Trek's Cross Country Conundrum

The cross-country World Cup athletes who are sponsored by Trek have a surprisingly difficult decision when choosing what bike to race on. Trek has two potential options that the riders could choose from. Although, last weekend at the Leogang World Cup, we saw some unreleased tech that gives the riders a third, secret menu item to choose from.

The first choice is the lighter and racier Supercaliber. This bike is a purebred race machine; it has a dainty 80mm of rear travel and an aggressive race geometry optimized for sprinting past rivals on double-track climbs. However, with the World Cup tracks being more technical and gnarly the last few years, many riders are asking for bikes that are optimized for more than just the uphills. This is making the athletes who are sponsored by Trek reach for the Top Fuel, a bike that is not even listed in the cross-country category on Trek’s website.

The Top Fuel is listed as a trail bike and has 120mm/130mm of travel, rear and front respectively. This bike is much more suited to the type of descents that we see on the World Cup circuit. Yet, this bike is developed to be smooth and efficient on flowing trails and fun on the descents too. This means there are some compromises on the punchy, all-out climbs that can be the deciding factor on race day.

At the Leogang World Cup this past weekend, we saw a new rear triangle for the Top Fuel being ridden and won on by Evie Richards. This new rear triangle removes a pivot point at the rear axle in favor of flex carbon stays. This will certainly make the bike lighter, but also will likely have a significant impact on the suspension feel. I would speculate that the racers were asking for specific changes to the feel of this trail bike to make it more suited to what the XC racers require.

This got me thinking about how cross-country bikes are often made for the World Cup athletes and their requirements. More specifically, I do think there is a disconnect between what the racers need and what the average customer is most happy with. In fact, maybe more companies should develop bikes for the consumers, then let the World Cup racers supercharge them for their requirements. This would allow enthusiasts to be able to ride the same bike as the pros, on a detuned version, where they will likely be more fun for everyday use.