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2023 Trek Slash 8 Gen. 6 - Weight, Specs, Price

Why We Love It:

Read the trek buyer's guide here.

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Carve Up the Trails with Trek’s Long Travel and Lively Slash 8

This 150/160mm aluminum 29er features trail handling and enduro travel.

The Takeaway: With less-aggressive geometry than many of its competitors, the Slash is a big-travel bike for trail riders

• Trek's proprietary shock offers superb rear-suspension performance.
• Shorter reach and wheelbase than many enduro 29ers
• Great parts featuring SRAM Eagle with 10-50 cassette

Price : $3,679

Trek built the Slash to be the mountain bike for the rider who wants a bigger bike but isn’t afraid of a long climb, or an epic day of trail riding.

An efficient climber, especially with SRAM’s GX Eagle drivetrain, allows you to lay the power down all day. It’s for big mountain days, crushing rock filled descents and popping off the lips of jumps all while climbing back to the top with a smile on your face. Even when the trail is flatter, the Slash is still efficient on the pedals. In the flowy sections of trail, the Slash begs to carve corners and play on trailside features.

.css-1hhr1pq{text-align:center;font-size:1.1875rem;line-height:1.6;font-family:Charter,Charter-roboto,Charter-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;}.css-1hhr1pq em{font-style:italic;font-family:Charter,Charter-styleitalic-roboto,Charter-styleitalic-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;}.css-1hhr1pq strong{font-family:Charter,Charter-weightbold-roboto,Charter-weightbold-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:bold;} —The Slash's Five Coolest Features—

Frame Saver

Trek's Knock Block system prevents the bar and fork from spinning around and damaging the frame.

Smooth Shock

Trek's regressive Reaktiv thru-shaft damper is extremely supple.

Up and Down

The reversible Mino Link lets the rider fine tune the Slash's geometry.

Razzle Dazzle

The harlequin stickers appear to change color.

Handy Guides

Sag markings on the fork and shock make setting up the suspension easier.

The Slash 8 is the base model, so it didn’t have the corner exit snap of a lighter bike, but that was more from the wheels than the frame. You can feel that it begs to be sprinted out of each corner. The RE:aktiv with Thru Shaft works faster than a normal so a little bit of setup time is required to get the balance right. One that suspension gets settled, turning the Slash loose in the rough becomes easy. It strikes a natural balance between precision and forgivness in the rough, falling naturally towards the precision side, with its efficiency, but will pull you through if you go full reckless.

The Slash Aluminum Family

The Slash 8 is the only aluminum model in the lineup, and the cheapest at $3,680. The 9.7, 9.8, and 9.9 are all made of carbon, and are priced from $4,730 to $7,500. The Slash 9.7 moves to the carbon frame, but goes to NX Eagle for the shifting. The Slash 9.8 runs the SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, but moves to a Fox Performance 36 Float fork and Bontrager Line Carbon 30 to the wheelset. The top of the line Slash 9.9 features the same carbon hoops, Fox Factory 36 Float with GRIP2, X01 Eagle drivetrain, and Shimano Deore XT 4-piston brakes.

The Slash's Tech

Like many full suspension bikes, the Slash 8 has adjustable geometry to help riders fine-tune a bike's geometry to their preferences. The Mino Link allows for head angle adjustments of ½ degree and 10mm of bottom bracket height. I tried both settings before settling on the low: the Slash behaved and climbed well enough that I couldn’t justify keeping the bike in the high setting.

One thing the aluminum Slash has that its more expensive carbon siblings don't is an 18.5" size between the 17.5" and 19.5". This gives medium-height riders the option to size up for a bit more reach and a longer wheelbase, or size down for a more compact, quicker-handling bike.

Modern bikes are always pushing longer, lower and slacker. The Slash is a bit long in the tooth these days, and so the geometry looks conservative today, even though it wasn't when it launched. The Mino Link allows for head angle adjustment from 65.1 to 65.6 degrees. With a 51mm offset and 160mm fork, the front end is a little quicker than many of its competitors. The reach for the 17.5 and the 18.5 are 431mm and 446mm respectively, which, for a 29er enduro bike, is on the short side of current trends.

