FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Trek's Roscoe 7 Is 1650 USD (1880 CAD), Complete!
Meet Roscoe
The Trek Roscoe 7 delivers balanced, modern geometry, a Deore M6100 12-speed drivetrain - including a Shimano crankset, a 150mm dropper post*, a 140mm suspension fork, and comes setup tubeless with good rubber for 1650 USD | 1880 CAD plus pedals and tax. Yep, it's a superb value in a fantastic looking hardtail.
*On this large - dropper post travel varies on the six frame sizes from 100mm to 150mm.
Now, of course, I have a pile more to say about the bike now, and will hopefully have some more interesting observations after I log some proper trail time, but I want to hedge any componentry criticisms right up front by reminding folks this is a budget-friendly hardtail that sells complete in the same price range as many wheelsets we review here at NSMB. Or, measured against mountain biking's latest comparative currency, about the same cash outlay as a SRAM XO T-Type Transmission.
I'll talk more about this in the final review but the key discussion with any bike at the level of Roscoe 7 is upgradeability. The frame is lovely with a thru-axle rear end, noise damping details, and a solid geometry package. This large is sporting a 65° HTA, a 470mm Reach | 644mm Stack, and a hardtail friendly effective seat tube angle of 74.7° (73° actual) for a 646mm effective top tube length. The rear center is not size-specific with 430mm chainstays on all sizes.
The Size Curve
For a size large hardtail, the dual 29x2.6" setup is perfect, so this doesn't affect me personally but I think Trek has missed an opportunity to optimize wheel sizing through the six-size Roscoe lineup.
They'll get no argument over the 27x2.6" wheels & rubber on the XS size, but jumping to a dual-29 setup for the small with a 140mm fork is premature. Even for the medium and maybe medium-large sizes there's a strong argument for a mullet setup. At the very least though, the small should not be a 29'er.
The XS, small, and medium sized frames should all also be able to run longer dropper posts than what comes stock. In 2023 a 5' rider on a well designed 27" hardtail can run a regular 150-160mm dropper without even having to run a super-short-stack option like OneUp's V2 or Wolf Tooth's Resolve.
Trek, let's split the difference and swap the 100mm droppers on the XS and small sizes for 130mm, the 130mm on the medium for a 150mm, and lets see a 170mm post on the large and XL. I'd also love to see 165mm crank arms on the XS and 175mm arms on the large instead of just the XL getting the longer option.
One more note on the size curve, relates to seat tube angles. The actual 73° is perfect for me, but as with chainstay lengths this dimension should be size specific and getting steeper with every size from XS to XL. XXL actually, as it would be nice to see a size with a Reach longer than the 495mm on the XL for the proper giants out there.
These are of course thoughts that are generally tempered by the very modest retail price.
Good, Not Great
The Roscoe 7 presents an excellent value. Not just in the upgrade-worthy quality of the frame but also in the package of parts hung on it for under 2K CAD. I want to temper any complaints about spec. with a healthy appreciation of the dance that Trek's product managers needed to pull off even at the previous pandemic-bike-rush price of 2200 CAD.
There are clearly parts like the Shimano MT-200 brakes and 140mm RockShox Recon Silver fork that wouldn't have a place on a higher end rig but deliver min-maxed performance that hits on the trail. The Recon especially is impressively smooth out of the box and surprisingly controlled given that turning the rebound adjuster each click shares the ergonomics and sensation of opening a can of beer.
The Recon uses a 42mm offset on the 29" version and a 37mm offset, combined with 27x2.6" rubber for the just the XS size.
The rubber compound on the Bontrager Team Issue XR4 tires is never appreciated on the trail bikes two, three, and four-plus times more expensive than this bike but they're fantastic stock rubber for a hardtail at this price. One consideration is that these are Trek's rims not mine. Given the how thin-walled these tires are, I'd be running at least a rear tire insert in my own Roscoe.
The stock Tranz-X dropper post goes up and down without complaint and the Bontrager Arvada saddle probably won't piss-off most riders regardless of anatomy.
