THE FUN MACHINE

TREK RAIL 5

And the Most Improved award goes to… the Rail!

This is Trek’s brand-new e-bike, replacing the Powerfly.

It has similar geometry to their non-motorised enduro bike, the Slash, with 150mm travel at the back, a 160mm fork and a super slacked-out 64.5° head angle in low mode (there’s a flip chip to tweak the geometry). With 29-inch wheels and all that suspension, you can basically mow down anything in your path.

The Powerfly was a decent trail ripper; but there were some annoying features, such as extra-long chain stays (apparently to ‘improve climbing ability’), and a third-generation Bosch Performance CX motor that was comparatively big and heavy, and which dragged when you exceeded the 25km/h limit.

With the Rail, Trek has shortened the chain stays by nearly 30mm, from 474mm on the Powerfly to 447mm. This dramatically improves downhill shred-ability, without sacrificing much in the climbing department.

The other major improvement is how well integrated everything is. The new, fourthgeneration Bosch motor is so much better (it’s nearly half the size of its predecessor, and 25% lighter), and it’s hidden away super-neatly.

The Removable Integrated Battery (RIB) is also new, and just as neat. It’s a one-piece 500Wh Bosch PowerTube and cover, with a builtin handle that makes it simple to take out for transport, security or just easier charging.

Trek is known for practical details like this.

Other details include Knock Block, which prevents the handlebar from spinning all the way around in a crash and damaging hoses, levers or the frame; and Control Freak internal routing, which is as neat as the name suggests.

The Rail 5 is the least expensive of the range, with an aluminium frame, entry-level RockShox suspension and a SRAM SX groupset. Even so, it feels like a premium bike. This is mostly due to the frame, which is beautifully made and really quite fetching in its matte-olive-and-black paintwork.

The next model up is the Rail 7, which also has an aluminium frame but features better suspension and 12-speed Shimano SLX. Then you’re into carbon territory – and R100k-plus prices – with the 9.7 and 9.8.

Overall, it’s a great-looking bike and supercapable, especially when the gradient is in negative territory. The fantastic new Bosch motor has given Trek the freedom to build an e-bike that’s more like a normal bike, which is always a good thing.

R84 000 trekbikes.com