First Look: Trek Top Fuel and Trek Procaliber SL

Trek Press Release: Two new racing platforms added to mountain bike’s fastest lineup

Trek has released two new platform-redefining cross country bikes with the unveiling of the revamped Top Fuel and the Procaliber SL. Both bikes represent Trek’s commitment to providing the most technologically sophisticated product for the most discerning mountain bikers.

The lightweight OCLV MTB Procaliber SL brings the IsoSpeed decoupler, a technology proven at the highest levels of road and cyclocross racing, to the mountain bike racing scene. As road cyclists and cyclocross racers can attest, IsoSpeed takes the edge off of a hardtail ride without any sacrifice in pedaling efficiency, completely redefining what a hardtail can be. The new Procaliber carries Boost 148 and Boost 110, creating a stronger, better, 29er wheel and interface that allows for shorter chainstays, improving climbing and playfulness. In addition, Procaliber SL will be offered in Smart Wheel Size which allows all riders to ride the fastest wheel that fits. 29” wheels will be available on medium and large frame sizes, while 27.5” wheels can be found on small frame sizes. Though the new Procaliber SL will sit atop Trek’s hardtail lineup, the proven and popular Superfly will remain available in both OCLV carbon and alloy .

Throughout the years, cross country racing has become more demanding, the trails more technical, challenging brands to develop more capable solutions for riders. Trek’s Top Fuel utilizes the company’s years of experience developing trail bikes to create a more capable full suspension race bike that doesn’t sacrifice any speed. Top Fuel features Trek’s full suite of suspension breakthroughs – Active Braking Pivot, Full Floater, and EVO Link – that allows for active, yet efficient suspension. Mino Link allows the rider to tweak frame geometry for a slightly more active or slack geometry depending on their preference or trail. New technologies include Boost 148/110 which allowed for stunningly short chainstays on a race bike making it more agile and superior for climbing. Top Fuel also gets Smart Wheel Size so everyone, regardless of size, gets the fastest wheel that fits. Top Fuel will be available in both OCLV MTB carbon and Alpha Platinum Aluminum models. Top Fuel replaces the Superfly FS in the Trek lineup.

Trek Factory Racing’s XC contingent of Emily Batty, Bec Henderson, Dan McConnell, Sergio Mantecon, and Kohei Yamamoto have been racing both the Procaliber SL and Top Fuel all season. The biggest challenge the new bikes have presented to the team is the decision on which of the two new bikes to choose for each course. Both Procaliber SL and the carbon Top Fuel will be available in Project One, Trek’s custom bike program and available exclusively through Trek’s network of global retailers.

For more information click here.

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Sus the Procaliber SL

 

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Sus the Top Fuel

 

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Sus the Analysis of the Trek Top Fuel and Procaliber SL

Geometry Comparison

First things first let’s compare the Top Fuel and Procaliber geometries to the geometries of the bikes they’re replacing the Superfly FS, Fuel EX and the Superfly SL.

Geometry wise the first thing you’ll note about the new bikes is the significantly shorter head tube and the fact that the Top Fuel features adjustable geometry – the likes of which we’ve seen on bikes like the Scott Genius. The reason for chopping between 13 and 25mm off the head tube (depending on the model in comparison) we suspect is to make it easier to get lower over the front wheel, making it possible to fit shorter less aggressively dropped stems. It also has the added weight saving benefit of course – every gram counts in XCO racing after all.

The Top Fuel’s adjustable geometry comes from what Trek call the “Mino Link adjustable geometry”, which like in the Scott Genius is an adjustable pivot joint allowing you to steepen the head angle of the bike and raise the bottom bracket. For racers the 0.5° steeping of the head angle will sharpen up the handling (we’re speaking theoretically of course), while the real benefit lies in the raising of the BB height by 11mm allowing you to pedal through rock gardens with greater ease. Having ridden the Specialized Epic and Specialized Epic World Cup, which feature similarly subtle geometry differences offered by the “Mino Link” feature, we’re expecting the Top Fuel to be a significantly different bike in the high geometry setting. Expect twitchier handling and better climbing as the combination of the super short head tube and 70.9° head angle force your weight forward.

