Trek Stache?

Anyone on here happen to ride one on more ‘rowdy’ terrain? I’ve currently what could be described as a fillet brazed Chromag (built in a buddies shed but the geometry is similar to current Chromags despite being a couple of years old now…), and I love the way that it rides but I wouldn’t mind something that eats up chunder a bit better and had a larger margin for error. An ‘enduro’ full suspension bike would be the obvious choice but I keep coming back to the Stache because it looks like it’d be a right laugh, reminds me of the Funks, Yeti Ultimates etc back in the day and I always like to ride something a bit different.
Living in Squamish BC, the bike has got to take a bit of a beating although I won’t be sending it off big gaps, drops etc any more. I’m specifically looking at the carbon 9.7 2018 model but of course that’s not been out very long.

I’m more confident on mine than I was on my old full suss. The insane amount of grip counts for a lot! I don’t ride downhill or anything, though.

I ride my 9.8 on rough terrain, happy to do up to about 2ft drops, no issues whatsoever.

Wasn’t there a megathread on these?

I had one a while back , a 7, it did everything I wanted of it and I also ran 650b plus on it and thought the bike was excellent.

Stache mega thread

A better thread

Here

Amazing bike. Made my fs redundant for the riding I generally do.

It is as you say a right laugh. The fs is more capable when things get really rough downhill but the stache with the 3″ rubber just smooths everything out. The grip you get is outstanding but you do feel the rotational inertia of the big wheels (think gyroscopic effect) so the bike is sometimes a little hard to lean over when going fast.

The geometry is spot on but I would suggest trying a frame before you buy… Trek use a virtual frame measurement so 19″ is actual 18″ frame… Charts had me on a medium but this was way to small and cramped so went for the large with shorter stem and it fits like a glove.

Oh and it’s been to all Welsh trail centres / lakes and coped fine (bit I am old and broken so don’t get much air these days)

My Stache has done Welsh trail centres, most of the Lakes, Jacobs ladder in the Peaks and towpaths with my son. It’s a brilliant bike for not a lot of money.

Oddly, it feels like a proper spiritual successor to my old 26″ Chameleon. It’s strangely chuckable for such a big bike, but has much more comfort than the old SC piledriver.

My 5 is now a lot lighter than it was, even with the Magnum pro forks.

Get one. Absolute hooligan.

Thanks peeps. I hadn’t noticed that one thread despite doing a search. The Cam McCaul video is pretty hilarious.

Will, I got one if the carbon one earlier in the year and it’s been great. Certainly handles the rowdiness of the Chase well. Pics are later in the mega thread linked above (with obligatory purple bits).

Loads of fun and definitely an alternative to a bouncy bike. Tyres are an issue though as the stock Bontys are great in the dry but death in a stick in the slop (or deep gravel in my experience). I went all in and bought 3″ Minions which adds weight and drag but they’re really good. Expensive though and probably cost a lot of Canuckian Groats over there too.

For local stuff it’s fast and holds corners well. I’ve only done ab it if rocky stuff so far and while it was hard work it was so much better than a conventional Hardtail. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a good choice for when getting an bit older means you get hammered by the trails more than you once did but want to stick to hardtails.

Makes me want to save up for a plus front wheel even more 🙂

Hi Stu. I did notice your pics and planned to dorp you a line. Not sure what you mean by getting a bit older? I’m only 22! I plan to change to Minnions for sure as I can get industry pricing on them.

Do it molegrips! Love the stache so much I frankenbastarderised my solaris with plus front. It’s almost as fun… Almost.

Doncorleoni

Either someone else has the same frankenbastard or I’ve seen you at Swinley on that

Do it molegrips!

I will. Not cheap though, will need a carbon rim otherwise it’ll be stupid heavy, and the tyre will be a non-trivial cost. Have hubs though.

Did you find it much of a chore on the road switching to a plus front?

That’s me flash…

Don’t notice the drag from the front at all (bonty chapacrasasssass)… They are actually lighter than my old school 26 minions!

Just enough squish in the front to remove trail buzz (at 13 psi) and absorb small hits.

