New Trek Allant 9.9s on order

[Alaskan]

I wanted to add a stripped down, lighter and sporty bike to my quiver for fun , high energy rides with my roady friends. I just could not see myself getting a drop handlebar e-road bike.

So I just placed an order for a Trek Allant 9.9s Carbon frame, with the Gen 4 Bosch HS motor and 625 watt power tube. The bike will have a modified drive train. The cassette will be upgraded from an 11-42 tooth to a M8100 12 speed 10-51 tooth. The shifter and derailleur will be upgraded to a Sram X01 Eagle XAS wireless electronic shifter. I plan to add a Kinekt suspension stem with SQ Lab 710 grips and a body float seat post to accommodate my old carcass that has been spoiled by Riese & Muller full suspension bikes. As near as I can tell, Trek has really nailed it with this bike. I will post a review and my impressions after I get some rides in on it.

The ideal number of ebikes to have is: N+1 (with N being the number of bikes you currently own).

 

[Saratoga Dave]

I was wondering why you got quiet... you’ve been watching bike reviews and sneaking around the bike shop!

Those are very nice, I think. I bet you’re going to love a lighter, zippier rig. Certainly looking forward to the reports.

N+1 has stalked me down in the guitar room for many, many years. So far I’ve fought it in the garage, but every time I go into my LBS and eye that Turbo Levo by the counter I get the itch. Now Browneye comes up with that nice Giant and I greatly fear the warm weather. Or more specifically, my wife does!

 

[Captain Slow]

Wow, that is going to be a nice ride! Out of curiosity, what do you have in your fleet? I can't remember are you in the Bellingham area? If so, I will be taking my son down to ride the flow trails in the area. If you're in Bellingham, we should meet up for a ride when we go there this spring.

 

[Alaskan]

Wow, that is going to be a nice ride! Out of curiosity, what do you have in your fleet? I can't remember are you in the Bellingham area? If so, I will be taking my son down to ride the flow trails in the area. If you're in Bellingham, we should meet up for a ride when we go there this spring.

Capt. we have a 2017 Cube Touring Hybrid with Bosch CX and Shimano XT group set (our guest bike), a 2018 Riese & Muller Homage HS Rohloff (my wife's bike), a 2018 Delight Mountain with a derestricted CX & 2019 Homage Rohloff HS (my bikes). The Trek will make it three for me. Given that I ride almost daily and covered 14,000 miles in the past two years, it seems one is often in the shop or awaiting parts.

Please do get in touch when you will be down in Bellingham. We'll do a ride for sure. We have some great ones around here. I've sent a PM with my phone number.

 

[Marci jo]

Oooh pretty bike will cool accessories! Loving that black & red.
I too struggle with the n+1 rule. Right now 3 but only 2 are ebikes.

 

[David Roy]

I’m looking forward to your review. Going from a full suspension bike would be hard for me but the carbon frame is appealing.

 

[Captain Slow]

Boy, I am quite jealous of the bikes you have. Not that I'm complaining as I have a nice fleet as well, but as you say N+1 makes me always want another bike

14,000 miles in 2 years, wow so that's almost 23,000 km's. So you're doing almost 1,000 km's a month. That is way higher than my mileage. I would like to ride more but my kids are at an age where I spend a lot of time on their activities. At least my son is into mountain biking so I do go riding with him. I set a goal of 5,000 km's this year and hoping to exceed it. With the Creo it will be easier to hit the goal as I can go a fair bit further in the same amount of time or at least be fresher so I can ride every day.

 

[Alaskan]

Boy, I am quite jealous of the bikes you have. Not that I'm complaining as I have a nice fleet as well, but as you say N+1 makes me always want another bike

14,000 miles in 2 years, wow so that's almost 23,000 km's. So you're doing almost 1,000 km's a month. That is way higher than my mileage. I would like to ride more but my kids are at an age where I spend a lot of time on their activities. At least my son is into mountain biking so I do go riding with him. I set a goal of 5,000 km's this year and hoping to exceed it. With the Creo it will be easier to hit the goal as I can go a fair bit further in the same amount of time or at least be fresher so I can ride every day.

