trek procaliber 6 review

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Trek Procaliber 6 Review

• High-end aluminum frame
• benchmark bike in this price range
• strong in the uphills
• very good wheels
• 25 years warranty

OVERALL BIKE CHECK

The most importanten ratings of the Procaliber 6 ⬤ in comparison to the competitor bikes of following categorie: (Allround-Hardtail up to 1500 €) ⬤ .

VALUE for MONEY CHECK

If you are keen on value for money, this is your chart. It shows you at a glance how many bike you get for 1299 €.

Expirience with the Trek Procaliber 6

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Je steiler der Winkel des Sitzrohrs ist, desto effizienter können Sie in die Pedale treten.

• Frame Procaliber alu Alpha Platinum Aluminium, konisches Steuerrohr, interne Zugführung, BSA 73, versteckte Gepäckträger- und Seitenständeraufnahmen, UDH, Boost148, 12 mm Steckachse
• Frame Material Aluminium
• Fork RockShox Judy Silver, Solo Air-Luftfeder, TurnKey-Lockout, konischer Gabelschaft, 42 mm Versatz, Boost110, 15 mm Maxle Stealth-Achse, 120 mm Federweg
• Spring Unit air
• Remote-Lockout yes
• Gearrange 510%
• Drivetrain 1x12
• Gear Lever Shimano Deore M6100, 12fach
• Rear Derailleur Shimano XT M8100, langer Käfig
• Crank Shimano MT512, 30 Z, 55 mm Kettenlinie, 175 mm Kurbelarmlänge
• Cassette Shimano Deore M6100, 10-51 Z., 12fach
• Chain Shimano Deore M6100, 12fach
• Brake Set Hydraulische Scheibenbremse Shimano MT200
• Brake Rotors 180/160
• Rims Bontrager Kovee, Hohlkammerfelge, Tubeless Ready, 28-Loch, 23 mm Innenweite, Presta-Ventil
• Front Hub Shimano TC500, Aluminium, Center Lock-Scheibenaufnahme, 110 x 15 mm Steckachse
• Rear Hub Shimano TC500, Aluminium, Center Lock-Scheibenaufnahme, 148 x 12 mm Steckachse
• Tires Front Bontrager Sainte-Anne Pro XR, Tubeless-Ready, Zweikomponenten-Mischung, Aramidwulstkern, 60 TPI, 29 x 2.20
• Tires Rear Bontrager Sainte-Anne Pro XR, Tubeless-Ready, Zweikomponenten-Mischung, Aramidwulstkern, 60 TPI, 29 x 2.20
• Saddle Verse Short, Stahlstreben, 145 mm Breite
• Seat Post Bontrager Line Dropper
• Stem Bontrager Elite, 31,8 mm Klemmdurchmesser, Blendr-kompatibel, 7 Grad, 70 mm Länge
• Handle Bar Bontrager, Aluminium, 31,8 mm, 15 mm Rise, 750 mm Breite
• Handle Bar Width 750
• Head Set Semi-integriertes, offenes Kugellager, 1 1/8" oben, 1,5" unten

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Trek Procaliber 6 review

Can this ‘scissor’ frame cut fatigue and add speed?

Mick Kirkman

Guy Kesteven

Stiff, accurate frame; dropper and bigger-tyre friendly; Judy fork and Eagle gears; shock-shrugging IsoSpeed

IsoSpeed takes a wallop to start moving and then a while to stop; backswept bar and seat tube won’t suit all; surprisingly slow tyres

Trek introduced its unique ‘IsoSpeed’ frame technology to its alloy MTBs last year, and the Procal 6 adds 12-speed SRAM Eagle shifting and RockShox’s impressive new Judy fork to the mix.

• The Specialized Stumpjumper Evo Pro Carbon has landed
• Cube Reaction C:62 review

Trek Procaliber 6 frame

The IsoSpeed system uses a small pivot to ‘decouple’ the seat tube and top tube, allowing them to articulate back and forwards independently. The bottom of the dramatically offset asymmetric seat tube is also almost completely flattened to form a leaf spring segment, to help soften blows from the trail.

Other distinctive frame details include the ‘waist’ on the head tube and the extensively shaped and tapered top tube.

There’s a cable port for a Shimano side-swing front mech in case you want to swap the single chainring for a double, plus two mounting stubs that’ll also work for a chain guide.

A seat-tube exit hole and ‘spare’ internal down-tube routing allow you to upgrade to a stealth dropper, and the 31.6mm seat tube diameter gives you a full choice of posts, compared to the limited options available in 27.2mm.

You get mounts for two bottle-cages too. The rear stays have no braces, to give max mud clearance. They end at neat Boost-width dropouts for a through-axle (with a QR lever on the end, for tool-free wheel removal/insertion), with a brake mount that bridges between the stays.

Trek Procaliber 6 kit

Despite its complex frame and low price, the Procal 6 has a good spec. The Judy Gold is smooth, well-controlled and relatively light, thanks to its full-alloy construction.

It has a through-axle for accurate tracking and a shifter-style ‘OneLoc’ remote lockout. The only downside is the plastic ‘flag’ adjuster that makes rebound adjustment crude.

Drive is provided by a full SRAM NX Eagle set-up, with an oversized DUB axle rotating in broad-spaced press-fit bearings, which maximise stiffness but can be a pain to service.

The XG-1230 cassette is heavy in weight and feel compared to Shimano, but the shifting through the 11-50t gear range is simplicity itself and gives great drive efficiency.

