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Trek 27.5 Mountain Bikes

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What is 27.5?   27.5 (aka 650B) is a common wheel size found on mountain bikes.  The wheels (with tires mounted) measure about 27.5 inches in diameter.  They were introduced as an in between alternative to traditional 26 and 29 inch wheels, and they blend the strengths of both sizes.  For example, 27.5 wheels fit small riders better, accelerate quickly, and have a nimble feel similar to 26 inch wheels .  They also feel more stable, roll faster, and improve traction similar to 29 inch wheels .  

Who is it for?   Trek suggests riders go with the fastest wheel size that fits. Usually, the bigger wheel is the faster wheel. Trek mountain bikes come with 27.5 inch wheels on small and extra small frame sizes, but 29 inch wheels on medium through extra large frames. If you're a shorter rider, it's worth visiting your local bike shop to take a spin on a 27.5 bike to see how it feels.  But 27.5 isn't only for short riders.  You'll also find these wheels spec'ed on Enduro, Downhill, and Dirt Jumper bikes because of their lively, maneuverable feel.  If you spend a lot of time on the jumps at the Ogden Bike Park or have a need for DH speed, chances are some of the bikes on your wish list may roll with 27.5.

First Look: Trek Fuel EX 27.5+

Lower, slacker, and rowdier—this plus-size trail bike is the most capable Fuel EX we’ve tried

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Last year, when Trek entered the mid-fat mountain bike market with a remake of its successful Stache , it decided that 29+ was the optimal size for the hardtail. Now, the company has launched a new series of the popular full-suspension Fuel EX trail bike, which already comes in 27.5 and 29, in a 27.5+ version. It’s the Waterloo, Wisconsin, manufacturer’s entrée to the genre, and judging by our first month riding the bike, the company has done its design due diligence.

First, I really like the 2016 Fuel EX 29 . It feels like one of the best balanced, most all-around-capable trail bikes I rode this year. For those who want one bike that’s capable enough for pretty much any terrain but still light enough to race, there are few better options. It’s also worth noting that Trek, just a week ago, announced a revised version of the Fuel EX 29 and 27.5 that makes both bikes slacker and adds travel—130 millimeters and 150 millimeters respectively. That’s in keeping with industry trends, and though I hate to see a good bike change, I have to imagine that the new models will likely be just as fleet and even more proficient.

Following suit with the changes to the rest of the line, the new Fuel EX 27.5+ feels very different from the 29er model I’ve been riding, beyond just the extra tire girth. It has more travel, with 130 millimeters of rear travel and 140 millimeters up front, and is lower slung, thanks to a slightly taller head angle and a bottom bracket that’s a full centimeter lower than before. It has the same Mino-Link chip in the suspension as before that allows angle adjustments to the bike, from a comfy 67.2 degrees in high to a downright slack 66.6 degrees in low. The rear end has been tightened up, too, with even shorter chain stays.

Tech talk aside, the bike basically feels more upright, more stable at speed, and overall more capable on rocky and technical riding. It has a centered, grounded feel, like you’re sitting inside the frame rather than on top of it, which makes for serious confidence at high speed. The bigger tires, 2.8-inch Bontrager Chucupabras, make the bike even more assertive as all that rubber grips like sticky tape when you lean the bike hard.

The downside of all that stability is that climbing performance has dropped incrementally. Though it still pedals fine, thanks to the dialed Fox Float EVOL shock, the lower BB had me knocking the pedals in rocky or rooted terrain. And of course the bigger tires mean more rotating weight, so you don’t have the same sprightly feeling in the steeps. The good news is that the frame will accommodate 29er wheels (with up to 2.4-inch tires), so you could theoretically own two sets of hoops for ultimate versatility. If I took that approach, I’d be tempted to go light and fast on the 29ers and then find bigger rubber for the 27.5+ (for instance the excellent Maxxis Rekon+ ), because while the Chucupabras are great tires, they aren’t as capable as the bike and tend to wander and skitter in rocks and chunder.