Both bikes also have significantly shorter chainstays and wheel bases than their predecessors, so expect nippier handling as a result of that too, but again you will be losing out on stability. The big question we have is whether or not the Top Fuel is can replace the Superfly FS and the Fuel EX or just the Superfly in your garage? That one will have to wait for a test ride to be answered, but given the short stays and more aggressive angles we’d imagine that the Fuel EX will remain a popular choice for more trail orientated riders. Though if you’re a more competitive rider, doing marathon and stage races, you might find the Top Fuel a better option as the “Full Floater” suspension system Trek are now using on the Top Fuel (it’s already in use on the Fuel EX and the multi-award winning Remedy) will make the bike feel like it has more travel than it actually does. So you’ll get a light weight race bike with more of a trail bike feel, in the mould of the Giant Anthem – which we raved about in the June/July issue of Full Sus. It will never be as stable or capable as the Fuel EX though, so have a careful look at the riding you intend to do and your own skill level before making that decision.

As an aside Trek have also updated the Fuel EX for 2016 and it now also features shortened chainstays, down to 436mm from 452mm in the 17.5” model, and an ever so slightly shorter wheelbase clocking in at 1 136mm (3mm less in the low geometry setting as the Fuel EX will also feature the Mino Link in 2016). Equipped with 148 Boost spacing in the rear triangle you’ll also have plenty of clearance to run 2.4” tyres and a mammoth 36 tooth chainring, despite the shorter stays. It might be the bike to get two sets of wheels for a 29er set for races and a 27.5” set with 27.5+ tyres on them for trail riding – just an idea… it’s cheaper than getting two bikes…

New Features

The standout feature on the Procaliber SL is the “IsoSpeed decoupler” which Trek say “allows the sear tube to rotate independently from the top-tube-to-seatstay junction, increasing vertical compliance without compromising pedalling efficiency”. The search for a way to make hardtails more compliant, to reduce trail feedback and rider fatigue, has become exceptionally popular again recently. Close watchers of the UCI MTB World Cup will already be familiar with Florian Vogel’s prototype Focus (the one which had the key dampening feature covered with tape at the Nove Mesto leg of the UCI MTB World Cup) and Julien Absalon’s soft tail BMC, which uses two aluminium shafts and bushings to soften up the ride.

How effective any of these soft tail features are we can’t say for sure. Trek, Focus, BMC and quite a few other bike manufacturers seem sold on the idea – so we’ll have to test ride the Procaliber soon to make our own judgement call.

Of course the fact that the Procaliber, Top Fuel and Fuel EX all feature the new ‘standard’ (someone else can bemoan the plethora of standards) Boost 148 in the rear and Boost 110 in the front will also make the Procaliber a more comfortable ride. With wider dropouts comes a wider hub, spreading the base from which the spokes depart from the hub (it’s like increasing your stability by widening your stance when balancing). Typically this goes hand-in-hand with rims with a wider internal width, which means more volume in your tyres allowing for lower tyre pressures and more comfort.

You’ll note from the official Trek videos that the bikes have been through the rigors of Wold Cup racing already and the pro feedback has been very positive, which is great for Trek because the Superfly FS was not universally appreciated by their pro riders.  The Top Fuel was spotted in prototype form earlier in the year already, so when it made its debut in Nove Mesto it didn’t catch our eye, though Rebecca Henderson piloted it to 8^th while Emily Batty finished 12^th and Annie Last 16^th on the notoriously technical course. On the smoother trails of Albstadt Batty raced the Procaliber to 4^th while Henderson claimed another 8^th place and Last dropped down to 21^st. All-in-all not a bad Wold Cup debut for the bikes then. How they’ll fare in local race conditions we’ll have to wait and see…

Pricing