Recently I picked up a 2017 Trek Stache 9.8 with the idea that it would be my trail bike for next year. I’ve only put 150km on the bike so far so this won’t be a full blown review, it will be a first impressions post on the bike. Not one ride has gone by where I haven’t been stopped multiple times by curious onlookers with a variety of questions. The most common ones are:

Is it heavy? I wouldn’t say so, it’s about 27 lbs ready to go. Not as light as an xc race rocket, remember, this is a trail bike!

Does it ride like a fatbike? Not even close.

How big are those tires? 29×3″ on 40mm wheels.

Is it slow? It must be slow with those tires! I’ll touch on this one later.

How much does it cost? This model retails for $6249.99 but there are many models in the lineup to cater to every budget.

Now that the most common questions are out of the way let’s start with what makes the bike unique. The first and most obvious thing that sets this bike apart from virtually everything else on the market are the large 29+ tires. The idea behind this tire size is an increase in traction as well as a noticeable increase in the roll over ability when you hit roots and rocks on the trails. Trek has managed to get the chainstay length down to 420mm, that is 22mm shorter than my cross country race bike’s chainstay. They accomplished this by using boost hub spacing and and assymetric chainstay design that actually goes above the chain line on the drive side of the bike. The third thing that should be noted on the Stache is the longer top tube with a slacker head angle. Many companies are exploiting the modern geometry which results in bikes that climb like xc rigs and descend with the confidence of a full blown 140mm trail bike.

The tires that come with the Stache are the Bontrager Chupacabras and let me tell you, they are amazing. When you first look at the tires you wonder how they can possibly hook up but due to the large surface area and low tire pressure, (11 front, 12 rear) they are impossible to break loose. The only time I’ve skidded is when I grabbed way too much rear brake on a descent just to see what would happen. I’ve yet to run out of tire in the front. Due to the amazing traction the bike climbs like a billy goat! A couple of the hardest hills in town, Prime Rib and the east entrance to Cambodia are extremely challenging or impossible on most bikes but the Stache climbs them both with ease. No more excuses on the climbs.

The wheels that the Chupacabras are mounted to are Bontrager’s new Line Pro 40 carbon hoops with bontrager hubs that look and sound suspiciously like DT240s. With such a lightweight combination you would never know you’re on rubber as big as you are as the wheel spin up effortlessly. The boost hubs allow for the wheel to be super stiff laterally as well which is critical for a bike that can rail corners as fast as the Stache can. The wheels are tubeless ready as are the tires, you’d be a fool to run tubes on this bike.

The drivetrain that comes with the 9.8 Stache is the full Sram X0 kit complete with carbon cranks. The carbon cranks are a sweet addition considering many companies throw an alloy crank on to keep costs down. As per usual, the sram kit shifts smoothly every time without any hiccups. I thought I would get used to the lack of the double shift that Shimano offers but I still miss it. Maybe by mid summer when I post a full review I’ll be over that.

The cockpit is using the new 35mm Bontrager line pro riser bar, carbon of course. Mounted up to the bar are the Sram Guide RS brakes. Coming from Shimano XT brakes on both of my last bikes I can say that I am impressed with these new brakes. The four piston design allows for a huge range of modulation and ample power. You definitely need the power on this bike as the second you point it down hill you are going way faster than you ever expected you could on a hardtail.

The Bontrager Dropline dropper post comes equipped on this bike and has worked flawlessly so far. Unlike the Reverb that many bikes come with, the dropline is cable actuated. I must admit that so far I’ve preferred this style of dropper to the reverb on my last bike. Adjustments are easily made with a barrel adjuster at the lever and if you crash and wreck the cable you can easily swap in a brake cable available from every bike shop and you’re on your way. With the Reverb the first line of action was a bleed but first you needed to track down the Reverb fluid. The bleed was easy enough but it was just one more thing you needed to do. I could not imagine riding this bike without the dropper post. The second you drop in on your descent you’ll have an ear to ear grin because of how rowdy this bike wants to get on the descent and having a dropper allows you to open it up to it’s full potential.

Trek knew just how capable this bike was going to be and equipped it with one of the new Rockshox Pike 29+ forks. The 120mm version is on the bike and so far I haven’t been left wanting more. The charger dampener does a brilliant job of ramping up through the travel while still absorbing the small bumps on the trail. Brake dive is non existent once you’ve got it set up properly for your trails. Despite the 120mm being sufficient, I do wonder what this bike would be capable of in the mountains with a 130 or even a 140mm Pike up front.

After 150km of riding the bike on Edmonton’s finest singletrack I can say that without a doubt, this is the most fun bike without a motor that I’ve ever ridden. The playful nature due to the short chainstays and infinite traction from the big tires allows for lines that no other bike could hope to hold and for speed to be carried through the roughest trails with ease. I am really looking forward to getting this rig out into the mountains where I feel it will really shine. Despite being a hardtail I have to reiterate that it does not ride like a cross country race machine that beats your lower back into oblivion. During my first couple rides I thought out loud, I should let just a bit of air out of the shock to soften things up only to remember that there is no rear shock!

Hardcore Bikes has one in large available for demos, but really, you should just go order one. You won’t regret it one bit. Remember, the correct amount of bikes is N+1.

If you have any questions about the bike, feel free to ask away in the comments below!