Rail seat location too far forward?

[Railer]

Bought a 2022 Rail 5 and have a cpl hundred miles on it. I am finding the seat significantly farther forward than any of my other bikes to the extent I feel cramped while riding. I could fabricate bracketry to move it back a bit (2"+) but am debating whether that will put too much bending moment on the seat tube/down tube. Just curious if anyone else feels cramped on their Rail? I'm 6' 1" or so.

 

[JP-NZ]

Bought a 2022 Rail 5 and have a cpl hundred miles on it. I am finding the seat significantly farther forward than any of my other bikes to the extent I feel cramped while riding. I could fabricate bracketry to move it back a bit (2"+) but am debating whether that will put too much bending moment on the seat tube/down tube. Just curious if anyone else feels cramped on their Rail? I'm 6' 1" or so.

What size Rail is it? How far back is the seat on the rails? Although it sounds like you purchased the wrong size..

 

[Railer]

I'm 6' 1" and I have a large frame which is what trek's sizing chart says. The seat is all the way back on the seat bracket and I've modified the bracket for a tiny bit more set back.

The horizontal distance between the center of the seat bracket and the BB on the rail is 6". On the cross/hybrid bike I ride the most (and feel very comfortable on) it is 8". That 2" diff is enormous. I currently have the same seat on both bikes. The seat's rails relative to the seat itself is on par with the other seats I have.

Furthering the issue is that due to the knock block, I can't fit a diff stem to give me a bit more room to move the bars forward. Is there a knock block compatible stem other than the stock trek? My LBS said "no" to that question and they've been spot on with most things.

I realize this is a MTB, and having the seat more directly over the BB gives better climbing power. But feeling cramped up at both ends will keep me off the bike.

Any input or thoughts are greatly appreciated. FWIW, if I can't find a way around this I'll probably sell the rail and look around. Anyone near Tampa (USA) who is interested in a bargain on a 2022 red rail 5 might want to keep an eye on this thread. Thanks gang.

 

[Peaky Rider]

I bought a Rail 7 medium, I'm 5'8" and that is what the Trek website recommended. I initially found it far too short compared to my other bikes. I pushed the seat back as far as it was safe to do so and put a 50 mm stem on it, but it still felt and measured smaller than my Focus Jam2 and Canyon Spectral On, both mediums.
I tried the next size up but it felt huge.
I've concluded that the Rail isn't too small, it is just what you get used to and I can get used to it if I try.
My biggest problem now is that, despite all its plaudits, I find the Rail nowhere near as much fun nor as capable as my old Jam 2 with its much derided (stunlocked) E8000 motor.
The Rail has a strong motor, a pretty good range and I think it looks good so I will simply have to adapt.

 

[Railer]

Where did you get the knock-block compatible 50mm stem?

FWIW, this is my 1st ebike. As far as being a mtb, the rail w/ its 29" wheels is a giant clod compared to my ancient trek non-e mtb w/ 27.5" on tight technical terrain.

 

[Peaky Rider]

You're in the States, I'm in the UK, where I got mine from Swinnerton Cycles. No good to you though. Just google "trek stem - rhythm comp knock block stem".

The Rail certainly is not nimble but it will plough through most things

 

[Railer]

Thanks!

 

[Stihldog]

Sounds like I had the opposite issue. (Medium Rail 9.7). Replaced the 60mm knock block stem with a 45mm then moved the seat slightly forward. I changed the bar and grips also.
Steep climbs were not a problem but certainly required different body position with the new geometry. Descending was more important to me and this new geometry allowed me to extend further back and over the rear wheel while descending steep trails. I’m also changing my dropper from 150mm to 170mm so I can shift my weight slightly lower on descents.
With the previous geometry I found too much weight was transferred to my hands, which caused cramps. I’m more in an upright position when riding flat ground but the geometry is better now on descents.
I dont know if this will help but I hope you can find a solution.

 

[Peaky Rider]

Update. My first post in this thread was fake news. I've just checked and the stem that came with my 2021 Rail was 50mm, as per the website, so I must have swapped it for a 70 mm one.

 

[Doug Stampfer]

The knock block is there tp stop your forks from hitting the frame. If you have a large I'd say that your forks would spin under the frame & not hit it. In that case you could do what I did - initially bought another non KB stem & dremel out some recesses to fit the bits on the KB spacers or eventually just grind the bits off the spacers & use a normal stem

 

[Peaky Rider]

I'm one of those weird and unusual riders that actually likes the knock bloc system.
The knock bloc stems are really cheap anyway, I paid £27 for mine.

 

[davosaurusrex]

I bought a Rail 7 medium, I'm 5'8" and that is what the Trek website recommended. I initially found it far too short compared to my other bikes. I pushed the seat back as far as it was safe to do so and put a 50 mm stem on it, but it still felt and measured smaller than my Focus Jam2 and Canyon Spectral On, both mediums.
I tried the next size up but it felt huge.
I've concluded that the Rail isn't too small, it is just what you get used to and I can get used to it if I try.
My biggest problem now is that, despite all its plaudits, I find the Rail nowhere near as much fun nor as capable as my old Jam 2 with its much derided (stunlocked) E8000 motor.
The Rail has a strong motor, a pretty good range and I think it looks good so I will simply have to adapt.

Hmmmm, I have a 2018 Vitus E-Sommet and a Rail 9 on order. This is my concern, the Vitus is such a capable and fun bike that I'm worried the Trek might be faster but is going to be a fun sponge. I sat on an XL in the shop and had a pedal around and despite a lot of the geo being similar it felt like an oil tanker (low bar position on it though and the bars were rolled right back which didn't help)

I remember all the hype about the Stumpy Evo and decided I had to get one, so I did and hated it, it was a dog. One of my least favourite bikes ever, when it met it's end following my mate onto a ramp that turned out to be a see-saw I wasn't too bothered!

 

[folmonty]

I'm just shy of 6' w/ 33' inseam and ride large rail 7. It feels like a very BIG bike to me. To the point I'd probably consider the medium or smaller frame of my next eMTB. Have adapted to it pretty well, and it is comfortable but the phrase "oil tanker" is fitting. Especially coming from old Trek Fuel EX9 with 26" wheels. When climbing steep trails the weight bias seems very good, if it were any further back it wouldn't keep the front wheel on the ground. Think a longer dropper might be the ticket in my case?

 

[markloch]

I'm 6'4" and ride an XL. When I bought it reflexively moved the seat as far back as possible, but have since moved it forward using this method to determine fore-aft positioning: get up to speed at a "normal" cadence, ride hands-free (sitting up, arms dangling), adjust fore-aft such that you're not straining your core nor speeding up cadence to maintain position. My core is on the weak side (I hate core strengthening exercises, always have) moving the seat forward has helped with arm/shoulder pain as well.

At the get-go I replaced the bars with a pair with 60mm rise, as my saddle was situated above the grips. I'd like more rise (again, weak core) and when researching replacement stems I came across Trek's 'Knock Block Headset Lockring Spacer' (part #545523) which allows you to use any a non-knock block stem. I haven't bought a new stem yet but will be getting this lockring spacer when the time comes.