Ten Inches of Pure Pleasure

Lance Armstrong is a major prick. I’ve heard that a good number of times from a wide variety of people. Sure, I’ve never personally met the guy and my sources are a bunch of bike industry derelicts, but still, I’ve taken that as fact. “He gave me the evil eye once,” they say or “the dude up and walked out on his wife and family just because he thinks he’s a rock star.”

It doesn’t take a doctorate in psychology to realize the root of such trash talk is jealousy that road riders are hogging the media spotlight. While Maillot Jaune has become a household phrase, the average couch potato is still astounded that mountain bikes could possibly have front and rear shocks. Blame the media or the legions clad in yellow Livestrong bracelets, just don’t label Trek Bicycles as a tarmac-centric brand.

The company is taking mounds of money earned with Lance and investing big-time in mountain bikes. In the past two years Trek has spent over two million in research and development in the all mountain/freeride segment alone. Judging by the recently unveiled 2006 product line, the investment is paying off.

The most impressive machine to roll out of the Madison, Wisconsin factory is the Session 10. With a unique and efficient rocker link frame design churning out a monster 10-inches of plush travel, the new Session should at once end all speculation that Trek’s heart lies on the asphalt.

After thrashing a pre-production Session 10 for a couple long days at Whistler, British Columbia, I was astounded. Sure, the near foot of rear travel gobbled up any and every obstacle on the trail. But I was more shocked when sprinting out of corners and across the flats—the bike pedaled with eerie efficiency. The impressive pedal-ability is the product of two things: Manitou’s new Revox rear shock (specifically designed around the Session’s 3.5-inch stroke) and Trek’s patented “Chain Torque Eliminator” or CTE.

The CTE is basically a pulley parallel to the Session’s main pivot that deters chain tension from effecting suspension. The use of the pulley allowed Trek to focus on the ideal wheel path and suspension performance without being hindered by pedaling forces. Although this sort of pulley isn’t entirely new—Trek introduced the CTE in 2000 with the DH1 and Canfield Brothers frames use a similar design—it’s a refreshing addition, the bike has 10 whopping inches of travel and actually pedals well.

The Session’s highly maneuverable geometry also sets it apart from most monster suspension bikes. Designed with tons of feedback from Andrew Shandro, it sports an adjustable bottom bracket height of 14.5- to 13.8-inches and an adjustable head angle of 65.5- to 66.5-degrees. In the lowest setting, the bike screamed through tight terrain yet proved stable enough to carve sweeping fireroad curves at max speed. And Manitou’s new Travis fork and Revox shock saved my ass a couple times over, when the abundance of travel (and confidence) nearly sent me for a ride in the back one of Whistlser’s already busy ambulances.

The point of this ramble? Trek’s focus on freeride is paying off. The new Session 10 will definitely be one of the hottest bikes in 2006, and for good reason; the thing is an instant shot of confidence and pedals better than some XC bikes. And the way I see it, the Session is a good example of Lance’s impact on the entire cycling industry. Some people may still be jealous of his success, but without Lance, Trek wouldn’t have had the dinero to invest in mountain bikes. And I’m grateful that they did.