I admit to being disappointed to see the Shimano hub spec, if only because that means Center Lock rotors and that in turn means Resin-Only rotors (ugh). You can do a lot worse than Shimano MT400/MT510 hubs at this price but Bontrager's fast-engaging Line Comp wheels are such a good performance-value I was hoping they'd trickle down this low.
Ugh-Level Grumbles
The plastic dropper post remote is absolutely going to snap if I breath on it wrong and what a PIA that's going to be in the forest. I was going to demonstrate this fact by breaking it in the shop but then I remembered I have to give this bike back to Trek at some point so I'm going to swap it out, and would recommend the same to anyone buying the Roscoe 7 who plans to mountain bike with it.
The Shimano Resin-Only rotors always require a mention because they suck for braking in the wet (and it rains a lot here) and limit pad choice. I'd be keen to upgrade the brake pads to a sintered compound and actually to upgrade the front caliper to a four-piston which means I'd have to buy rotors at the same time. I don't understand why Shimano can't just kill this product already and sell a proper braking surface at every price.
The grips also suck. But I can appreciate that everyone buying this bike has, or will have, a preference so it's cool that Trek shaved money here. I'd just hope the friendly folks at your local shop show you a few options before you leave.
Highlight Drivetrain
I saved the best for last, what a fantastic drivetrain spec on a bike under 2K. Deore M6100 HG+ shifts intuitively even with power going through the pedals and the all-steel cassette holds up better around here than the more expensive SLX, XT, and XTR options with their aluminum low gears.
M6100 delivers almost-XTR shifting on a complete bike that costs less than a high-end drivetrain. I'm happy to see the Shimano MT511 cranks and external bottom bracket here as well as it means the owner will never need to upgrade what's often a surprisingly expensive replacement for folks with lower-priced bikes.
This may be the perfect price point for a new LinkGlide Deore M5130 10-spd or CUES U6000 11-spd drivetrain and I could certainly imagine that being the spec we'll see next year. The LinkGlide option will represent a lower long-term cost of ownership with less expensive replacement chains, cassettes, and chainrings along with the promise of improved drivetrain life.
But, at the same time, the LinkGlide option would mean one or two fewer clicks at the shifter and a less sleek and top-end appearance that may not appeal as much to average person shopping the Roscoe lineup. Trek knows a lot more about selling to folks buying these bikes than I do and it's important to remember most people aren't min-maxing budget bike nerds.
Just Add Pedals (and grips)
Install the best pedals that fit the budget, upgrade the grips ASAP, and talk the local Trek dealer into a sweet deal on a dropper post remote that isn't an out-there mechanical failure waiting to happen and away we go. It's sweet that the tires are already tubeless because that really gets things rolling out of the box.
Even during the Covid-bike-price-craze, when I first put my hand up for the Trek, the pricing was a solid value at 2200 CAD | 1900 USD. If that was your budget before, I'd be tempted to still spend the same amount and grab pedals, grips, dropper remote, and a pair of rotors, which should all be doable at purchase time for the price difference with the drop to 1880 CAD | 1650 USD. Even just changing the front rotor and burning the Resin-Only options out in the rear may be a good option for most hardtail riders.
Maybe it's vain, but I love how great the Roscoe 7 looks and I think any of the three colour choices is a winner. Trek makes plenty of significantly more expensive bikes that don't look half as sweet. It's a bike that's rideable right out of the box, with a couple of semi-mandatory upgrades depending on the use case, and that appears worthy of upgrading.
My biggest complaint I have is probably that calling the paint finish "Teal/Trek Black" is a lame way of describing the sweet black splatter on cobalt blue with sunrising Trek logo finish. Actually, all three finish options for this bike look great to the extent that I'd ride any of them, and I can't think of a better looking bike under 2K CAD.
I'm stoked on the Roscoe 7. I think it's the best looking bike in it's price range, the fit works great for me, and the drivetrain is excellent. I'll be back with a proper ride review a little further down the trail.
