Slash 9.7 – 2023 – Carbon Blue Smoke / Trek Black

The Slash 9.7 is a beast of an enduro bike. With a 170mm Fox Rhythm 36 fork and a Fox Performance Float X shock delivering 160mm of trail-eating rear wheel travel, this bike was designed for ripping through the toughest EWS stages and slashing your Strava segment times. The full carbon frame give you a stiff and responsive ride that lets the suspension work its magic to keep you on line and rubber side down. With proprietary suspension tech like Trek’s active braking pivot, you’d be hard-pressed to find a faster, smoother riding bike.

There’s plenty more packed into the frame than that though. Trek’s Knock Bloc 2.0 headset system keeps the bars from spinning in a crash but still allows you to turn the bars further than you will ever need. Full-length Carbon Armour protects the entire downtube from rock strikes and scratches when tailgating the bike. Control Freak internal routing keeps all of your cables neat and quiet both inside and outside of the frame. Then there’s the downtube storage compartment, so you can leave your pack at home and carry your flat kit stowed in the frame. If you fancy playing around with the geometry, then just flip the mino link to change the bottom bracket height and head angle to suit your needs.

A mix of Shimano Deore, SLX and XT parts comprise a 1×12 drivetrain that will get you up the steepest climbs with no fuss, thanks to its massive 510% gear range. Crisp shifting and excellent chain retention thanks to the clutch derailleur means you’ll always be able to put the power down when it’s needed. When it comes to heading back downhill (the important bit), get your saddle out of the way at the push of a lever with the TranzX dropper seat post. If you get a bit carried away and need to jam on the anchors, then SRAM DB 8 brakes have plenty of stopping power to bring your speed back in check on even the steepest descents. 

If you want a bike that’s built uncompromisingly for speed that can still be pedalled to the top of the hill, lap after lap, then look no further than the Trek Slash.