Trek’s zippy full suspension mountain bike Supercaliber is aimed at riders who love cross country riding and want to go FAST. Recently updated to its "Gen 2" iteration, in this blog we’ll look at who it’s for and where it sits in Trek’s mountain bike line-up.
Trek Supercaliber is a lightweight cross country mountain bike for people who want to hit the trails at speed. It’s for riders who like it fast and flowy and love riding hard over moorland tracks, with a little travel in the rear but not too much that they lose pedalling efficiency.
At the pinnacle of Trek’s “Caliber” range of XC bikes - sitting above X-Caliber and Procaliber - it’s for people who love pushing the pace on singletrack but mostly avoid the sort of technical features, drops and jumps that demand a longer travel full suspension rig. As the bike ridden to over 30 world competition golds by Trek Factory Racing’s cross country pros, if you want to enter XC competitions, this is the perfect bike to do it on.
The Gen 2 Supercaliber features more suspension travel - now 110mm (was 100mm) in the front and 80mm (was 60mm) in the rear - as well as longer reach and a slacker head tube angle for more confidence on the descents. The top of the range has also been extended beyond the Gen 1 9.8 to include three 9.9 models. Rather than having one frame choice, Gen two has SL and SLR models with lightweight and super-lightweight frames, respectively.
The Trek Supercaliber range has been extended from five to seven models, now begining with the SL 9.6 and topping out at the SLR 9.9 XX AXS. We’ll look at the key specs of the SLR 9.8 XT Gen 2 which costs £6,100.
Trek does a range of cross country mountain bikes, including Top Fuel, Supercaliber, Procaliber, X-Caliber and Marlin. XC bikes are built for speed on the way uphill and back down again, with less knobbly tyres for faster rolling.
Marlin is a great value, versatile mountain bike that’s great for singletrack but is also happy on gravel and tarmac. X-Caliber is more tuned to cross country riding and is a great starter bike if you want to have a go at racing. Procaliber is the next step up, owing to its carbon frame, lighter weight and higher price tag. Then it’s the full sus bikes Supercaliber and Top Fuel.
Supercaliber and Top Fuel are Trek’s best XC bikes, with the main difference between them being the amount of rear travel and how it’s achieved. Supercaliber has 80mm rear travel achieved through the IsoStrut shock, which is integrated into the top tube, while Top Fuel has a more traditional 120mm travel shock which pivots on the seat tube. The Supercaliber’s set-up is designed more to soak up bumps at speed with front and rear suspension that really helps track the ground to ensure more grip and pedalling efficiency, making it ideal for racing. Top Fuel is lighter and snappier than a trail bike but a lot more forgiving on rowdy descents than a true cross country bike. Where Supercaliber is very much an XC bike, Top Fuel is the best of both the XC and trail worlds. It’s also worth saying that Top Fuel 5 to 8 have an aluminium frame and Top Fuel 9.7 and above have carbon, while all Supercalibers are carbon.
Trek Factory Racing's Yolanda Neff
Our Olly loves a cross country route and can often be seen traversing the North York Moors on his Trek Top Fuel. Check out our Facebook page for some of his Strava routes.
Olly said: “The Supercaliber is for your more serious cross country rider who wants to maintain the hardtail versatility while moving on to a full suspension set-up. This is the bike that’s ridden by team Trek when it comes to XC races. The racy suspension tracks the ground and makes sure your rear wheel isn’t bouncing around and every pedal stroke counts so it’s more efficient than a long travel full suspension bike. When you’re racing, you want to maintain full contact with the ground all the time. The design of Supercaliber is about keeping the rider fresh, and keeping the bike light and efficient.”
Come and check out Trek Supercaliber in our Pickering store, where you can test ride it and compare it to Trek Top Fuel and more. Our friendly, expert team are there to offer advice and help make sure you pick the ride that’s right for you.
