Trek Allant+ 8
£4,250 Fully equipped mile-munching commuter
Weight: 25.69kg (L) Frame Aluminium Fork Aluminium Gears Shimano Deore (42 x 11-42) Brakes Shimano hydraulic disc Wheels Alex MD35 650b tubeless ebike system Bosch Performance CX 250W, 85Nm motor, PowerTube 625 battery Finishing kit Supernova E3 rear light, Herrmans MR8e front light, Pletscher kickstand, mudguards, Bontrager stem, low-riser bar, seatpost, saddle, pedals and Bontrager E6 Hard-Case Lite 2.4in tyres
TREK AIMS ITS Allant+ ebike range at the ‘committed’ commuter and the specification of our Allant+ 8, which sits second in the range beneath the £5,000 Allant+ 9, ticks all the boxes for commuters regularly riding any distance.
The Allant+ 8 features a slick aluminium frame decked with all the extras required for day-to-day commuting. In addition to rack mounts and bottle cages, there are fittings under the top tube for a framefitting bag, while the extensive accessory package takes in aluminium mudguards, kickstand and quality pedals designed to grip without damaging your soles. I found the 180 lumen front light enough for riding on unlit suburban roads and rural lanes.
The slimline rear rack is rated to 14kg, which is handy for shopping, when you’ll really appreciate the Pletscher kickstand. Alternatively, you could load up for a power-assisted tour.
At the core of the bike is Bosch’s powerful CX Performance mid-mounted 250W motor. The CX is more commonly found on high-performance e-mountain bikes and its 85Nm of torque is ample to get both you and a fully loaded bike up steep climbs without breaking sweat.
The Bosch system provides four assist modes: Eco, Tour, Sport and Turbo. Eco provides the lowest assistance level but a potential range of around 90 miles; Turbo provides full power but reduces the range to 50 miles or so. These impressively long ranges are thanks to Trek specifying Bosch’s most powerful 625Wh battery.
The battery itself is neatly housed in the down tube, using Trek’s RIB, or ‘Removable Internal Battery’ system. Turn the key and the battery pops out, and the battery even comes with a fold-out handle for easy remote charging, though its high capacity means it takes nearly five hours to charge.
The CX motor is controlled by Bosch’s full-colour Kiox display and bar-mounted remote controller. This gives you plenty of information, and you can upload routes from apps such as Komoot. The display is also customisable through Bosch’s app, which is all done smoothly over Bluetooth.
Marginal gains
As with all (legal!) UK road-going ebikes, the motor only engages when you’re pedalling and, more importantly, it will stop assisting you at 15.5mph according to the current law, though EU regulations do allow a 10 per cent margin, so that could be as high as 17mph. Trek certainly makes use of that margin, and the Allant+ 8 rolls quickly on its voluminous tyres.
I did my testing on rolling terrain and, using each mode sparingly, I achieved a
maximum range of 93.8miles/150.9km, including 3,720ft/1,134m of climbing – which is very impressive. That said, if you don’t need that range, the Allant+ 7 will cost you £600 less and its 500Wh battery should still be good for a 60-mile range. If you want to extend the range further still, Bosch’s Range Boost battery adds another 500Wh and potentially another 60 miles, though it does cost £950.
The Allant+ 8’s down tube is offset, which ensures the drivetrain is perfectly aligned and results in gear shifts that are slick, reliable and free of chain chatter. The gearing pairs a 42T chainring with a wideranging 11-42 11-speed cassette, with the resulting 1:1 ratio bottom gear low enough for you to pedal up most hills without assistance, at least when riding unloaded. Stopping a 25kg bike requires powerful brakes, and the Allant+ 8 doesn’t disappoint, pairing Shimano’s MT200 dual-piston hydraulic brakes with large diameter 180mm rotors. The lever shape works well with any hand size, and while they feel soft to begin with, they offer plenty of bite through the lever’s travel.
When it comes to commuter and hybrid ebikes, many brands opt for a suspension fork, which adds weight, rather than speccing high-volume tyres. I much prefer Trek’s approach here, which relies on a rigid fork, big tyres and excellent contact points to deliver rider comfort.
The Bontrager Commuter Comp saddle is well shaped, and the padding isn’t overly soft or firm, hitting the sweet spot perfectly. The ergo-shaped grips eliminate front-end vibrations and Bontrager’s huge 2.4in ebike-specific tyres easily coped with excursions onto unsurfaced gravel tracks, bridleways, towpaths and byways.
A regal ride
This Trek breezes along, taking absolutely everything in its stride. The ride position is upright, comfortable and well suited to riding in traffic, as you have a great view from the commanding seated position. The steering is light, and the bike feels nimbler than any bike this weight has a right to. I found the Allant+ 8 easy to navigate through bike-path gates and around obstacles on narrow towpaths.
Its closest rival here is Specialized’s Turbo Vado 4. The Trek’s Bosch motor does have a little more grunt when it comes to steep climbs, though the Allant+ does have a premium price. As with Specialized, Trek offers plenty of options, taking in a lowstep design, a model with a mid-height top tube and this traditional design.
The range starts at £3,100 for the Allant+ 5 and tops out at £5,000 for the Allant+ 9, which comes with a Gates belt drive and a high-tech CVT – continuously variable transmission – hub from Enviolo (formerly NuVinci) rather than traditional gears.
Verdict
One of the very best commuter ebikes around – but this quality doesn’t come cheap
“It breezes along, the steering is light, and the bike feels nimbler than any bike this weight has a right to”