In the meantime you can check out the Roscoe 7, and whole Roscoe lineup, at Trek.
Comments
bishopsmike
1 year, 8 months ago
That is an excellent price, especially in Canadian dollars. I remember working in bike shops ~25 years ago, and a high end hardtail (Judy XC's, v-brakes, deore LX with an XT or maybe XTR rear derailleur) would be about $1800-$2000. This is lightyears better in every single part plus comes with a reliable dropper and more than covers 25 years worth of inflation. This is what bikes should be!
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
I was thinking this on our ride yesterday. When folks talk about how expensive mountain biking is getting at a progressive rate they’re talking about the fighter jet super bikes not rigs like this Trek.
Geometry, good 2.6” rubber, awesome shifting - it’s a killer rig compared to what you could buy for 2K even just a few years ago and way better than a decade back never mind accounting for inflation.
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Cooper Quinn
1 year, 8 months ago
Hey, I covered that math!
https://nsmb.com/articles/2021-canyon-stoic-4/
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bde1024
1 year, 8 months ago
Just curious; what would happen to “resin only” rotors if you ran them with metallic pads? Spontaneous combustion? Total lack of braking? Or would they simply wear faster, and hasten their eventual replacement with suitable rotors?
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
For science… generally they feel fine on a flat, slow, pavement test ride. Less ‘grab’ then I’d expect from a fresh sintered pad but I’m maybe starting to think things are going to work fine. Maybe they’ll just burn out faster? (They will, but also…)
The big issue is heat. Sintered pads create a lot more of it and as soon as I get into a proper braking situation (steep, fast, steep & fast) my brakes will howl fantastically. I mean the rotors will also warp sensationally but it’s the howling that will have me wishing I’d followed the label… for science.
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BarryW
1 year, 8 months ago
MTX assured me that their red pads works just fine on the resin only rotors.
So far my wife doesn't want more powerful brakes so she's still running resin pads on hers, but if she ever wants to improve the power that's going to be my first step.
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finbarr
1 year, 8 months ago
I rode mine for a while with metal pads, even at the bike park. It was fine. They wore very quickly but otherwise no issues.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
I should have added that I’ve heard of many different experiences - I was only speaking to my own - and while none of them are good the best case is the rider doesn’t experience a big deficit in performance and the rotors just wear quickly.
I’ve tried it enough times now that if I do swap pads I’ll swap rotors too. Or more likely just the fronts as in the rear it’s fine for where I’ll be riding this bike.
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Jerry Willows
1 year, 8 months ago
shame on product manangers for spec'ing resin pads/rotors on bikes. Even on kids bikes it should be a no go.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
This is my take, riding here. I recognize other folks have different experiences though I imagine in most/all cases we’re riding different sorts of trails.
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grumpygears
1 year, 8 months ago
Product managers get to save approx. $30/ rotor at retail pricing by specing resin only rotors. So at OEM pricing x thousands of bikes sold they get to hit their KPI bonuses.
Bike shops get to sell customers new rotors, pads and labour to help bump up their revenues for the small number of customers who will ever complain about the brakes.
Sh*t spec on easily hide able parts (bearings, rotors, pads, cassettes, chains, headsets) will never go away on bikes this price point....
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
I also wear my cynicism on my sleeve when it comes to bike spec, but I get a little endorphin bump from dreaming of a better model and I feel the hopeful-sardonic contradiction is part of my charm (possibly all of my charm).
That said, Shimano straight up admitted that before they launched LinkGlide/CUES they considered what the significantly longer drivetrain life would mean to shops selling product. If they went ahead with that anyway, I believe they could eliminate Resin-Only rotors. Even if it’s only so folks won’t think Shimano brakes suck.
What percentage of riders of 3-6K bikes with R-O rotors are going to think it’s an issue with their rotors vs. their brakes?
finbarr
1 year, 8 months ago
Yeah. It was dumb for me to do. I was doing laps at Kicking Horse with them, so big, 1km vertical runs. Totally worth the money to swap them out for proper rotors. The anxiety I suffered checking that they weren't melted wasn't worth it.
