It’s peak riding season, and that means next year’s hottest bikes are getting some time in the sun, working out the kinks before they hit the market. A Pinkbike reader happened to be out and about at the same time as a few Trek employees, and spotted what looks to be a new enduro bike that’s nearly ready to go. It’s safe to assume that this is the next Slash, and it appears to be a high pivot.
My guess is that the engineering team at Trek are taking notes from their new mid-high pivot Session, and applying the same principles to the enduro bike platform. The photographed bike looks quite similar to a few other idler-equipped enduro bikes on the market currently, namely the Devinci Spartan, the Norco Shore, and the Hope HB916.
The idler wheel looks to be a bit bigger than some of the other bikes mentioned; larger idler wheels are typically used to reduce the drag in a system, and should reduce wear with the increased chain wrap. There’s also a pulley wheel that extends from the bash guard, another measure that’s likely to improve chain wrap and reduce noise or the chance of derailment.
There appears to be an accessory mount underneath the top tube, and it’s safe to assume Trek will continue using their in-frame storage system that they’ve featured on a few of their past models. One interesting detail that I’m seeing in this photo is what looks to be a bolt-on lower shock mount, perhaps with the ability to swap out for other sizes and kinematic tunes. This is some pretty deep speculation, but hey, that’s what Spotted shots are all about.
We’ve reached out to Trek for comment, and their reply was a simple and mysterious one liner:
“It’s only real if you believe.”
And thanks to @theflowkid for the keen eye, great work out there!