2015 Trek Slash Review and Pictures

2015 Trek Slash -

Now Trek is Just Showing Off

(Article and Pictures from mtbr.com)

Trek impressed us this year with the Slash all mountain bike sporting 27.5 wheels

and 60mm of travel. Although the bike was meant for the most demanding

World Series Enduro races, we enjoyed the big sweet spot of the bike as it

excelled in many types of riding conditions. The adjustable geometry with

Mino Link enabled us to lower/raise the BB height and affect the head angle as well.

The Fox Talas fork with 130/160mm of travel allowed the bike to tackle flattish,

tight singletrack too as the 66 degree head angle could be steepened to

about 68 degrees.

But we were left to wonder about the possibilities of a carbon frame,

a Pike fork or those new Talas 36 forks. What if?

Well our questions have been answered as Trek showed us the five new

2015 Slash models. The 9.8 has a carbon front triangle and it weighs one lb.

less than aluminum. The 9.9 has an all carbon frame for a 1.4 lb. weight

savings over aluminum. Two of them are carbon and two are aluminum.

A big shift is all the models now sport a RockShox Monarch Plus DebonAir rear

shock instead of the Fox DRCV shock. RockShox has made huge strides in

its rear shock development and Trek felt comfortable that switching to these

new shocks would improve their bike. The main improvement is the Monarch

Plus has an external oil reservoir and with higher oil volume, more consistent

performance can be achieved on the longest and most demanding descents.

In addition, the new RockShox shocks offer excellent damping support in its

sagged position. Thus even in the wide open mode, the shock is an efficient

pedaler with great control throughout its travel. The spring rates of these

increased air volume DebonAir cans, mimic the ones of the twin chamber

Fox DRCV units as well. So the bike’s ride characteristics are maintained.

27.5 wheels mated with XR4 tires give these bikes excellent traction

on a broad range of conditions. The lower three bikes sport Bontrager wheels,

while the 9.9 model is spec’d with DT Spline One wheels. All the bikes use

RockShox Pike forks with adjustable travel, except for the 9.9,

which uses the fascinating new Fox 36 Talas fork with 130/160mm travel.

The 9.9 model features a Shimano 1×11 drivetrain. Early reports are the

chain stays on very well with no chain guide.

The 9.8 model retails for $5769 and it sports a carbon front triangle

and 1×11 drivetrain

The 9.8 is a looker and a decent value.

The Trek Slash 7 and 8 are 2×10 bikes with the Trek Slash 9 (not shown)

offered in 1×11. The Trek Slash 7 is the one on top in blue color.

The Trek Slash 9.9 has Shimano 1×11 drivetrain and the very rare

Fox 36 Talas with 130/160mm of adjustable travel.

2015 Trek Fuel EX 27.5 (Available Now!) — Remedy 29 Carbon Scheduled to Debut Next Year

2015 Trek Mountain Bikes with RE:ACTIV Technology

Trek partnered with Penske Racing shocks to improve the dampers found in the Dual Rate Control Valve (DRCV) shocks found on its Fuel, Lush, and Remedy bikes. Penske Racing has a long history building shocks for some of the most demanding motorsports, including F1, NASCAR, and World Touring car racing as well as other disciplines such as ATV and motocross.

The new technology is dubbed Re:aktiv. At the heart of the system is a new damper stack that allows faster low-speed-compression reaction time while providing a firmer platform for pedaling. The new shocks will retain the DRCV air spring, and will continue to be produced by Fox Racing Shocks. The DRCV shock has two air chambers. On smaller bumps or smooth terrain, the shock uses only the primary chamber. Larger hits that force the shock shaft to travel halfway through its stroke open an auxiliary chamber that increases the overall air volume. Trek claims the DRCV offers the lively feel of a shock with a smaller air spring, but provides the plush bump absorption of a larger air spring. Combining that technology with a firmer platform to pedal against, it says, will result in a bike that will perform just as well whether you’re pedaling over rough terrain or letting the suspension (and gravity) do the work on a descent.

Jose Gonzalez, Trek’s director of suspension design, explained that the new damper optimizes the suspension by keeping the shock at the sag point (previous-generation shocks tended to sit closer to the mid-point of the stroke). The benefits of this are twofold: It holds the bike closer to the true geometry of each model and allows the damper to react quicker and return to its optimum position sooner. As a result, the bikes pedal more crisply in all three shock modes, Climb, Trail, and Descend.


Trek also linked up with Push industries to supply air volume reducers for its DRCV shocks and forks. The parts are available directly from Push and allow riders to tune the suspension to their liking by altering the factory air spring rate. These small spacers are available in multiple sizes so you can make incremental changes in a fork’s or shock’s air spring rate.

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New Remedy 29 Carbon with Boost 148

The Remedy 29 gets a makeover for next year with the addition of carbon-frame offerings. Most of the bike remains unchanged, with geometry and spec carrying over from the current models. The biggest change is at the tail of the bike, with the introduction of Boost 148. Trek increased stiffness laterally in the wheels by partnering with SRAM to offer a hub that is 6mm wider at the axle ends and pushes the hub flanges out by 3mm each. Trek claims this will create better triangulation and even out spoke tension, and that the 29-inch wheels will ride closer in stiffness to their smaller counterparts. The Boost 148 design adds clearance to the frame for tires as large as 2.3 inches, while also keeping chainstays short and chainline in check for proper shifting performance. For riders using a single-ring drivetrain—the system will work with a double setup too—SRAM developed a spider that keeps the centerline of the ring in proper alignment with the cassette so shifting performance is unaffected. Trek and SRAM designated the system as “open source,” so the design is available to any manufacturer.

