Trek Slash+ Review | 2024 eMTB Lite Group Review

[@GnarlesBronson]

Trek should Slash their prices.

[@emailsucks98]

Well done review! TQ/Enduro'd Fuel EXe owner here, 2yrs+ ownership. THANK YOU for recognizing many of us prioritize descending performance, natural feel, carry-able weight and RELIABILITY over range/power. Reliability is a big one for me. I have gone through 1 TQ motor in 2 yrs, but have heard of people going through 5-6 Fazuas in the same timeframe. DJI needs to prove their support which will take at least 2yrs. Trek has been awesome for me (local dealer, no labor charges, very quick response, no questions). I had a Norco with Shimano previously and the bike was a headache. Constant error codes, dealer couldn't resolve, just kept charging me for head-scratching. That said- TREK needs a mid-spec Slash+ with good dampers/brakes and no gizmos. Sub 50lb "light" ebikes start to make a lot more sense after you've had a full power 60lb ebike die completely mid-ride. "first time eBikers want the midpower/light-weight" has not been the case for me.

[@slick-riq]

I burst out with a laugh when they said “retails for $12000….” These bike companies are existing in an alternate reality.

[@MTB_Corbin]

My favorite bike to ride of all time. You nailed it: I ride alone quite a bit and moved from the Ari Timp Peak to this and am extremely happy I did. It’s the most fun bike to descend and takes the edge off the climbs. I added the range extender which didn’t add much value to be honest… it’s an expensive bike and the value proposition is pretty bad, but man oh man it’s an unbelievably fun machine.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks for sharing! Glad you love it.

[@sety409]

The sport in general is expensive and of questionable value proposition, but oh boy is it fun.

[@DanHogan-g3w]

What made you give up the Timp Peak?

[@MTB_Corbin]

@@DanHogan-g3w I cover a lot of the details on my slash+ review video. Essentially, the power uphill wasn’t worth the descending. I much prefer to sacrifice some on the climb but gain the best feeling descending bike I’ve ever ridden. The slash+ is a playful monster

[@mikes.8305]

Waiting for this to go on super sale!

[@WM84629]

This bike with the DJi system would be the perfect ebike.

[@ChupacabraOffroad]

100%

[@megane230f1]

im sure once the amflow mule bikes on the market get 6 months to a years use get data in off the motor, thee amflow brand will vanish and then they will hit the bigger bike brands try and steal the motor market from bosch yamaha brose shimano thats just my insane thought on dji

[@Kev2Bee]

For today. DJI motors will get reverse engineered by everyone, if the motor proves to be reliable. It’s too soon to know.

[@TschingisTube]

DJI reverse engineered other brands, reliability will be ok

[@ChupacabraOffroad]

@ you would know? 😂 thanks for the keen insight

[@Alex-md6bu]

As someone who owns a hpr50 bike I agree with the motor comments, mine is used as a bike to allow me to ride with fitter friends on non e-bikes or the wife to keep up with me it’s perfect, it is not a bike to chase full power bikes on short loops

[@TheLoamWolf]

Awesome to hear and thanks for sharing.

[@foxfolk3837]

Great review as always! As a 2 year owner of a Fuel Exe I would like to share a counter view which may be of interest to prospective buyers considering an Exe or Slash+. Two years ago I custom built an Exe 9.5 carbon in size Medium dramatically reducing end weight to 39lbs. At 39lbs (and being a lighter weight rider), I find this combination of rider weight and bike weight - the goldilocks for the TQ 50Nm motor. I can happily ride alongside others on SL Fazua Ride 60 motors in this guise. Most people are aware you can run a 160 fork on an Exe, however many aren't aware you can easily overstroke the Float X shock by removing the 2 x 2.5mm stock spacers to increase rear travel from 140 to 152mm travel. When you Mullet the Exe and set up Mino link in Low the Exe ends up with a 63.3 HA making it insanely capable & very stable on steep gnar. You def have to install shorter cranks (155's are well suited to the higher cadence the TQ motor favours anyway), to overcome the low BB height. Yes it's still a 160/152mm trail bike, but running in this config provides a massive upgrade in capability over the stock 150/140 bike from factory. When the Slash+ first launched my main concern was the TQ 50Nm paired to a burlier and heavier Enduro bike - your review helped confirm that the marriage between a much heavier bike paired with the TQ 50Nm motor will be a deal breaker for many riders. As a result I will not be considering this model year Slash+. I would also only recommend the Exe with the TQ 50Nm motor for lighter weight riders, especially if you're planning to ride with other SL riders that are on different mid assist motor systems such as Fazua Ride 60 or Levo/Kenevo SL2's.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@crt269]

I think the EMTB landscape will change to full power at low 20kilo. Then for the majority consumer you will have the option to tune the power to what you want. If you want low assistance you can or if you prefer full power you have it on tap. In my mind that will be what most consumers will want. My gripe is we need the industry to standardise on systems so that replacement parts in motors and batteries are easy to access.

