(Mayrhofen, Austria) – The world leader in mountain bike technology, Trek Bicycle, has unveiled its 2012 collection of trail-ripping full suspension bikes to the global media at its Ride Camp in Mayrhofen, Austria. Included in this year’s line are two completely new models; the DH-world changing OCLV Mountain Carbon Session 9.9 and a bike that’s fitting of an entirely new category called “Technical Trail”, the new Trek Slash. New technologies abound as Trek’s Fuel EX, Remedy, and Rumblefish bikes will now be equipped with DRCV Fox Forks, a new fork breakthrough spawned from Trek’s Southern California-based suspension lab’s development work with Fox Racing Shox.
Session 9.9 (Pictured)
A pioneering force in the development of carbon fiber technology for 20 years, 2012 represents a giant leap in Trek’s OCLV genealogy with the introduction of the Session 9.9; our first carbon downhill bike. With Trek’s off-road specific OCLV Mountain carbon, the 9.9 breaks new ground in lightweight DH race bikes, while carrying on Session’s reputation as the most agile and precise race frame available. The choice of World Cup superstar Aaron Gwin, the redesigned frame features new geometry and an increase in suspension travel to 210mm. Trek’s move to carbon on the Session 9.9 allows for internal cable routing, or if run externally, virtually indestructible patent-pending MicroTruss that eliminates riveted cable housing guides. The Session 9.9 also represents the first time that downhill riding has birthed a material usage innovation at Trek with the application of InTension, a material that is lighter than carbon composite and leverages Trek’s Honeycomb patent. “The objective was to make the Session dramatically lighter without compromising the previous bike’s incredible performance,” said Trek Senior Composite Manufacturing Engineer James Colegrove. ”The 2 years of R&D we invested allowed our Advanced Concepts Group to create significant new technologies, like the use of a new material called InTension that acts like the center section of an i-beam; transferring shear loads between the two faces of carbon. The R&D time also produced a patent-pending cable tie system called MicroTruss that eliminates the need for riveted cable guides. Our development team is very pleased that the Session 9.9 will introduce such significant new carbon technology to the world.”
Slash
For 2012 Trek is launching the Slash, an all-new 160mm travel bike designed for the growing endurance downhill market. Developed in partnership with Trek riders Rene Wildhaber and Ross Schnell, the Slash has the perfect suspension, geometry, and parts spec to dominate the endurance downhill scene. Taking advantage of Trek’s Full Floater and EVO link suspension designs, the Slash is paired with a DRCV shock and Active Breaking Pivot rear end to allow for maximum pedaling efficiency no matter the conditions. “Slash is defined by a lot more than just its travel — it’s the whole package of commanding steering, superior suspension, and a parts spec that rivals some DH bikes in durability and performance,” said Trek Mountain Bike Product Manager John Riley. “If you’re riding events like Megavalanche or Downieville, this is your bike.”
DRCV Fork
Trek’s singletrack and technical trail platforms get a huge suspension technology boost with the addition of Fox DRCV forks (Dual Rate Control Valve). The Dual Rate Control Valve rear shock that has been so well received on the Remedy, Fuel EX, and Rumblefish platforms is now being paired with a fork that incorporates the same technology and matches its performance. When the fork is compressed far enough into the stroke of the primary air chamber, a plunger opens a second air chamber, increasing the volume of the shock for larger impacts. The result is small bump compliance, with big-hit performance. This technology, developed by Trek’s Southern California-based suspension laboratory and Fox Racing Shox, sets a new standard for suspension performance unseen anywhere else in the bike industry. “After we made so much progress in increasing rider control with the DRCV shock, it’s great to be able to bring that versatility and improved handling to the front suspension,” said Trek Suspension Lab Director Jose Gonzales. “It further isolates the rider from the bumps of the trail and keeps the wheel on the ground longer, meaning better traction and greater stability.” With the new fork design, Trek has also slackened the headtube angles on the EX and Remedy by one degree, increasing the bikes’ stability at higher speeds, and improving handling in steeper sections of trail. To top off the new look of the EX and Remedy lines, Trek moved cable and brake hose routing internally, which not only creates a cleaner bike, but also makes for a quieter ride.
Expanded 29er Collection
From the godfather of 29” wheels, Gary Fisher, comes an expansion to the world’s broadest, and best-selling, collection of 29ers. 2012 welcomes aluminum versions of the insanely popular, 100mm-travel, Superfly line that will be offered alongside their established carbon brethren. The singletrack trail slayer Rumblefish gets a new mainframe with a higher bottom bracket and a full 120mm of rear wheel travel. Rumblefish will also be getting a huge fork upgrade with the addition of the new DRCV fork, making it one of the most capable 29ers when the trail gets rough.
Suspension Calculator
For 2012, we’ve addressed the rider and their experience as much as the product by making a perfectly tuned ride possible anywhere Wi-Fi is available with the launch of an online calculator that provides the perfect suspension settings throughout the full suspension line given a rider’s bike, model year, and weight. Optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices and accessible now at trekbikes.com/suspension, the suspension calculator features an intuitive interface that will provide the perfect suspension settings throughout Trek’s full suspension mountain bike collection. The calculator will be updated with new models throughout the year as 2012 bikes arrive at Trek retailers.