Brakes are the basic but utterly dependable Shimano MT400s. The rest of the kit is Bontrager, including the distinctively backswept bar.

Trek Procaliber 6 ride

That bar makes a huge difference. By sweeping your hands further back, it mimics the effect of a shorter stem, so the 90mm unit feels more like 60-70mm.

As a result, the Trek feels twitchier and lighter, and there’s less weight on the front tyre. That’s compounded by an unusually slack seat tube, which also shifts your weight backward. This is handy for popping the wheel up over obstacles or off drops, but makes the front end more ‘fussy’ in terms of wandering about and losing the line, particularly on climbs.

As for the IsoSpeed system, it definitely, visibly works. If you hit a big lump, the seat tube bulges forward and the post sways back to help you ride out the blow. That’s useful if you get caught in the saddle by a big wallop, but most of the time you’ll be up and on the pedals anyway.

The shock-absorbing advantage while you’re powering a seated gear is also tempered by obvious rebound bounce, which can continue distractingly long after the initial impact. It takes a lot to get it moving too.

Bontrager’s X2 tyres are slower and less forgiving than their looks suggest — the ride was noticeably quicker and smoother when I swapped in the Chisel’s wheels.

The Trek still gets power down firmly though, without being as bruising as the Cube, and the accurate-tracking frame and quality fork mean you can drive the front end hard, once you’re used to the bar. Dropper compatibility and the ability to fit fatter tyres give the Procal 6 more aggressive-terrain potential too.

Trek Procaliber 6 specifications and geometry

• Sizes (*tested): 13.5, 15.5, 17.5, 18.5, 19.5*, 21.5, 23in
• Weight: 12.42kg
• Frame: ‘Alpha Platinum’ aluminium alloy
• Fork: RockShox Judy Gold RL Solo Air w/ OneLoc remote, 100mm (3.9in) travel
• Chainset: SRAM NX Eagle DUB, 30t
• Bottom bracket: SRAM DUB PF92
• Cassette: SRAM XG-1230, 11-50t
• Chain: SRAM NX Eagle
• Mech: SRAM NX Eagle
• Shifters: SRAM NX Eagle (1x12)
• Hubs: Bontrager
• Axles: 15x110 Boost (f), 12x148mm Boost (r)
• Rims: Bontrager Kovee
• Spokes: 28 stainless
• Tyres: Bontrager XR2 Team Issue 29x2.2in (54mm measured)
• Wheel weight: 1.97kg (f), 2.83kg (r), inc tyres
• Stem: Bontrager Elite, 90mm
• Bar: Bontrager Comp, 720mm
• Grips: Bontrager XR Trail Comp
• Headset: FSA IS-2
• Saddle: Bontrager Arvada
• Seatpost: Bontrager rigid
• Brakes: Shimano MT400, 180/160mm rotors

Trek Procaliber 6 geometry

• Seat angle: 72°
• Head angle: 69.5°
• Chainstay: 43.5cm / 17.13"
• Seat tube: 47cm / 18.5"
• Top tube: 64cm / 25.2"
• Head tube: 10cm / 3.94"
• Fork offset: 5.1cm / 2.01"
• Trail: 8.3cm / 3.27"
• Bottom-bracket drop: 5.8cm / 2.28"
• Bottom-bracket height: 31cm / 12.2"
• Wheelbase: 113cm / 44.49"
• Stack: 60.4cm / 23.78"
• Reach: 44cm / 17.32"

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Trek Procaliber 9.7 review

• Alan Muldoon
• April 7, 2020

Crosses the finish line first because it’s the fastest bike. Simple.

Trek Procaliber 9.7 Credit: Future PLC

Product Overview

Overall rating:, trek procaliber 9.7.

• Speed with comfort
• No dropper post

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:, editor’s choice 2020.

Since the dawn of mountain biking, engineers and enthusiasts have been trying to make the humble hardtail more compliant. We’ve had suspension seatposts, soft-tails, flex stay, curved stays, mono-stays and box stays. You name it, someone has tried it. No approach however, has been as effective as Trek’s IsoSpeed decoupler; first developed on its road bikes designed to race across the gruelling cobbles of Paris Roubaix.

And while the execution of the design is complex, like all good ideas, the concept is elegant in its simplicity. By decoupling the seat tube from the top tube, Trek is able to let the seat tube flex more easily, which in turn transmits less vibrabration to the rider. Or, to think about it another way, the seat stays run into the top-tube, instead of the back of the back seat tube.

Whatever way you slice it, Trek’s IsoSpeed decoupler offers a noticeably smoother ride when seated. So even though the Procaliber 9.7 isn’t one of the new breed of progressive XC hardtails with slacker geometry, we were still able to ride it faster with less fatigue than any other XC hardtail in test. It’s incredible turn of speed enhanced further by the Bontrager Kovee Elite carbon rims. They also tipped the balance of the scales in Trek’s favour too, as the Procaliber 9.7 was also the lightest bike in our XC hardtail test.

The Trek Procaliber 9.7 crossed our finish line first because it’s the fastest bike on test. And in XC racing, that’s all that counts.

>>> MBR Trail Bike of the Year 2020

Modern XC race hardtails aren’t just designed to be ruthlessly efficient on the climbs. The best composite frames also use custom carbon layering, unique fibre alignments and sculpted tube profiles to engineer in compliance. And while the Procaliber 9.7 incorporates all of the above, Trek takes it one step further with its IsoSpeed technology.

