Rock Grocery Shopping With the 2021 Carbon Fiber Allant+ 9.9S Urban E-bike

With all these major names coming out with urban and even mountain-worthy e-bikes, once the snow melts, everyone is going to be hitting the streets with their newest and best toys they’ve received for Christmas. My question is, where does that leave you? Better yet, where does that leave the already established giants like Trek?

Well, right there at the top with the rest of them. What we see in the cover photo is the 2021 Allant+ 9.9S from famed Trek. It’s one of the newest and hardest urban e-bikes to hit our streets this year. Why do I say this? Just keep reading. Or if you don’t like reading, visit the gallery and then click here to get a better view of the bike and draw your own conclusions.

If, however, you like reading and are seeing these words, great. So, let’s get to know what it is you might be spending $5,999 on. What, you though it was cheap? Hahahah, look closer before you draw that conclusion next time. With the full OCLV Carbon frame this urban destroyer is built upon, I was expecting a lot more than that.

The downtube includes and integrated removable battery, while all cable routing is internal. This helps give it an even more sleek look while also keeping you from snagging on anything as you squeeze through traffic. An Allant Carbon fork just adds more value to the whole thing.

Next up we have the all-important battery. For this trinket, Trek decided to continue their legacy with Bosch and threw in a PowerTube 625 to make sure you get as much range as possible. As you might have guessed, the 625 stands for 625Wh of juice. If I was to use one word to describe how much juice is available to you, I'd use the word ‘plenty.’

As to what all this energy is needed for, Bosch strikes again with a Bosch Performance Speed mid-drive motor that puts out 75 Nm (55 lb-ft) of torque. What do you mean it’s not enough? I assure you it is. It’s enough to give you a 28 mph (45 kph) top speed. I believe that’s an issue for the European market.

Can anyone take a wild guess as to who is providing the shifting components and other secondary systems? Yup, Shimano. The Allant includes a 12-speed cassette, shifter, derailleur, and even chain from the famed manufacturer. But there’s another place where Shimano stuck their nose in, the wheel hubs. A bit odd if you ask me.

Now, we won’t see any suspension on this capable ride as it is strictly for urban riding. But the few cracks and curbs you’ll face are to be handled by a pair of Bontrager E6 Hard-Case Lite sporting a 27.5-inch diameter. With fenders and the works, the bike comes in with an overall weight of 51.5 lbs (23.36 kg), so those tires should be enough.

Now I realize that the new Harley’s and Ducati's are just downright awesome, but it always helps to get a view of what else is happening around town. As sometimes, it just might be a bit better. Oh, nearly forgot. There’s also a lady's version of the Allant, but it’s so decked out itself that it requires a whole article. So keep your eyes peeled.