The Trek's product manager didn't cut any corners on the rear suspension, equipping the Slash 8 with a RockShox Deluxe RT3, RE:aktiv with Thru Shaft. The RockShox Yari RC on the front brings value-minded performance with just compression and rebound adjustment.

The SRAM GX Eagle is proven to be a reliable performer. Trek brings everything else in house with their Bontranger brand with including the dropper post. One piece to keep in mind, is the “Knock Block” headset, with restricts the fork from turning too far, or spinning backward and hitting the frame, similar to how a downhill fork with bump stops functions.

The Competition

Ride Impressions

Trek’s Slash 8 is built to be a mountain bike. This sounds obvious, but it’s well rounded enough to handle everything well, but leans towards the aggressive trail and enduro end of the spectrum, but is comfortable on normal trail riding.

The Slash's handling was intuitive, and I was able to jump right into riding my favorite trails with no adjustment period.

The Slash is efficient, although I did find myself reaching for the little blue cheater lever for climbing on occasion. Climbing steep sections, the front end did occasionally wander. That's not surprising for a 150/160mm 29er, and the Slash is easier to manage on slow and steep climbs than many of its competitors, partially because of its more-conservative geometry.

Still, I had no problem getting rowdy on the Slash 8. It was ready to carve and pop off lips on the flow trails and was one of the easiest bikes I’ve been on to pull out a big whip over a hip. That efficiency combined with the lively feel of the RE:aktiv shock take away from the planted feeling out of many bikes with this amount of travel, but the Slash 8 never feels unsettled. When the rider drops their heels and sinks into attack mode, it will just eat up anything you put in its way. It does a great job balancing the fine line between precision and forgiveness when pinning it though the most technical sections.

With smooth suspension, great parts, and balanced handling, the Slash is more trail bike than enduro race bike. So if you prefer a trail bike with more travel, the Slash 8 is a great bike.

equipment Slash 8

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Trek Slash 8

• AUS $ NZD $ USD $ CAD $ GBP £ EUR €

Colour / Matte Trek Black, Miami to Volt Fade

Size / 15.5 in., 17.5 in., 18.5 in., 19.5 in., 21.5 in.

At a glance

Active Braking Pivot (ABP), Straight Shot frame design with Knock Block steerer stop, EVO link, Mino Link adjustable geometry, Control freak internal cable routing, Down tube guard

Where To Buy

Specifications

• Frame Alpha Platinum Aluminum
• Fork RockShox Yari RC, DebonAir, Motion Control RC damper, 51mm offset, 110x15mm Boost thru-axle, 160mm
• Shock RockShox Deluxe RT3, RE:aktiv with Thru Shaft 3-position damper, 230mm x 57.5mm
• Hubs Bontrager Line Comp, 110x15mm Boost front, 148x12mm Boost 54 tooth Rapid Drive rear
• Wheels Bontrager Line Comp 30, tubeless ready (tubeless strips included)
• Wheel Size 29"
• Tires Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, tubeless ready, Inner Strength sidewalls, 120 tpi, aramid bead, 29" x 2.4"
• Chain 433mm, N/A, Truvativ Descendant Eagle, 32 tooth, direct mount, SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed
• Crank Truvativ Descendant 6k Eagle DUB
• Bottom Bracket 352mm, SRAM DUB PressFit, 92mm
• Rear Derailleur SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed, Roller Bearing Clutch
• Shifters SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed
• Brakeset SRAM Guide R hydraulic disc, SRAM Guide R hydraulic disc
• Handlebar Bontrager Line, 35mm clamp, 27.5mm rise, 780mm width
• Saddle Bontrager Arvada, hollow chromoly rails
• Seatpost Bontrager Line, internal routing, 100mm travel (15.5"), 125mm travel (17.5"/18.5"), 150mm travel (19.5"/21.5"), 31.6mm, Standard single bolt, 31.6mm, Standard single bolt
• Stem Bontrager Line, 35mm clamp, 0 degree rise, Knock Block
• Grips Bontrager XR Trail Elite, alloy lock-on
• Headset Knock Block Integrated, sealed cartridge bearing

Q: How much is a 2019 Trek Slash 8?