First designed to improve the comfort of its road bikes, IsoSpeed decouples the seat tube from the top tube, which in turn allows the seat tube to flex more easily and transmit less trail buzz to the rider. The simple idea being, less systemic rider fatigue leaves more energy for turning pedals. Sounds great in theory, right? Well, the good news is, it’s even better in practice.

Yes, the extra tech involved in IsoSpeed adds a few grams to the frame weight, but Trek has still managed to produce the lightest bike in the test, even if it’s only 110g lighter than its closest rival, the Mondraker Chrono Carbon R. Most of the savings are rotational weight – the carbon Bontrager Kovee Elite wheels guaranteeing that the Trek is lightning fast off the start line.

IsoSpeed decoupler is a game-changer

In fact we were so surprised to see carbon hoops on the Procaliber 9.7, we actually double-checked that Trek hadn’t sent a more expensive model by mistake. As it turns out it couldn’t have, even if it had wanted to, as the Procaliber 9.7 at is actually the most expensive XC hardtail that Trek offers in the UK.

RockShox reba fork is responsive but also offers decent support

In the RockShox hierarchy, the 100mm-travel Reba on the Trek sits below the SID on the Mondraker but above the Judy on the Specialized Epic HT . It strikes a great balance in terms of performance too. On high-speed chatter it’s more forgiving on your hands than the SID, but it still offers more support for cornering and cranking hard than the Judy.

And if you really want to tighten up the response of the suspension fork for a spot of black-top blasting, the RockShox under-bar remote lockout is always within easy reach. It feels plastic-y compared to the remote on the Scott Scale 920, but thanks to the super-light cable action it’s effortless in use. And, because the release lever sits proud of the lockout lever, you always open up the fork when you reach for it in a moment of panic.

Silicone grips save weight as well as your hands

Have we mentioned the Trek’s lightweight carbon wheels? Well, we should also highlight that they were the only wheels in the test to come set up tubeless. All you have to do is add sealant, which Trek kindly provides.

The contact points on the Procaliber are sorted too, and we particularly liked the ESI Chunky silicone grips . Granted the 12-Speed Eagle drivetrain with its 11-50t cassette doesn’t give you as wide a gear range as the Scott, but the SRAM XG-1230 cassette still offers a marked improvement in shifting performance over the Specialized.

Performance

When we first set eyes on the Trek, it wasn’t love at first sight. If anything, we thought the size large bike looked a little ungainly with its inverted 95mm stem and taller top tube. We even went as far as to peg it ‘the roadie’s mountain bike’.

Then we rode it. From the first pedal stroke the Procaliber took the lead in this test and never faltered. We were instantly won over by its effortless turn of speed, in part thanks to the carbon wheels, but it’s also about the more forgiving ride quality of the frame. Bumps just didn’t chip away at our speed as much as they did on the other bikes on test. And even when we were out of the saddle, the Procaliber was still the smoothest bike here. So much so, that the real limiting factor on rougher more technical terrain is saddle height. So while the weight savings of the OCLV carbon seatpost aren’t to be sniffed at, we’d swap it for a short-travel dropper in a heartbeat.

Stablemates

Trek procaliber 6, £1,400.

This is the entry-level bike in the Procaliber range. It gets an Alpha Platinum aluminium frame rather than carbon, but it still sports the IsoSpeed design that decouples the top tube from the seat tube to offer a smoother, faster ride. The geometry and sizing also mirror our test winner, so handing should be on point too.

Trek Supercaliber 9.7, £4,000

If you want the look of a hardtail but an even more forgiving ride than the Procaliber 9.7, how about the new Supercaliber? With its IsoStrut design delivering 60mm of travel, it could well be the perfect balance between hardtail efficiency and weight saving, with full-suspension comfort and control.

What’s new for 2021?

Depending on personal preference and course conditions, Trek wanted to make it easier for riders or races to swap between the Procaliber hardtail and the Supercalibrer suspension bike. So for 2021 the sizing and geometry of the Procaliber has been brought inline with the 60mm travel Supercaliber. The end result is that the Procaliber gets a half a degree slacker head angle for improved steering stability. The reach measurement has also increased by 10mm, while the stem shortens by the same amount so the fit remains the same. All positive changes, that should guarantee the 2021 Procaliber retains its winning performance.

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Trek Procaliber 6

• AUS $ NZD $ USD $ CAD $ GBP £ EUR €

Weight / M - 12.20 kg / 26.9 lbs (with tubes)

At a glance

Procaliber 6 is a fast cross country mountain bike and the most affordable MTB model with IsoSpeed—a decoupler at the top tube/seat tube junction that provides additional compliance on rough courses. IsoSpeed gives you a unique and substantial advantage over a traditional hardtail, because it cuts down on the trail’s fatiguing bumps and delivers a smoother, faster ride.

Where To Buy

"Everything about this bike screams speed"

"If you're looking for a hardtail XC race bike, you'd be hard pressed to find a better option. This bike will make you faster, no upgrades required. "

"Stunningly light. Fast and nimble. "

"A fleet, hard-charging machine that punishes the competition and not your body. If cross-country racing is your thing, you'd be hard pressed to find a better machine than Procaliber. "

"Unlike any other hardtail we've ridden."

"We would be hard-pressed to recommend a better bike for a cross-country rider."