On paper, the Fuel EX 27.5+ bears a striking resemblance to this year’s Gear of the Year-winning Specialized Stumpjumper 6Fatti e , but they are actually very different bikes. The Specialized is more of an all-around trail machine that takes its cues from the shorter travel Camber, while the Trek feels robust and rowdy, as if it’s inspired by longer-travel enduro machines. Both would make excellent daily drivers, but the Fuel EX would be our recommendation for riders who live in rockier, techier places or those who prefer to push more on descents.

The full-suspension Trek Fuel EX 27.5 Plus won’t replace any existing models but simply complement them for riders in search of greater versatility. It’s available in three models, including the EX 5 ($2,400) and EX 8 ($3,300), both aluminum, as well as the carbon EX 9.8 ($5,300) that we’ve been testing.

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You Can Have a 29er Downhill Bike - Trek Introduces the New Session 27.5 and Session 29 17

Big dh wheels for the masses and refinements across the board for trek session..

It’s a big day in mountain bike land with the launch of Trek’s new carbon Session downhill bikes. The most shocking news of the announcement is their commitment to a production 29-inch-wheeled DH machine which you will be able to buy. All you need is $4999.99 for a frame, fork and rear shock and a little patience to get you to October.

Trek’s Session has been a World Cup podium regular for years and the latest generation of the bike features refinements that Trek hopes translates into more speed for racers and more fun for those cranking out park laps.

What's New with Trek Session

While Trek continues to offer alloy versions of the Session, we’re focused on the carbon 27.5 and 29 models. The downhill bikes showcase the design features we’re used to seeing from the brand - OCLV carbon construction with carbon armor, Mino link geometry adjustment, Active Braking Pivot, Control Freak internal cable routing, and an E2 tapered head tube. The major frame design change this time around is the switch from Trek’s Full Floater suspension platform to a fixed lower shock mount arrangement.

Where did Full Floater go? Trek's Dylan Howes explains

The Full Floater was originally designed to provide that last bit of extra progression in the travel. The downside to the design was a compromise in stiffness due to the constraints of the parts in motion. By fixing the lower shock mount to the front triangle, Trek was able to add stiffness to the overall system.

FOX and Trek Suspension Developments

Trek’s Suspension lab also worked with FOX to develop a Session-specific tune on the Factory Float X2 rear shock. The metric-sized shock has a longer stroke, which means a lower leverage ratio and the new internals in the air shock offer more mid-stroke support and that extra bit of end-stroke progression that the Full Floater used to provide. The Float X2 shocks are user-tunable with the addition or subtraction of volume spacers.

FOX and Trek also went deeper on their Float X2 tuning tweaks to remove the initial platform the air shock had built in to it. The platform existed to help with pedaling across a variety of bikes. Trek wanted their Session’s Float X2 to be pure downhill. The internal changes create an X2 which has "better than coil" performance in the initial small-bump stroke of the travel. When Trek Factory Racing ripper, Gee Atherton, was informed of the Float X2's changes, he understood the benefits of the new air shock but preferred the feel of the coil just because he’d been riding them for so long. Had he not been injured at the Fort William BDS race a couple weeks ago, he may have found his way onto the air shock eventually. For those set on coil, don’t fret, 225x75mm metric coil shocks will fit.

Jose Gonzalez on the Session-specific FOX Factory Float X2 Tune

The Session Carbon is available in S, M, L and XL sizes. Though this bike obviously “looks like a session,” the bike is longer and more aggressive which is where downhill race machines are headed. Reach measurements have been increased by 20mm and the bike has a lower bottom bracket height thanks to input from the Athertons.

Session 27.5 Geometry (scroll left/right)

Session 29 Geometry (scroll left/right)

The stock head angle on the 27.5 is 63-degrees, but with the combo of Trek’s Mino Link and the included 1-degree off-set headset cups you can tweak your geometry as needed. Head tube angles can go from a super slack 62-degrees or as steep as 64.5-degrees, and bottom bracket height can be tweaked by as much as 8mm. Chainstay length is adjustable between 445mm or 446mm depending on the Mino Link setting.

