Tested: TREK SLASH 9

Trek Slash 9 - Don’t Just Enjoy the Descents, Slay Them

Price: $5,780 Weight: 30.5 lbs. www.TrekBikes.com

Purpose-built as a descent-hungry, speed-dialed workhorse with 160 mm of travel, Trek’s new Slash 9 shows how the company has made some impressive refinements over its previous enduro-oriented bikes. Versatility, durability and extremely large cojones make this trail machine attractive to riders looking to push their limits on everything from multi-stage enduro events, to DH trails, to epic gravity-fed slogs through the mountains.

While the Slash 9 initially seems little more than a longer-travel version of Trek’s 150 mm Remedy, a closer look reveals detailed refinements in geometry and spec, which modify its capabilities to take even more abuse and give the lucky rider increased confidence to push beyond his comfort zone and plow through any trail with controlled aggression.

Centered around a stout Alpha Platinum Aluminum frame with a 66 degree head tube angle, the Slash features Trek’s Full Floater suspension with ABP (active braking pivot) with a 142x12 mm thru axle, ISCG chainguard mounts and adjustable geometry. Built-in down tube and chainstay guards keep the frame protected from trail debris, and internally routed cables cut down on unwanted noises while keeping the cables and brake hoses protected.

Up front, a proprietary white/green Fox Talas 36 provides a capable front end on even the most demanding trail—definitely a more substantial fork than the Fox 32 found on the Remedy. Fully extended, the Talas 36 can take anything you throw at it. When it’s time to pedal back to the top, the Talas drops from 160 mm to a comfortable 120 mm of travel and even offers a lockout, dramatically improving the ride position and efficiency while climbing. Dropping the Talas from 160 to 120 mm transforms the bike’s handling on technical climbs making tight rocky jaunts seem rather effortless. 

The bike comes stock with a very relaxed 66 degree head angle but has an adjustable rear suspension link feature that permits a half degree of adjustment in the head tube angle and a quarter of an inch in BB height. This enables a rider to steepen the head angle and bring the center of gravity down for less technically demanding terrain without changing any suspension characteristics. Overall, Trek nailed the geometry on this bike. It’s extremely stable at high speeds, and there is no questioning its orientation.

For the rear shock, Trek chose Fox’s new Kashima coated three-position Float RP3 air shock custom tuned with Trek’s proprietary DRCV technology. The DRCV-equipped RP3 features two internal air chambers; one allows for smooth small-bump compliance while a larger chamber opens up for more substantial hits.

The DRCV shock performs extremely well on descents and bumpy flat sections, but the plush top end of the stroke made the bike a bit sluggish and forgiving when out-of-the-saddle climbing was imperative. The RP3’s on-the-fly, three-position compression adjustability helped this to be less of a problem, but the only way to make it truly pedal efficiently uphill was to increase air pressure considerably from what was suggested. Still, the custom-tuned DRCV Fox suspension gives the Slash loads of rider tuneability. It’s a surprisingly bottomless and capable-feeling shock, which compromises nothing on the descent.

Trek’s thoughtfulness and research is evident on the component spec of the Slash 9. Adorned with SRAM XO 2x10 and MRP’s new XO-2X chainguide, which uses two sealed bearing pulley wheels to minimize drag while keeping the chain tensioned, the drivetrain is versatile and efficient and stays silent even through the most demanding terrain. You’ll never drop a chain.

Armed with the latest in dropper-seatpost technology, the Slash 9 also features the new RockShox Reverb Stealth providing the benefits of a height-adjustable seatpost without the unsightly addition of a hose routed from the top of the post to the frame. A strategically placed hole in the back of the seat tube allows for internal routing of the hydraulic hose through the seat tube to the bottom of the seatpost. This feature provides a much cleaner aesthetic, although it does make maintenance a little more involved.

A Bontrager cockpit and wheelset rounds out the build with a 750 mm-wide carbon bar with 9 degrees of sweep creating an extremely comfortable cockpit. Rhythm Elite tubeless ready wheels centered around DT Swiss hubs proved bomber and were easily set up tubeless.

The tubeless ready XR4 tire was another nice touch, tying the refined feel of the Slash together by providing aggressive traction in almost all conditions. The rounded profile offered a predictable feel in the corners and well-spaced side knobs give them ample bite and perfectly complemented the Slash’s ability.

Throughout the component spec, the Slash is built just as a hardcore trail bike should be: Everything is bulletproof, and you won’t need to make modifications. The Slash is proof positive that Trek has been listening to feedback from its racers and is dedicated to creating bikes with purpose. This is a design born from the needs and talents of Trek’s star rider Ross Schnell, an unpretentious enduro champion who comes out with a vengeance on race day. Enduro riding demands extreme versatility and encompasses all the things we love most in mountain biking: skill, endurance and cojones. Every detail of the bike is up to the task.

Trek has created a bike that fits a new style of trail rider, one looking to conquer a variety of terrain and do so with style and conviction. Getting to the top is a necessity, and the Slash will get you there, but gravity is what truly drives this bike. When pushed hard, the Slash continues to come back for more and kept my confidence high even on terrain better suited for a full-on downhill rig.

With a design boldly aimed at not just enjoying but absolutely slaying the descents, the Slash is a positively mind-blowing trail bike that will make you forget how hard some trails used to be. –J. Carr