How do people find the wheel weight? The 2018 9.7 has ditched the carbon rims and has Duroc 50SL rims instead which seem pretty porky and I’d be running 3″ Minnions. The bike is also at the top end of what I want to spend anyway. The aluminium Stache 7 (not available here again for another month or so but not a big deal) is much cheaper, has SLX drivetrain which in some respects I might prefer over Eagle and for the money I can buy the bike for, I could get some pimpy I9 wheels, carbon cranks, decent bar / stem etc and really make the bike my own Vs the stock 9.7 carbon. Decisions decisions….

I miss mine. Such a ridiculously good fun bike. Possibly one of my favourites that I’ve owned. I’d have one again if I could have another bike. I ran a Vee Bulldozer on the front and Vittorio Bombolini out back. Seemed like a great combo

I didn’t notice the wheel weight to be honest. Had a 2016 with the mulefoot rims. Maybe took a bit more getting up to speed, but that’s it. Front popped up easy enough with the 3.25 tyre.

will need a carbon rim otherwise it’ll be stupid heavy

Whut?? You NEED a carbon rim?

I’ve seen them take on some very rocky descents in Lakes with confidence – both high speed and nadgery slow tech. I think the lack of toughness in the tyres is the weak point for hitting big rock gardens hard.

ChunkyMTB – Which Lefty do you have there?

Carbon SuperMax 29er….

love your iteration of the bike Chunky..

I have a wanted ad for a large Stache (19.5 virtual / 18.5 actual) if anyone is thinking of parting with one….

ChunkyMTB – Member
Carbon SuperMax 29er..

How much!?!?

I think new they are around £900-£1000. I picked my up second hand but as new for £700.

Very cool.

I’m not a big or heavy rider but love throwing my rigid 29+ around. I was riding it in a local XC race and a guy on a FS I caught and passed said “a bike like that shouldn’t go that fast” he then stacked it big time on a rooty descent that I just straight-lined. On hard pack and road the contact patch isn’t any wider than a regular 29 and rolls ridiculously quick

I have had a 2016 Stache 7 for 14 months now.
I have found the Chupacabras to be terrible in wet, deep mud.
Absolutely no grip whatsoever, laterally or when pedalling.

I have had to get off and push the bike along muddy bridleways because trying to pedal just spins the rear wheel so badly that the back slides sideways, and I end up facing 90 degrees to my direction of travel.
My riding mates find it hilarious of course!

There is no lateral grip either, the bike slides sideways down-hill on off-camber trails, leaving me stuck in the bottom of a rain gully, instead of riding down the descent up high on the side of the gully, like I do on my other bikes.

The next problem is rock-strikes that split the sidewall constantly.
Running the rear tyre at 12-14 PSI (I am 11.5 stone), gives me good grip for climbing, but that isn’t enough air to stop the rim hiting rocks on descents, that pinch the sidewall and split the tyre.
I have ruined many rides where the sealant won’t seal a split near the bead of the tyre, and I have had to limp home and tell the other guys to carry on without me.
I have had many occasions where a sidewall split has sealed, but I am covered in sealant and so is the bike, and I have lost half the air in the tyre before it has sealed.
I replaced the rear Chupacabra with a Surly Dirt Wizard which is loads better in the mud, and seems to be better for sidewall strength as well.
But Trek have sacrificed tyre strength/longevity for light weight, which makes the Chupacabras not up to the job.
Pumping the tyres up harder to try and stop the rim-strikes, removes the advantage of low tyre pressures with regards to grip and control, and makes the bike bounce off everything and become really hard to control.

The marketing videos you see for plus bikes are cheating in my opinion with the tyre pressures. They show really low tyre pressures on the climbs, showing huge traction and grip. You can see the sidewalls wrinkling as the bike rolls over the rocks/roots.
But in the same video when they then ‘hoon’ down the descent, boosting off everything – see how much air they have in their tyres then!
They have stopped at the top of the climb and pumped the tyres up.

I stopped riding my Stache because of the problems I had with it, and went back to my FS bike.

I have now bought standard 29er wheels for it (Boost of course ££££) and I will use it as a winter bike with standard 29er wheels/tyres, and take advantage of the mud clearance.

I am annoyed that the shop I bought it from wouldn’t let me test ride one first, not even just up and down the street outside, but that is an issue for a different forum post!