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GB
1 year, 8 months ago
The resin only rotors are absolute garbage . They are in my opinion dangerous. These rotors don't stop the rider just slow them down .
I run resin pads from shimano they work OK.
Resin only rotors from Shimano . Garbage .
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Martin
1 year, 8 months ago
RESIN-ONLY ROTORS KILL DREAMS.
I remember vividly how I discovered how those even existed. It was in Canmore Alberta in 2006. I had my brown Kona Shred with (unbeknownst to me at the time) resin-only rotors and cheap Shimano cable disc brakes. I don't remember how I heard about it, but Calgary Cycle were doing a sale on Hayes Mag brakes and it was my "materialistic dream' to have those at the time. I drove to Calgary over the weekend, installed those on my bike and went Shreding like my bike's name suggested.
There was a downhill trail just outside of Canmore which lasted maybe 3-4 minutes of amateur level hatdtailing. The brakes were making a weird noise, but I though this was just the POWER noise.
After the second run, I check my brake pads because it sounded really weird, and surprise! The rotors were all chewed up and the brake pads were litterally down to the metal backing. I went back to Calgary, bought 2 new rotors and 2 new set of pads. That was quite expensive for around 8 minutes of ride time.
13 years later, I bought a budget Marin Rift Zone 1 with those resin-only rotors and I had RT66s (the machined ones, not stamped like the new version) in my hands even before getting the bike.
Never again will I get my dreams crushed by those rotors.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
I never imagined there was a person who hates them more than me!
Hahaha
Welcome to R-O-R-E (Resin Only Rotor Experiencers), a support group for anyone who’s truly experienced resin only rotors.
I’m Andrew - Hi Andrew
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mrbrett
1 year, 8 months ago
Speckle paint, thankfully back again in the mainstream. I like it.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Yes, until every brand jumps on board and it becomes a trend and then dies off horribly as trends do… but even if it’s only for this morning, at least it lived again…
I do think it’s the best looking bike under 2k, and one of the best looking bikes at any price… but I recognize aesthetics are personal.
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Karl_Hungus
1 year, 8 months ago
The mint version looks very similar to the 2022 Kona Big Honzo Deluxe. Fairly similar geo and specs as well.
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TheFunkyMonkey
1 year, 8 months ago
Thanks for the great intro review, Andrew!
I did things opposite from most and took a hiatus from riding during COIVD to focus on a few motorcycle projects.
I'm now starting to ride again and was looking for a solid HT frame as a foundation for a new build and ended up with a Roscoe. Why? Considering the uncertainty of the economy and the bike industry, I was less interested in hedging my bet on a small manufacturer that may or may not survive (I've had Cotics, Stantons and other small manufacturers in the past). And frankly, the Roscoe checked a lot of boxes, allowed me to give my business to a preferred LBS and have the LBS support about 3 miles from my house if needed.
Just finished my build yesterday and will get initial shakedown ride this Friday if it dries out. I could get 2 Roscoe 7s for what I have in my build but as you suggest, the frame is a solid starting point.
And while the Bontrager XR tires do not work in your environment, a XR4/XR3 combo is solid for the fast, dry flow trails we have. I don't prefer 2.6s so went with 2.4s as I've done in the past including on my most recent Chameleon.
I'll report back once I get a few rides in.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
2.4” vs. 2.6”, tire size on hard tails is an interesting discussion. I think the less hardtail-friendly the terrain the more inclined riders are towards bigger rubber (especially in the rear) for comfort - I’m in that boat.
But, I rode lightweight 2.25” and 2.4” tires on my single speeds (with suspension forks) for years and on faster trails it’s so fun.
Actually one remarkable thing about riding the Roscoe is how calmly it floats up tight single-track. Never mind multiple speeds, I’m used to my long wheelbase, slack HTA and an extra 500+ grams of rubber per wheel (CushCore+ and meaner tires).
