Hello to all. New owner of a Trek Rail 5 and loving it so far :)

[Hassen27]

Hi all and thought I would make a short 1st post to introduce myself and my new Trek Rail 5.

After watching lots and lots of reviews on Youtube, found Rob's channel and his review of the other Trek Emtbs which convinced me to get one. The reason I actually decided on an Emtb vs a normal Mtb is because I have 3 young boys (2 of them mountain bike so far and the 3rd one can't wait to be big enough to come with us) and we went out for a day trip mountain biking recently whereby I rented a Cube Emtb and was towing them up the mountains for the whole day. The 2 bigger boys are 12 and 8 and this made them enjoy their day so much more as where we usually go mountain biking in Ireland (in Wicklow), there are a fair few tough climbs which really got them tired. With the help of the eMtb that day, it was just pure joy seeing them having fun going up and downhill. We managed to get a lot more runs than usual and there was little to no complaining for a solid 4.5hr. I was super impressed and having not done any mountain bike riding for more than a decade due to life getting in the way, I decided that if I was to get a bike next, it would need to be an eMtb such that I could take the kids with me and we would all have fun together.

I got very lucky finding that a close bike shop was a Trek dealer and they were amazing in sourcing one very quickly from Germany for me as I required a Small frame and they didn't have it in stock. I will start a build/adventure thread as well separately as I have done a few little upgrades to the bike to make it suit me better.

Needless to say I am super pleased with my new bike and trying to get out more often now even with the utterly rubbish Irish winter we are having. Only 2 weeks ago we went out and were caught in a storm on top of the mountain where there was even hail. Still was fun in parts of it and hoping the weather improves quickly

Thanks for reading,

Hassen

 

[Sgarth42]

Good for you, glad you are enjoying your Rail 5 and getting your boys out.. I love mine

 

[Hassen27]

Cheers man. Which colour is yours btw? The colour really pops in the sun!

 

[Sgarth42]

Matte black/miami. Colour option wasn't available at the bargain price I got it for but not unhappy. Being matte I invisiframed it when I got it (which was surprisingly easy)

 

[Paulquattro]

Hi welcome from another rail owner

 

[irie]

Really nice bike. Welcome from 2 x Rail 5 owners (wife M and self L).

 

[Hassen27]

Matte black/miami. Colour option wasn't available at the bargain price I got it for but not unhappy. Being matte I invisiframed it when I got it (which was surprisingly easy)

Savage combo! I didn't have an option either for my frame size. I reckon they did a very good job with the matt as well and I did the same as you and got it wrapped with Ride Wrap. Keeps it tidy from the muck

 

[Hassen27]

Hi welcome from another rail owner

Awesome! It seems a very popular one in the forums. How you finding it? Any suggestions on upgrades?

 

[Hassen27]

Really nice bike. Welcome from 2 x Rail 5 owners (wife M and self L).

That's the way to do it! I am still trying to get my better half into mtb. We went on some gentle trails with the kids on my old hardtail and she liked it.

Suggestions welcomed on how to convince her this is great fun

 

[irie]

That's the way to do it! I am still trying to get my better half into mtb. We went on some gentle trails with the kids on my old hardtail and she liked it.

Suggestions welcomed on how to convince her this is great fun

If you can get out with her on your old hardtail without the kids then she'll probably get bored and become more adventurous. Might take time, don't push it. Softly softly catchee laydee. Wife has the same colour BTW.

 

[Hassen27]

If you can get out with her on your old hardtail without the kids then she'll probably get bored and become more adventurous. Might take time, don't push it. Softly softly catchee laydee. Wife has the same colour BTW.

Great suggestion there. I'll try and line that up. Been trying for years to get her to come with me on car track days, but I think mtb might be a bit easier to convince her to go together on the gentle trails

 

[irie]

Great suggestion there. I'll try and line that up. Been trying for years to get her to come with me on car track days, but I think mtb might be a bit easier to convince her to go together on the gentle trails

This morning.

 

[Sgarth42]

That's the way to do it! I am still trying to get my better half into mtb. We went on some gentle trails with the kids on my old hardtail and she liked it.

Suggestions welcomed on how to convince her this is great fun

I converted 2 x hardtails ( for when wife and I ride out togther as she doesn't like anything other that gravel track and fail trails) with Tongsheng TSDZ2 motors and they have been brilliant. Done well over 2.5k trouble free miles each of them. Not as sophisticated as Bosch motor in terms of punchiness, but not far off

 

[Hassen27]

This morning.