Trek's Dylan Howes on why the Session 29 head angle is listed as slacker than the 27.5

We were able to use the same main frame for 27.5 and 29 but chainstays, seatstays and rocker links are all different. Using the same main, we set the BB-to-ground height the same, but to meet up with the fork and the bigger diameter wheel, the frame “tips back” about a degree. We correct for this using the angled headset cups to get the 29er back to a 63-degree HT angle. Out of the box, we intend the 27.5 bike to be run with a straight headset and the 29er with a “+1 deg” cup as the standard or nominal setting. We don’t really expect the rider or racer who has bought into the 29 to want to go steeper than 63-degrees, but we could see some of the more park/jumping-oriented riders who would choose the 27.5 bike for ride quality to possibly want a 64 degree HT angle. The cups are something we include with both bikes to give the rider more set-up and adjustment options. But bottom line, intended / standard geometry is 63 degree HT angle for both bikes.

Introducing the Trek Session 29 Carbon

Let’s get to the one you’ve all been waiting for, the Session 29 Carbon. That’s right, 29-inch wheeled downhill bikes are here for the masses and Trek could be considered the biggest reason why. There has been experimentation with 29ers in downhill for years, but until now the complete package of forks, tires and wheels hasn’t been available and DH bikes from five to ten years ago were generally a lot more compact than the stretched-out machines we see today. Trek saw the potential for 29ers in DH as far back as 2009 with early but less-than-successful prototyping. With the advent of modern race geometries and component designs, they revisited wheel size a couple years ago and began working closely with FOX to make sure suspension on the front end wasn’t going to hold them back.

Dylan Howes on the genesis of a Trek 29 DH bike

They carefully tested 29-inch DH wheels with modified 180mm-travel 27.5 FOX 40 forks. The data gained from those tests opened the eyes of both Trek and FOX and the 29-inch-specific FOX 40 came to life. While the Santa Cruz Syndicate was the first team to show up at the World Cup in Lourdes with the forks, there’s no doubt it was Trek’s push that excited FOX enough to get the product rolling. Now we’re seeing the snowball effect across World Cup DH teams that have access to the 29er FOX 40.

But 29ers Can't Turn?

The roll-over-anything, haul-ass-downhill wheels are great for World Cuppers going 50mph, but what about tighter handling and cornering? Trek gathered data from over one hundred downhill runs across various riders. They used data acquisition equipment and Lit Pro software to monitor speeds on every section of a variety of test tracks from SoCal to Whistler. The software provided side-by-side analysis of runs on each wheel size. It was no surprise that the 29-inch wheels shined in the rougher, straighter sections, but eyes were opened when the data showed that cornering speeds were also the same or even faster on the big wheels. Trek’s Jose Gonzales noted that he and his testers agreed that the 27.5 just "felt busier" through the turns while the 29er felt more calm. The result was less energy spent by the rider in addition to quicker times.

Dylan Howes discusses cornering

The compiled test runs indicate that the 29er was 4 to 6% faster from top to bottom and there wasn’t a single section in which the 29er was slower. The testers and data report that the big wheels provide more traction, so braking can be done later, corner speeds can be higher and exit momentum greater.

Watch the screen. The 29er is the bigger of the two dots ripping the trail. A heat map indicates speeds. Red means slow, green means fast. You can see the extended slow sections for the 27.5 compared the 29er.

Dylan Howes on fork offset and handling

Additionally, Trek points out that the bottom bracket height of the 27.5 and 29 are the basically the same relative to the ground, but the bottom bracket drop between the two bikes is considerably different because of wheel size and axle height. This means the 29er rider sits lower in the bike and actually has more leverage and input when leaning the bike over in a corner. Combine the stability and traction with the body positioning on the bike and the 29er does it all better on paper and according to those who’ve ridden it.

Jose Gonzalez on Tire Buzz

The Session 29’s wheelbase is less than a centimeter longer than the 27.5’s. This minute change allowed Trek to use the 27.5 carbon front end, only having to develop a 29er-specific rear triangle and swing link, keeping costs manageable for development and the consumer. During development, they took note that the rear wheel position in relation to rider position is in nearly the same place as on the 27.5. The modern bikes are longer and riders aren't hanging off the back like they may have in the past, so their experience with tire buzz is different than what a lot of internet users are speculating as a problem of the wheel size in a downhill application. They did note, however, that in hard-angled cornering, a rider may buzz their upper, inner thighs with the side of the tire because of the bigger wheel.