Specifications

• Frame Alpha Platinum Aluminum, IsoSpeed, tapered head tube, internal derailleur routing, balanced post mount brake, Boost148, G2 Geometry on 29ers
• Fork RockShox Judy Gold RL, Solo Air, Motion Control damper, remote lockout, tapered steerer, Boost110, G2 Geometry w/51mm offset on 29ers, 100mm travel (13.5: 80mm travel)
• Wheels Bontrager Kovee 28-hole Tubeless Ready
• Wheel Size 29" 27.5"
• Tires Bontrager XR2 Team Issue, Tubeless Ready, 120 tpi, aramid bead, 29x2.20˝ (13.5 & 15.5: 27.5x2.20˝)
• Chain SRAM NX Eagle
• Crank SRAM NX Eagle Dub, 30T Direct Mount
• Shifters SRAM NX Eagle, 12 speed
• Brakeset Shimano MT400 hydraulic disc
• Handlebar Bontrager Comp alloy, 31.8mm, 5mm rise, 720mm width (13.5: 690mm width)
• Saddle Bontrager Arvada, hollow chromoly rails
• Seatpost Bontrager alloy, 2-bolt head, 31.6mm, 8mm offset
• Stem Bontrager Elite, 31.8mm, 7 degree, Blendr compatible
• Grips Bontrager XR Trail Comp, nylon lock-on
• Headset FSA IS-2, 1-1/8˝ top, 1.5˝ bottom

Q: Where to buy a 2019 Trek Procaliber 6?

The 2019 Trek Procaliber 6 may be purchased directly from Trek .

Q: How much does a 2019 Trek Procaliber 6 weigh?

A 2019 Trek Procaliber 6 weights M - 12.20 kg / 26.9 lbs (with tubes).

Q: What size wheels does the 2019 Trek Procaliber 6 have?

The 2019 Trek Procaliber 6 has 29" and 27.5" wheels.

Q: What size 2019 Trek Procaliber 6 should I get?

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Trek Procaliber 9.6 Review

by Ben Haworth June 11, 2023 0

Sure, you can ride the Trek Procaliber 9.6 whenever and wherever you like but the raison d’être of the Trek Procaliber is to perform between the race tape.

• Brand : Trek
• Product : Procaliber 9.6
• Price : £2,550.00
• From : trekbikes.com
• Tested by : Benji for Singletrackworld Magazine Issue 149

The other two hardtails in our ‘ Double Yer Money Hardtails ‘ test are all-rounder Traily McTrailface mountain bikes. This Trek Procaliber is decidedly not an all-rounder.

Rather than include a £2,400+ all-rounder trail hardtail, of which there are legion, we think it’s more illuminating and useful to go niche. To highlight the option of buying a very specific tool-for-the-job type of mountain bike.

The job for this Procaliber tool is cross-country racing. This is the sort of machine where the rides that aren’t actual races are called ‘training rides’.

The USP of the Trek Procaliber 9.6 is Trek’s IsoSpeed feature. First seen on Trek’s road racing bikes designed for the cobbled ways of Flanders, IsoSpeed basically detaches the seat tube from the top tube, allowing it to flex fore-aft. It’s a very modern take on ye olde soft-tail designs that did the rounds in the nineties and noughties.

Whereas those older designs typically had some sort of spring placed inside a wishbone seat stay arrangement, the Trek Procaliber has a fixing placed just in front of the seat tube and below the top tube and a wedge of elastomery material in the join. I’ll get into how it feels on the trail shortly.

The frame is made from Trek’s OCLV Mountain grade of carbon and, quite frankly, it looks really rad. The waspish black and yellow colourway is particularly pleasing. The aesthetic helps offset the relatively unexciting build kit. The own-brand finishing kit, mid-tier Shimano stuff and fairly nondescript RockShox Recon fork are all fine but hardly set the pulse racing.

In some ways all these rather uninspiring black bits actually help the bike (frame) look as great as it does. The bars are suitably cross-country narrow. The stem is similarly cross-country-tastically lengthy (80mm). The Bontrager XR2 Team Issue tyres are thrillingly bald. The MT410 brakes and the Recon fork are the two main disappointing spec choices. It just looks a bit too cost-cutting on a bike that otherwise looks so fine.

Looking at the rest of the Procaliber range you’d have to spend £3,775 to get a spec that looks suitably snazzy (Procaliber 9.8 with Fox fork, carbon wheelset, Shimano XT and so on).

The geometry of the Procaliber is on the less progressive side of things, even for a cross-country bike: steep 68.8° head angle, short 450mm reach (Large), dinky 90mm head tube length (Large). Oh and no, there is no dropper seatpost.

It can be hard to explain what makes a bike good at cross-country. It’s not just about being light and stiff. For trail riders, the geometry of cross-country race bikes is often entirely baffling. Steep head angles? Long stems? Narrow bars? Haven’t we left all that sort of stuff behind us?

The thing is, such geometry is not meant to be all-round effective. Cross-country geometry is principally meant to feel fast on climbs (the key word there being ‘feel’; racing is almost as much a mental exercise as physical). The narrow bars are arguably mainly there for aerodynamic reasons as much as anything. And if you have narrow bars (with a steep head angle) you need a lengthy stem to keep the front end from flailing madly when you’re redline drooling.

Why not put a slacker head angle on to cure everything? It’s hard to explain. The best explanation I can say is that it’s about pumping the terrain for even more speed. Cross-country races are won on anything that isn’t a descent. Descending speed is very much not important. Being fast downhill doesn’t win you races really. You can certainly lose races by being poor downhill, but you can’t win ’em. As such, the steep head angle is there to keep the front tyre contact patch nearer to you (usually a Really Bad Idea for Normal MTBing) so you can work the terrain underneath it for increased momentum.

