I deliberated long and hard about buying another eBike, looked at what was on the market both used and new and after finding my bike for sale in a local Trek dealer, I bought it based on the decision of spec over all the other options I could buy.
Previous Ebikes are, in order, Santa Cruz Heckler (the first one they bought out), 650B, turned it into a mullet. I then had a Specialized Levo Pro Gen 3.
My Rail is a 9.8XT Project 1. Size Large
The spec was too good to turn down, didn't want to get a SRAM spec because I really don't like the Code brakes, the XT has Shimano brakes, upgrades (as bought in the shop) included AXS Dropper (150mm), Zeb Ultimate AirWiz, Super Deluxe AirWiz and Pro Carbon Rims, I paid £9300 for it and knew I would add the AXS shifter and mech. Compared to anything else at that price point, it was very difficult to turn down.I had read and viewed lots of reviews, all saying how good the Bosch motor is and how well the Rail handles on trails and on more technical terrain, how well it climbs and coupled with a 750Wh battery, the brilliant range you can get.
It's my first full 29'r as well, all other bikes, both analogue and E have been 650b versions or Mullet.
Today was my first ride. I played around with the setup before the ride, set my fork sag to just under 30% at the recommended AirWiz target pressure for my Weight (85Kg) 85psi (very similar pressure to all other forks on previous bikes), set the rebound to be as fast as it could be without the bike lifting off the ground when compressed and released while stationary. Set the shock up with target pressure of 225psi, 30% sag and set the rebound to where I though it should be and put the LSC in the middle position.
Tyres are Minion DHF 2.5 MaxGrip Exo+ at 20psi and DHR 2.4 MaxTerra Exo+ at 22psi.
I kept the XT 12sp cassette and changed the chain power link to SRAM 12sp. (using AXS shifter).
I've added a 35mm stem, down 10mm from standard.
I went to the Quantocks today to do a range test, never ridden there before, so downloaded the Killer Loop for the Garmin and off I went.
Conditions were dry, stoney, large rocks over hardback, some roots, some loam in the wooded sections. Similar to riding Wales or the Peak District.
I was anticipating some rattle from the motor........
First part of the ride was a climb, so I used eMTB mode and really enjoyed how smooth the motor was. It is louder than a gen3 Brose when pedalling, similar volume to the Shimano EP(whatever) I had on the Heckler, but not as annoying. Motor volume on eBikes has never bothered me, so not much really to report here.
I liked the way eMTB mode responded to rider input, different to the Levo and Shimano in a good way. I wouldn't really call it Natural, because a motor is not really an analogue kind of thing, but I did like the way it upped the support when I upped my input.
I didn't use ECO for any stage of the ride, Tour+ and eMTB was perfect.
One one section I did use turbo, it didn't feel as strong as the Shimano or the Brose when they were in Turbo, but it was good enough.
The first descent was terrible. Fast single track, large stones and rocks, some chunk, but nothing too drastic.
The bike felt terrible, the rear end was extremely harsh, there was loads of noise coming from the bike, front end was fine, but the rear felt all over the place and very unresponsive over the terrain.
At the bottom, I checked the rebound, it was only on 3, so opened it up 2 clicks ready the next descent.
The next climb actually felt better with the faster rebound.
Th next descent was very similar to the first, very rough but the rear end felt much better, more reaction from the shock and the bike felt a lot smoother and more under control, the noise however was still there. Really not sure what was causing it, sounded very loud and as though it was coming from towards the front of the bike.
Next I opened the LSC to the minus position, ready for the next descent.
Same again, the climb felt even better with the LSC fully open, the rear was very compliant on the loose rocks and I had tons of traction.
Third descent, massive difference again in the shock, could hardly feel the back end moving over the chunk, was really impressed with how responsive the shock was. But the noise was still there, it didn't go for the remainder of the ride.
On one section of the route (Triscombe I think it was) I found some really good single track, tight, twisty, steep, Rooty, flow etc. Loved how the bike handled, at no point did I feel any lack of turn in, the rear came round well, didn't really pay any attention to the fact it is a full 29'r, it just eats up anything that is thrown at it.
I also didn't feel the bike was too long. It's a much longer reach (487mm) than the Levo (which was 475mm). I think the shorter 35mm stem I fitted helped, but overall the size felt great (its the longest bike I have ridden).
General riding impressions are very good. really stable on fast downs, gets around the twisty stuff with no issues and climbs like a goat.
