Submitted by
Mike Aitken
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfax, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2012
Strengths: Light, stiff, and responsive
Weaknesses: Chain suck! My frame was destroyed when the chain sucked into the frame, knocked off the metal protector and gauged the frame.
Bottom Line:
I'm going to try and follow up with Trek and see if I there is anything they will do for me, but discouraged to read about others' experiences and crappy response from Trek. I dealt with this chain suck issue many times even though my drive train and chain were in great shape and tuned. I can only give this bike the lowest reviews due to the design flaw that makes it so at any moment the frame can be destroyed.
Submitted by
Daniel Vazquez
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, California
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2010
Strengths: Light, strong, fast.
Weaknesses: The chain suck thing, I was hopping it was exagerated by some comments that I read but when assembled noticed the minimum space between the crank and the frame, we tooked to Cycle World for assembly and had the first chain suck on the first ride, fortunately the chain got broken instead of the frame... lucky? not sure. :(
Bottom Line:
Nice looking bike, that performs good until you get a problem at the drivetrain, instantly you get worry about and stop enjoying the ride.
Similar Products Used: None, first carbon frame bike
Bike Setup: All drivetrain XT 2010, derrailers shadow, cassete and chain sram, handlebar modolo, disk brakes elixir, stem thomson, king headset,
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Submitted by
Conqueror
a Racer
from Quebec, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2009
Strengths: Stiff, light, responsive. A perfect racing machine if it wasn't of the chainsuck problem and the damage it does to the chainstay.
Weaknesses: Chainsuck problem that damages the frame.
Bottom Line:
I have the same issue than others with the chainsuck problem and the damage it does to the chainstay. The season is not over yet so I really don’t want to return my frame now and not being able to ride for weeks. Did anyone have had problems riding with a damage frame? Did someone got a warranty from Trek for this?
1 chilli for now and will update once I will deal with Trek for the warranty.
Submitted by
daniel-san
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2009
Strengths: I had every part of the bike replaced in carbon. It is a fantastic bike: stiff, fast, light and extremely responsive. Probably one of the best hardtails in the world.
Weaknesses: However... I recently found this gaping hole in my chainstay. I checked the internet and found this review amongst others and it made me realize I was not the only one with problem. I have driven the bike for almost 2 years now (mostly in dry weather as I wanted to spare the bike) but the last ride was in heavy muddy circumstances with many chain sucks as a result. When cleaning the bike afterwards I saw the damage!! I can actually put my finger trough the hole that the chain created. I will be filing a warranty claim in Belgium. So I will have to wait and see what my dealer and rek Europe have to say about this...
Bottom Line:
Truly awesome bike to ride but what a design flaw. That is some really bad R&D.
Submitted by
moneyshot2555
a Cross Country Rider
from detroit, michigan, usa
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2009
Strengths: very stiff! very fast and light! climbs like a champ, and the paint job makes it the sharpest bike on the road!
Weaknesses: a little nervous of chain suck so i've been being very careful, i did my homework before i bought it so i've heard that it's happened to some riders. i'm going to put something over the chain stay.
Bottom Line:
i love it! it's fast like a road bike but has the guts to go off road, climbs like a gazzle and descends with confidence. i stand by it 100%
Similar Products Used: stumpjumper carbon hardtail, old school rockhopper
Bike Setup: sid worldcup, xtr drivetrain, bonty rac x lite tubeless wheelset, bonty xxx lite stem and saddle, cane creek headset.
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Submitted by
C4Biker
a Cross Country Rider
from Williamsburg,VA
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2008
Strengths: The frame is extremly lite and very very strong. All of the XTR dtuff is absolutly the bomb so we put it on there. Overall, the bike is the bomb.
Weaknesses: The little tiny chainstays that hold on the back wheel look really weak. But they are acctually extremly strong.
