Rene Wildhaber probably did some timed runs and went a bit quicker on the 650b. What more could you expect than something like that?

Not just Rene, but also Shandro, Travis Brown, Tracy, and a host of other people in the development group. I’ll see if I can dig up the white paper and if it has any data in it on this subject, I’ll post it here.

It still comes down to the industry deciding that all people want to do is cover a distance off-road in the the least possible time, which for many of us is simply not true.

Although I do indicate that a lot of what we know about wheel size is about speed, in my defense I’ve also said loads about how ultimately it’s about what type of ride someone wants. That part is even in the video. And to be fair, lots of people do care about speed.

Hi all, Chris the ‘Trek lady’ here (Who called me lady!? #insult)

Anyhoo…As there seems to be some confusion, I thought I’d unconfuserize my statements.

Before I do that, let me just point out that there has been a LOT of editing to this video. Tons of stuff that I said was cut, and I suspect that’s the case with everyone else.

So, here’s the rest:

-Nothing we do shows us that any bike, of any range of travel is faster than a 29″ wheel. There are always exceptions, but in a bell curve style, 29ers are faster, and roll over terrain better, in general. I know you are all sick of hearing about research and testing, but that’s just how product developments happen. If not, then none of the bikes you are currently enjoying would be here.
-My comments about 27.5 separating itself from 26″ when you hit 140mm of travel: For the type of riding that a person would do that means they would choose a 140mm of travel or more, then what we’ve determined is that 27.5 wheels perform better than a 26″ in terms of speed and control, but not as well as a 29er in terms of speed and control. It doesn’t mean that 26″ doesn’t work. It just means that a better small wheel is slightly faster and more stable, but it still closer to a 26″ in terms of performance. 29″ is still way out there.
-DH bikes are still at 26″ wheel sizes because of the difficulty in creating larger rims that are stiff enough to withstand the rigors of DH riding, without a huge weight penalty. Believe me, everybody is probably prototyping DH bikes with bigger wheels.
-The Trek range provides 3 wheel size options based on the type of ride someone wants to experience. Some people want to go as fast as possible. Some people want to stick with what they started on. Some people want a happy medium. Some will never change. Some will experiment. All of that is just fine by us.
-The Fuel EX range comes in 26 and 29. Remedys as 27.5 and 29. Slash will be 27.5 only. Session, still 26.
– Many of our lower price point bikes will be 29ers simply because they are stable bikes for people to learn on. Sure, people can learn on 26″ wheels. All of us probably did. It’s about enabling people to feel confident, and you’ve all seen the information that shows that bigger wheels roll over things easier. Just look at fat bikes.
-Developing a new range of bikes, with all of the required tooling just to make them, let alone the R&D before even one of them rolls off a production line, is a massive expense. Then, for a company like us, you have to keep in mind that we have to make all of the associate Bontrager stuff, like tyres and tubes, to be able to accommodate yet another wheel size. The complete package is a very expensive proposition. And to use the dreaded ‘D’ word again, it takes at least 2-3 years to bring a product to the stage where it can even go into production. There are a ton of resources required to do that.

So there you have it. I’m sure that won’t satisfy everything, but I hope it sheds a bit of light on our take in the face of some shonky video editing.

@b45her

probably some more propriety shock bullshit to hide the fact that trek are still using the same suspension tech they were using 20 years ago.

You are joking with this comment, right?

@snakebite: If you sell it on Ebay, make sure to shout as loudly as possible that it’s a 2012 version! 😀

We were lucky enough to get Tracy Moseley’s stolen Session back, a year after it was taken. That was down to a good samaritan recognising it from the press release we sent at the time, buying it using PayPal so he could get his money back, and then calling us to say he had it.

@snakebike: We are currently working to pull bikes from other warehouses in Europe to make up for any orders that were due to be completed from this shipment. If yours was included in the stolen bikes, most likely it will just be a slight delay in getting your bike to you. Apologies for the inconvenience this might cause you. Hopefully, you’ll be riding your new bike soon.

Perhaps even more embarrassing than this gaff by Future, is that the TRADE publication Bike Biz has also indicated that they only review products from advertisers.

@team Yes. Completely. There is absolutely no incentive for Trek to hold back supply. The supply problem is now a customer service issue, and ultimately it’s costing the company money.

There is no problem with either DRCV forks or shocks. It has nothing to do with Fox.

There are lots of parts that go into a bike that are supplied by others who have the ability to produce said part better than a given manufacturer. It wasn’t a quality issue, it was a quantity issue.

Lead times change most of the time due to issues with vendors who are supplying parts for bikes. Lack of Di2 groups from Shimano, for example, will hold up any bike that has it spec’d. It’s not the fault of the manufacturer in cases like these. They are at the mercy of the supplier.

A vendor issue has pushed back deliveries on all 2012 Trek full suss bikes. This has been resolved now. In the meantime, demand for the bikes shot up. Under normal circumstances, the first round of bikes ordered would have been filled by now, and the second round of orders would be coming shortly. Production forecasts anticipate issues, but when it’s something that impacts every full suspension bike, there’s only so much hedging you can do. One vendor issue on a big scale is enough to interrupt the entire system, which is what is happening now.

It’s tough waiting around for a bike that you’ve ordered, to be sure. But imagine being on the other end and hearing this from dealers every day, and getting no sense of urgency from the vendor to step it up and make things right.

@mboy All 2012 Remedys have ISCG mounts, FYI, as do the alloy versions of the 2011 Remedy, just not the carbon ones.

The BB95 means that you can’t fit a BB mounted guide, but you can still run a bash guard.

If the frame has ISCG mounts, then there are no issues with fitting a chain guide. No mounts, no guide, I’m afraid.

Yes, I know what model it is, what year is it?

What model year is your Remedy?

@supersessions: Not sure about Klein. They are still sold in Japan, but Gary Klein is working in telescope design, last I heard.

I’m also a huge fan of Orange. I still love my Sub 3 from years ago.

Fisher was similar to Bontrager in that most likely it wouldn’t have survived had it not been bought by Trek. This is the best kept secret in the industry. Everyone wants to assume that Trek swept in and took these companies over in a juggernaut fashion, without mercy. The reality is that these companies were being led by innovators, not business people. Not to mention the fact that buying technology and reputation happens all of the time across every industry.

The Fisher brand isn’t going anywhere, any time soon. The move was a strategic one to allow Trek to bring 29ers into the European market, where by far most Trek’s are sold. It also answered a lot of demand for Trek to develop a 29er, when in reality they already had. They were just called Fishers. It also allows Gary Fisher himself to be an advocate for the entire company, not just his own brand.

That's nice work Tin! Thanks for that. I particularly like the workbench with room for legs while sitting. I like to sit and work on stuff.

Mike: The shed that is there is going bye bye, and a new one will stand in it's place and span the width of the garden. And I currently have two tool boxes, but I'd like to have some basics that are separate from that. And a headset press and remover just because… 🙂

Thanks Mike. I'm pretty well sorted on how to hang them. I plan to fancy things up with some diamond plate on the wall where the wheels will rest. And peg board, or slat wall, or both. Mua ah ah ah aaaah!

I'd read up on the idea of wiring it to the house alarm. It will be at the back of the garden. How much distance will those PIRs cover?

And Cheese: I'm really sorry that you won't share as it was your shed I was particularly targeting for my grand plan of stealing shed loads (see what I did there) of bikes. Oh well. Your diligence has saved you…This time.

OurMan: I've been lurking. Never really went away. 🙂