A 2019 Trek Slash 8 is typically priced around $3,680 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 2019 Trek Slash 8?

The 2019 Trek Slash 8 may be purchased directly from Trek .

Q: What size wheels does the 2019 Trek Slash 8 have?

The 2019 Trek Slash 8 has 29" wheels.

Q: What size 2019 Trek Slash 8 should I get?

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Pinkbike's 2023 Mountain Bike of the Year

"Slash checks all the boxes for long-travel performance with super-aggressive geometry, loads of adjustability, and mind-blowing high-pivot suspension that makes you feel like a hero. Don't take our word for it, check out why Pinkbike crowned Slash Bike of the Year."

"Upping the game"

"The Slash and the new Vivid shock are a true power couple and required almost zero tuning to get me to a happy spot [...] props to Trek on nailing a great tune for most riders [...] Trek Slash ranks very high on my list of bikes ridden in the last two years. If climbing takes a back seat to downhill capabilities – fun, charging hard and going big – you may not want to wait until we’ve logged enough miles for our long-term review to pull the trigger."

"4.5/5 Stars"

"This is without doubt the most efficient high-pivot idler bike I’ve pedalled. While the travel is plush, there’s good support so you can pop and pump down the trail, with a lively and light ride character, while still remaining stable and composed when the trails get rough. Trek has shown what's possible here and it's impressive"

"Slaps a huge smile on your face"

"Slash 2024 is the next evolutionary stage of high pivot bikes, bringing all the advantages of a high pivot suspension design while at the same time eliminating most of its drawbacks."

"More ‘dynamic edge’ than ever before"

"So there are a lot of little things on this Slash that combine really well to produce extra sparkle on the trail. First off, let me just say the suspension performance is simply sensational. The shock requires very little force to move and it changes direction quickly – it feels as buttery as a coil shock. I’d even say the small bump performance is better than any air shock I’ve ridden. Diving into the deeper end of the travel it feels like there is more than 160mm available."

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The 10 Best Ferengi Episodes Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ranked

"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" is unlike any other "Star Trek" series, diverging from franchise creator Gene Roddenberry's vision after his death  and digging into stories and characters that were more morally gray than the original series or "Star Trek: The Next Generation." "Deep Space Nine" took place on board the space station Deep Space Nine, located in a key position near the freshly liberated planet of Bajor and a newly discovered wormhole to another quadrant of the universe. Several seasons are occupied with the Dominion War , forcing "Star Trek" to contend with concepts like terrorism, torture, and more, making it one of the darkest of all of the "Trek" shows. Thankfully, however, the show also has a secret comedy card: the Ferengi.

The big-eared, bulbous headed aliens obsessed with capitalism were something of a bad stereotype in the franchise until "Deep Space Nine," where they finally got a chance to shine and correct earlier missteps by making the Ferengi more complex. It paid off incredibly well, with several Ferengi characters becoming fan favorites by the series' end, especially begrudgingly empathetic bar owner Quark (Armin Shimerman). As a result, there are quite a few great episodes centered around the Ferengi and their various misadventures, and I have collected and ranked the 10 best for your enjoyment. Honorable mentions include "Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places," "Who Mourns for Morn," and "In the Cards," which are all fantastic episodes but weren't  quite as Ferengi-focused as the ones that made the cut. Without further ado, please insert your latinum to the left and let's check out the best Ferengi episodes on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!"

