XC race bikes are traditionally an acquired taste, steep, uncompromising and brutally efficient. Any thoughts of comfort and fun are secondary to milking out every watt of energy from a rider who resembles nothing more than a huge set of lungs and set of shaved muscular legs. So imagine our surprise when we took to the trails of the Netherlands on Trek’s new line of Procaliber and Top Fuel XC race bikes; and found bikes that not only blur the lines between XC and Trail riding; but also proved rip roaring fun to ride.
For 2016 Trek have completely revised their XC race bike line up, bringing in brand new versions of two well-loved classics, the Top Fuel and Procaliber. The new Top Fuel is a ground-up rethink, with a new suspension platform and innovative new features it will replace the Superfly FS as Trek’s flagship full suspension XC race bike. The new Procaliber is a superlight hardtail, but with a unique new advantage that offers more comfort and efficiency.
Both bikes offer ‘Smart Wheel Size’ offering customized wheel sizes across the size range. This only has an impact on the smallest 15.5” frames which are supplied with more size appropriate 27.5” wheels, while all the remaining sizes use 29” wheels. It is no surprise to see that both bikes use the latest Boost technology with a Boost110 mm front spacing and Boost148 mm rear spacing. Trek claim this gives them a stiffer wheel, and has allowed them to create 29ers with very short chainstays (Top Fuel 433 mm and Procaliber 435 mm) whilst maintaining good tyre clearance. Both bikes also feature Treks G2 geometry, with a 51 mm fork offset to improve the handling of the big 29 inch wheels.
Another new innovation found in both the Top Fuel and Procaliber is the Control Freak cable routing system, allowing cables to be run internally, and most importantly silently. Control Freak allows the cables to be cinched securely at the entry and exit points, keeping the routing secure, silent and light. Control Freak allows 54 combinations of cable routing and is compatible with internally routed dropper post control.
Top Fuel
The new Top Fuel is a 100 mm race ready XC missile that blurs the lines between race numbered thoroughbred and home trail corner shredder. The Top Fuel will replace the Superfly FS in the Trek lineup, and has some interesting updates. The Top Fuel features an EVO link rather than the swing link (of the Superfly FS) to improve frame stiffness and allow the shock to be mounted in the Full Floater design. Floating the shock between the two moving points allows Trek’s suspension gurus to fine tune the suspension kinematics, providing improved performance and support. The design also incorporates Trek’s ABP pivot location keeping the suspension sublimely active even under hard braking.
The Top Fuel features a race ready geometry, tailored for sharp handling and crushing lap times. Featuring Mino Link adjustable suspension allowing the bike to be run in both a ‘high’ (taller and steeper) or ‘low’ (lower and slacker) mode. The head angle is optimized for fast turns at 70.9 º (70 º in low) and the 69.4 º seat angle (68.5 º in low) keeps rider weight over the BB for maximum pedaling efficiency. The top tube is comfortably long, providing a stretched and efficient climbing position, and improving downhill stability.
The Top Fuel will be available in four model specs from €2999 for the aluminum framed Top Fuel 8 (a women’s model is also available at this price point), €3999 for the aluminum Top Fuel 9, €4999 for the full carbon Top Fuel 9.8 SL as tested here and €8999 for the top of the line Top Fuel 9.9 SL. Full details and specs can be found on Trek’s website here.
Procaliber
The new Procaliber hardtail has the familiar silhouette of a conventional hardtail, but centered around the seat tube / top tube junction is an innovation that has everyone talking.
The Procaliber is the first Trek hardtail to feature an IsoSpeed decoupler, technology that has already been utilized with great success in Treks Domane road bike. The IsoSpeed Decoupler allows the seat tube to move slightly independently of the seat tube, it’s not suspension but it dramatically increases seat tube compliance. It’s still very much a hardtail, offers up 11 mm of trail softening compliance. All this engineered flex is found in the seat tube and not in the seat stays (like soft tails) there is no loss of efficiency in the power transfer through the frame. This makes the frame around 70% more compliant than most rival frames, and offers a huge energy saving advantage on rougher trails where the rider can spend more time in the saddle.