It’s all comparative.
———
Did you stick with a 140mm fork or bump up to 150mm?
Any photos of the build?
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TheFunkyMonkey
1 year, 8 months ago
I hear you on the 2.6 vs. 2.4 debate. I jumped on 2.6s when they first came out. Initially ran them on 30mm ID rims and then gave them a shot on 35mm ID rims to try to eliminate the squirminess I experienced. Stuck with them for awhile trying all kinds of pressures before throwing the 2.4s back on and realizing that I prefer the feel and speed of them for the trails I ride.
I stuck with 140mm fork as that is all I need. A few bad driveway pics:
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Bike looks great! I think Trek nailed it with all three colour schemes.
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imnotdanny
1 year, 8 months ago
those silver parts look great. always liked those title bars.
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itsky21
1 year, 8 months ago
Fantastic build! What wheels and dropper did you pick? I'm building up a frame soon and excited to see this!
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TheFunkyMonkey
1 year, 8 months ago
Thanks for the kind words! I have a medium frame - here's the full build:
FRAME: 2023 Trek Roscoe
FORK: 2023 RockShox Pike Ultimate 140mm
WHEELS: Stans Flow MK4 + Spank Hex + Sapim Race & Sapim brass
TIRES: Bontrager XR4 (F) and XR3 (R)
BRAKES: TRP DHR EVO
BRAKE ROTORS: TRP R1 2.3mm (203F + 180R)
SHIFTER: Shimano XT
RD: Shimano XT
CASSETTE: Shimano SLX
CHAIN: Shimano XT
BB: Shimano XT
CRANKS: Shimano XT 165mm
CHAINRING: Wolf Tooth 30T Boost
PEDALS: CB Mallet E Silver Edition
SADDLE: Ergon SMC
SEATPOST: PNW Loam 150mm
SEATPOST LEVER: PNW Loam
SEATPOST CLAMP: Wolf Tooth 36.4 (silver)
HANDLEBAR: Title AH1 31.8 x 25mm
STEM: Title ST1 31.8 x 35mm
GRIPS: Ergon GE1 Evo
HEADSET: Wolf Tooth
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Lu Kz
1 year, 8 months ago
+1 on the XR4, I have a 2.6 XR4 out back on my 'cross country' wheel setup and it's great in the interior of BC.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
I love the SE4 2.6” as a rear tire on my own hardtail so tread and compound I’m also very familiar with, this just has the lighter sidewall (and no insert).
If this was my bike, I’d upgrade the front and insert the rear, but I’d definitely burn out both XR4 tires as rear tires.
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Lu Kz
1 year, 8 months ago
I love the updated 29x2.6 Roscoe, and I think it's a great bike for a wide variety of riders... until I remember that this is what the next Stache could have been with slightly more tire clearance.
Look what they took from us and despair.
"The plastic dropper post remote is absolutely going to snap if I breath on it wrong and what a PIA that's going to be in the forest."
Shockingly enough, Trek has been sticking that thing on their mid to entry level 'serious' bikes for a few years now and we saw very few break. I think Trek realized the level of riding the majority of riders would do on this thing combined with the under-bar nature of the lever and cheaped out where they could.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Agreed regarding the Stache. I’d love to try the gen 3 or 4 Stache we’d be on at this point geo-wise.
A lot of Roscoe 7 bikes sold are never even going to see Blue trails. So don’t tell me the that “very few break” out of the number of bikes sold, tell me how many break out of the number of bikes being actually ridden. There’s no way these things are surviving real use vs. even the cheapest metal remotes.
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Lu Kz
1 year, 8 months ago
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough, I agree with you they should have a different remote. I meant they chose to cheap out there because they could actually justify it given the use case for the majority of people riding the bike, so while it's a sin, I'm not going to condemn them to eternal damnation on this one.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Oh, no worries. I read it as any number of broken remotes was too many, but it’s hard to be too mad because you’ve seen a lot less that one might expect. About right?
