Trek eMTB Survey

[Mitch@Trek]

Hey everyone, our eMTB team is looking for your helpful input here - specifically you, the rad people in this thread who love their e-bikes (or hate them, no judgment here). The feedback you provide helps us to continue to develop new products and focus on what the community wants - we try to always listen!

If you could take a few moments to fill out this survey it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Start the survey here

 

[Philly G]

The question about the dropper post did not take into account whether the owner had swapped out the original dropper for one with more travel.

 

[Stihldog]

Can I take the survey for each bike? (ie; Rail and PF5 HT). Because I use them both slightly differently.

 

[Mitch@Trek]

Can I take the survey for each bike? (ie; Rail and PF5 HT). Because I use them both slightly differently.

I believe the survey should let you enter it more than once!

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Good survey. As my rides are only about 15kms long I'm all for battery's being split. Do you think there'll be an option later on?

 

[Mitch@Trek]

Good survey. As my rides are only about 15kms long I'm all for battery's being split. Do you think there'll be an option later on?

Could certainly be a possibility!

 

[Mitch@Trek]

what we want is the option to fix our motors out of warranty and the parts made available to buy like bearings and controllers ect and the bms to recell the batts.

what we have now is throw it in the bin and go buy a new one

I hear ya. I'll pass the feedback along!

Keep in mind that the motor manufacturers typically dictate that, but we can whisper suggestions in their ears.

 

[JFDI]

Hi Mitch,
Good to see Trek gathering customer feedback.
I ride the Rail 9 and its a game changer for me and I really do love this bike.

My only quibble is with the remote control for the Kiox.
I'd described it a weak point in the drive set up as it's location, size and micro cable are prone to damage/failure. It's kinda frustrating on a climb when the power suddenly stops and the Kiox says 'bye' in a cheerful manner!

Mine is currently in the LBS awaiting diagnosis for not working and I suspect its a break in a wire where the cable bends prior to entering the kiox mount?

Personally I would prefer a smaller, simple power mode selector (up/down, similar to the Shimano remote control) and keep the screen selection on the Kiox itself.
And better still if it was Bluetooth (AXS style) compatible?

Thanks
Dave

 

[Stihldog]

Hi Dave
I found a similar issue with mine. Turned out to be the battery connections in the battery compartment. A slight realignment was necessary which secured the battery …a little better.

… It's kinda frustrating on a climb when the power suddenly stops and the Kiox says 'bye' in a cheerful manner!

I would experience this a few times on each ride. Sometimes I would completely lose power and other times I could power/ride thru it and power would be restored to the bike and the Kiox (which would remain in the same mode, (emtb).
This may not be your issue, but a realignment of the battery solved any power loss.

 

[luna87824]

DITCH THE 1.8 HEAD TUBE......

 

[JFDI]

Hi Dave
I found a similar issue with mine. Turned out to be the battery connections in the battery compartment. A slight realignment was necessary which secured the battery …a little better.

I would experience this a few times on each ride. Sometimes I would completely lose power and other times I could power/ride thru it and power would be restored to the bike and the Kiox (which would remain in the same mode, (emtb).
This may not be your issue, but a realignment of the battery solved any power loss.

Cheers for that information. I do indeed remove the battery after each ride?
I'm finding with mine that when powered up there is absolutely no interaction between the remote and the kiox?
If I was lucky I could gently manipulate the small cable (at one particular place between the bar and stem area) from the remote and briefly get some functionality, but as soon as I let go it breaks the connection.
Hey ho, it's in the shop being inspected..I'll feedback the outcome

 

[Mitch@Trek]

Hi Mitch,
Good to see Trek gathering customer feedback.
I ride the Rail 9 and its a game changer for me and I really do love this bike.

My only quibble is with the remote control for the Kiox.
I'd described it a weak point in the drive set up as it's location, size and micro cable are prone to damage/failure. It's kinda frustrating on a climb when the power suddenly stops and the Kiox says 'bye' in a cheerful manner!

Mine is currently in the LBS awaiting diagnosis for not working and I suspect its a break in a wire where the cable bends prior to entering the kiox mount?

Personally I would prefer a smaller, simple power mode selector (up/down, similar to the Shimano remote control) and keep the screen selection on the Kiox itself.
And better still if it was Bluetooth (AXS style) compatible?

Thanks
Dave

Great feedback! Send me a DM when you hear back from your shop on this as well, would love to hear the specific cause.

 

[luna87824]

ask bosch how do i change the rechargeable batt in the kiox display when it dies.

you throw it in the bin and go buy a new one.

why does it even have a built in rechargeable batt when the bike has a 500w batt on the frame.

can bus encryption and serialized parts so like the batts needs to keep the programming alive and if it does die like the batts throw it in the bin and go buy new ones yay

the only motors that dont use can bus is yamaha as still use uart programming made to be serviced will sell parts and the controllers out of warranty and the batts can be recelled with the right chip.

