![]() ![]() I couldnt be more pleased with the change. STEM and BARS- Agree with author about Stem- I replaced mine with a 15 mm stem and wider Renthal Fatbar handlebars. Stock tires are horrible on rocks and roots. It is awesome on flowy single track, although burlier tires and better pedals are essential immediate upgrades on anything other than hardpack dirt. That low profile tread verges on the lethal when the going gets sloppy too. It's mega fast rolling thanks to low profile tread but the lack of width means you need to overpressure it to prevent pinch punctures, with a resulting lack of comfort despite the fact the big hoops help smooth out trail chatter. Despite the low spoke count, it's stiff and accurate, offering an easy upgrade in the form of tubeless ready rims. Talking of upgrades, if you ride anywhere with mud, you'll be wanting to see the back of the skinny Bontrager XR2 rubber sharpish. At 13.2kg for the 19.5" frame it's a decent weight too.Īpart from the great big stem, Trek's house brand Bontrager has provided some excellent finishing kit, with special mention going to the wheelset. Yes, the lever is quite long and clunky compared to more fancy items in Shimano's repertoire but they do the job of hauling you up in all conditions with aplomb, even with dinky 160mm rotors. Shimano also provide great stopping power in the form of the M365 hydraulic brakes. ![]() Ideally, there would be a clutch equipped mech to prevent chain derailment, but as long as you keep the pedal to the metal it works very effectively under power and the Shimano Deore shifters shift with a smoothness that's barely imperceptible from their much higher end offerings, albeit at a mild weight penalty. That's a real shame as the rest of the bike works cohesively, with the twin ring drivetrain, ten speed drivetrain snicking smoothly across gears, even under power. Trek-X-Caliber-9-2017-108.jpg, by Russell Burton That said, it does mean you'll be able to get face to face advice and try before you buy, which can be worth a lot more than a few extra trinkets on the bike. The X-Caliber 9 is the most expensive bike in the range and gets a very respectable kit list for the money, though as Trek still sell bikes through traditional bike shops it can't quite touch the value for money that direct-sales brands offer. The big wheeled bikes also use a special Trek-developed fork offset designed to work better with the 29” wheel size. That means that handling should be balanced to suit rider height, with frame angles tweaked to suit as well. Size specific wheelsĪ really neat feature of the X-Caliber range is while there are seven different frame sizes on offer, the smallest two bike frames using 27.5” wheels rather than the big 29” hoops that the rest of the range uses. Along with a slender 27.2mm seat post, that means the X-Caliber is no harsh, back-jarring machine over the bumps and with an integrated headset, it's a tidy looking frame too. At the rear, the wishbone seat stays aren't braced before they attach to the seat tube, giving masses of mud clearance and also allowing a touch more compliance in the back end. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |