this is a good thing for me given I am short and want a bike that is still playful and manoeuvrable. The sight was on my list but has such a long chain stay I have scrubbed it from that last as it looks too long. The other bike you reviewed recently was the Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 HPC SL 750 27.5 which has the smaller 27.5 wheels. It didn't get the best review from you guys though and whilst available for a really good price I feel if I am going to drop a hefty amount of cash on a ebike I may as well commit and get the best bike as its a bike purchase for me. Love to know your thoughts, keep up the good work.

[jailbreakoverlander]

Ive been running a 21 trek rail 9.9 xtr for about 5500 miles and just traded it in for 23 rail 9.9 t type so that video will be coming soon. My build is up on my channel

[simoramy]

Got the same love it no more uphills struggle 😅

[Stockfish]

I got gen 4 rail 9.8 gx axs. Its the most incredible bike i have tried. Its so stable and smooth and i have tried quite a few bikes including ebikes. Rail might be the best ebike on the market tbh.

[andypaul]

Bikes costing that much money should be perfect out the box. No excuses.

[darksidedsoonnelson]

I always change the tires when purchasing any bike to what I like. I like the burly tire in the back 29 and 27.5 in the front when the bike can accommodate it if not 29er.

[HighsideASB]

I still love my rail 9, 2 years on. Wheels and tyres were my first upgrades. Also managed to lose a rear axle that rattled loose on the drive back to Melbourne from Thredbo.