Do you remember the first time? The virgin ride on your brand new bike, and the bashful unveiling in front of your mates? Each year we test around 50 to 100 eMTBs here at the magazine and, quite frankly, when faced with so many shiny, new things, it’s sometimes hard not to get blasé. This wasn’t the case with our customized Rail though – far from it. There’d been no shortage of anticipation building when we worked ourselves through the Project One configurator, so by the time the first ride rolled around, we were chomping at the teeth with excitement. Would it live up to expectations?
One-off: The idea behind Project One
How much patience do you have when it comes to Amazon orders? Are you a Prime subscriber with no time to waste? A product’s emotional value and our relationships to brands are becoming less of a thing due to society’s rampant consumerism and our ever-growing demand for next-day-delivery and free-return-franticness. With so many things that can be replaced or exchanged, how often do we ever end up waiting more than 24 hours between ordering and receiving our goods?
For a bike brand with a turnover somewhere around a billion, it’s not inconceivable to imagine that Trek are all about efficiency and time-saving measures. But that’s exactly where Project One goes against the tide. By giving you the opportunity to spec your own bike and customise it almost exactly as you please, Trek have succeeded in re-strengthening the bonds between bike and rider, rider and brand, anticipation and excitement. It’s very different to clicking “order now” on Amazon.
Trek wondered why the bike industry had turned into a place where the more you paid, the fewer choices you often had. It seemed odd to them; and if the opposite approach worked in virtually every other industry, why couldn’t they shake up the world of cycling? Why didn’t consumers revolt against the norm, in which paying 10,0000 € for a bike instead of 2,000 € meant fewer colour choices and little to no flexibility when it comes to components? Project One is Trek’s answer to the growing cries for custom bikes – and it is no longer limited to carbon road and mountain bikes.
The Trek Rail is the brand’s first eMTB to be made available in Project One. The options for customisation apply to spec and colourways, and there are various tiers: Project One, Project One ICON and Project One Ultimate (bikes in this category may end up costing a whopping € 25,000).
If you got in trouble for coloring on the walls as a kid, then you’ll love our Project One custom bike program. – Trek
While Project One Ultimate is intended to appeal to individuals who truly demand the most niche product in which no ask is too big, we decided to go for the more “moderate” approach. The Project One ICON scheme has Trek’s new ICON frame finish at its core, with illustrious colours like Cosmos, Brushed Liquid Metal, Prismatic Pearl, Refliptive, Black Gold or Molten Marble swirling around our heads. Whichever you pick, #bikeporn is a given. The ICON designs have a distinctive texture, depth and vibe – one which screams “made by hand”.
Producing our custom Trek Rail
All Project One bikes are produced at Trek’s HQ in Waterloo, Wisconsin and those who select to collect their bike in person will get an invite into the hallowed turf, with a VIP tour, a chat with the development team, the Trek Precision Fit experience, and a lunch ride on the company’s private trails (click here to read our first ride review of the Trek Rail 9.8). Geographical restrictions meant that we asked for the bike to be delivered to our HQ in Stuttgart, Germany, but keep reading to see where the Project One production takes place:
Trek’s founding principle is emblazoned in the entrance hall at the HQ: ‘Born in a barn’, a homage to the brand’s earliest days where the five-strong team first began. ‘Raised on rocket science’, another slogan, refers to founders Dick Burke and Bevil Hogg’s continual pursuit of progress since 1976 and their efforts to constantly set new benchmarks. There’s a little exhibition with the company’s highlights, including their first carbon frame in 1991, the Trek 2500, and the introduction of the current Project One.
Where the magic happens – the finishing touches to each frame takes place in the heart of the HQ. It’s impressive to observe and this clearly isn’t mechanised mass production; there’s a surgical precision to the artisanal process of the paint job. But before the bikes land here, the carbon frames need to be prepared and the colours need to be mixed.
As a testament to the hard work invested in each Project One bike, Trek make sure that each ICON and Ultimate frame bears the signature of the staff member who’s skilful touch created it.
Trek Rail – Project One ICON: prices, options and availability
The Trek Rail is only available for Project One ICON and Ultimate customisation, unlike Trek’s road bikes and non-motorized mountain bikes. For an ICON model, you can expect to pay about € 1,000 extra on top of the standard model price. Thanks to the online calculator you can easily keep track of how much each bit of customisation will cost you.
In terms of componentry, the customisation options are currently limited to a few drivetrain options and select components. Time your order well: the lead time could be as short as two weeks, but this fluctuates in the high season. We received our Rail right on time to enjoy the final dwindling rays of autumn.
You can get started straight away at projectone.trekbikes.com and configure your own bike.
Custom carving on the King’s home trails
Champagne corks popped and the tester King leaps down from his throne, shedding the fur coat and donning his purple-green kit. Today is time for his local trails to be knighted, and that requires his majesty to be aboard the finest equipment in fitting E-MOUNTAINBIKE style: Wild, disruptive, very diverse, and pretty damn cool. Take a look for yourself.
Who wouldn’t go mad for a bike that stands out as much as this one? Bling bling is one thing, but recognising the craft within a bike is something else entirely. And knowing that you’ve helped determine its course through the customisation takes your relationship to the next level. People say that your first time is unlikely to go without a hitch, but in this case, we’d argue the opposite.
For more on Project One go to trekbikes.com. The in-depth review of the Trek Rail can be found within our biggest ever Group Test.
Words: Robin Schmitt Photos: Robin Schmitt, Trek
About the Author
Robin Schmitt
Robin is one of the two founders of 41 Publishing, a visionary and go-getter. While he now enjoys every second on the bike – whenever his busy schedule allows – he used to race against the clock at enduro events and a few Downhill World Cups. Besides that, Robin practises kung fu and Zen meditation, plays the cello, loves Classic Cars, travels abroad and still reviews numerous bikes himself. Progressive ideas, new projects and major challenges – Robin loves exploring undiscovered potential and getting to the bottom of new trends.
