Trek’s Supercaliber XC race bike will get a full reboot for Gen 2

[ad_1]

4 years on from its launch, and with quite a few race wins beneath its belt, Trek brings us the up to date Supercaliber. It could look related however this Gen 2 platform is the results of a full rethink.

In 2019 Trek launched the primary era Supercaliber. A race-focused XC bike that aimed to mix the pedalling effectivity of a hardtail with the compliance of a short-travel full-suspension bike. A motorbike that allowed the rider to assault the climbs as aggressively because the descents.

4 years on, and with quite a few race wins, Trek has taken an extended take a look at what would make this already quick bike even quicker… and with race programs getting even rougher, with extra technical options and drops, its arrival is effectively timed. To not point out different manufacturers which have developed XC race bikes with the same fashion suspension platform. It was time for Trek to step it up a notch…

The race-proven Trek Supercaliber has developed into a motorbike that may sort out extra technical programs

There at the moment are two distinctive Gen 2 Supercaliber frames, a light-weight SL body and a good lighter pro-level SLR model. The bike mannequin vary begins with the Supercaliber SL 9.6 at £3,780 and tops out with the SLR 9.9 XX AXS at £10,800.

Though the blueprint seems to be related, this Gen 2 body is totally new. Trek’s design transient was to take the Supercaliber – which has proved itself on the race circuit – and make it a extra succesful, with out sacrificing any of its uncooked pace. And making it lighter was on the design transient too.

For the 2024 mannequin 12 months full bike builds are supplied with each SL and SLR body platforms. Should you’re contemplating a customized construct then it’s solely the SLR that shall be out there as a naked body and rear shock.

The Gen 2 Trek Supercaliber has journey boosted to 110mm up entrance and 80mm on the rear

Must know

SL and lighter SLR carbon fashions
SLR body out there individually
29in wheels entrance and rear on all body sizes
2.4in max tyre clearance
100-120mm beneficial fork journey
110mm journey forks on inventory bikes
80mm rear journey
SRAM UDH hanger
Press Match 92 backside bracket
Floating rear brake mount
Dropper posts on all fashions

Suspension

A headline revision on the Gen 2 Supercaliber is the suspension journey, which has been boosted at each ends: from 60mm to 80mm rear journey and the fork has elevated from 100mm to 110mm. Trek does approve the usage of any XC fork with journey between 100 and 120mm although.

This can be a reflection on the extra technical and difficult XC race programs and it mirrors the spec of contemporary forks such because the new 2024 RockShox SID fashions.

The Supercaliber’s IsoStrut suspension platform carries over to the Gen 2 however will get refined

Trek hasn’t ignored the rear shock both, spec’ing a brand new RockShox SIDLuxe IsoStrut on all fashions on each body platforms. This new shock has greater anti-squat values to withstand pedalling enter and a extra linear leverage ratio. Trek says that the brand new IsoStrut shock can be simpler to service and tune and has sag etchings to help with set-up.

Trek has labored with RockShox on the newest evolution of the IsoStrut rear shock

Body specs

Externally the frames might look equivalent (and dimension the identical too) nevertheless it’s beneath the floor the place the variations lie. Each bikes use the identical rear triangle however its their essential frames which might be distinctive to every.

Gen 2 Trek Supercaliber now makes use of a floating rear caliper mount to work with the flexstay swingarm design

The SLR body makes use of a lighter carbon layup, with decrease FAW (fibre aerial weight) materials, extra greater modulus materials, and total much less materials (ie fewer plies). It additionally foregoes inside cable routing guides on the mainframe, though light-weight foam tubes are equipped to dampen vibrations and scale back noise.

The SL body stands out as the heavier choice nevertheless it hits the scales at 2030g (dimension dependent), about the identical weight because the Gen1 SLR. The brand new Gen 2 SLR drops one other 200-250g off that quantity (1950g together with the IsoStrut shock).

The body has two bottle cage mounts for lengthy haul marathon occasions

Geometry and sizing

The Supercaliber’s geometry has been up to date too. Each body choices take a leaf out of the path bike rule e book, with barely longer attain measurements and a slacker head tube angle too.

‘Geometry must stability descending with pedalling efficiency’

Take a dimension giant for instance: the attain has grown 10mm to 465mm, head angle slackened by 1.5° to 67.5° and the chainstay size grown by 5mm to 435mm. Off the again of those modifications, the wheelbase now sits at a prolonged 1170mm. The stack hasn’t modified although, sticking at a low 594mm.

A slacker 67.5° head angle and longer attain numbers are a part of the lengthy listing of updates

Trek hasn’t compromised in giving its regular big selection of body sizes too. 5 choices can be found, together with the super-useful M/L inbetweener dimension that’s a problem-solver for a lot of riders.

The Gen 2 Supercaliber is appropriate with the brand new SRAM T-Kind Eagle AXS Transmission

Mannequin vary

For the 2024 mannequin 12 months there are two SL and 5 SLR bikes. The SL fashions run aluminium wheels, bar and stem. The SLR goes with Bontrager carbon wheels and one-piece bar and stem. Dropper posts are a typical website on XC race bikes and are normal on all Gen 2 Supercaliber fashions.