2021 Trek Supercaliber 9.6
2021 Trek Supercaliber 9.6
6-month Review
By: Racer H
2021 Trek Supercaliber 9.6
6-month Review
People are human; setting up the machine to the human is the #1 priority for extracting results from a human powered cyborg
The Trek Supercaliber is the most capable hardtail in a really unimaginable format of an extremely high-velocity carbon fiber pogo stick OR a very tunable chassis damper -
Either way, you have to really dial in the rider and bike as a unit.
The Supercaliber is a chassis that can be set up for terrain more suitable for riding an enduro or all-mountain bike. But when they have to walk them on the climbs, the Supercaliber can climb and gain on the majority of corners. As long as you have the chassis setup well with good dampers and the correct tires for the terrain; and the correct riding balance, power, and skills.
People are human; setting up the machine to the human is the #1 priority for extracting results from a human-powered cyborg. The cyborg is a combination of mountain-biker and bike. If the human cannot feel completely at ease and not fight the machine then the terrain is not close to being the #1 problem.
I started 3 days before Sea otter with a brand new off the shelf Trek Supercaliber 9.6; purchased off the shelf from a friendly LBS: Big Bowl Bike shop in Petaluma; the guys there helped me dial it in for my weight off the shelf as best as possible with its sub-racing level components.
The bike has evolved over the past 6 months;
Racer H's 2021 Trek Supercaliber and Racer J’s 2021 Scott Scale resting on the bike racks after the Sea Otter Classic
Race #1 - Sea Otter Classic
5/2022 3 days after purchase Sea otter classic Fuego 80km: Northern California
Setup for 5/2022 sea otter 80km Fuego:
Tires: 2.1” Bontrager XR2 team edition; amazing tire when new and at the limit
Fork: 2021 fox 32 step cast 100mm- great item but unreliable for the duration between services by Fox. The 2022 replacement has been much much better and more reliable
Chassis damper: fox factory Oem for Supercaliber; updated later
Dropper post: Specialized command dropper 100mm; was overheating at end of the race; also not enough travel.
Crankset: Shimano SLX 175mm
Chain ring: Shimano XT 30T
Cassette: Shimano Deore 10-51t — Ran so far to today 700 miles or so of good operation. It does not transfer as much power as an XD driver Sram GX cassette on the same bike but it shifts a lot more naturally as far as timing and is smoother in engagement and disengagement
5/2022 Augusta Michigan: Fort Custer Stampede 23 miles 1275 ft elevation
Setup/ component notes:
Fork: 2022 fox 32 performance step cast;
Chassis damper: factory fox Supercaliber
34t front chain ring
Not much change from last setup; for Michigan tight Forest racing with minimal elevation.
Race #2: Midwest testing on my home turf - Ft. Custer
The Supercaliber in locked-out mode is too long to bend between Michigan’s tight trees sometimes. I had to unlock the chassis damper to make it handle well but still would get outpaced by myself from the data on my own home local training courses in Michigan testing with the Scott Scale 940. The data from the Scott Scale was gleaned from the 5 events I raced in 2021
The last 3 events I raced were a street hillclimb, road hillclimb, and meow meow spec terrain course at high elevation that I raced my current Scott scale 920 / Spooky Skeletor at; the Supercaliber has been returned for more technical trails and rocky terrain with larger size rock gardens.
Current setup:
Fork: 2022 fox 32 non step cast 120mm test fork. Decent value fork for an Oem item but will be replaced in the near future as its limitations have been exceeded; fantastic training fork (it’s heavy)
Chassis damper: custom tuned fox factory unit by fox. I asked the custom setup divisional for increased compression and rebound capabilities vs off the shelf and the delivered item was marvelous. The damper now handles way more stable over higher frequency rocks and rougher terrain/ larger drops.
Tires: Maxxis Recon Race 2.4
Great tire compromise for still moving at a decent rolling pace when coasting. Has good contact patch to ground on looser dirt or rock or roots.
Crank Bros 170mm Highline 7 dropper post; smooth and durable over rough and frequent operation.
The next 6 months will see more training and trail duty than racing most likely but it will be setup for sea otter again in may 2023.
Will update in the future as the machine progresses: currently it’s been a very durable machine.
2021 Trek Supercaliber and 2022 Scott Spark overlooking the Silicon Valley from Mission Peak
11 MONTH overview of the Trek Supercaliber 9.6 — mechanical update, reliability report etc.
By: Racer H
Out of the box, the Supercaliber 9.6 has a very budget driveline; off the shelf, Deore crankset was immediately upgraded with an SLX unit + XT 30T chainring for sea otter and never raced on; the 6100 all steel 12s cassette has proven extremely durable - Currently at 1200miles and still reliably smooth shifting
Race driveline update & misc notes:
I've always gotten results with XT since I started riding and racing with it in 1998. Sram may have the best robotic shifting but for analog use, the XT complete system is just a really pleasant experience. Have not raced with the XT electronic yet; looking forwards to having it on a future new bike.
XT 2023 12s rear derailleur, 11-51 cassette, chain, Sram 12s GX shifter to delete index finger from the operation of shifter - it works.
The Supercaliber has one pivot and I honestly forgot all about it; checked it at the 1100-mile mark after spending a lot of time riding chunky rock at local trails Rockville and Skyline park in Napa; the bolt had walked out a few MM. No damage; will check and Loctite pre-Sea otter endurance race.
The Custom setup Fox damper has been bulletproof even after being pushed beyond its standard XCO operation conditions - Thank you ED and the entire team at Fox for customizing it to greatness; the off-the-shelf unit was blown and leaking at hour 5 from new.
Recent tire option opinions;
Maxxis aspen 2.4; Not enough sidewall grip for the amount of slip angle and lean angle avail with the chassis.
Maxxis Rekon race 2.4; not as much air volume as the aspen so more subject to flatting out when running low pressure; too heavy to actually XCO race on but a fun option for more aggressive terrain. The Supercaliber cannot fit any more tire than this.
Racer H and Racer J discuss tuning options for the Sea Otter Classic 2023.
Updated March 26, 2023