It was difficult to photograph this bike. Not because of its stealthy finish, nor its fierce red highlights – the issue instead was that people simply would not leave me alone to get the job done.
“Nice bike mate,” and “How much did that one set you back?” and so on – the Procaliber 9.9 was rapidly drawing its own crowd in Bristol, and who could blame these people. I’d have wanted a closer look, and if you’re reading this then you obviously do too.
The Procaliber 9.9 is Trek’s top drawer cross-country hardtail, and depending on where you are in the world it’ll set you back a rather brutal £6,000 / US$8,400. It’s worth noting that we’ve already ridden the considerably less offensively priced Procaliber 9.8 SL.
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Aside from being eye wateringly dear, the Procaliber 9.9 does have a standout feature – this is a hardtail with a pivot. Yep, just forward of the seat tube, and this – combined with an elastomer at the top tube /seatstay junction – means that the seat tube is effectively allowed to splay open where you’d normally have a weld. Not by a lot though, the system is said to provide just 11mm of movement.
Related: The return of the softtail - BMC's elastomer-equipped Teamelite TE01
What does this mean for a rider? Well, in theory it should allow for a more comfortable experience, or less fatigue for the racers among us. It should also keep a rider more planted while in the saddle, and in turn this should help to keep the tyre in contact with the ground more effectively. Notice that I keep mentioning being seated, because this design only really works when a rider has their weight over the saddle.
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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