10. Prophet Motive

Throughout "Deep Space Nine," Quark has a complicated relationship with Grand Nagus Zek (Wallace Shawn), the supreme leader of the Ferengi people, but things get their absolute weirdest in the season 3 episode "Prophet Motive." In the episode, Zek reveals to Quark and his brother Rom (Max Grodénchik) that he is changing the Rules of Acquisition and completely turning Ferengi culture on its head, embracing kindness and sharing — not exactly well-known Ferengi traits. He even tells a customer of Quark's how to get the item he's trying to sell her at wholesale, which is pretty much a Ferengi hate-crime. It turns out that he found one of the Bajoran prayer orbs and the prophets changed him, so Quark decides to take Zek into the wormhole to confront the prophets directly.

The prophets are basically gods who exist outside of linear time, so having the Ferengi, who are basically just greedy "Star Trek" hobbits, go to confront them is absolutely hilarious. The prophets aren't particularly impressed with the Ferengi and it takes some serious sweet-talking on Quark's part to not be changed the same way Zek was. Instead the prophets "fix" Zek and kick Quark and his ship back out into the Alpha quadrant and tell them not to ever come back, like some unruly house guests no longer welcome at a party. It's  really funny and gives the prophets the chance to be something other than just frustratingly mysterious.

9. The House of Quark

Quark has to be good at talking his way out of trouble ... because his mouth so frequently get him into trouble. When he's not working on various get-rich-quick schemes or ways to smuggle illegal goods through a Federation station, he's lusting after women that are totally out of his league and pretty dangerous for him to be around. Quark loves a feisty woman, and perhaps his most intense romance was with Grilka (Mary Kay Adams). After Quark accidentally kills her husband in a bar fight and then claims to have done it on purpose, he is tasked with marrying Grilka and taking over her Klingon house. That goes about as well as one might expect, since Quark is not exactly up to Klingon social standards.

In the end, Quark ends up saving Grilka and her house in a very Ferengi way, using his wits and knowledge of finances to figure out that Grilka's rival house has been stealing from her, which is a real Klingon no-no. Quark ends up divorced from Grilka but they stay friendly, and he eventually tries to woo her for real a few seasons later in "Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places." Who doesn't love a Ferengi-Klingon episode? That's a match made in "Star Trek" heaven.

8. Family Business

In the season 3 episode "Family Business," three great recurring characters were introduced for the first time, and two of them are Ferengi. (The third is freighter captain Kasidy Yates, played by Penny Johnson Jerald, who eventually goes on to marry Captain Sisko.) In the episode, Rom and Quark are tasked with returning to the Ferengi home planet of Ferenginar because their mother, Ishka, has been charged with the crime of earning a profit while female. It's the first appearance of Ishka, played by Andrea Martin, though in future episodes she would be played by Cecily Adams, and she's a hilarious blessing of a character. Ishka is a brilliant financial mind who wears clothes (Ferengi women are supposed to stay nude) and resists the gendered rules of her society, and that drives Quark absolutely up a wall.

The episode also introduces Jeffrey Combs' character Brunt, who works as a liquidator for the Ferengi Commerce Authority and has it out for Quark and his family. Combs has played a ton of "Star Trek" characters over the years, but as Brunt he gets the chance to be a part of the greater ridiculous Ferengi family, and he's terrific. "Family Business" is great for finally showing us Ferenginar and introducing Ishka and Brunt, but there's another episode that gives them even more to do and it's wonderful.

7. Ferengi Love Songs

Quark can be pretty selfish, and in "Ferengi Love Songs," he puts his own happiness and success before his mother's when it's revealed that she's having a romantic affair with Zek and Quark does everything in his power to drive a wedge between them. The episode introduces Adams as Ishka, better known as "Moogie," taking over the role from Martin. Ishka is a sassy, self-assured woman who ends up being the brains behind the throne, so to speak, helping Zek to right Ferengi finances and become more competitive throughout the universe. When Quark gets in the way, it ends up being disastrous not only for Moogie and Zek but for all of Ferenginar, and he soon realizes that he needs to give his mother a lot more credit than he has before.

