The Slash eight, or "Beast under control" as Uroš called it, is an enduro mountain bike with fast, 29 '' wheels and powerful RockShox suspension. The task of the gear assembly was entrusted to the components of the Sram GX Eagle. The frame features an aluminum frame with fresh new technology, which makes driving great and is suitable for versatile riders.
Uroš tested his Slash on Maribor's Pohorje and told us some details he noticed while driving.
How do you like the Slash 2022 compared to last year’s model?
'At first glance, very similar to its predecessor, but next to the new color palette and rubber protection of the lower tube, which now reaches all the way to the top, significant changes are hidden in the geometry, which provide better weight distribution and good handling.
How do you like the Slash compared to other, similar enduro bikes?
Like most bikes in this segment, the new Slash is slightly longer and flatter, but at the same time I notice steeper than the seatposts, which is nice to know when pedaling. By entering the trail, you can drive it on your own enough efficiently. The rear shock absorber lock is very welcome when I have a long time to pedal. as I have a feeling that with a locked butt it’s really effective on the climb.
Where does Slash do best?
Slash shines best on the descent. I ride an M size with the handlebars shortened from the original 820mm to 780mm and the feel on the trail is great. I was positively surprised by the playfulness and agility of the bike. The bike is very stable at speed and, despite expecting some cumbersomeness in closed corners, surprisingly agile and fun even in the slower segments of the trail. It happily bunnyhops over roots and rocks and reliably picks up anything I decide to run over.
What about the components?
The Trek Slash 8 comes out of the box perfectly equipped. The aluminum frame has an excellent 170 mm Rockshox Lyrik Select + fork at the front, which differs from the Ultimate version only in that it does not have a High Speed Compression setting, and at the rear there is a Rockshox SuperDeluxe Ultimate variant made especially for Trek, which holds a 160 mm stroke and also aluminum swings reliably on the ground. With the suspension settings themselves, as I am used to at Rockshox, I did very quickly, the recommended front and rear sag, two or three pressure corrections and what a click of the rebound here and there after the first rides and I am ready for the season. I don't expect to deal with them much anymore.
The powertrain consists of the Sram GX series with the exception of the crank bearing the X1 designation. Just changing gears, however, is quiet, fast and accurate. The gear with 30 teeth at the front and the cassette 10-52 at the back are, in my opinion, a great combination for every rider, as the first gear is really a grinder and there is no hill where it would need even easier. On the other hand, 30 teeth in the front can be seen at the "final" speed, as the cadence at 25 km / h is already quite high. It doesn’t bother me because I won’t often do a lot of flat miles with Slash, but when I do, it certainly won’t be the essence of flat speed.
The Sram Code R four-bar brakes with a 200 mm disc at the front and 180 mm at the rear ensure that the Slash also stops on the descent. For my good 70 kg more than enough.
I am currently driving the Bontrager tires that came in the package and so far I can say that they are quite satisfactory on dry land, but when it is a bit wet I am not ready to trust them completely.
The rear hub from the Trek Bontrager house brand works well and sings well, and for a good 30€ it can be upgraded from 54 contact points to 108, which means even greater efficiency when you start pedaling and an even nicer sound.
Is there anything on the bike that positively surprised you?
A big plus, however, is definitely the storage space under the water bottle holder, which also includes a handy pouch that can pack a spare inner tube, a CO2 kit, and accessories for removing the Tyre. It's a challenge on my M to get it all in, but it's possible. A colleague at XL did not have these problems and has room for some energy bar. Let me also mention that the Slash 8 is already basically on a tubeless system, which is just another plus.
Would you like to add anything else?
Finally, I would like to add that in my opinion the new Slash 8 is a great package for both beginners and very experienced cyclists, as it is an extremely powerful and well-balanced enduro bike with an aluminum frame, which is perfect for even the most demanding terrain. but at the same time it allows a lot of fun even on flatter trails and in the company of mountaineers or trail bikes. It allows you to adjust the geometry between High and Low, which means about a degree of change in the angle of the fork and seat post, lift BB and other things that come with it. Honestly, I haven't tested the High setting yet, because it's also quite satisfactory to drive on Low setting for the enduro bike.
And yet, thumbs up also to Rene and the team from the Econo center for counselling when deciding to buy a bike.