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I think the Rail is about due for a refresh... I wonder if the TQ bikes are losing out to the bigger numbers being put out by the Avinox bikes? Maybe Trek becomes the first of the big 3 to jump on the Avinox train?
Trek definitely has a shake up coming. Next years lineup will consist of a new Top Fuel, the Fuel EX/MX/LX and a Session
Sounds like the Fuel + has not gone over well. Massive price drop being announced soon to move the existing motors and batteries on hand. I really like this type of e-bike but due the power race the industry is in the demand is just not there
Current Rail + is now alloy only with again a massive price drop being announced soon. A new premium EMTB scheduled for later in the year to replace the carbon Rail that may not have a Bosch system
Trek has recently been slow to innovate or do a fire sale so hopefully this aggressive maneuver helps them reposition themselves in a better place going forward
Frame modularity like the Fuel EX/LX/MX is good for consumers and bike nerds who want to mess around. I almost bought one but ended up with another frame that has some adjustability based on shock mount position and size. Obviously it also reduces SKUs for brands, but I also wonder if it cannibalizes future sales. Say you live in California and own a Fuel EX and move to Washington and want a longer travel bike - now you can just buy a link and shock, maybe a fork or air shaft. For Trek that potential $5,000+ sale is now like $200. Maybe they can get in front of this issue by intentionally limiting parts availability (kidding... maybe...).
I would hate for all the TQ bikes to disappear, for whatever reason they are often to most compelling models to me.
But I guess take this with a grain of salt, I have never ridden an ebike, and im also not in the market for one.
They aren't stupid, but many top execs in the industries I worked in just don't care about long term. The "let's crush this quarter's numbers and land a massive bonus today because tomorrow, we may not be here" is the name of their game.
That's insane from a company as big as Trek. They should pull one that's likely sitting on the floor of one of their company owned shops and send it to you. If you bought it with a credit card you should check if it has warranty protection.
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday is entirely true in the MTB market IMO... But it's across different markets. Win a DH race, sell a trail bike / E bike / park bike. The Syndicate, Specialized Gravity etc are perfect examples of this. These brands never really put much money into Enduro relative to their DH programs and still sold trail bikes hand over fist compared to brands who invested more of their budget on an Enduro program (Yeti excluded). Same reason Suzuki was willing to pull money from their marine marketing budget to support the Supercross team. Winning in the coolest perceived market helps the brand across the board.
Last I heard the Giant import problem is ongoing. Before I left there was a huge push for SKU reduction but from the inside that didn’t seem like much movement was happening. Trek is mostly just trying to make it through the 50th anniversary this year.
I think the idea of changes sells bike but the follow through of anyone actually doing this is relatively small.
I will caveat that with mixed wheel size adjustments seem to have been popular but I think most will just run the bike they have in the future.
This is big, X Lab is the big Asian brand thats making in roads and had a huge Sea Otter presence. Interested to see that a regional, but larger, retailer pick them up. They have mtb's coming.
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/announcements/2026/06/11/x-lab-doubles-…
No joke, X-Lab just won two stages in the Giro d'Italia, so they're not messing around. If they're going to enter the MTB market, that's a big deal.
This reminds me, and this has probably already been covered on Tech rumours to some extent (at least the product), but something that I've not really seen before is happening in BC: a Chinese brand Seekrun is paying for a translator/marketing person, as well as designing engineer (who does not speak a lick of English) to travel around BC and hand out samples of their $319 CAD wireless dropper post. It is apparently a cartridge system, and has already been picked up by S4 for Canadian distribution, as well as another distributor operating seekrun.ca.
I don't think the dropper itself is inherently interesting (notwithstanding the fact that its MSRP is half of the comparable wireless TransX and 1/4 of the comparable Reverb), but what I do find interesting is that the brand has apparently seen value in sending two employees from China to NA to sell the thing directly to shops. it kind of gives me the Avinox vibe, in the sense of what Jeff was talking about a few weeks ago - they know what they have and they aren't afraid to spend money getting it out there.
Very interesting. Here's a link to Seekrun's wesbite, if anyone's curious: https://www.seekrun.com/Smart%20Dropper/SMART%20DROPPER%20S7.html
Didn't have time at work to type out more thoughts on the Trek models..
The Remedy hasn't been touched in a while.. Plus, if it had evolved, I would bet it would have become a mixed wheel bike like the Fuel MX. If you have to have 27.5 front and rear, it shouldn't be difficult to make happen.