There has to be some advantage to being retired. You get to ride your bike more often and further. An Ebike as a vehicle replacement is even more feasible if you can ride whenever there is a break in the weather. My goal is simple: ride more - be more fit - live longer .

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Will you have battery swappability - oops, that might not be a word - with any of the R&Ms? A good argument for sticking with Bosch. This should be your first with the new series motors, too right?

What’s the front chainring on the Trek? A 51 rear is a bike that is going to be able to climb going backwards.

 

[Alaskan]

Will you have battery swappability - oops, that might not be a word - with any of the R&Ms? A good argument for sticking with Bosch. This should be your first with the new series motors, too right?

What’s the front chainring on the Trek? A 51 rear is a bike that is going to be able to climb going backwards.

Dave, The Allant 9.9s comes with the 625wh power tube. I don't think you can put a 500 wh power tube in the same location. There is no way to use the older style power pack on this bike unless you install the range boost.

You can get a "range boost" which fits the older style power pack on top of the down tube. This would give you a total of 1,125 wh. I could then use the older power pack batteries from my existing bikes.

I plan to use this bike less for touring and more for sportier rides and hope that the 25% greater capacity of the one battery will be sufficient. We still have our Riese & Mullers with the integrated dual batteries so I am hoping not to mess up the minimalist looks of the bike by adding the second battery. The range boost is easily added downstream, if I need to go that direction.

All my bikes have the Gen 2 Bosch motors so this one will be my first gen 4. On the test ride it was noisier than the Gen 2. It is my understanding that this goes away over time as the metal gears in the motor get worn in. The old motor had nylon gears so this was not an issue.

This photo is of the Allant 9.9s "Stagger" (low step) with the range boost installed.

 

[Captain Slow]

There has to be some advantage to being retired. You get to ride your bike more often and further. An Ebike as a vehicle replacement is even more feasible if you can ride whenever there is a break in the weather. My goal is simple: ride more - be more fit - live longer .

You're living the retirement that I have planned. I had been saving about $300 a month in an investment account to one day buy a really nice sports car. But then my interest in cars waned, mainly due to how much more expensive it is to drive these days. But I also have a family history of diabetes and my blood sugar levels have been high. So I ride my bike for transportation to and from work when I can and I try to run errands on my bike. Plan is to try to use ebikes for primary transportation when I'm retired to ride a lot. So after a couple of decades of saving for a car that I'm not going to buy now I'll be able to buy some nice bikes and copy you

If I didn't have to shuttle my kids around I could have higher mileage, but I guess that's coming in retirement.

 

[Rob NJ]

I wanted to add a stripped down, lighter and sporty bike to my quiver for fun , high energy rides with my roady friends. I just could not see myself getting a drop handlebar e-road bike.

So I just placed an order for a Trek Allant 9.9s Carbon frame, with the Gen 4 Bosch HS motor and 625 watt power tube. The bike will have a modified drive train. The cassette will be upgraded from an 11-42 tooth to a M8100 12 speed 10-51 tooth. The shifter and derailleur will be upgraded to a Sram X01 Eagle XAS wireless electronic shifter. I plan to add a Kinekt suspension stem with SQ Lab 710 grips and a body float seat post to accommodate my old carcass that has been spoiled by Riese & Muller full suspension bikes. As near as I can tell, Trek has really nailed it with this bike. I will post a review and my impressions after I get some rides in on it.

The ideal number of ebikes to have is: N+1 (with N being the number of bikes you currently own).

