Article The new Trek E-Caliber

[knut7]

A new kind of ebike, for a group of riders that has been curiously neglected – that’s what Trek said in the teaser for the press event.



Trek has previously told us how they believe the mild and lightweight emtbs will take a huge chunk of the market. Therefore, we were expecting Trek to release such an emtb. But there are already a few superlight emtbs out there. People interested in such a bike hasn’t really been neglected. So, what is Trek really talking about?

Well, they’re talking about the new Trek E-Caliber. Sure, it’s a lightweight emtb with reduced motor power. But that’s not all. It’s a proper cross country racing bike. It seems this is the first emtb made for the lycra crowd. And yeah, I guess they have been neglected by the ebike manufacturers. But it could be mutual. Is the lycra crowd also neglecting the ebikes...

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[Stihldog]

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I can see the benefits of this lighter eMTB. My neighbor, who just received (but doesn’t need IMO) a Rail 7, wanted the FS but didn’t want the Power Fly hardtail. This may have been perfect for her needs. I just wonder how this motor will hold up. I have the Bosch gen4. Reliable but heavy on my PF5 and Rail 9.7. Good to see a few more options.

 

[Doomanic]

 

[R120]

Yup I rather like the look of it

 

[Doomanic]

Me too, but they've taken their pricing structure right out out of the Specialized "Customers, how much can we gouge them?" book.

 

[R120]

It is very niche within a niche though

 

[Slowroller]

$12.5k for a bike that would suck where I ride.

 

[stiv674]

It's not for me admittedly but those prices are ridiculous, even the lardy 'budget' one

 

[R120]

Reading around t'interweb and getting a bit more info, I really cant so who this bike is for, if you are fit then I suspect its actually going to be slower than a regular XC bike as you are hauling a lot more weight around once you hit the limiter, which would be pretty quickly IMO on an XC trail, and its not offering much more benefit over a Levo SL or Orbea Rise weight wise whilst sacrificing a whole lot of versatility.

I really like the idea of a short travel lightweight EMTB that you can rail around on, a downcountry EMTB for want of a better phrase, but Trek have maybe gone a bit too far down the XC road with this one for me.

 

[R120]

Yeah i cant really see a ride where I would pick it over a decent XC bike, and thats the the issue.

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

About time we're seeing more XC EMTB's. Just watched ElectricBikeReview and I've gotta be honest, I did raise an eyebrow ?

 

[steve_sordy]

Is luring the XC lycra crowd over to emtb the objective?
Is it even possible?

 

[Zimmerframe]

It kinda popped on the radar a few weeks ago .. there was some interest, but the price was looking scary even then .

Future EMTB: More power & range or lightweight (15-20kg)?

Riding a Kenevo i'm totally in for more range (for longer trips in the swiss alps) while keeping the weight as low as possible but without losing durability! Don't need more power at all, 100% Turbo is more than i need.

www.emtbforums.com

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

But surely the ramifications of introducing a xc emtb can only improve the sport? Don't get me wrong, I don't have a sudden urge to buy an xc bike but for the purposes of introducing a racing specific event (1st person to cross the finish line), this could be a huge step towards taking emtb's seriously.
I'M TALKING TO YOU UCI!!!

 

[R120]

No XC racing is all about athleticism, motors have no place in it - I can see the point in Enduro EMTB racing but XC would be like doing the Tour de France on a Haibike Flyon.

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

No XC racing is all about athleticism, motors have no place in it - I can see the point in Enduro EMTB racing but XC would be like doing the Tour de France on a Haibike Flyon.

They could make the courses longer or, not allow full fat emtb's. Not to mention, it could allow Legendary xc racers to continue/transition to a E-version when they get older. Nino Schurter and Julien Absalon aren't exactly getting any younger

 

[Slowroller]

Is luring the XC lycra crowd over to emtb the objective?
Is it even possible?

I could see it as a training tool for either a pro, or a dentist who races masters class that wants to use it on recovery days while keeping the same feel as their race bike. Other than that, why wouldn't you buy an emtb that would be far more fun to ride? I'd rather buy an e-gravel bike than this and I don't want one of those either. This is a bike that will still make you suffer both on the climbs and the downs.

 

[BBear]

It’s very pretty but very niche imo. Way less capable than SL or Rise for anything other than xc. That small battery is not going to last on long xc rides so you’re left with having to do a lot of hard pedalling which defeats the object - you might as well have a lighter non assisted version. Really expensive as well. Would be very interested to see an independent review of a long xc ride and see how they get on - I might be talking total crap.

