Power delivery is taken care of with a SRAM X1 drivetrain, and stopping capabilities are handled with Shimano XT brakes. Now the Stache 9 is a great looking creature, a hardtail frame built from Trek’s highest grade of aluminium, with plenty of fancy looking hydroforming going into keeping it both impressively light and strong. Perhaps one of the more niche combinations is in the form of the 29er plus option, and here we have Trek's take on the plus sized big wheeler. It remains one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden.Īlex Strickland is the Editor-in-Chief of Adventure Cyclist, and he recently upgraded the cassette on his Stache to an 11–46T.The world of wheel sizes and widths is no longer simple, not only do we now have three 'standard' wheel sizes, the advent of 'plus' sized tyres and fat bikes have given us a multitude of wheel and tyre options. The 1120 is a fascinating bike, but my love for the Stache is undiminished. I’m always in the camp of buying a bike for the type of riding you do most rather than overcompensating for the outlier (this is very much in opposition to the buy-a-4x4-in-case-it-snows-once-a-year school of thought). But I’d rather have a mountain bike that rips trails and can be pressed into duty as an overnight machine than a bikepacking rig that feels just a little, well, less on my favorite singletrack. So where does that leave me? Given the chance, would I shell out for my beloved Stache 5 again or pony up for Trek’s prototype-done-good 1120? The latter is a pure bikepacker, and the front rack especially is nearly reason enough to lean toward the gray-and-orange beast. Thanks! Check your inbox for a welcome email. My wrists also seem to prefer the flat bar angle, though many riders have a different experience. While the swoopy bars and upright position were comfortable for dirt road miles, I’d gladly swap to standard flat bars and trade a bit of comfort for more control in varied terrain. The Bontrager bars check all the boxes on my personal “dislike” list, and certainly each rider’s mileage may vary. That was enough to convince me to remove the racks for any day ride - no hardship since they mount directly and didn’t require futzing with spacers and such, but still a minor inconvenience. For comparison, my rigid Stache, with an aftermarket dropper and upgraded carbon bars, tips the scales at closer to 26.5 lbs. The 1120 is a fascinating bike, but my love for the Stache is undiminished.Īside from the slight manufacturing issue, the big rub is that despite being alloy, the racks add nearly four pounds to an already beefy bike, bringing the weight to a hair under 32 lbs. Up front, the direct-mount attachment to the fork crown was fantastic, and I’d gladly retrofit the front rack to my current bike if I could (I can’t). Our test model’s rear rack was a little twisted, something Trek assured us was limited to a few media demo bikes, but other than a little tire rub when cornering while loaded, the rack wasn’t a problem. ![]() In the rear, clearance for the included dropper post is appreciated, and Trek’s harness system for accommodating 8-liter drybags is clever, if low-tech. ![]() Those racks, unique to the bike, are a mixed bag.
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