So who’s the Session 29er customer?

A hardcore racer who embraces the potential of the wheel size is who Trek expects to chomp at the bit for the Session 29. Park riders wanting to flick and whip will want to stick to the 27.5. Trek realizes that wheels and tires are still the weak point in the equation for publicly available 29er DH products and that’s why they’re offering only a frame, fork and rear shock package. Available in September/October of 2017, for a penny under five grand USD, the 29er DH experience can be yours. They believe early adopters of the technology will be serious enough about the bike to fill in any gaps required to get a race machine built and on the track.

Can 29ers be too fast? Jose Gonzalez discusses.

World Cup Racing and the Session 29

Unfortunately Gee Atherton’s injury at the BDS prevents him from racing at the Fort William World Cup in a couple days. We may see Trek World Racing athlete, Graeme Mudd, aboard the 29er, however. For now, Rachel Atherton is sticking to her 27.5 Session, but that may not be for long.

Jose Gonzalez on sharing the 29er DH vision with FOX

Trek session 9.9 27.5 rsl highlights and features.

• $7999 complete (September 2017), $3999 frameset (August 2017)
• Frame: OCLV Mountain Carbon main frame & stays, ABP, magnesium EVO Link, E2 tapered head tube, Mino Link, integrated frame protection, Control Freak internal routing, Carbon Armor, ISCG mount, 210mm travel
• Fork: Fox Factory 40 FIT RC2, air spring, Kashima Coat, hi/lo speed compression, 20mm thru axle, 203mm travel
• Shock: Fox Factory Float X2, high/low speed rebound adjust, high/low speed compression adjust, tuned by Trek Suspension Lab, 225x75mm
• Front Wheel: DT Swiss FR1950 Gravity Classic, 110x20 front, 157x12 rear
• Rear Wheel: DT Swiss FR1950 Gravity Classic
• Tires Bontrager G4 Team Issue, 27.5x2.35
• Drivetrain: Shimano Saint 10-speed, 36T ring
• Pedals: Wellgo MG-1, magnesium body, Cro-Mo axle, replaceable pins
• Brakes: Shimano Saint M820
• Bars: Bontrager Line Pro, OCLV Carbon, 35mm, 15mm rise, 820mm width
• Headset: FSA Orbit, sealed cartridge bearing, 1-1/8˝ top, 1.5˝ bottom (includes geometry adjust angled cups)
• Saddle: Bontrager Evoke 3, titanium rails
• Post: Bontrager Rhythm Elite, 2-bolt head, 31.6mm, zero offset
• Stem: Bontrager Line Pro Direct Mount, 35mm clamp, 50mm length
• Grips: Bontrager Rhythm, dual lock-on

Trek Session 29 Carbon Highlights

• $4999, frame, shock and fork package (October 2017)
• OCLV Mountain Carbon main frame & stays, ABP, magnesium EVO Link, E2 tapered head tube, Mino Link, integrated frame protection, Control Freak internal routing, Carbon Armor, ISCG mount, 190mm travel
• Fox Factory 40 FIT RC2, air spring, Kashima Coat, hi/lo speed compression, 20mm thru axle, 203mm travel
• Fox Factory Float X2, high/low speed rebound adjust, high/low speed compression adjust, tuned by Trek Suspension Lab
• FSA Orbit, sealed cartridge bearing, 1-1/8" top, 1.5" bottom (includes geometry adjust angled cups)

Hit up trekbikes.com for more information on the new Session downhill bikes.

Photos by Trek Bicycles, Sven Martin, Dan Hearn and Shawn Spomer

View replies to: You Can Have a 29er Downhill Bike - Trek Introduces the New Session 27.5 and Session 29

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Trek Marlin 7

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Weight / M - 14.08 kg / 31.05 lbs (with tubes)

At a glance

Marlin 7 is where race-worthy mountain bikes begin. The smooth, lightweight RockShox fork and upgraded parts make this model the best choice for new riders who want a great cross country hardtail that will hold its own against our higher-end race bikes.