I had kept the bike in Low position and did get quite a few pedal strikes, I think it needs shorter cranks.
KIOX and remote. I think they work really well. The KIOX display is very good, bright, readable, doesn't get in the way. the remote is fine, I have mine rotated quite a way back on the bars, so it does not sit 'on top' looking silly.
On one descent towards the , well after I’d stopped adjusting suspension settings, the bike turned itself off.
Range.
No complaints on the range. I was worn out well before the bike was (but it was my first ride in about 10 months).
Brakes. Shimano XT8100 4 piston. Bloody Brilliant. Better than the Hope's I've had on my previous bikes. Better stopping power, better lever feel.
AirWiz. Complete Gimmick and really not worth it.
I set my target pressure according to my weight, which did achieve the desired sag. But I don't need a computer to tell me how to do it. Fork AiWiz battery is already dead.
I didn't use all the travel at either end. I wasn't really expecting to on the trails I rode, but over some small drops, the bike felt a bit hard on the landing. I don't know what tokens are in the fork, if there are any in there, I'm removing them.
The NOISE !
No idea what it causing the rattle. It sounds bigger than the expected motor rattle and sounds like it's front end rather than down low.
Does the battery rattle in the latest Rail's? It does have the newer battery mount. Is it why the bike turned itself off on one descent?
Is it just the motor? I really hope not.
Maybe I should have tried more rebound in the rear shock, I'm on 5 (220 ish psi) Maybe going higher (faster) will make the rear end even more plush to counter all the trail chatter and hence quieten the bike down more? Maybe a Coil would be better? I'm at 30% sag so don't really want to reduce air pressure. Maybe the standard shock needs less HSC damping?
For all the reviews and praise the bike gets, I dread to think that the riders are accepting of all the noise?
There must be something going on on my bike that is more than just the motor?
It's a great bike, rides great, climbs great, handles great, immense range, I can't fault the ride characteristics at all, but if I can't quieten it down, I will be forever wishing I bought a Levo, even at a lower spec.
Is it better than the Levo gen 3, or is the gen3 better than the Rail? No, not really, both extremely capable bikes in every respect. Is it better than the Heckler? Yes, in my opinion, also thought the same of the Levo compared to the Heckler, the rear end on the Rail and Levo feel far superior.
Previous Ebikes are, in order, Santa Cruz Heckler (the first one they bought out), 650B, turned it into a mullet. I then had a Specialized Levo Pro Gen 3.
My Rail is a 9.8XT Project 1. Size Large
The spec was too good to turn down, didn't want to get a SRAM spec because I really don't like the Code brakes, the XT has Shimano brakes, upgrades (as bought in the shop) included AXS Dropper (150mm), Zeb Ultimate AirWiz, Super Deluxe AirWiz and Pro Carbon Rims, I paid £9300 for it and knew I would add the AXS shifter and mech. Compared to anything else at that price point, it was very difficult to turn down.I had read and viewed lots of reviews, all saying how good the Bosch motor is and how well the Rail handles on trails and on more technical terrain, how well it climbs and coupled with a 750Wh battery, the brilliant range you can get.
It's my first full 29'r as well, all other bikes, both analogue and E have been 650b versions or Mullet.
Today was my first ride. I played around with the setup before the ride, set my fork sag to just under 30% at the recommended AirWiz target pressure for my Weight (85Kg) 85psi (very similar pressure to all other forks on previous bikes), set the rebound to be as fast as it could be without the bike lifting off the ground when compressed and released while stationary. Set the shock up with target pressure of 225psi, 30% sag and set the rebound to where I though it should be and put the LSC in the middle position.
Tyres are Minion DHF 2.5 MaxGrip Exo+ at 20psi and DHR 2.4 MaxTerra Exo+ at 22psi.
I kept the XT 12sp cassette and changed the chain power link to SRAM 12sp. (using AXS shifter).
I've added a 35mm stem, down 10mm from standard.
I went to the Quantocks today to do a range test, never ridden there before, so downloaded the Killer Loop for the Garmin and off I went.
Conditions were dry, stoney, large rocks over hardback, some roots, some loam in the wooded sections. Similar to riding Wales or the Peak District.
I was anticipating some rattle from the motor........
First part of the ride was a climb, so I used eMTB mode and really enjoyed how smooth the motor was. It is louder than a gen3 Brose when pedalling, similar volume to the Shimano EP(whatever) I had on the Heckler, but not as annoying. Motor volume on eBikes has never bothered me, so not much really to report here.