Cross-country races are won primarily on the climbs, but the flatter and contouring stuff also matters a lot. Cross-country race geometry is a very specific system and the Trek Procaliber is more specific than most. And the Trek Procaliber is fast AF where and when it has to be. Sure, the downhills are more an exercise of holding-on rather than grinning-through, but the Procaliber’s grins can be found on race day podiums or (whisper it) Strava leaderboards.

All the boring black bits bolted to the Trek Procaliber 9.6 work fine. The fork is surprisingly active and combined with the IsoSpeed ‘rear suspension’ (when seated) actually makes for a remarkably un-punishing ride feel. There’s a reason the Procaliber is used by a lot of marathon endurance racers instead of a full-suspension bike. Also, by judicious use of the fork lockout, the Procaliber does the whole stood-up stamp-attack mode thing very well too.

I did think overall it would be even better with a dropper seatpost. Just a little one. The IsoSpeed system seems serendipitously perfect for dropper posts; droppers have zero fore-aft flex to them (unlike static seatposts) so IsoSpeed means you can run a dropper and still have a flexy perch experience.

This Trek Procaliber 9.6 is a great example of how an increase in budget can gain you access to a world of specificity. I wouldn’t recommend the Procaliber for everyone. It’s not a bike I personally would have. But if anyone is looking for an effective weapon for cross-country racing (whether real world racing or imaginary online Strava racing) then this is very probably one of the best bikes for going as hard as possible for as long as possible on the tracks and terrain that the stopwatch unsparingly demands.

It is a bike that can attack tracks with the best of them, yet it is perfectly capable of having a recovery breather on when you need one. The active fork, supple tyres and undoubtedly the IsoSpeed ‘soft-tail’ feature afford you a pleasing respite from the sheer brutality of the bike’s out-of-the-saddle efficiency of propulsion. It’s something of a Lycra-clad Jekyll and Hyde creation. Sat down, it’s comfy and polite. Stood up, it’s a freaking monster.

• Frame // OCLV Mountain Carbon
• Fork // RockShox Recon Gold RL LockOut, 100mm
• Wheels // Bontrager Kovee Comp 23
• Front tyre // Bontrager XR2 Team Issue 29×2.2
• Rear tyre // Bontrager XR2 Team Issue 29×2.2
• Chainset // Shimano MT611, 30T, 175mm
• Drivetrain // Shimano SLX/XT, 12-speed, 10–51T
• Brakes // Shimano MT410, 180/160mm
• Stem // Bontrager Rhythm Comp, 80mm, 31.8mm
• Bars // Bontrager Rhythm Comp, 750 x 15mm, 31.8mm
• Grips // Bontrager XR Trail Comp Lock-on
• Seatpost // Bontrager Comp, 31.6mm
• Saddle // Bontrager Arvada
• BB // Shimano MT500 PF92
• Size tested // L
• Sizes available // S, M, ML, L, XL, XXL
• Head angle // 68.8°
• Effective seat angle // 73.8°
• Seat tube length // 470mm
• Head tube length // 90mm
• Effective top tube // 625mm
• BB height // 60mm BB drop
• Reach // 450mm
• Chainstay // 432mm
• Wheelbase // 1,133mm
• Weight // 11.7kg

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Review Info

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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High Performance and High Value Meet in the Trek Procaliber 9.7

This hardtail is a lightweight and dependable mountain bike with a carbon frame and wheels.

The Takeaway: The Procaliber 9.7 is one of the best hardtail mountain bikes you can buy for less than four grand.

• OCLV Carbon frame
• Tubeless-ready carbon wheels
• Incredibly light

The tradeoff for a killer carbon frame and carbon wheels on a sub-4K bike is the drivetrain. The SRAM NX Eagle is reliable but doesn’t offer the crisp shifting of pricier component groups like Shimano XT or X01 Eagle. It’s also notably heavier than those groupsets, with most of that weight in the cassette and crankset.

IsoSpeed Decoupler

The IsoSpeed decoupler, unique to Trek, is an interesting feature. It adds vertical compliance by creating a hinge of sorts between the seat tube and the top tube, allowing the former to move independently of the latter. If you’ve never ridden a bike with this decoupler, you might be inclined to think it’s snake oil. Given that we live i n a world flush with companies touting frames with vertical compliance and lateral stiffness (with varying levels of success), I’ll forgive you that assumption. But make no mistake, this is no snake oil. The IsoSpeed adds so much compliance you can actually see the seat tube moving under you if you bounce on the saddle. To be fair, some of that flex comes from the carbon seat post, which further adds to the vertical compliance. Together they make a bike that’s surprisingly comfortable for long, hard hours of trail riding .

Fast Wheels

Tubeless-ready carbon wheels are a rare find at this price.

Remote Lockout

The RockShox Reba RL fork has a handlebar-mounted remote lockout.

XR2 Team Issue Tires

These tires are wicked fast on dry trails and hold their own in the mud.

NX Eagle Drivetrain

An 11-50 cassette and 30t chainring provide all the gearing you need.

Vertical Compliance

The IsoSpeed decoupler makes this bike comfortable over long, rough trail rides.