The episode is one of the best comedic episodes in all of "Star Trek," with several great moments involving people either hiding in Quark's closet or using it as a place to teleport, leading to some sci-fi sitcom-esque hijinks. Adams and Shawn are fantastic together, calling one another pet names and nuzzling their prosthetic-covered noses, and it's hard not to root for their romance. It's rare to see love between elderly couples on TV, let alone elderly aliens with bulbous heads, making "Ferengi Love Songs" as refreshing as it is funny.

6. Body Parts

"Deep Space Nine" is unique among "Star Trek" shows in that it forces characters who otherwise wouldn't interact to live in the same space station. Quark is, arguably, the greatest character in the franchise because he provides a totally different lens through which to view humanity and the Federation. His episodes run the gamut from zany and irreverent to much more serious fare, and in the episode "Body Parts," we get to see who he really is when things go horribly, horribly wrong. When Ferengi die, they have their ashes pressed into collectible coins to be sold to the highest bidder, and when Quark discovers that he is terminally ill, he begins the bidding. Unfortunately, the medical tests were wrong and Quark isn't going to die, but he's already sold his remains to an anonymous bidder who turns out to be his nemesis, Brunt. He either has to kill himself and fulfill the contract or break it, which will lead to him being cut off from all of Ferengi society and forfeiting all of his assets.

He ends up deciding to live even though it goes against everything he's ever believed, and in the end all of his friends aboard Deep Space Nine help him by replenishing his supplies and helping him to restore his business. Even though Quark thinks he's lost all of his assets, Rom informs him that he's richer than he ever knew because of his friendships. It's a moment that shows how much Quark has grown and changed on account of being surrounded by filthy hu-mans, and it shows how much the people around him have changed too, growing to love the fiscally finicky Ferengi.

5. It's Only a Paper Moon

Not all Ferengi episodes are funny or full of warm and fuzzy feelings. The season 7 episode "It's Only a Paper Moon" follows Nog (Aron Eisenberg), Rom's son and Quark's nephew, after he loses his leg in battle during the Siege of AR-558 and is subsequently stricken with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After years of hard work to become a Starfleet officer, he becomes unable to cope with what happened on AR-558 and seeks solace in the holodeck. He spends all of his time in a well-loved program that hosts Vegas lounge singer Vic Fontaine (James Darren), trying to escape reality through Vic's music and the glittering false world. It's tough to believe that one of the best episodes in all of "Deep Space Nine" features a Ferengi who we were introduced to as a child character and a hologram, but "It's Only a Paper Moon" is truly an all-timer.

Originally, the plan was for Nog to lose both legs , but that was just a bit too much. Even then, "It's Only a Paper Moon" is heart-wrenching stuff that deals with the horrors of war in a very personal way. Eisenberg's performance is nuanced and exquisite even beneath all of those layers of prosthetic makeup, and the episode is even more poignant following the actor's death in 2019. If you can watch "It's Only a Paper Moon" without crying, you might be a Vulcan or a Borg.

4. Little Green Men

Time travel episodes in "Star Trek" can be hit-or-miss, but the season 4 "Deep Space Nine" episode "Little Green Men" is a total blast. After being gifted a shuttle by his cousin Gaila, Quark takes Rom and Nog to Earth so that Nog can enroll in Starfleet Academy. Of course, he also does a bit of illegal smuggling in the process to make things profitable, and that illicit cargo helps send the Ferengi back in time to Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The shapeshifting Constable Odo (René Auberjonois) also comes along, as he hid aboard the shuttle to spy on Quark. The Ferengi crash land and end up waking up in a government facility and Quark sets about trying to swindle humanity as quickly as possible once Rom gets their universal translators fixed. Odo ends up convincing them not to change the timeline or alter Earth's history any more than they already have, though Quark has to really fight against his worst instincts. 