Bottom Line:
We got the frame at a silent auction at a cross- country race for $300. We decided to build the bike up instead of selling the frame. We got all of our products from BikeBeat in Williamsburg and TotalCycling.com. The final product was amazing!!!! It flies through the corners and up the hills like no other. It is the absolute best bike for any cross-country riders like me. Going downhill, however, it can get kinda slippery (due to the fact that it weighs about 21 lbs.). It is an extremly strong and lightning fast bike, and are build is only slightly better than stock! If you can buy this bike at ANY price, BUY IT!!!!!!!!!
Bike Setup: Full XTR: Brakes, Crank, Front/ Rear Derailleur, Chain, Cassette, Rotors, Shifters, Brake Levers, Wheelset
Fox: F80 RL Fork
Bontrager RXL: Handlebars, Saddle, Stem, Seatpost
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Submitted by
billybojangels
a Cross Country Rider
from Burlington
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2008
Weaknesses: I have had the same issue everyone ells is having with their trek carbon frames, catastrophic falure due to chain suck. This is a design flaw, read the reviews of the same occupancy with the 9.8's or fuel 9.9 or 9.5 ex. The clearance between the chainstay and chain rings is so small that with any chain suck, the chain will shredded the little flimsy metal tab that trek glues on the frame, and gouge a huge hole right through the frame. This happened to me all at once, one minuet I am riding, next my frame is broken. The worst part is that trek will not cover this as a warrantable issue and they will not admit to this being a design problem. These frames are failing and trek will not be there fore you when it does. I am filing a claim with the consumer product safety commission. If you have had a similar problem you can contact them at 800-638-2772. You can also contact the consumer protection agency (877-USCP-ORG) or the national association of consumer advocates ((202) 452-1989)
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is trek is quickly being recognized as a poor company to deal with. This product should be put on a recal list and people deserve a refund of their money from Trek.
Similar Products Used: Trekk 8000, Blur XC, Airborne hardtail
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Submitted by
Chris Squiz
a Cross Country Rider
from Alice Springs. AUSTRALIA
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2007
Strengths: Light Fast Strong COMFORTABLE
Weaknesses: Bontrager numbnuts saddle
Bottom Line:
Another buy this bike review. In Alice we ride in thorns, big rocks, little rocks, thorns, sand, bulldust, gravel,thorns, sometimes we see hardpack, thorns. I'm 47 years old and don't want a full suspension bike again. Americans seem to play hard and Trek makes the bikes for you. Your medical system must be better then what I here. The local Trek dealer is very good in Alice And he took the time to show me that Carbon is good,when I was thinking steel. Treks Carbon is good and I love this bike.
Similar Products Used: Mostly Giant and Specialized
Bike Setup: Full XTR including wheel set Beautiful. Chris King headset, Python tires, medium frame.Bike has been used for a year by the LBS owner.
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Submitted by
William
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque, NM, USA
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2007
Strengths: Lightweight, good looking paint, very stiff, excellent handling.
Weaknesses: Price
Bottom Line:
I purchased this frame upgrade my old 8500. After getting the required outboard-bearing cranks (XT's), and the Avid Juicy 7's (my Hayes used the old 22mm post mount in the rear, I was off riding.
This thing is great. I ride the XL size, an 6'4", weight 215lbs, and ride agressivly. There is NO FLEX when you really crank the pedals, and although it turns quickly (my SID has 80mm of travel, a longer travel fork would slow the steering), it is not unstable. The carbon really dampens the trail impacts when compared to the 8500SL.
This thing is light, too. I built my 9.9 for reliability rather than outright weight savings, so my bike is 'heavy' at approx. 23 lbs. I could have saved between 3.4 and 1 lb by getting the lightest possible components.
-On a side note, my Avid Juicy's are head and shoulders better than my already great Hayes. The grab hard but I can modulate them well. There was a little squeal while they broke in but they are quiet now.-
I closing, I only have one thing to say- anyone want a very used '99 Trek 8500SL frame, cheap? Seriously, I doubt I will ever ride another hardtail.
If you can swallow the steep entry fee- GET ONE! You will not be disappointed, unless duallys are your gig.
Bike Setup: XL 9.9 frame, XTR (2002) Drivetrain, Mavix X517 rims, Hugi Hubs, XT (2007) cranks, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, SID Team (2003) fork, Eggbeater pedals, SDG saddle, Thompson seatpost, Chris King HS, Conti 2.2 tires, Answer Pro Taper bar.