I review these sorts of bikes as if anyone who was buying it had the same use case as me, though I recognize that many Roscoes will not even experience North Shore green-level trails.
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Andy Eunson
1 year, 8 months ago
This bike illustrates why many people are sort of wrong about bikes getting more expensive. In 1983 $2000 would get you the absolute best fully rigid rim braked no dropper non indexed not enough range hockey puck skinny tired bike. And that’s not adjusted for inflation either. Sure it had a beautifully brazed frame and bar. But this Trek is far superior in all ways.
And yeah bikes are more expensive but you get so much more bike today.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Absolutely. Yes, to end bikes are more money (even accounting for inflation) but wow do you get a lot of bike for 2K.
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Blofeld
1 year, 8 months ago
Cross-shopping the Roscoe 7 vs the Roscoe 8 was a bit of a challenge due to the 6100 drivetrain on the lower model. It was for a bigger rider so the 4-piston brakes and better hubs on the 8 trumped the NX/GX downgrade. I had no idea about the 35 vs Recon fork, but if there were more complaints about the dropper lever than the fork in this review I guess either are fine?
The spring sales on Trek and Rocky are shaking up the usual best-value propositions.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
The 35 has better damping than the Recon but neither fork is going to be a substitute for a more advanced fork if someone is eager to upgrade. That is to say they’re both fine and neither is exciting.
I’ll deal more with this in my review but I think the min-max win braking wise is to grab a Roscoe 7 and just upgrade the calipers and rotors. But, I also recognize most folks/dealers will never consider that.
Good point on the hubs.
———
One thing to watch out for with the Rocky bikes on sale versus the new models that aren’t is the new bikes have Shimano brakes and the sale bikes have POS Clark’s brakes.
The same bikes are still an awesome value, but I’d budget for a brake upgrade before leaving the shop.
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Blofeld
1 year, 8 months ago
Uggg, I’m not a fan of Clarkes, either. It’s a fraught path, trying to avoid SRAM drivetrains, non-brand and 2 piston brakes, virtually every brand of cheap hub, 66 degree or higher head angles…etc. etc. The extra 20% import duty on Canyon products is a hard one to explain to friends looking at this end of the market as well.
I usually find the upgrade at purchase path ends up with someone owning a bunch of terrible parts to keep in a box and a 10 point discount on something a little more high end than necessary, because that’s what was in stock. Budgeting for a Code upgrade is usually a good reason to step up to the next model!
Apologies if you’ve been asked this already, but will this Roscoe be getting an angleset?
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
The Angleset question is terrible! TERRIBLE! That’s why I didn’t mention it hahahahaha.
The Roscoe is perfectly fun as it is, cruising with my kid on blue and even purple North Shore trails and it’s the perfect mix of stable and easy to ride on climbs (here I’m getting into the ride review but whatever). The first upgrade is absolutely a front brake caliper and rotor and maybe the back too as right now I’m using everything on tap on those trails.
At what point in the upgrade curve does it make sense to install a 9point8 IS SLACK-R? I think at the same time as someone is upgrading the fork to a 150mm unit with a more aggressive chassis and damper. Which is something the frame is absolutely worthy of.
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Perry Schebel
1 year, 8 months ago
cool they put some effort into aesthetics; it doesn't (or shouldn't) cost more to make a bike look good. impressively well sorted build for sub $2k. in a scene where 5-figure uberbikes are commonplace, it's a breath of fresh air to see something like this.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Cheers!
It’s a super fun bike too as long as I keep to true-blue trails like John Deer and Asian Adonis.
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Sethsg
1 year, 8 months ago
Some people might look down on bikes like these as being junky and incapable but I started MTBing on a 2021 Marlin 6 and it was amazingly durable (I did have to replace the rims though). I was also able to beat pretty much anyone on a full squish uphill and keep up with the average north shore rider on the way down. I even did double blacks on it! Though the arm pump was pretty bad due to the fork and the weak brakes (had to pull them so hard on steep stuff).
