I’m looking at XC bikes and I’m wondering if anyone has ridden the new Trek Procaliber 9.5 Gen 3. The build is a little low spec for my needs but the 9.6 doesn’t appear to be available in Canada yet. I’m thinking I could just do a wheel upgrade, even though I’d prefer a SRAM setup with UDH.
Can anyone give any feedback, general impressions of the bike, the new IsoBow thing in the seatpost, etc? Reviews seem to be hard to come by as well as seeming a little suspicious (perhaps paid ads?). Thanks!
I can’t speak to the new IsoBow tech, but I had a lower-spec (9.5 as well I think) Procaliber a couple of years ago that I built up with new wheels and other parts ( I had access to the Trek bin back then ).
Generally speaking, it was a great bike, and the new one looks to be even better.
The geometry is finally updated, and ditching the IsoSpeed was a good idea in my opinion. There’s no headset cable routing (thank god), and the spec isn’t too bad for the price.
It comes with Shimano hubs which is really surprising as that’s normally the cheapest part of bikes at this price point which can cause more issues than most people think. Most of the Formula/no-name hubs really are trash.
If it were me, I’d pick one up and replace the fork (sell the old one before using it), and if you feel the need for a new wheelset that could help too. Also, I always swap to an XT shifter. They feel so much better than the cheaper ones and have better functionality as well.
I’m sure you’d love it and the purple flip is always fun!
I got the new 9.5 this fall. Pretty darn good bike for what I do. I did do some upgrades to it though. Like you I was hoping for a slightly better spec’d build, but 9.5 is the best offering in the US. Prior to this picture I swapped out the groupset, wheels, saddle, and bar and stem. I just got a Sram XO crank with a power meter and a Fox Transfer SL that I will install soon. FYI my ML stock was just under 28 lbs…I’m sub 24 now and should drop a bit more with the cranks and post.
Agree on all fronts (I have a gen 2 9.5 as well).
I will also add, I’m guessing it comes with MT200 brakes. I upgraded to M6120/M6100 on mine. I cannot stand MT200s and I don’t think they should be specced on any mountain bike.
The M512 crankset also cannot take an XT crank arm (if that’s your PM choice) or direct mount chainrings.
Oh that’s very interesting. I was also looking at the specs on the Cannondale Scalpel HT Carbon 3 and it has the M6100 brakes and a SID fork by default. It’s almost like an upgraded version of the Procaliber.
Bumping this thread, looking for more reviews of the gen 3 procaliber. I am interested in how you like it for XC training and racing, how it might compare to your other bikes, especially full suspension xc bikes, what you like/don’t like, and how fun it is to ride. If I buy one I plan to upgrade some of the components so I’m not too interested in how the stock components performed.
Surprisingly basically no YouTube ride reviews of this bike.
For context I have long ridden and raced hardtails so have no issue with riding without rear suspension. I have a new full suspension and an older hardtail. I appreciate the new FS but miss the snappy feel, simplicity, and light weight of a hardtail. I am concerned the procaliber might feel too stiff or boring.
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