[@CalebBridgeman]

Found the review really helpful! Thanks! How did you find the sizing? How tall are you all and what size did you go for? Trek sizing can be tricky without the M/L

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks glad you enjoyed it. Our testers are 5’11 - 6’2. We liked the size large.

[@gavinsimmons1308]

I can’t wait to hear the comparison between this bike and the Decoy SN. They seem pretty similarly matched.

[@joehoeper3941]

For my money, Decoy SN looks way doper 🤘

[@ZippidyMTB]

Bought one to have a Freeride style bike with just enough power to go uphill. Not a race feel like the Kenevo SL but can take hits.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Well this is certainly that bike.

[@mikes.8305]

I love that it’s not a race feel! I think it looks like the best riding bike! but I’m going Vala.

[@ChupacabraOffroad]

@theloamwolf is this the best handling ebike on the market? For chunk and a DH'ers perspective?

[@TheLoamWolf]

I think most of our crew would say, yes!

[@andersonsridebikes]

I’m very interested to know how this compares to riding the newest Norco Range VLT downhill. The Norco would obviously be much better uphill, but a high-pivot e-bike shootout would be awesome

[@wheeup]

Well, the new decoys all run coil shocks stock. Mine came with fox float x2 damper. That saves another 0.5 kg right there. And mine has the lighter 500Wh battery. So 22kg. At that point the geo (wheelbase, chainstay) and if full 29er or mullet will much more determine how nimble your bike will feel. The asking price is ridiculous considering the alternatives.

[@lforrest14]

I recently picked up the 9.7 after a test ride, I could not believe how well it handled. The larger battery eliminated range worry for me that the EXE had. Coming from a full power Rocky Mountain Power Play I could not imagine dropping to the 50nm TQ motor, especially after test riding one on the exe last year. However the Slash +... just handles so ridiculously good. I figure it is due to the mullet design, which I never rode before. So smooth in chuck and climbing was not crazy bad from what I expected. I would love to see TQ come up with a 65nm version, but I still have this!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Right on thanks for sharing and yes, that would be awesome if they could update to 65! Glad you like the bike.

[@lforrest14]

@@TheLoamWolf My only hope, as I can see them making a 60/65nm motor, is it would fit in the existing space on current bikes, so I could swap out the smaller motor. BTW, I missed saying it earlier, love your reviews, I especially like how there are multiple riders and you show all the feedback. This feels much more indepth than just a single person riding all the bikes.

[@WM84629]

@@lforrest14 thinking about picking one of these up. Would you say the suspension is more plush and ground huggy or firm and playful?

[@lforrest14]

@@WM84629 Firm and Playful. Still toying with the forks (my 9.7 has the Fox38), the rear feels very good, grips well on techy climbs as too. The high pivot is very new to me, not sure how to describe it, but feels so smooth compared to my other FS bikes.

[@WM84629]

@ Oh nice, glad you’re enjoying it! I’ve never tried a high pivot before. Very temped to get one but I like a very plush feeling bike. Do you think you can tune it to be more soft?

[@KiwiInGermanyMTB]

Looking forward to the decoy sn comparison to this. Such good value with yt

[@BenWolf]

With one of the most unreliable motor ... great when it works.

[@Johnvdubable]

I test ride the YT decoy SN last week and wasn't impressed. The bike feel wasn't even close the the Canyon torque or strive and yet it was lighter.

[@ah4598]

This is the only bike I would upgrade to from my Levo, but not at these ridiculous prices.

[@TheLoamWolf]

There seem to be a few comments from dealers being willing to make deals on them... Could be worth calling around to see if anyone wants to move an end of year bike.

[@lukenukem1164]

This bike with the dgi would be incredible

[@TheLoamWolf]

We’d even say unstoppable!

[@lja3657]

If it’s the standard to compare e-bikes to other e-bikes in relation to power. Mtbing is over it’s just a race too the legal limit of everything. Bikes like this should be compared to the regular slash and other enduro bikes. The tq and specialized are for mtbers that are aging or need some extra endurance for the climbs.