Initially I was put off by that soft feeling. I tested the Procaliber right on the heels of the very lively Specialized Epic Hardtail Pro . By comparison the Procaliber 9.7 felt subdued, almost boring. In early test rides, I misdiagnosed this bike as dead and lifeless. However, once I became more familiar with the Procaliber 9.7, I realized I was feeling the effect of the decoupler. The claims of vertical compliance were real. The more time I spent banging around the rough and rocky trails of my test track, the more I realized this bike was still just as lively as other hardtails, but the rough edges I was accustomed to were gone.

Procaliber Family

The Procaliber line consists of three bikes, and the 9.7 resides at the top of the list. At $2,600, the 9.6 is laced with the nicer but more expensive Shimano XT drivetrain, but the cost is balanced by cheaper alloy wheels and a RockShox Recon Gold fork (noticeable steps down from the 9.7). This bike is a super deal for anyone who already has a nice set of wheels they really like. If aluminum frames are your jam, the Procaliber 6 warrants consideration.

.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;} Trek Procaliber 9.7 Details

Style XC Material Carbon Wheel Size 29-inch Fork 100mm RockShox Reba RL Drivetrain SRAM NX Eagle Cranks Truvativ Stylo 6k Eagle Dub Chainring 30t Cassette 11-50 Brakes Shimano MT500 hydraulic disc Wheels Bontrager Kovee Elite 23 Carbon Tires 2.2-inch Tubeless-ready Bontrager XR2 Team Issue Saddle Bontrager Montrose Comp Seatpost Bontrager Pro OCLV Carbon Handlebar 720mm Bontrager Race Lite Alloy Stem Bontrager Elite

Geometry That Bucks The Trend

On paper, the Procaliber 9.7 thumbs its nose at the current trend of long, low, and slack mountain bikes. A 69.5-degree head angle is as steep as you’ll find on an XC bike, half a degree steeper than the already aggressive Cannondale F-Si and a full degree steeper than Specialized’s Epic Hardtail. A slack 72-degree seat angle also runs against the grain, especially next to the aggressive 74 degrees of the Specialized. It stands in stark contrast to modern XC bikes that are trending towards slacker head angles and steeper seat angles. The reach is short (457mm), stack is low (628mm), and the bottom bracket is high (311mm).

However, it would be foolish to pass this bike over because it doesn’t conform to a trend. The slack seat angle was apparent before I even looked at the geometry because I had to slide my saddle farther forward than I’m accustomed to, as was the short reach, amplified by the narrow 720mm handlebar. After a few hours, I was comfortable on the bike, accustomed to the sharp steering that required a light touch, and riding as hard and fast around my test track as I’ve done on any other bike.

Smooth, Steady, And Fast

As I alluded to earlier, I was slow to warm up to this bike. My last tester was the Specialized Epic Hardtail Pro, which I described as lively, wild, and exciting. Compared to the Specialized , this Trek initially appeared dull and uninspiring. Like a fine wine, it took its time to open up to me. Still, there was no spark.

If the Epic Hardtail Pro is the wild affair, the Procaliber 9.7 is the safe bet, the one you invite to Thanksgiving. And costing just under two thousand dollars less, it's also a cheaper date .

It’s hard to find a fault with this bike. It’s shockingly light—my XL test sample weighed in at only 21.6 pounds. Considering the Epic Hardtail Pro tipped the scales at 21.3 pounds, benefitting from lighter SRAM X01 groupset, carbon cranks, and a carbon handlebar, you’ll see it’s very easy to drop major weight off the Trek if you're a weight weenie. Of course, the NX Eagle drivetrain doesn’t shift as smoothly as SRAM’s higher-level groupsets, but it’s a fair tradeoff for the top-flight frame and carbon hoops. This bike is everything you could ask for from a cross country hardtail: light, fast, responsive, and compliant. At $3,780, it’s not cheap, but it offers incredible value.

procaliber Procaliber 9.7

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Bike Reviews

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Six-Month Review: Trek Procaliber SL

With the Procaliber SL, Trek has reengineered the race bike with a modicum of comfort and revived our interest in hardtails

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The Takeaway

The Good:  The IsoSpeed decoupler takes the hard edge off trails and makes it possible to go faster for longer. The combination of Boost hub spacing and the excellent new DT Swiss XMC 1200 Carbon makes for some of the lightest, stiffest, hardest-driving wheels we’ve ridden. RockShox’s RS-1 fork is the fork benchmark for small-bump compliance and XC performance.

The Bad:  The 2.0-inch Bontrager XR1 tires might be fast, but they are too skinny to provide any compliance, tore easily in our desert environment, and were the first things we replaced. At $8,000, this is a machine only for the rarefied ranks of World Cup racing (though Trek offers carbon Procal models down to $2,400).

The Verdict:  If cross-country racing is your thing, you’d be hard pressed to find a better machine than the  Procaliber 9.9 SL . It’s stunningly light at 19.2 pounds, as fast and nimble as you’d expect for a fully tricked-out hard tail, yet the rear triangle design ensures that it doesn’t beat you up like most other race bikes. 

If you asked me a year or two ago, I’d have told you that hardtails were dead. Suspension and carbon layups have gotten so good and light that there’s almost no weight or efficiency penalty for picking full-squish.

But two developments have changed my opinion. First, the rise of plus-size tires has made hardtails comfy and capable in ways that they have never been before. And second, several companies, most notably Trek with the Procaliber, have taken to re-engineering race hardtails with some semblance of comfort.

Which means that if you race, or if you live in a place with smooth, fast trails, hardtails are once again worth considering. (Note: Unless you’re five foot or smaller and can’t fit on a 29er, forgo the 27.5-inch hardtail models, which I consider the worst idea to have surfaced in years: small wheels plus rigid frame equals worst-of-both-worlds harshness.)

