{"id":5613,"date":"2018-11-20T18:38:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T16:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sparkbikereview.com\/?p=5613"},"modified":"2019-12-23T11:38:15","modified_gmt":"2019-12-23T09:38:15","slug":"2019-trek-powerfly-fs-5-review-turbo-or-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sparkbikereview.com\/2019-trek-powerfly-fs-5-review-turbo-or-nothing\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 Trek Powerfly FS 5 Review \u2013 Turbo or Nothing!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

E-Bikes are\ntonnes of fun. So an E-Bike from Trek must be tonnes more fun, right?! Trek\u2019s\n2019 Powerfly absolutely flattens climbs, and tumbles downhill with zero\nhesitation. With 250 watts of pedal power at your disposal, riding uphill is as\ndangerous as going downhill! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trek\nPowerfly FS 5 is second highest model in the range, in terms of spec. Right behind\nthe FS 7, which comes out with some better suspension upfront, and an 11spd\ndrivetrain. There is also good news, for the lady mountain bikers out there;\nTrek offer a FS 5 women specific model. All with the same components as the\nmen\u2019s FS 5, apart from the women specific saddle.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Frame:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trek\u2019s\nPowerfly FS 5 full-suspension, frame bridges the gap between smart integration,\nand sturdy performance. It offers Motor Armour, and a Knock Block head tube.\nThe Alpha Platinum Aluminium, which Trek swear by, has been manipulated around\nthe motor of the bike. While offering 130mm of rear shock travel. The battery\nalso slots in conveniently from the right-side of the downtube, and can be\neasily removed for charging. The brand has accomplished this, without compromising\non good mountain bike characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The E-bike Aspect:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Bosch CX\nPerformance motor spits out 250 watts of assistance. It comes with Bosch\u2019s\ngear-shift detection technology. Which holds back strain on the chain of the\ngear-set while it hops from one gear to another. The motor itself is governed\nto cut out at 25km\/h, yet still amplifies your pedalling force by 300% in turbo\nmode. What\u2019s also cool and different about the CX Performance motor, is that it\nhas an intelligent E-MTB motor mode. Which automatically decides how much\nassistance you need based on the terrain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    As far as battery life is concerned, the Powerfly FS 5 has a surplus of it. The 500wh battery, will give you a max range of 120km \u2013 in eco-mode. Usually, the battery is the bulkiest part of an e-bike. However, with Trek\u2019s nifty side insertion on the downtube, you hardly notice it. You can also charge the battery without removing it from the bike. There\u2019s a charging port near the motor, where you can plug the battery in to an electrical circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sneaky Suspension:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For a heavy\nE-Mountain Bike, the Powerfly\u2019s suspension coped with the extra force\nbrilliantly. Truth be told, the RockShox Recon RL fork was E-bike specific, and\nengineered more stiff than conventional forks. Its 130mm of travel,\ncorrespondingly had a distinguishable, smooth, compression. While the rear\nRockShox Deluxe RL shock, doesn\u2019t include Trek\u2019s RE:aktiv technology, it does\ncome paired with a carbon rocker and Mino-Link. Does that make up for the\nmissing RE:aktiv technology? We wouldn\u2019t say so entirely, as the shock did feel\na little sticky sometimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
    • \"\"<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Geometry:  <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      The geometry\nthat Trek have managed to pull-off with the Powerfly, impressed us greatly. The\nE-bike had a 67.4-degree head-tube angle, with a BB height of 33.3 cm. So the\nbike could clear the terrain below, with ease. A chain-stay length of 47.4 cm\nallowed the bike to handle like a traditional trail bike, by giving responsive\ntraction on the back wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Ride: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      There\u2019s\u201cpower\u201d in the Powerfly\u2019s name. Needless to say, on climbs the bike waspowerful, and lethal. The pedal assist pretty much sprinted the bike uphill,with hardly much effort on our side. However, the only that held us back alittle, was the 10 speed gear-set. Yes, 10 gears are enough when riding an E-bike. But for the terrain we were on, mainly steep and technical, the drivetrain seemed a bit limiting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Whilst\nflying during your climbing interval is certainly not far-fetched on the\nPowerfly, it is equally as fast on the downhills. The motor helps carry good\nmomentum, but relents its power when the speedometer hits 25km\/h. We can\nunderstand why. Since you don\u2019t really need much assistance going downhill.   The\nsuspension also proved to be superbly forgiving, despite the added weight of\nthe bike\u2019s battery and motor. One thing that we might change, however, is the\ntyre size. A wider tyre will add loads more control on descends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The same can\nbe said about how the bike corners through single-track. Wider tyres will add more\ncontrol and stability, as the E-bike did tend to over-shoot corners a little.\nWe know E-bikes can\u2019t all be perfect. But the Trek Powerfly FS5 needs more\npotent brakes. Perhaps a higher model brake-set in the Shimano hydraulic disc\nrange will do. Apart from adding stronger brakes and fatter tyres, the Powerfly\nis loaded with rad-ness. And the ride quality of the bike along the narrow\ntrail, is quite golden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Verdict:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      The Trek\nteam have integrated the motor and battery into the Powerfly\u2019s frame, in a\nsmart manner. As a result, a full-on focused E-bike bike was born. There is an\natmosphere that implies that Trek have skimped on higher spec\u2019d, mountain bike,\ncomponents. But let\u2019s face it, you\u2019re not going to buy the Powerfly FS 5 to be\nthe next Nino Schurter. You\u2019re going to buy the E-bike, to have an awesome time\non the trail, and on that level, the Powerfly more than delivers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Price: R79 999.00    <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      2019 Trek Powerfly FS 5 Review \u2013 Turbo or Nothing!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n