Trek Slash+ 9.7 SLX/XT Electric Mountain Bike Review: Oh So Quiet

To instrumentality up the slack, Trek routed the concatenation done not 1 but 2 idler pulleys. The effect looks a small similar a three-ring circus adjacent the concatenation ring, but that added idler pulley allows the derailleur to bash what it’s expected to do, which is support the motorcycle shifting well.

Love astatine First Ride

I loved this motorcycle disconnected the bat due to the fact that it felt nimble and accelerated and gave maine the assurance to sail implicit a fewer steep lines that I usually avoid. On trail, I ne'er felt the request to thrust beyond level-two power, adjacent connected climbs, which added to its acoustic feel. The lone spot I could person utilized much of a boost was erstwhile riding location consecutive uphill connected metropolis thoroughfare with a 13 percent grade.

After aggregate consequent tests, I felt the aforesaid joyousness with 1 caveat: There was a accordant and nagging rattle that sounded similar a escaped wheel, but I could ne'er isolate the root of the noise, which apt indicates that it was interior and possibly coming from the artillery oregon a cablegram rattling successful the downtube.

To springiness the Slash+ a much robust test, I passed it connected to Samuel Hayden, a erstwhile collegiate gravity rider astatine Fort Lewis College successful Durango, Colorado. After a 20-mile thrust successful mostly turbo mode connected the treble blacks of Piedmont (stuff I ne'er ride), Hayden returned with a immense grin and with much than 65 percent artillery powerfulness near successful the tank.

On its value and handling, Hayden reported that the Slash+ melded important powerfulness with a astonishing lightweight build, noting it had a coagulated and reassuring transportation with the way and maintained unchangeable formation during jumps.

His lone large gripe? The 9.7 lacks a SRAM transmission, which tends to beryllium much reliable for e-MTBs. But that occupation is easy solvable, if you person an other $4,000 connected hand, by upgrading to the Slash+ 9.9 XO AXS T-Type.