View attachment 46555

Nice! I have about 300 miles on my 9.9 right now (did about 1,600 on a Supercommuter before it was stolen). Live in NJ, and will relocate to FL this summer/fall. We plan to use the Allant/Supercommuters to replace a vehicle. Recently got rid of my daily driver, so we are one less car due to these bikes. My only complaint is that the Shimano 8100 shift lever has really tight springs and it shifts harder than the Supercommuter. Will watch with interest regarding the electronic shifter. Honestly, have grown used to the more positive shifting, so not really a problem. Otherwise the bike is great. We love them. Will look forward to hearing more.

And one other thing about the new Bosch gen 4 motors. Soooo much easier to pedal without juice. Much less resistance than the Gen 3.

 

[Rob NJ]

Dave, The Allant 9.9s comes with the 625wh power tube. I don't think you can put a 500 wh power tube in the same location. There is no way to use the older style power pack on this bike unless you install the range boost.

You can get a "range boost" which fits the older style power pack on top of the down tube. This would give you a total of 1,125 wh. I could then use the older power pack batteries from my existing bikes.

I plan to use this bike less for touring and more for sportier rides and hope that the 25% greater capacity of the one battery will be sufficient. We still have our Riese & Mullers with the integrated dual batteries so I am hoping not to mess up the minimalist looks of the bike by adding the second battery. The range boost is easily added downstream, if I need to go that direction.

All my bikes have the Gen 2 Bosch motors so this one will be my first gen 4. On the test ride it was noisier than the Gen 2. It is my understanding that this goes away over time as the metal gears in the motor get worn in. The old motor had nylon gears so this was not an issue.

This photo is of the Allant 9.9s "Stagger" (low step) with the range boost installed.
View attachment 46612

As I am sure you are aware, you can buy another power tube. They swap out just like the old batteries. Are a bit longer and thinner, but snap in and out with the key. I take mine out all the time, when we want to charge remotely. We were at a friends house, and no outlet by the bikes. Just bring the batteries to the charger. So really no different than the old batteries. No problems locking and unlocking.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Yeah, I had just wondered if the battery was the same size as a power tube he might have in one of his other bikes. Apparently not, but at 625Wh I imagine range won't really be much of a problem. I'd hate to mess up the good looking lines of that new Allant by hanging a Powerpack style battery on a track as Richard pictured above.

I always loved the way the Supercommuters looked, by sort of burying the Powerpack in that recessed downtime. Glad to hear your Allant has made friends with you after a bit of a rocky start, Rob!

 

[steve mercier]

The Verve + 3 ticks pretty much all my boxes too, now that it has dual 500 battery capacity and the Active Plus motor! I think it will be a strong seller. https://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en_CA/...-bikes/verve/verve-3/p/30979/?colorCode=black

 

[Alaskan]

Last Friday I placed the order for the Allant 9.9s. It arrived here in Bellingham late yesterday afternoon (better than the slow boat from Frankfurt). The boys at the local Trek shop emailed me this photo of the bike up in the stand, starting up the build. Delivery schedule for early tomorrow afternoon, one week after submitting the order.

 

[steve mercier]

Last Friday I placed the order for the Allant 9.9s. It arrived here in Bellingham late yesterday afternoon (better than the slow boat from Frankfurt). The boys at the local Trek shop emailed me this photo of the bike up in the stand, starting up the build. Delivery schedule for early tomorrow afternoon, one week after submitting the order.

View attachment 46860
NIce! Are you going to de-limit it?

 

[Alaskan]

No. It's a HS 28mph Gen 4 bosch motor. Doesn't really need it and they go into walk mode when they detract a hack. Bb

 

[Saratoga Dave]

That is some bottom gear! The Force is strong with this one.

 

[steve mercier]

No. It's a HS 28mph Gen 4 bosch motor. Doesn't really need it and they go into walk mode when they detract a hack. Bb

It sounds like it it just a matter of time for that problem to be overcome. Bikespeed says "
(*) Bosch has implemented manipulation detection in the motors of the 4th generation. We have found a way around this detection and have already driven well over 1000 km without detection. Nevertheless, we must point out that our tests have not yet been completed. If the error 504 should unexpectedly occur, please contact us."