[@SsmAnyfeSt]

Amen! 🙏

[@herse83]

If no one bought these super over priced bikes trek would have to drop prices. But people are buying them so no chance in dropping prices. I just bought my daughter her first used car For 14k crazy!

[@323johnnybravo]

12k hahahahhaa 🤣🤣🤣. Should have a full on engine at that price.

[@brunogosselin623]

I’m surprise how you talk about lack of power on this bike but not as much with the Kennevo. Is it because of the cadence you need to put in vs the specialized? Both are similare on paper. And this one as a bigger battery.

[@TheLoamWolf]

They are similar however as the hill steepens, the TQ's power seems to drop a bit quicker than the 1.2 SL drive unit. Requiring a little bit more rider energy. It's not hugely different, but noticeable. The TQ is a lot quieter and has arguably better engagement though. Each bike has strengths and weaknesses.

[@MTBFlowRider]

Sick bike! Why wasn’t the Propain Sresh included in the shootout?

[@TheLoamWolf]

We couldn't get one in time. We reached out and tried but it sadly didn't work out.

[@ddsgardening7437]

Cheers guys 🙏🙏

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thank you

[@benny360]

Come on TQ, we need a more powerful version of this motor!

[@JTHAMMER12]

So y’all picked this over the kenevo sl? And if so was it pretty big margin?

[@ninjaendurodh]

I hope to see the test of mondraker Dune 🤙

[@daviddawson4091]

So it'd be an incredible bike if it had a more powerful motor? Which begs the question, which manufactures are planning releases with the DJI or ZF motors and when?

[@Stockfish1511]

Im big fan of Trek and own two high end Trek bikes myself. This slash looks sick, but i was kinda disappointed to find out they use tq motor. They should have gone for bosch sx. The price is obviously outrageous so if ever bought it will be on sale or Trekfest lol

[@bfranco1519]

Saw this bike at the shop and it just didn’t draw me in. I bet it’s fun on the right terrain though.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Fair enough. And yes it absolutely is.

[@bfranco1519]

@@TheLoamWolf I've owned a bunch of HP bikes, they don't do it for me. Over complicated design, not great at popping or jumping.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Yep, if you've seen many of our high pivot reviews, you may remember those are some of the attributes we call out as downsides. Some bikes hide it quite a bit better as the amount of rearward axle path can be tuned by the brand and we find that makes a huge difference! Mid high pivots are definitely our preference compared to high, high pivots.

[@wgnwheels333]

Wait for the alloy frame, still a bit of a mystery why it's not full power

[@JasonFoxLCB]

Maybe drop that ZF motor in. (And is anyone dropping that ZF motor into anything?)

[@JTHAMMER12]

Is this better than the kenevo sl2?

[@shaner7793]

“Only bike in test with removable battery”, assuming that means the Relay wasn’t able to be included to defend last years top spot?

[@TheLoamWolf]

Unfortunately not. They were trying to get us a 2025 build, but timing was not on our side. The Relay is still a formidable bike in this category.

[@binshuo]

Not sure what people's expectation is when it comes to ebike. the TQ 50 motor has plenty power for me. I can exercise just like I would on a regular bike but going twice as fast. If you don't want to work at all, when don't you go play moto cross

[@TheLoamWolf]

Guessing you've never ridden a dirt bike aggressively? haha. Enduro and moto riding have been proven to be some of the most physically strenuous sports out, but we get what you're saying. From our perspective, it's not that we're afraid of exercise, however when we're comparing this bike to other bikes in similar categories, and often times ones that cost thousands less, how would it look if we didn't point out that it is underpowered when compared to competitors? For some people out there, drive unit power is a huge part of their purchasing decision and if we overlooked that lacking point of this bike we'd probably have a line of comments saying Trek paid us to not mention the lack of power, which is such a big deal to a large majority of riders. Just look at how many comments are already saying "This bike with DJI drive unit!" etc. Hopefully that helps a bit? We're certainly not saying the bike isn't good or what people should want, that's up to them, we're just trying to let them know what to expect if they're debating which way to go on a purchase. Thanks for watching.

[@binshuo]

@@TheLoamWolf Fair enough. Maybe I'm just new to emtb and didn't know what the mainstream opinions are. When I tried my friend's Kenevo, I hit the pedal and the bike just escaped from me and I tumbled off. That full power Kenevo felt like a motorbike to me, not an mtb

[@TheLoamWolf]

Yeah there’s no denying every rider wants something different but, with the amount of people clamoring over the DJI, it seems the horsepower or should we say, newton meter race is here.