I liked the way eMTB mode responded to rider input, different to the Levo and Shimano in a good way. I wouldn't really call it Natural, because a motor is not really an analogue kind of thing, but I did like the way it upped the support when I upped my input.
I didn't use ECO for any stage of the ride, Tour+ and eMTB was perfect.
One one section I did use turbo, it didn't feel as strong as the Shimano or the Brose when they were in Turbo, but it was good enough.
The first descent was terrible. Fast single track, large stones and rocks, some chunk, but nothing too drastic.
The bike felt terrible, the rear end was extremely harsh, there was loads of noise coming from the bike, front end was fine, but the rear felt all over the place and very unresponsive over the terrain.
At the bottom, I checked the rebound, it was only on 3, so opened it up 2 clicks ready the next descent.
The next climb actually felt better with the faster rebound.
Th next descent was very similar to the first, very rough but the rear end felt much better, more reaction from the shock and the bike felt a lot smoother and more under control, the noise however was still there. Really not sure what was causing it, sounded very loud and as though it was coming from towards the front of the bike.
Next I opened the LSC to the minus position, ready for the next descent.
Same again, the climb felt even better with the LSC fully open, the rear was very compliant on the loose rocks and I had tons of traction.
Third descent, massive difference again in the shock, could hardly feel the back end moving over the chunk, was really impressed with how responsive the shock was. But the noise was still there, it didn't go for the remainder of the ride.
On one section of the route (Triscombe I think it was) I found some really good single track, tight, twisty, steep, Rooty, flow etc. Loved how the bike handled, at no point did I feel any lack of turn in, the rear came round well, didn't really pay any attention to the fact it is a full 29'r, it just eats up anything that is thrown at it.
I also didn't feel the bike was too long. It's a much longer reach (487mm) than the Levo (which was 475mm). I think the shorter 35mm stem I fitted helped, but overall the size felt great (its the longest bike I have ridden).
General riding impressions are very good. really stable on fast downs, gets around the twisty stuff with no issues and climbs like a goat.
I had kept the bike in Low position and did get quite a few pedal strikes, I think it needs shorter cranks.
KIOX and remote. I think they work really well. The KIOX display is very good, bright, readable, doesn't get in the way. the remote is fine, I have mine rotated quite a way back on the bars, so it does not sit 'on top' looking silly.
On one descent towards the , well after I’d stopped adjusting suspension settings, the bike turned itself off.
Range.
No complaints on the range. I was worn out well before the bike was (but it was my first ride in about 10 months).
Brakes. Shimano XT8100 4 piston. Bloody Brilliant. Better than the Hope's I've had on my previous bikes. Better stopping power, better lever feel.
AirWiz. Complete Gimmick and really not worth it.
I set my target pressure according to my weight, which did achieve the desired sag. But I don't need a computer to tell me how to do it. Fork AiWiz battery is already dead.
I didn't use all the travel at either end. I wasn't really expecting to on the trails I rode, but over some small drops, the bike felt a bit hard on the landing. I don't know what tokens are in the fork, if there are any in there, I'm removing them.
The NOISE !
No idea what it causing the rattle. It sounds bigger than the expected motor rattle and sounds like it's front end rather than down low.
Does the battery rattle in the latest Rail's? It does have the newer battery mount. Is it why the bike turned itself off on one descent?
Is it just the motor? I really hope not.
Maybe I should have tried more rebound in the rear shock, I'm on 5 (220 ish psi) Maybe going higher (faster) will make the rear end even more plush to counter all the trail chatter and hence quieten the bike down more? Maybe a Coil would be better? I'm at 30% sag so don't really want to reduce air pressure. Maybe the standard shock needs less HSC damping?
For all the reviews and praise the bike gets, I dread to think that the riders are accepting of all the noise?
There must be something going on on my bike that is more than just the motor?
It's a great bike, rides great, climbs great, handles great, immense range, I can't fault the ride characteristics at all, but if I can't quieten it down, I will be forever wishing I bought a Levo, even at a lower spec.
Is it better than the Levo gen 3, or is the gen3 better than the Rail? No, not really, both extremely capable bikes in every respect. Is it better than the Heckler? Yes, in my opinion, also thought the same of the Levo compared to the Heckler, the rear end on the Rail and Levo feel far superior.
Last edited:
my tracking number was shipped to Chichester 