The Slash and Fuel LX are real close.. Quarter HP did a head to head on them both. The Slash was better on raw trails, the Fuel was better on the more flow type of trails.
If they Trek thought they could do a short travel version and replace the Top Fuel, they would.
Session, the team has been developing a new version for the past couple of seasons, so it seems like it would be kinda crazy to pull the plug now.. It seems this is part of the SKU reduction Trek talked about starting in 2026.
I noticed Jenson has them too. $8k for a 6.8kg DuraAce road bike.
https://www.jensonusa.com/xds-x-lab-ad9-bike
I'm in a small market in the middle of the US plains. We have 2.5 bike shops in town - an independent shop, a Specialized (and Orbea) shop, and a sporting goods store that carries Trek.
I was in the bike shop today picking up some small items and overheard someone come in, ask to speak to the owner, hand them a brochure and start talking about this new thing they're making called an ebike. Which is funny because most of the stock in his store is ebikes. They were standing next to a new Kona emtb, a few Cannondale eebs, and a recumbent etrike.
This bike in the brochure was better, though, because it has an Avinox "engine with fifteen thousand watts." Either they misspoke, are deliberately trying to find under-informed bike shop owners, or they're hiring people who don't know a lot about the bike to go into bike shops and try to sell it.
They obviously see a market they think they can dominate. I grabbed my grips, suspension oil, and Butt'r and got out of there!
Time inconsistency problem
Using a picture of Jolanda Neff on a Trek on their promo shots, I guess that's one way to do it or did I miss a secret sponsor deal from Trek Factory.
Yeah they don't seem too worried about a cease and desist letter, huh?
Maybe wrong thread, but Im still worried about frame flex with models that can drastically transform their travel numbers. The GG thermo plastic frames were pretty stiff in long travel mode, and way too stiff when reused for shorter travel models.
I believe part of that was due to limitations in what could be done with the thermoplastics.. But, I think they tried to cover too much of a range with the one front end..
FYI, if we're talking reusing carbon frames for different travel options, you're distributing the mold cost over a larger set of samples but you can nevertheless Optimize the layup in said mold.
Changing the layup is, other than the additional cost of testing, free when it comes to mold making.
Hell, you could offer stiffer and softer frames for every travel option as well if you want to jump on the compliance bandwagon.
Pon.Bike closing Almelo, Netherlands, production site at end of 2027 | Bicycle Retailer and Industry News
China Peak says goodbye to mountain biking after this year
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZfgPrShbqa/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
That's the worst.
I have one of the Seekrun demo posts that they were handing out a few weeks ago on that tour they did on my Chisel to test right now. The top is tall because the actuator is in it, but over all it works really well. I tore it down before I put it on and added some more lube. They also very much show how its completely user serviceable other than the cartridge and have new actuators and batterys availible if anything goes wrong in them.
China is definitely coming for the bike industry while a lot of other companies are still recovering. Winspace started popping up on the road scene two years ago and is now everywhere at the local races.
The current Rail+ is still being sold with the builds introduced back in 2024. The previous Rail was a very popular bike, not sure why Trek is not even trying with the new one.
The Levo 4 is being sold today with builds introduced early 2025 and there was a lot of emphasis on discounting Comp builds before their recent MSRP revision.
New Fuel+ EX 9.7 is discounted almost 30% off when it's the entry level model that should be selling with no discounts.
Is the eMTB segment really healthy after all ?
eBikes remind of mobile phones in the year 2000. Lot of changes happening monthly/annually. Probably better to do a limited run like Forbidden or Crestline than produce larger quantities that will be outdated in a year.
Rail+ has the pregnant down tube. Avinox has sucked the air out of a lot bikes simply on aesthetics. Fuel+ and the TQ system is intriguing, but with the cost Trek is charging, why not add a kilo/pound or two and get an amflow?
What you are seeing is not necessarily indicative of a poor ebike market but rather, given what we know about Trek and Specialized right now, perhaps indicative of misforecasting and grossly overordering on product on the assumption there would not be an outdoor goods market correction as bad as what we've seen.
In other words, they just ordered too much shit based on 2020-2022 numbers, which took way too long to arrive, and its biting them in the ass. I'm sure had Trek sold through the number of Rail+s they anticipated there's no chance they'd still be shipping bikes with 2024 specs.
Looks like they just got the all clear to proceed.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/598113/us-justice-department-clears-pa…
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