Where To Buy

"Look fast, feel fast, go fast."

"Unlike some bikes on the cheap end of the spectrum that cater to the recreational user, this one is aimed firmly at entry-level riders who want a bike that's affordable yet capable of riding and racing hard."

Specifications

• Frame Alpha Silver Aluminum, internal routing, chainstay disc brake mount, rack and kickstand mount, 135x5mm QR
• Fork RockShox XC 30, coil spring, preload, TurnKey lockout, 46mm offset for 29" wheel, 100mm QR, 100mm travel
• Wheels Bontrager Connection, double-wall, 32-hole, 20mm width, presta valve
• Wheel Size 29"
• Tires Bontrager XR2 Comp, wire bead, 30 tpi, 29x2.20"
• Chain KMC X9, 9 speed
• Crank Shimano MT101, 36/22
• Shifters Shimano Altus M2010, 9 speed
• Brakeset Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc
• Handlebar Bontrager alloy, 31.8mm, 5mm rise
• Saddle Bontrager Arvada, steel rails, 138mm width
• Seatpost Bontrager alloy, 31.6mm, 12mm offset
• Stem Bontrager alloy, 31.8mm, Blendr compatible, 7 degree
• Grips Bontrager XR Trail Comp, nylon lock-on
• Headset Semi-integrated, 1-1/8"

Q: How much is a 2020 Trek Marlin 7?

A 2020 Trek Marlin 7 is typically priced around $800 USD when new. Be sure to shop around for the best price, and also look to the used market for a great deal.

Q: Where to buy a 2020 Trek Marlin 7?

The 2020 Trek Marlin 7 may be purchased directly from Trek .

Q: How much does a 2020 Trek Marlin 7 weigh?

A 2020 Trek Marlin 7 weights M - 14.08 kg / 31.05 lbs (with tubes).

Q: What size wheels does the 2020 Trek Marlin 7 have?

The 2020 Trek Marlin 7 has 29" wheels.

Q: What size 2020 Trek Marlin 7 should I get?

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Explore, search and compare thousands of the world’s best mountain bikes here on Mountain Bike Database.

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Trek Roscoe 7

Roscoe 7 is a hardtail for riders who wanna have a blast ripping up the trail. A plush 140mm suspension fork, 29er wheels, and a wide-range drivetrain with plenty of gears make this bike great for new riders yet playful enough to make even the most experienced shredders smile. It's right for you if... You're new to the trail and want a fun and accessible hardtail that keeps you confident and in control when the trail gets rough. Or, you're a more experienced trail rider and you want a hardtail that knows how to party when you're out riding with friends. The tech you get A lightweight aluminum frame, fast-rolling 29er wheels, wide and grippy 2.6" tires, and a 140mm RockShox Recon fork with a lockout. It's equipped with a reliable Shimano 1x12 drivetrain with a wide range of gears for climbing, powerful hydraulic disc brakes, and a dropper post for room to get low on descents, corners, and jumps. The final word When you're riding Roscoe 7, it doesn't matter if you're a first-timer or an off-road pro—whatever your skill level, you're gonna have fun. It's built for ease of use and durability, so you can focus on enjoying the trail ahead. Why you'll love it - 29er wheels and wide 2.6" tires make for a grippy, confident, and fast-rolling ride - The dropper post lets you lower your saddle on the fly so it's out of the way on descents - The RockShox fork's Solo Air spring can easily be adjusted for a specific rider weight, and it's lighter than a coil spring - The fork’s lockout feature lets you temporarily lock the suspension for better efficiency on flat stretches Wheel size: - Sizes X-Small – Small: 27.5-inch - Sizes Medium – X-Large: 29-inch

Due to supply-chain issues, Specs are subject to change without notice.