[@binshuo]

the next fad after “longer, lower, slacker”

[@SsmAnyfeSt]

​@@TheLoamWolfI would want the DJI for weight and extra range but really not for the power! I would ride it at 50nw max, like my TQ. lol Thats really powerfull for me. 😂

[@tanpen15]

Love the subtle dig at Trek. Its a shame this bike costs so much because its so good for solo riders who still want to get a workout. For that money i'd just get the Amflow. Hard part is there is a Trek dealer within walking distance from my house.

[@Kev2Bee]

Looks like this doesn’t fit into the same category as any of the other bikes discussed, so far. Should a DH bike with a TQ motor qualify and compete here? Something for the DH lift-absent folks.

[@garethhugeharvey]

Treks recent move from great value to wildly overpriced is a pretty odd decision.

[@StephEK00]

For that price I'm expexting a Kashima suspension at a very least, or Ohlins.

[@OscarHernandez-xx2je]

These prices are insane. Hard pass.

[@ChefIan73]

That’s the highest spec build. Just get something you can afford 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@lforrest14]

Picked up my brand new Slash + 9.7 for $5,900 out the door. Not all bike shops price the same it seems. The 9.9 is the most expensive one out there. LOVE this bike.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Nice score!!

[@OscarHernandez-xx2je]

@ I could tell you what I ride and brag about what I can afford but that’s not the point. This thing, at this trim, is a dog which will get smoked by other bikes and not worth that kind of cash. Calling it like it is.

[@Raptologie]

Buy a yt and stfu 😂😂

[@bike314]

The value proposition on this bike isn't there for me... I got a Yamaha moro 7 for 2550 and spent $300 more to put a factory 38 on it... I could have bought 4 of those for one of these. Is the moro perfect? Absolutely not. Is it the best priced ebike on the market right now? Possibly...

[@joehoeper3941]

Also quite possibly the ugliest... there is a reason it is priced like that. No one wants a Yamaha (as evidenced by them pulling out of the US market)

[@netposerx]

$12K = 2 to 3 bikes

[@dreman5547]

My dream bike but with DJI motor 😊

[@TheLoamWolf]

Same!

[@ddsgardening7437]

Must be Going Deaf what was the wattage

[@schlinkodonkofink]

1:35 300W peak (250W sustained)

[@wheeup]

12k!!! This has got to stop. It^s becoming straight out ridiculous . I have a yt decoy. 5k and i can't imagine having more fun on a bike. I have much more power, same weight, bigger battery.

[@BenWolf]

Decoy is ok but way heavier you are mistaken here. 20kg vs 25kg, this is huge and does not feel like a normal bike. As for decoy sl, same weight lower battery, worst reliable motor ever. FWIW slash+ 9.7 is at 6k in Europe right now, sweet deal for some

[@wheeup]

My decoy is frame size L and weighs 22 kg which isn't 20 but it sure isn't 25 kg. So, only 2kg heavier, more power and 7000 CHF cheaper. It's a no brainer.

[@BenWolf]

@@wheeup At most, with totally different spec from their website, in M, I guess is 23.7, with the same 25.2. YT price tag is definitely better with way better component. I still don't think that 3kg here is nothing, of course it depends what and how you ride. On steep, natural, tight forest trail it makes a huge difference, at least to me and my average skill level.

[@wheeup]

​@@BenWolfWell, my decoy came with a fox float x2 damper. Being that all newer decoys have coil thats 0.5 kg saved there. Plus I have the lighter 500Wh battery, so 22kg. At that point, the geo (wheelbase, chainstay) and setup (full 29er or mullet) will much more determine how nimble your bike will feel. The asking price considering the alternatives is ridiculous. But hey, To each his own.

[@headhuntersixx8164]

It costs as much as a KTM. 😮

[@steezydad7]

What a rip off! 12,000 lol. The profit margins on that thing must be ridiculous

[@revscare77]

Hard pass on all those in house brand components. Same thing with specialized

[@herse83]

Who spends 12k on a mountain bike? That’s a used car for my kid! These bikes loose there value fast so when it’s time to sell it be prepared get screwed. I’m trying to sell my two rails I never should have bought them. No one else wants them either can’t seem to get ride of them fun bikes just need the money for home improvements

[@richardpauza2075]

😂

[@thebdceigal]

You lost me at 12K

[@sheadleeful]

12k??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jeanmarc_in_Hudson]

Love that extra footage at the end… 😊 Lovely bike but what’s the point of carrying that extra weight without enough power? Seems to kill that mid-power market, particularly at that price point. 🫤 Nice review thanks!