Trek’s $11k Rail 9.9 XTR Proves That Not All e-Bikes Are Created Equal

Luckily, Trek has been busy crunching out what they do best, bicycles. And one of the beasts waiting for you once these restrictions are lifted is what you see in the cover photo. It’s known as the 2021 Rail 9.9 XTR. Take a nice long look at the gallery, drool a bit, and then prepare to put your lunch money aside for the next three years because it cruises in with an MSRP of $11,499.

Okay, I get that it’s an e-bike manufactured by one of the biggest and best in the world, but that may be a bit much. But is it, though? Once you get to know it, you too may feel it’s worth every penny.

Now, if you’ve visited the gallery, and you’re an avid mountain biker, then you’ve already fallen in love with this beautiful bike and its geometry. The way the down tube lines up perfectly with the seat stays is just magical. Even the chain stay tells you it’s ready for whatever you throw at it.

If the tubing seems a bit different than what you may be used to, it’s because we’re looking at top-of-the-line OCLV carbon fiber. It’s the best of the best as far as Trek can put out, so don’t worry about the usual stress fractures we sometimes find on other carbon frames. And, extra protection to the down tube is offered by a carbon shield. All in all, the medium-sized frame comes in with 47.86 lbs (21.71 kg) of weight with all components added. With a rider, bike, and some cargo, this e-MTB offers a weight limit of 300 lbs (136 kg).

Keeping everything riding smoothly is the RockShox ZEB Ultimate front fork with 160 mm (6.3 inches) of travel. As for the rear, the main piece is the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RT3 Thru Shaft 3-position damper complete with DebonAir spring. It’s just right for giving you something soft to smash against.

As for the most important aspect of any e-bike, the motor, Bosch teamed up with Trek and supplies a Performance CX that offer 250W. But as small as this pocket engine is, it pushes out a huge 85 Nm (62.7 lb-ft) of torque. Stitched together through internal cable routing with the integrated removable battery, this motor will offer peak performance whenever you need it.

Speaking of battery, Bosch strikes again with their largest PowerTube, the 625. Just as the name suggests, it comes in with 625Wh of juice. How that translates into range is hard to say, but we’ve seen other bikes with the same Bosch setup reaching a range of over 100 miles (161 km). Obviously, this varies greatly depending on road conditions and whether you got chubby over the holidays.

As for the drivetrain, it comes from none other than Shimano, of course, with a full 12-speed XTR M9100 setup. Brakes, too, are covered by the goliath, with 4-piston hydraulics and 203-mm (8-in) 6-bolt rotors. For rims, Bontrager is noted with Line Pro 30 completed from the same OCLV carbon as the frame, tubeless-ready.

If you happen to like what you see, click here to have a better look. Who knows, maybe you can bribe Santa into giving you either a belated Christmas present, or an extremely early one. But for this sort of money, you’ll be cleaning up after Rudolph for the rest of the year.