YAMAHA WARRANTY

3-Year on Frame, Motor, Battery* Component Manufacturer's warranty** is supported by Yamaha

 

[GrandesRoues]

Survey was a bit strange, i didn't quite know what to answer in some places. For example
-i use the TOUR mode, witch is not an option. I didn't like the TOUR+, because at 90kg i produce some power and so have the assistance always at the strongest, draining battery. It's the same in eMTB, with i only use briefly on tough climb.
-Also i recharge my batteries half full after the ride, and charge them fully before going out.
-I change battery when the firs one dips bellow 10%

I'm a tall guy who wants a bike that allows big vertical in the alpines singletracks on my doorstep.
I choose the RAIL because
-it has enduro geo (2021 in XL, on a 2022 i would go for a L),
-full 29er (this ruled out the Lapierre GLP2, which is a better handling bike)
-pretty light and stiff frame,
-efficient motor on large load (better than Shimano, Yamaha seens good also)
-have a easily swapable battery (i use about 1500 Wh regularly).

 

[superchiwawa]

I love that trek provides a cable and guide through the frame for a motor powered front light.
Can we have the same for the rear too please (In the seat tube, ideally)?!
Current options are through the shock mount hole or between the frame and swing arm - would be nice to keep the frame clean. Lupine actually drilled a hole in the seat tube for their C14 demo bike (Trek Rail carbon frame), but no way am I going to void my lifetime warranty on a 6k bike!

 

[Thinkology]

2022 Powerfly 4 FS

My biggest issue has to be the Purion display button layout. I don’t mind that it’s not full of colorful features…it does what it’s supposed to do and anything more isn’t really necessary for “me.”

BUT there is no way, in the heat of the moment at a very tricky spot that has snuck up on me to tell the difference between the up/down buttons. They feel exactly the same and fuhgettaboutit if I have full gloves on. There needs to be a tactile difference between the buttons or a noticeable separation that can be felt in a split second. There are simply times you can’t take your eyes off the trail and similarly, times you can’t be feeling around to figure out which button you’re pushing. Maybe I’m the only one that shifts their grip on different attacks or changes in terrain. And maybe I’m the only one that is changing the level of assist constantly depending on the power I need for finesse vs. a steep incline. Maybe this problem is unique to me.

I cannot develop a muscle-memory for it and I have not found a position for it that guarantees my thumb will be on the right 1 sq cm sized button at the right time without looking, or just blindly pushing to feel the drive assist difference…which is a horrible way to find out you went in the wrong direction. You can literally push both buttons at the same time with your thumb.

I know this is a Bosch thing and that there will be no upgraded module available for me…but that is a total design fail that could perhaps be addressed in replacement modules when the time comes that one needs to be replaced.

 

[folmonty]

@Mitch@Trek props to you and Trek for doing this.

I'm super happy with my Rail 7 for going on two years now. The one thing I'd like to add is this - being able to do a simple diagnostics or software update without having to make a trip to the shop. Know this is a Bosch thing but I can diagnose / update my motorcycles, car, truck and any number of other devices mostly using just my phone and in other cases a dongle tool for the job. It's a bit funny that in my business of heavy vehicle braking Bosch was a major supplier to my company. We had the absolute easiest brake diagnostics in the business which any customer could do themselves, yet here with my eBike nothing? FWIW working on a heavy tractor trailer rig is way more daunting than an eBike! As you know most of us eMTB riders are DIY types by nature. Very similar to most motorcyclist. My 2 cents.....

Regards,
Monty

 

[Terence]

Interesting to conduct a survey that looks forward…but ! Why not conduct a survey on Trek owners Experience of ownership in terms of reliability? My Trek rail 9.8 XL will be one year old in 28 days.. In terms of riding it’s a great bike, but, so far under warranty the following has been replaced..Rear Hub bearings ,pawls and springs, front wheel bearings, chain ring nut coming loose, a new Kiox and new Bosch motor oh! and , a stubborn click from the front wheel that thanks to my local LBS , Blazing Bikes who have been great fixed everything….I’m a retired motor vehicle engineer and i do not understand why so many problems, am I alone, unlucky ? .My beef in this sector is that there are many reviews on new bike performance but where are the reviews on life time ownership?Where is the survey on reliability? I worry when the warranty runs out I will be the proud owner of a great bike to ride but to expensive to own..

 

[TriciaPug]

Great to see the survey and ability to give feedback.
The only thing that bummed me out about the survey was that I'm only one row away from maxing out the age range for myself.
How did that happen?