• Price: $8,000
• Weight: 19.2 pounds
• Drivetrain: Shimano XTR

Two things make the Procaliber SL frame stand out. First, and most obvious, is the IsoSpeed decoupler, a design the company debuted with great success on its Domane endurance road bike (which won Paris-Roubaix and Flanders), and then incorporated into its Boone cross bike and now this XC weapon. The design disconnects the seat post from the down tube with a pair of bearings, which allows the saddle to move in a rearward arc so the bike absorbs road roughness instead of your body. It works exceptionally well  not only because it provides vertical compliance, but also because it simultaneously keeps the bike laterally stiff for pedaling and handling.

The Procaliber’s other notable characteristic reflects Trek’s increasing aptitude with carbon forming, as the company’s high-end frames are getting lighter and lighter while remaining stiff and strong. (The debut of the Top Fuel , for instance, saw Trek’s four-inch race bike lose nearly a pound in frame weight from the previous year’s Superfly FS.) What this means is that the Procaliber frame is as light and snappy as a road bike but still strong enough for constant trail abuse.

The frame sports Boost hub spacing, too, a good upgrade for a 29er since the wheels get stiffer with the additional width. And despite the frame’s featherweight, Trek also added clean internal cable routings and ports, making the Procaliber able to accommodate everything from a dropper post and/or a lockout button, as well as brakes and shift cables.

The Components

On an $8,000 bicycle, I expect everything to be completely dialed. That’s sometimes surprisingly not the case, but on the Procaliber 9.9 SL, Trek got it right. Also, incidentally, looking down the Procaliber line, Trek’s spec choices, even on the less-expensive models, are very good. 

Other than the cutting-edge frame design, my favorite part of this bike is the fork and wheel combo. The RockShox RS-1, while costly, is a step above everything else out there, in terms of performance, for a short-travel bike. The full carbon crown design, with the stanchions at the base, makes for best-in-class stiffness, which you notice when carving hard turns or climbing and sprinting out of the saddle. The fork damper provides incredible small-bump sensitivity, too, but still soaks up the big bumps. Trek wisely spec’d a remote lockout, which is a must, in my opinion, on hardtails, where turning the bike rigid and back is a constant switch. And even though the RS-1 is a bit heavier than comparable standard forks, thanks to Trek’s carbon prowess, the bike is still astoundingly light.

Meanwhile, the DT Swiss XMC1200 Carbon wheels are a revelation from a company whose hoops in previous years have left me cold. I have ridden these wheels on numerous bikes this year, including on an 850-miles sojourn on the Arizona Trail, and not only do they feel like cheating because they're so light and spin up so quickly, but they also proved tough enough for rugged trails with big loads. The Boost spacing (110mm up front, 148 rear) helps with the stiffness, and the wheels also set up tubeless without issue.

As already noted, the pinner tires, while maybe okay for short, fast races, were too skinny for my liking and also too flimsy for the rocky, poky trails we have in New Mexico and Arizona. Instead, I upgraded almost immediately (well, once I’d shredded one sidewall, which took under a week) to Maxxis Ikons —2.35-inch front and 2.2-inch back—which made for a much cushier and more durable ride.

Other spec notes: The Race Face Next SL crank is awesome, and the gold standard when it comes to lightweight, stiff, race machines. And I love the XTR brakes and drivetrain, but Shimano is overdue for a bigger XTR-level cassette. It’s true that the 11-40 cogs worked fine in this super-lightweight race application, but if you buy the top level goods, you should be able to get an 11-42 without downgrading to XT parts, which is what is necessary now if you want the bigger range. Oh yeah, and the cheap foam grips, while ridiculously light, are total throwaways.

A couple of years ago, I shunned hardtails when Specialized unveiled the World Cup edition Epic . At under 20 pounds, the price you’d pay in weight over a hardtail was far exceeded by what gained in comfort from this bike. And more importantly, when I rode a rigid frame for the endurance events that I was so keen on doing, I’d end up pummeled, wishing I’d gone full squish.

So it was with trepidation that I opted to ride the Procaliber earlier this year in a 12-hour race. It was a mostly smooth, fast 16-mile loop, with a few miles of rock and ruts thrown in to keep you honest. From the get go I enjoyed the power transfer, immediacy, and snappiness of being on a hardtail. This bike corners and leans over like a road racer, and the wheels and super stiff bottom bracket give it rocket ship acceleration. All day, I felt good and fast, making clean passes on climbs because of the bike’s light weight and even smashing past people on the one swerving, rocky descent, which was a testament to the bike’s capabilities.

No hardtail is ever going to be as comfy as full suspension, but the IsoSpeed coupler actually kept my back, neck, and shoulders in line for all 12 hours, and I didn’t feel like I’d gone a round with Jon Jones the next morning. There are a lot of gimmicks out there that claim to make bikes more comfortable, but Trek’s IsoSpeed design is not one of them. With a little fatter tires than come on the bike, the Procaliber was as forgiving as a hardtail race bike will likely ever be, but gave up nothing in terms of speed and agility.

The Competition

There are too many hardtail race 29ers on the market to mention, but the inevitable comparison is with this year’s BMC Teamelite TE01 , which, like the Procaliber promises added compliance out back, but accomplishes that feat with elastomers on metal rails embedded into the seat stays. Both bikes are excellent, and it’s exciting to see more than one company taking on the task of making hardtails more forgiving.