 

[R120]

Given the rear suspension on the Caliber is basically a soft tail, if I was in the market for an XC EMTB I would still seriously consider for the Focus Raven Squared which has been around for 3 years now, and for half the price still weighs in at sub 16kg

First Review: FOCUS Raven² Pro – record-breaking E-MTB with 15.5 kg | E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine

FOCUS first peeled back the veil on their Project Y prototype E-MTB one year ago, and now it’s finally time for this super lightweight bike with a mid-drive motor and integrated battery to go into production. At 15.48 kg, the lithe FOCUS Raven² looks like the precursor to a new generation. We...

ebike-mtb.com

There is also the Willier 101fx which is a more rounded concept IMO, again been around for a few years, and has proper rear suspension, coming in at sub 16kg and a couple of k cheaper than the Trek

101FX Hybrid

A lightweight, easy-to-handle and high-performance off-road MTB with a motor that lets you expand your riding horizons.

wilier.com

 

[stiv674]

I like the look of that Wilier, base model about £5,400 and maybe weighs about 17.5kg...

 

[ReVolt]

On top of the half in half out suspension travel offering m, the main issue is the Fazzy motor. Compared with the EP8 RS and Mahle 1.1 it just doesn’t cut it in its present configuration. Anyone who’s spent time on the Ezesty will tell you the power band is narrow and a tad inflexible plus you have to carry a spare battery. What’s the point ???

 

[Gustesta]

I tried the new ultra light Trek E Caliber today. I've just had the opportunity to try it on the parking lot of the store. My thoughts: rear suspension is really hard (feels like a hard tail); motor is really good but not as powerful as the Orbea Rise; geometry seems very good and the bike feels fast. I tried the 6,500.00 model. I asked the store to weight it, and it was 42 pounds with pedals (heavier than my M10 that has a real rear suspension). Overall I prefered the Orbea Rise (but I'd have to try the Trek on the mountain).

 

[Gyre]

Love the modern-retro Klein "Backfire" fade, but not a fan of the Straight Shot/Knock Block combo.

 

[Mabman]

An old/young buddy of mine had one in his to test pile, he is a test editor for a magazine platform. His main ride is the S-Works SL that he had just got together with last year when I saw him. Let's just say he loves the SL....

Speaking of Specialized he had a Gen 3 Levo to test also and had good things to say about it. He had done 5250 elevation in 2.5hrs a week before doing laps on a loop that had a ferocious climb, 15 minutes up and 15 minutes down....He was all excited about the little top tube gizmo that you could dial in with your phone app to cycle through the info you need. Being an older guy with helpers it wouldn't work for me as it was pretty tiny. Bike looked really no different however.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I think the scary thing is that you can buy a levo sl s-works for less money ....

Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo SL LordGun online bike store

Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo SL de € 12 777,05. Achetez VTT AE de Specialized sur LordGun : prix compétitifs, livraison rapide en 24/48 heures.

www.lordgunbicycles.fr

Specialized Boutique de Vélos Specialized Store

Boutique Specialized IBKBike vous avez à votre disposition tout le catalogue Specialized - Vélos de route et de montagne, vêtements de cyclisme, casques de vélo, baskets

ibkbike.fr

 

[Hamina]

Generally
Would be absolutely surprising if the Trek wouldn't had thought all this before pushing the button. Could it be that electric assistance brings up models that previously was not needed. Sometimes the need is born at the sametime with the product.

 

[flash]

On top of the half in half out suspension travel offering m, the main issue is the Fazzy motor. Compared with the EP8 RS and Mahle 1.1 it just doesn’t cut it in its present configuration. Anyone who’s spent time on the Ezesty will tell you the power band is narrow and a tad inflexible plus you have to carry a spare battery. What’s the point ???

I just spent the last two days on my eZesty chasing a Levo SL. Can't really agree with your premise since 2.0. I did use more battery but I'm also 15kg heavier than the other rider. Yesterday was 44km with 700m of climbing. I had 5 bars left on the second battery. Ride in trail (250w) all day.

Gordon

 

[Beekeeper]

I’m no engineer but dosen’t that pivotless stay on the E-caliber look a bit thin? It’s the very first thing I noticed when I saw the bike.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I’m no engineer but dosen’t that pivotless stay on the E-caliber look a bit thin? It’s the very first thing I noticed when I saw the bike.

View attachment 54456

Looking at how the rear suspension works, I'd say it's designed thin so it can flex - there's no pivot's at the chainring end and it looks like the section round the shock slides in a linear fashion, so it either flexes or something snaps ?

 

[Beekeeper]

Looking at how the rear suspension works, I'd say it's designed thin so it can flex - there's no pivot's at the chainring end and it looks like the section round the shock slides in a linear fashion, so it either flexes or something snaps ?

Ok, it looks big and beefy at the front but when you get to the back I wondered if they went over budget and had to save on materials ?