Come to Bumstead's Bicycles for all your cycling needs.

We are located at 1038 W. 4th St in Ontario, CA.
You can reach us by phone at (909) 984-9067

www.bumsteadbikes.com

2015 Trek 27.5 EX and Lush Announced

For 2015, Trek will offer the EX with 27.5in wheels in three alloy-frame builds, as well as carbon versions at the 9.8 and 9.8 levels.

The Fuel EX 9, 9.8 and 9.8 will also come equipped with Trek’s new RE:aktiv suspension technology co-developed with Fox and Penske Racing Shocks.

This new shock uses Trek’s proprietary DRCV air spring and adds damper technology that boosts low-speed compression to improve pedaling performance while allowing the shock to handle larger, high-velocity impacts without feeling harsh.

The women's counterpart to the Fuel EX, the Lush, will also be available with 27.5in wheels. 


Are you confused about wheel sizes? Click Here.



From Bike Rumor:

The biggest difference that sets the RE:aktiv shock apart from the pack is the inclusion of what Trek and Penske refer to as regressive damping. Most mountain bike suspension is either progressive or digressive, while regressive damping is supposedly true F1 technology that has trickled down to Indy car, NASCAR, and now, well mountain bikes. On the track, regressive damping provides firm support on the straights and corners but as soon as it encounters a bump, the shock instantly opens up to plush, smooth progression. This all happens extremely fast and as Trek points out, “delivers on the unrealized potential of an inertia valve.”

Once Trek and Penske had worked out the damping they wanted to incorporate into the RE:aktiv shock, Fox was brought in to package it into a patent-pending exclusive design only for Trek bikes.

“The thing about Penske is they’re completely focused on being a racing company. So what we’re doing is leveraging their R&D resources and turning that into almost an extension of our own capabilities,” said Trek Director of Suspension Development Jose Gonzalez. “The combined effort with Fox providing the production expertise has produced just an outstanding shock.”

Of course, the bike is fitted with amazing characteristics all around.

Other full suspension systems firm up under braking, reducing your control when you need it most. Trek’s patented Active Braking Pivot solves that by keeping your suspension active whether you're on the brakes or off.	Most suspension systems attach the bottom of the shock to a fixed frame mount. That fixed mount can contribute to a harsh ride. We solved that with Full Floater, attaching the shock to two moving linkage points so it can better respond to bumps across a wide variety of terrain. It feels like more travel, but it's not. It's smarter travel.	E2 is the evolution of the traditional 1-1/8" headset to a tapered head tube, fork, and headset system. E2 tapers from a 1.5" lower to a 1-1/8" upper headset to provide more material where it matters most, resulting in a stronger, lighter frame with point-and-shoot control.
EVO Link is Trek’s evolution of the rocker link from the plate-and-bolt style used on most suspension bikes to a one-piece rocker link. This lighter link provides a stronger connection point between the front and rear triangles, creating a stiffer frame for greater control with minimal weight.	Dropper posts are great for while-you-ride seat height adjustments, but cable routing has always been an issue. RockShox Reverb Stealth routes the hydraulic housing directly through the frame for the sleekest setup you've seen.	Our robust and confidence-inspiring rear thru axle is about 35% stiffer than an open dropout design. And now, a thru axle wheel change is actually quick and easy, thanks to a tabbed guide in the frame's dropout.

No official release date yet, but keep up with us on our blog and on facebook to find out when they will be available!

Here are the rest of the specs:

Frame — Alpha Platinum Aluminum, ABP Convert, Full Floater, E2 tapered head tube, press fit BB, internal derailleur & dropper post routing, ISCG 05 mount, magnesium EVO link, down tube guard, 120mm travel

Front suspension — Fox Evolution Series 32 Float, CTD (climb-trail-descend) damper, rebound, E2 tapered steerer, 15QR thru axle, 120mm travel

Rear suspension — Fox Evolution Series Float, DRCV, CTD (climb-trail-descend) damper, rebound, tuned by Trek in California, 7.25x1.875"

Sizes —15.5, 17.5, 18.5, 19.5, 21.5"

Wheels — Bontrager Duster Elite Tubeless Ready, 15mm front hub, 142x12 rear hub

Tires — Bontrager XR3 Expert, aramid bead, 27.5x2.35" front, 27.5x2.20" rear

Shifters — Shimano Deore, 10 speed

Front derailleur — SRAM X5, high direct mount

Rear derailleur — Shimano SLX, Shadow Plus

Crank — SRAM S1010, 36/22

Cassette — Shimano HG50 11-36, 10 speed

Chain — KMC X10

Saddle — Bontrager Evoke 2, chromoly rails

Seatpost — Bontrager SSR, 31.6mm, 12mm offset

Handlebar — Bontrager Riser, 31.8mm, 15mm rise

Stem — Bontrager Race Lite, 31.8mm, 7 degree

Headset — FSA IS-2, E2, alloy cartridge

Brakeset — Shimano M615 hydraulic disc

Grips — Bontrager Race Lite, lock-on

Come to Bumstead's Bicycles for all your cycling needs.

We are located at 1038 W. 4th St in Ontario, CA.
You can reach us by phone at (909) 984-9067

www.bumsteadbikes.com