View attachment 131902

Brilliant and thanks for the picture as it's the same size as my bike. I went straight to the bike shop this afternoon and picked up the smaller version of the front Proguard mudguards. Going to install it tomorrow. Won't bother with the rears as muck was mostly being chucked into my face and eyes. Much appreciated for the picture

 

[Hassen27]

I converted 2 x hardtails ( for when wife and I ride out togther as she doesn't like anything other that gravel track and fail trails) with Tongsheng TSDZ2 motors and they have been brilliant. Done well over 2.5k trouble free miles each of them. Not as sophisticated as Bosch motor in terms of punchiness, but not far off

That's some solid advice. Thanks as I'll keep that in mind if/when required

Herself is more worried about faster/more technical trails where the risk is of falling. She is happy/fit enough for climbs. I think we will stick with gentle trails/gravel tracks for the time being and gradually in small increments adjust the trails

 

[Sgarth42]

That's some solid advice. Thanks as I'll keep that in mind if/when required

Herself is more worried about faster/more technical trails where the risk is of falling. She is happy/fit enough for climbs. I think we will stick with gentle trails/gravel tracks for the time being and gradually in small increments adjust the trails

My wife has come on more than she realities and now tackles climbs and rougher terrain that she never expected she would. We are both in our 60's but I have always enjoyed 2 wheels off road

 

[Hassen27]

That's brilliant! So there is still a hope to get herself roped into coming with us boys on days out

 

[Sgarth42]

That's brilliant! So there is still a hope to get herself roped into coming with us boys on days out

This was the steed I made for her and she loves it. Generally we go out every weekend and now she is happy to try rail trails & tracks when dry, even ventured onto parts (easy) of the blue at Dolby. That is a massive step for her and she enjoys it. Her confidence on two wheel has gown immeasurably so we can all enjoy a family day out MTB'ing.

 

[Hassen27]

This was the steed I made for her and she loves it. Generally we go out every weekend and now she is happy to try rail trails & tracks when dry, even ventured onto parts (easy) of the blue at Dolby. That is a massive step for her and she enjoys it. Her confidence on two wheel has gown immeasurably so we can all enjoy a family day out MTB'ing.

View attachment 132162

This looks very cool and slick! I am quite impressed. Easy enough to fit and decent range?

 

[Sgarth42]

This looks very cool and slick! I am quite impressed. Easy enough to fit and decent range?

Slightly better range than Rail for that one. But the beauty is you can swap and change batteries to whatever size you want/can fit. If you are happy with spanners and can change a BB then yes it easy. It took me 2-3 hrs one afternoon

 

[rail]

Just got a rail 5 myself. How did you tow your kids with it? Im in the same situation and it would be awesome if I could help my 8yo up the worst hills safely.

 

[Hassen27]

Heya, only seeing this now.

So I tow my now 9 year old and 12 year old linked with a Kids Ride Shotgun tow rope and it's very efficient and safe to do so once you get the hang of it. It has a fair bit of give initially which helps get both bikes up to speed and very easy to attach/detach to the bikes. We have been using it for a good few months and it is a great addition to the setup. Highly recommended for towing the kids

 

[Hassen27]

Just got a rail 5 myself. How did you tow your kids with it? Im in the same situation and it would be awesome if I could help my 8yo up the worst hills safely.

Congrats on getting the Rail 5. How you finding it so far?

 

[rail]

Congrats on getting the Rail 5. How you finding it so far?

Thanks! Loving it, it's lots of fun. Feel like a kid again .

I'll check out the tow rope, thanks. What I dont like about the commercial ones I have seen so far is that there is no quick release in case of "OH SHIT" moments for the person beeing towed. Ideally he should be able to let go and instantly be free. So far we use a strap wrapped around his stem and then over the handle. He has to hold is against the handle while riding. Once he lets go its gone.

Have you had any problems like this or safety concerns?

 

[Sgarth42]

That's how we used to tow motorbikes when trail riding if one wouldn't start. There has to be an immediate "let go" for the safety of both. In reallity, there is no need to spend money on anything commercial. It's basically a strap/rope.

 

[rail]

That's how we used to tow motorbikes when trail riding if one wouldn't start. There has to be an immediate "let go" for the safety of both. In reallity, there is no need to spend money on anything commercial. It's basically a strap/rope.

Yes, thanks. My only gripe with the current setup is that the strap can go slack and tangle in the spokes if we cant maintain a tight rope. A kid is not always able to manage that pluss riding the bike. So the full stretch tow ropes are maybe better that way. Take up the slack better. I will look around and take the ideas I like and combine them. Thanks for the input

 

[Hassen27]

Thanks! Loving it, it's lots of fun. Feel like a kid again .

I'll check out the tow rope, thanks. What I dont like about the commercial ones I have seen so far is that there is no quick release in case of "OH SHIT" moments for the person beeing towed. Ideally he should be able to let go and instantly be free. So far we use a strap wrapped around his stem and then over the handle. He has to hold is against the handle while riding. Once he lets go its gone.

Have you had any problems like this or safety concerns?

Not really to be honest as I usually tow them mostly in a straight line. Issues arise if you making a sharp turn and you have to take it easy. With the tow rope we have, the kids know straight away to shout if anything is off and I usually stop straight away. Take your time, be mindful and it should work out ok

 

[Hassen27]

Yes, thanks. My only gripe with the current setup is that the strap can go slack and tangle in the spokes if we cant maintain a tight rope. A kid is not always able to manage that pluss riding the bike. So the full stretch tow ropes are maybe better that way. Take up the slack better. I will look around and take the ideas I like and combine them. Thanks for the input

With our one, we haven't had the issue of it getting tangled as it's very thick and chunky. It's got a bit of weight as well to it which helps and this prevents it from tangling into itself.