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Bontrager Gnarwhal TLR – 27.5 x 4.5 Studded Tire

It’s not very often, that we need to borrow a fat-bike to test a fat-bike tire, but it’s happened before with super fat sized tires and the litany of new wheel/hub and tire choices has created a similar situation at times. This time it was Trek’s new 27,5 fat wheel size that created the need for a demo bike to test the new Bontrager Gnarwhal 27.5 x 4.5 tires. So along with this new set of aggressive and studable tires, came a shiny orange Trek Farley 6, festooned with Bontrager flat pedals, dropper post, and a really sweet set of miniature rechargeable blinky lights. I’m going to save my thoughts about the wheel size for another time and stick to reviewing the Gnarwhal as a fat-bike tire. If you have a fat-bike with 26 inch wheels, you can change the channel, but if you ride a bike from our friends at Trek or Rocky Mountain, with those new 27.5 rims, you may be interested in reading on.

Even before we had a set of wheels or a bike to run them, we were given the opportunity to take a look at some production samples and we weighed and measured the gnew Gnarwhals. These were some of the very first sample tires that were only available for a short time. After those tires had endured a grueling schedule of guest appearances they ended up in Alaska, but we were eventually granted long term access to a set, out of the same batch of prototype production samples. Our test tires came mounted tubeless to a set of Bonty Jackalope Wheels with the studs already installed along with a handy magnetized Tire Stud Tool and 225 spare Aluminum Carbide Tire Studs, just in case I lost any during testing. Lets get to some measurements. The two tires weighed in at 1507 g and 1519 g (without studs). 218 of their studs weigh 64 g, so that puts us at 1571 – 1583 g per tire (with every available stud receptacle filled). Riders have the choice to run fewer studs to reduce weight. For comparison – A studded Dillinger 5 weighs ~ 1600 g. When laid flat the Bead to Bead was 260 mm and the tread to tread measured 124 mm. The outer stud to outer stud measurement came in at 85 mm.

The Gnarwhal is a square lugged knobby tire, that has some siping for added grip and 218 stud positions available. It’s an aggressively knobbed tire designed to give the folks that run this wheel size a choice for when conditions get rough and you need the added traction that big knobs bring to the table. The Gnarwhal joins the Hodag (low knob) and the Barbegazzi (mid-knob) family of Bontrager tires and plays both the big knobbed and studded tire roles very nicely. Let me read to you a passage from the book of Trek – “The Gnarwhal TLR is a stud-ready winter tire designed to bite into any trail surface.” The first place that I rode the gnew Gnarwhals was at the Farm that’s adjacent to Trek’s HQ. We rode some pavement and some gravel road to the trails and then rode frozen dirt on the really sweet singletrack that Trek uses as a sophisticated tool in their product development process. The tires ran great, with no sign of self steer or wobbles. Off road traction was definitely on the upper end of the scale. I even got to ride on a couple frozen puddles. These tires BITE!

So I’ve been riding this blaze orange Trek with the studded Gnarwhals for the last six or seven weeks. During that time, mother nature has thrown just about every kind of condition, for which, a tire like the Gnarwhal, should be tested. I rode in pre-winter frozen dirt. I rode during our first wet snow and two subsequent nine inch snow storms, in both groomed and un-groomed snow. We had a serious melt back that created both plate ice and crust conditions. After the last melt-back, I rode in just about, the slickest conditions that exist. Imagine a rutted and hiker pocked set of trails that has refrozen into smooth undulating plate ice; then while it’s still frozen hard, lay down just a snick of snow on top of the plate ice, with no adhesion between the new snow and the old layer of ice. Near the end of the test, the local lakes and rivers froze over and I rode across Rock Lake with the ice singing and pinging away in sort of an alien whale song. I even took them out on the beach for a big group ride called Fatter by the Lake.

The Gnarwhals are overkill on frozen dirt. Hero dirt performance isn’t what these tires were designed to to tackle. To provide you with an idea of what they were designed to tackle, let me read to you another passage from the book of Trek – “When bite and traction are required above all else this tire keeps you moving. Roll through the roughest terrain and deepest snow with the stud-ready aggressively treaded Gnarwhal.” When we enjoyed back to back nine inch snow storms, a few weeks ago, I experienced the kind of conditions that the Gnarwhal was designed to tackle. They did their job pretty well in up to about 5-6 inches of fluff. Groomed snow traction was also quite good. They float pretty well, but I feel like they’re not as float-a-licious as a Bud or a Ground Control. Tires with this much traction generally exhibit slightly more rolling resistance. Sorry for that dose of reality, but when these things are set at trail pressures, the square knobs present with moderate rolling resistance, especially on harder surfaces. Rolling resistance is a natural trade off, for added traction and bite.