The new Procaliber is a top drawer OCLV carbon XC race bike and commands a top drawer price too, available in 9.7 SL, 9.8 SL and 9.9 SL spec levels and will retail for €2999, €4499 and €7999 respectively. Full details and spec can be found on the Trek website here
Riding the Top Fuel 9.8 SL
It does not take long to identify the main focus of the 100 mm travel Top Fuel 9.8 SL, this is a bike that wants to sprint. The Top Fuel is a thoroughbred race bike, a no compromise exercise in speed and efficiency, but it is also an amazing trail bike for those who do not live near super gnarly trails.
Out of turns the Top Fuel 9.8 SL accelerates fiercely, climbing up through the gears effortlessly and in the blink of an eye you are braking into the next one. Carve, sprint, brake, carve, sprint, jump and repeat….. Progress is rapid and great fun. The 11.06 kg bike picks up instantly and is easy and comfortable to flick into the air. It’s a bike that seems determined to head-butt the horizon, gaining and holding momentum effortlessly.
The tight 433mm chain stays give the bike a playful flick through the turns, if you stay central the bike will carve accurately through a turn with the usual 29er stability, but if you want to play a quick unweight will step the rear wheel out and allow you to slide through sharp turns. The bike shows a nimbleness and accuracy that’s just great fun on tight trails. The 70 degree head angle (70.9 degrees in steep mode) and stiff frame give a laser sharp accuracy, allowing to pick your line with pinpoint precision.
The rear suspension tune is certainly biased more towards racy efficiency than plushness and is taught and firm, offering just enough give to smooth out the big hits and provide grip in the turns. When pushing hard through rooty sections the long 90 mm stem and 720 mm Bontrager Race X OCLV bars meant that the fun had to be reined in a little, but we were very impressed with the capability of the bike.
The Top Fuel 9.8 SL is a race bike, and is designed to reward a racer, but on the undulating trails of the Netherlands we found it superb fun. We can see this bike being a real weapon on the racing circuit, but with the addition of a dropper post and slightly wider bars this would be a super fun bike it you live somewhere without lashings of gnar and steep terrain.
Riding the Procaliber 9.8 SL
The Procaliber felt much more race focused than the Top Fuel, it’s a featherweight speed machine, aimed at nothing more that the unrelenting transfer of power from the rider to the ground. The 9.96 kg bike is wildly fast off the line, accelerating rapidly with razor sharp handling. The steering is stable, but has a fast turn in and flicks through turns with an excited agility.
There is going to be a lot of confusion as to what the IsoSpeed Decoupler does, it’s not suspension but the system allows a small level of compliance in the seat tube. Anyone who hops on the Procaliber hoping for a smooth and floaty ride will be instantly corrected with a swift thump to the nether regions. The IsoSpeed Decoupler does not make the Procaliber a FS bike, but it certainly improves the feel of the hardtail. When riding hardtails, trying to take on rooty sections and braking bumps in a seated position is a bit like being whacked repeatedly in the butt with a hammer, taking on the same section on the Procaliber still feels like someone is hitting you with a hammer but has now covered it with a thin cushion. This means that after a long loop, you will feel less tired and will be able to grab more rests between out of the saddle sprints.
Both the new Procaliber and Top Fuel bikes are aimed at the XC racing market, but if you live in an area where the trails are less steep and technical, these 100 mm bikes offer a lot of trail shredding fun with serious dose of speed. The Top Fuel stood out in particular as an amazing trail bike, showing just how well this new generation of XC bike is transcending boundaries and blurring the lines between serious race performance and riotous fun. With the addition of a dropping seat post and a more ‘trail friendly’ cockpit we can see these bikes being a total blast on flowing trails.
Words: Trev Worsey Photos: Trev Worsey and Danny Milner
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