Our testers felt that the BMC was a bit more comfortable out back, though the Trek had a more linear feel in the rear-end movement. The Procaliber was also more laterally stiff, which is why most people agreed it would make a better, flat-out race bike. You can’t go wrong with either bike, and the BMC will best suit the rider after the most comfort in a hardtail. But the fact that the Trek came with an RS-1 fork and still tipped the scales a pound less than the BMC made it the overall favorite.

Buying Advice

Trek has almost singlehandedly reawakened my interest in hardtails. First came the Stache 9 , which is arguably the rowdiest, most capable hardtail I’ve ever ridden, thanks to those meaty, 29+ wheels. And now the Procaliber rethinks the XC hardtail.

This is simultaneously the fastest mountain bike I’ve ridden in years, as well as the most comfortable hardtail race bike. For those after a fleet, hard-charging machine that punishes the competition and not your body, it’s the inevitable pick.

Yes, it costs a small fortune and only dedicated racers will opt for the 9.9 SL model. But the 9.8 SL is the exact same frame in a build package that’s more democratic ($4,800), and the 9.7 and 9.6 use slightly lower grade carbon layups to bring the IsoSpeed decoupler advantages to everyone.

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Trek Procaliber 9.6 vs 9.7

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I would appreciate any input as to my current dilemma. I am somewhat new to mountain biking, although certainly not new to cycling. I’m in the process of buying a new mountain bike. Planning on riding some gravel roads, fire roads, and possibly some single track and I love climbing hills. I rented a gravel bike and I’m not a huge fan of drop bars tbh. I have narrowed it down to a couple of models (luckily both of these bikes are available, although I would have to drive out of state to get them, which isn’t an issue for me). Anyway, I’m looking at the 2021 models for the Procaliber 9.6 and the Procaliber 9.7. Both of which are XC Hardtails. I did have some interest in the Epic HTs but unfortunately none are in stock within a 1000 mile radius of me. The major differences between the two, at least to my eyes, is that the 9.6 has a Recon Fork (as opposed to the Reba Fork on the 9.7), a mainly SLX drivetrain (9.7 is running SRAM GX Eagle), and the 9.6 has an aluminum wheelset as opposed to carbon wheels on the 9.7. The 9.6 is retailing for $2780 while the 9.7 is $4200. My question to you guys is that so you think the upgrades on the 9.7 (there are other smaller ones but these are the ones that jumped out the most) are worth it? Budget would be around $3500-4000 but I wouldn’t mind paying a little more for something that would be the better deal.  

It sounds like you're a serious road biker, not wanting to disclose that in an mtb forum. Welcome! I'd go 9.7 for the fork and wheels, though the price jump does seem a bit steep. FWIW, I use my Procaliber as a gravel bike 90% of the time. Far more enjoyable on rougher rides than the Checkpoint.  

Because the benefits from the Isospeed decoupler are only available when you're seated the Procal makes a better gravel bike than trail bike where you're on your pedals. Neither the Reba or the Recon are any value as a trail fork because of the dampers.  

Right. A bit of comfortable "give" when seated. A freaking rocket when you stand up and put the whip to it!  

That's why its a good gravel bike for long rides. And that's why its a poor choice for trails with rocks/roots and features that the stiff, fast accelerating frame can transmit into your body. A couple hours of hard fun riding and you're beat up. Pick your terrain. Then pick the best bike. No one on the Trek XCO team used the Procal in anything other than flat track competition. That's why Trek built the Supercaliber. But it's expensive for what you get. 23mm rim wheels and 32mm StepCast don't cut it. Nino uses 30mm rim wheels.  

Supercaliber 9.8 GX Gen 1 - Trek Bikes

Me too. Just cant afford one.  

the difference is 0.1  

jtarr said: I would appreciate any input as to my current dilemma. I am somewhat new to mountain biking, although certainly not new to cycling. I'm in the process of buying a new mountain bike. Planning on riding some gravel roads, fire roads, and possibly some single track and I love climbing hills. I rented a gravel bike and I'm not a huge fan of drop bars tbh. I have narrowed it down to a couple of models (luckily both of these bikes are available, although I would have to drive out of state to get them, which isn't an issue for me). Anyway, I'm looking at the 2021 models for the Procaliber 9.6 and the Procaliber 9.7. Both of which are XC Hardtails. I did have some interest in the Epic HTs but unfortunately none are in stock within a 1000 mile radius of me. The major differences between the two, at least to my eyes, is that the 9.6 has a Recon Fork (as opposed to the Reba Fork on the 9.7), a mainly SLX drivetrain (9.7 is running SRAM GX Eagle), and the 9.6 has an aluminum wheelset as opposed to carbon wheels on the 9.7. The 9.6 is retailing for $2780 while the 9.7 is $4200. My question to you guys is that so you think the upgrades on the 9.7 (there are other smaller ones but these are the ones that jumped out the most) are worth it? Budget would be around $3500-4000 but I wouldn't mind paying a little more for something that would be the better deal. Click to expand...

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2024 Trek Procaliber 9.6

A 29″ carbon frame hardtail crosscountry bike with upper mid-range components. Compare the full range

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Procaliber 9.6

In Stock: MD/LG, LG, XL, & XXL

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Jun 2023 · Ben Haworth

Sure, you can ride the Trek Procaliber 9.6 whenever and wherever you like but the raison d’être of this bike is to perform between race tape.

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Last updated May 18