Where the Gnarwhals really shine, was on the rutted ice conditions that I described above. Plate ice, with ruts from all sorts of foot and mechanized travel that would put almost any un-studded rider on their ass, was rock solid with the Gnarwhals. I rode in some really pretty sun-snow-showers that laid down about a quarter of an inch of fresh snow on top of my local ice packed trails during testing. The kind of conditions that have resulted in a couple of broken bones in my past. The Gnarwhals handled those conditions with ease and cat-like traction. Any of you that look at the stud count on these tires and think, that there might not be enough, would be mistaken. I felt every bit as stable on these tires as I do riding studded Dillingers. I have a healthy fear/respect for riding on frozen Lakes and Rivers. It really gets my adrenaline pumping to take a solo ride across a big frozen lake in the winter. I took the Gnarwhals across Rock Lake on one of the coldest days yet this winter. I stopped in the middle to take a photo (below) and as soon as I put my foot down, my un-studded boot slipped right out from under me and left me sprawled out on the ice. I hadn’t remembered to install studs on my boots. But that illustrates what a good studded tire can do in icy conditions – they BITE! These Gnarwhal TLR tires are good studded tires.

The bottom line is that the folks that made the mistake and got locked into the 27.5 fat wheel diameter now have a aggressively knobbed snow tire that has the option to be studded. That means that Farley owners have something to celebrate! The gnew Gnarwhal TLR is available now at Trek Dealers in the USA. The MSRP is $120 (unstudded). The Stud Kit with 225 studs is $50 and the handy magnetic Stud Tool is $10.

bontrager , fat , fat-bike , fat-bikes , fatbike , fatbikes , fatbiking , gnarwhal , studded tires , tire , tires , trek

18 Responses to Bontrager Gnarwhal TLR – 27.5 x 4.5 Studded Tire

Can we get a few more measurements please? Rim width Tire width when mounted on said rim OD

Rim – 80mm Mounted tire – 109mm

Great write-up as always. The one thing I noticed about that bike when you had me ride it around the lot was them pedals! It felt like I was standing on a deck compared to my ZuZu’s. I have them on every one of my bikes. I may have to broaden my pedal horizons. My only fear would be pedal strikes, but I could probably live with a bit of that for the comfort!

I heard they can’t clear the brace on a Bluto when studded. Can you confirm. Cheers

Sorry – We never tested the tire on a Bluto.

I tried these tires on a Bluto at our shop, it clears, but only by a paper thin margin. I would not recommend it at all. Any dirt or snow on the tire would cause immediate rubbing.

I’ve now had a chance to try it with studs, too. The studs scrap against the fork on the top. This tire is a definite no-go on the Bluto.

How do they compare to agressive 4.8 snow tyres (bud/lou) on 100mm rims? Are they efficient in difficult snow conditions?

They are relatively the same in every respect, except in flotation. Bud has a slight edge in the flotation department,IMO, but it could just be that the bud is wider, while the GW is taller by 28mm.

Any idea where to actually buy these? They sound great for the icy conditions we’ve been seeing lots of but I can’t find any of the 27.5s for sale.

Bud is like 2.5mm wider.

I think flotation is a wash, at best, but given the longer contact patch of the Gnarwhal, I think it’s likely more efficient on a wider range of surfaces. And *then* you factor in the studs, and it’s a big win.

The stud kit is available from Trek?

Stud Kit is available from your friendly Trek dealer.

right on…. have a set on my 9.6. worth the wait. great tires… big tires.

Do you still think that 27.5 wheels are a “mistake”?

Stud pattern looks much improved from the 26×4″ Gnarwhal, more studs and further out. I liked the traction of the smaller tires but they lacked float and studs on the sides of the tire for, you know, turning.

Looks like Bontrager hit it out of the park with the brew Gnarwhals!

Front tyre is mounted round the wrong way by the looks of things

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