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Submitted by
Harvey Jones
a Racer
from London England
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2007
Strengths: Transfer to power is amazing and climbs like a mountian goat.
Weaknesses: The plate on the chain stay to protect against suck came off 3 times twice in races. Ended up leaving it off but now have hole in frame!
Bottom Line:
Great bike to race very fast handles like a dream on single track and climbs, a bit wobbly on desends but I've been close enough and dropped full sussers on it so its not too much to worr about, the biggest issue is what I see as a design fault. The chain stay is far too close to the chain ring so any chain suck is immediately a problem. I now have a hole on my chain stay which I have got to see what Trek say about it. Will report results
Bike Setup: SID World cup XT group set Hope Mono Minis Swiss DT wheels
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Submitted by
Jay Kauphy
a Weekend Warrior
from Charlottesville Va
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2007
Strengths: Just bought a 2006 9.9 21". Awesome light cross country ride.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
At that price you are a fool if you dont buy one. Shoot at that price it is worth the parts alone if the frame doesn't fit. I believe Bike Factory bought a few on closeout from Trek.
This is the fastest mountain bike I've had the pleasure of riding, the climbing and acceleration are fantastic. Back in the 90's I raced some world cups on a Trek OCLV and that was a great machine at the time. This is a razor sharp instrument, yet the ride is forgiving on my 42 year old back. The Reba world cup forks keep the bike tracking beautifully even in the 80mm setting (I think it will work even better converted to 100mm travel) and i love the h/bar lockout. The new XTR stuff is amazing, the harder you ride the better it works, my last bike had Sram X-o but i think XTR just nudges ahead in performance. The bikes price is steep and while there are lighter bikes around (I'm more than happy with 9.8kg (21.5lb) ready to ride), I'll bet none are as strong as the Trek frame. I love it!
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Ziggurat, Avanti Competitor, Trek 9800 OCLV
Bike Setup: I ride a 19.5 frame, fitted an Selle italia sLR xc saddle, chucked the horrible grips (never had my hand wrapped around anything worse!)for some Ritchey WCS foam (classic!) I fitted some 2.2 jones xr tyres also. The standard tyres are a bit too narrow for me.
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Submitted by
chris ring
a Cross Country Rider
from edmonton
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2006
Strengths: Light,strong,fast, handles like a dream on all conditions....so far. First full carbon frame I've had, very responsive.
Weaknesses: Tubless rear tire won't hold air for long. Had to put on tube in.
Bottom Line:
great bike I've road hardtails for the past 17yrs. Tried a few DS bikes in the past. I'm a sucker for the hardtails. I feel more people should learn on a hardtail bike it will make them better technical rider in the future !
Similar Products Used: Epic Pro 03', Rocky Team 98'
Bike Setup: Stock as seen on the trek website, candy SL pedals
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Submitted by
KLT
a Weekend Warrior
from Williamsburg, VA
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2006
Strengths: light and fast; nice tube shaping and paint job; smooth components
Weaknesses: while sleek and light, I found the stock Bontrager saddle uncomfortable
Bottom Line:
Decided to go back to hardtail for simplicity and speed. Bike is feather light (21.4 lbs with large frame) and responsive. Great acceleration out of turns and through flats as well as climbs (though these are relatively limited in Eastern VA). My inaugural ride was marred by an extremely loud and disconcerting combination of chain slap and cable slap from the rear brake cable. I bought a lizard skin for the chain stay and placed a small strip of foam tape under the brake cable and it is now beautifully quiet. Speed is measurably improved but this may be partially due to the adrenaline associated with having a sweet new ride. Can't speak to its durability as I've only had it for a short while, but in the short term it's holding up well without any notable flexing under my light clydesdale body. As expected, it's not as plush as FS in some instances but overall not too bad - the carbon frame and tubeless tires help smooth things out. Obviously pricey, but if you've got the cash I don't think you'll be disappointed if quickness/speed is your objective.