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Interesting to conduct a survey that looks forward…but ! Why not conduct a survey on Trek owners Experience of ownership in terms of reliability? My Trek rail 9.8 XL will be one year old in 28 days.. In terms of riding it’s a great bike, but, so far under warranty the following has been replaced..Rear Hub bearings ,pawls and springs, front wheel bearings, chain ring nut coming loose, a new Kiox and new Bosch motor oh! and , a stubborn click from the front wheel that thanks to my local LBS , Blazing Bikes who have been great fixed everything….I’m a retired motor vehicle engineer and i do not understand why so many problems, am I alone, unlucky ? .My beef in this sector is that there are many reviews on new bike performance but where are the reviews on life time ownership?Where is the survey on reliability? I worry when the warranty runs out I will be the proud owner of a great bike to ride but to expensive to own..

All due respect Terrence but we don't ask our old girlfriends/ boyfriends how we did as partners do we? We don't really want to hear about our faults.
In my job I spend my time replacing electrical fixtures from long established manufacturers & over time I have reluctantly developed a low expectation to their reliability & lifespan. Increasingly the more complex the equipment the more things to go wrong & I don't subscribe to the 'you pay for what you get' mentality . Surely you would have seen this in the automotive industry?
I advise newbie or soon to be emtb owners not to treat them as bikes but as motor vehicles as they can cost more in maintenance than the family car

 

[markloch]

Good survey. As my rides are only about 15kms long I'm all for battery's being split. Do you think there'll be an option later on?

I'd like a bottle cage extender for my Rail. I've carried in a backpack my spare 500 a couple of times but never came close to using up the full 625+500. I'd trade my 500 for 250-300 extender in a heartbeat.

So when will we see gearbox-motor integration?

 

[markloch]

Great to see the survey and ability to give feedback.
The only thing that bummed me out about the survey was that I'm only one row away from maxing out the age range for myself.
How did that happen?
View attachment 91493

Where are the 65-74, 75-84, 85+ ranges?

 

[2WheelsNot4]

I filled out and submitted the form, but i can't find the part where I fill in my address for my free Trek T-shirt or coffee mug

 

[Iggy_BBR]

+1 for the bottle cage Range Extender.

I would like to see a smaller swappable internal battery for shorter warmup days to make the bike lighter. I would to also see is a "Frame, Motor, Battery and Controller package" instead a full bike, since the OEM parts aren't best.

 

[markloch]

+1 for the bottle cage Range Extender.

I would like to see a smaller swappable internal battery for shorter warmup days to make the bike lighter. I would to also see is a "Frame, Motor, Battery and Controller package" instead a full bike, since the OEM parts aren't best.

Spesh sells an s-works turbo levo frameset, would like to see Trek do the same, say carbon and alloy Rail framesets

 

[2WheelsNot4]

Spesh sells an s-works turbo levo frameset, would like to see Trek do the same, say carbon and alloy Rail framesets

Their frameset costs more than my bike. I'd like to see all frames available, not just the most expensive.
Just as they do with every bike frame and have done for decades. Now it seems the only frames available are the most expensive.

 

[markloch]

Their frameset costs more than my bike. I'd like to see all frames available, not just the most expensive.
Just as they do with every bike frame and have done for decades. Now it seems the only frames available are the most expensive.

Agreed. An alloy Rail frameset would be a stripped down Rail 5 or 7 (the only difference between the two frameset-wise, in the US at least, would be the battery size). Comparing price ($900 diff) and specs of 7 and 9.7 (pretty much identical except for the frame material and purion $115 vs kiox $260 retail) - carbon frame would be priced about $750 more than an alloy frame.

I got excited when I thought I saw a range of Fuel EXe framesets, then realized they were Fuel EX.

 

[Iggy_BBR]

A frameset option would be great, it would save all the headache of replacing OEM parts that we don't want. But it also allows us to upgrade without buying a complete bike.

 

[towzer]

Survey done, non Trek owner but interested in the Ex-e.

Didn‘t see any questions about motor/battery warranty/parts availability- this is my main emtb issue, I won’t buy amother shimano motor until they design in some rebuildability, which is a shame as the rise seems to be the current nearest to what I want (light weight, enough power, enough battery), I’m liking the sound of the Ex-e, but unknown motor, doesn’t appear to be any UK TQ support or rebuildability knowledge, no statements about motor rebuildability (*that I can find), no statements (*that I can find) about if TQ will provide spare parts and help to the growing number of third party motor rebuilders and battery rebuilders by providing technical support, knowledge, repairer certification etc etc that will convince me that ‘motor and battery support‘ isn’t the good old “you can buy a new one when it’s out of warranty” , I’ve also not seen any info about how long they plan to make/support the motor. Maybe you could get back and clarify, thanks.

 

[BobMtnBkr]

Lose the ’21 ZEB select +. Extremely harsh. And the battery knocks over harsh bumps.