I almost miss it...
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
I’ve had a number of folks point out to me that it’s always easier to go forwards than back - i.e. easier to go from a 2K Roscoe to a 12k Slash than the other way but I think it really depends on expectations.
This Roscoe is rad. With key upgrades I could ride it happily, though less quickly/aggressively, on most trains I regularly ride. I’d guess, as with talking to people about rigid bikes, most folks commenting negatively do not have recent experience to go on.
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kaesy
1 year, 8 months ago
It's great to be excited about a bike that's not priced somewhere between extortion and grand theft! Thanks Trek.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
It’s not perfect. The dropper remote in particular reeks of being something the product manager never looked at before specifying it out of a catalogue. But it’s a seriously fun bike for the money.
Took it out to ride some blue trails yesterday with my kid, and it was awesome fun.
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Fat_Tony_NJ
1 year, 8 months ago
Nice ride! There may be some better deals out there (Scandal, with a little tweaking, for example), but this is a pretty nice bike! Shame about the brakes.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
I guess it depends on how much value one assigns to appearance, which is going to vary wildly by rider.
The brakes are good enough to follow my daughter down North Shore Blue trails with not much (and sometimes nothing) left to spare. That may be good enough for most folks in the market for a hardtail like this, but I’ll be putting together an upgrade schedule as part of the final review.
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itsky21
1 year, 8 months ago
Glad to see this very good review. I checked out the stock builds in the shop and they looked great. Ripper of a bike to be sure. I loved the color of the Roscoe 7 and was disappointed I couldn't pick it for the frame only.
I just ordered a frame for my 10 year old son. He's 5'0" so I got a small.
I building it up with:
I'm undecided on dropper and which tires, I'm going to pick, but I'm thinking ~2.35 and something light weight as he's only 85 lbs.
Can't wait for the frame to arrive!
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Cooper Quinn
1 year, 8 months ago
If you're concerned about weight (and not price) TransferSL would be the way to go.
Although the "only locks at the top and bottom" would probably either be a good thing or a bad thing for a kid, and I'm not sure which it would be.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Ugh. Routine service costs of Fox posts are too much.
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Cooper Quinn
1 year, 8 months ago
Does that apply to the SL, though? There's no air spring.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 8 months ago
Good point. I haven’t sent an SL in for service, never mind multiple units, so I’m possibly making an unfounded assumption.
Let me know what gets replaced/the cost of your first routine service.
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Kurt Adams
1 year, 7 months ago
Hi everybody....I'm late to the hardtail party! I'm fairly certain I'm going to pull the trigger on either the Roscoe 7... as stated in this article OR a Devinci Kobain 11s.
Roscoe 7 = $1880, 31.5 lbs, Recon Silver RL air 42offset 140mm fork, 73.1STA, 65HA, 430CS
Kobain 11s = $1870, 32.5lbs, 35 Silver R coil 51offset 130mm fork, 75STA, 65.5HA, 435CS
I do really like the Canadian manufacturing of the Devinci
I'm struggling here on which to buy (first world problems), any insite would be helpful, this will not be my primary bike.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 7 months ago
If you can stretch to the Devinci Kobain 12s I think it's a killer package and the Canadian manufacturing is icing on the cake. It's on my list of hardtails I'd love to test this year.
The Kobain 11s gives up a lot to the Roscoe 7 for the same amount of money. Trek has wicked after sale support, Deore 12s HG+ is a marked improvement in shifting over Deore 11s HG, and the Silver Air is going to add a significant degree of tuneability.
Cheers,
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Kurt Adams
1 year, 7 months ago
Andrew, thanks for the reply! Definitely a valid point regarding the HG+. I think its Trek for me this time around, bringing me back to my Trek 8000 days in the late 90s. Thanks for the sweet articles, always a fantastic read!
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DesertPirate
1 year, 1 month ago
I just came across this review and wonder who makes a better drop post remote. From the article I would say that the author would saw everyone, but wonder if some better examples could be listed.
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