"Little Green Men" is great because it's not just fun "Star Trek" but fun science-fiction, positing that the little green men with big heads and beady eyes associated with the purported Roswell crash were actually Ferengi from 24th century. Not only that, but it's also an episode that forces Odo and Quark to work together, which is always pure gold. "Little Green Men" isn't groundbreaking, but it is a seriously good time. 

3. Rules of Acquisition

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Ferengi society throughout "Deep Space Nine" is the way it evolves, especially when it comes to the treatment of women (or "females," as Quark and co. are prone to calling them). Ferengi culture is deeply sexist, forcing its women to stay home, naked. The only men they are allowed to talk to are members of their own immediate family, and they're not allowed to hold jobs or earn profit. While Ishka eventually made major changes to the status quo when she started dating Zek, another Ferengi woman first shook things up in the season 2 episode "Rules of Acquisition."

Pel (Helene Udy) is a Ferengi woman pretending to be a man, wearing prosthetic ears over her own. She works for Quark and falls in love with him, eventually confessing her secret to Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell). When Quark discovers her true identity, he is shocked but actually tries to help her, offering her money so she can leave and start a new life. (Sure, it would protect him from the punishment of doing business with a Ferengi woman as well, but he could have thrown her under the bus just as easily.) Quark has feelings for Pel but can't accept them, and though Zek learns the truth, Quark still defends her. Pel ends up starting a new life in the Gamma Quadrant and we never see her again, but she made a lasting impact on Quark, who would develop newfound empathy and become a much better man in time.

2. Bar Association

While Quark learns to be more flexible in his dealings with women, he has a much harder time when it comes to his hardcore capitalist leanings. He treats his employees terribly, even his brother Rom, which leads to poor Rom collapsing at work with an ear infection. In the infirmary, Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) suggests that Rom form a union, something that's extremely illegal among the Ferengi. Rom does it, taking advice from Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), who tells him about his ancestor who wasn't "just a great man, he was a union man." Rom and the rest of Quark's employees unionize and go on strike, leading to just about everyone boycotting his establishment. The episode gives Rom a chance to really shine, which is great because he's a truly unusual Ferengi man. He's sensitive and caring and in touch with his feminine side, and is more interested in doing the right thing than he is in making profit. (He even gives up all of his wealth when he marries a Bajoran woman, something that's absolutely unheard of.)

The episode doesn't have the same kind of dramatic tension that became the standard on "Deep Space Nine," but the interpersonal character relationships are stellar and it shows that Ferengi are still individuals who can shirk tradition. Despite Brunt showing up and giving Quark a hard time, the bar owner eventually relents and gives his employees raises and time off, as long as they pretend like he "won" to save face with the Commerce Authority. The best part is that Rom ends up taking a job in engineering, realizing his own worth and giving himself a fresh start.

1. The Magnificent Ferengi

What do you get when you task a group of ragtag Ferengi with a hostage rescue mission against the Dominion? You get "The Magnificent Ferengi," an absolute joy of an episode that sees Quark assemble a team of crooks and relatives to rescue Ishka after she's taken hostage. They end up doing a hostage trade, turning over a Vorta named Keevan (Christopher Shea) in exchange for Ishka on an abandoned Cardassian station that looks just like Deep Space Nine. The only problem is that they accidentally kill Keevan before they can do the exchange, and they're surrounded by an army of Jem'hadar under the command of a Vorta named Yelgrun (played by punk icon Iggy Pop). As such, they end up pulling a "Weekend at Bernie's" by rigging electrodes to Keevan that Nog can control via remote, forcing his body to walk. It's  really funny, and while the episode is about as deep as a kiddie pool, it's a much-needed respite from the bleak Dominion War episodes that dominate the later seasons of "Deep Space Nine."

"The Magnificent Ferengi" has it all: Quark being savvy, Nog saving the day, a whole bunch of great in-fighting among the Ferengi, a reanimated Vorta corpse, and some brilliant moments. Keevan's last words might be "I hate Ferengi," but this episode should help anyone who watches fall in love with them.

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