There is no reason for an offseason with a bike like this.
Lowdown: Trek Farley EX 9.8 Fat Bike
Under normal circumstances this Mtbr bike review would have posted sometime back in the colder months when days were short and snow covered the trails. But these are not normal circumstances because this is not a normal bike. Indeed, while the Farley EX 9.8 resides within Trek’s fat bike family, its capabilities reach beyond winter thanks to a unique design that eschews the common 26-by-tubby wheel/tire combo, and instead rolls on 27.5 carbon wheels shod with comparatively skinny 3.8-inch tires. The Farley EX is also not your standard steep-angled fatty hardtail. It’s a fun (dare we say, playful) 120mm full suspension trail tamer that’s just as at home on dirt as it is plowing through pow. To learn more press play to watch this Trek Farley EX stoke video, then read the full Mtbr review below.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g4J_v4eVy8
Stat Box
| Frame: Carbon front/seatstay, alloy chainstay | Handlebar: Bontrager Line Pro Carbon 750mm |
| Suspension: ABP, Full Floater, EVO link | Chain: SRAM |
| Fork: 120mm RockShox Bluto RL Solo Air | Saddle: Bontrager Evoke 3, Ti rails |
| Shock: 120mm Fox Performance Float EVOL RE:aktiv 3-position damper | Seatpost: Bontrager Drop Line 125 |
| Wheels: Trek Wampa Carbon 80 SL | Cassette: SRAM 10-42, 11 speed |
| Tires: Bontrager Hodag, 27.5×3.80 | Stem: Bontrager Line 35mm |
| Shifters: SRAM X1, 11 speed | Headset: Integrated, cartridge bearing |
| Brakeset: SRAM Guide hydraulic disc | Headtube angle: 68.8 degrees |
| Rotors: 180mm f/r | Chainstay length: 443mm |
| Cable routing: Internal | Seat tube angle: 67 degrees |
| Rear Derailleur: SRAM X01 | Weight: 31.4 pounds (size XL) |
| Crank: Race Face Next, 30T | MSRP: $ 5500 |
| Bottom bracket: PF121 | Rating:  4 Chilis-out-of-5 |
| Cassette: Shimano SLX 11-42 |
The Farley EX 9.8 proved to be a fast roller at January’s second annual Fat Bike World Championships in Crested Butte, Colorado.
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The low slung top tube avails superb standover.
Review: Trek Farley EX 9.8 Fat Bike
Before delving into what the Trek Farley EX 9.8 is, it’s helpful to understand what it’s not. By bypassing the fat bike standard 26×4.5 (or wider) wheel-tire combo, this “hybrid” fat bike is not the preferred weapon of choice for slaying deep powder in the Alaskan backcountry. If you’re looking to cut freshies from December to March, turn your attention to one of the many more traditional fat bikes on the market, which can run super wide tires. (Trek’s Farley 9.9, for instance.)
The Farley EX 9.8 is also not a true trail bike. Sure it has 120mm of suspension front and rear. But those wide’ish tires and (sorry, RockShox) the so-so Bluto fork will leave you wanting more if a dedicated warm-weather shred machine is your sole focus. (In this case the Trek Remedy or Slash would be a better choice.)
On a trail such as this traction is literally limitless. But do notice the rear tire squirm.
However, if you’re looking for one bike to ride on packed snowy trails in winter (which is what most fat bikers do most of the time), and capably rip around your local singletrack in summer, then the Trek Farley EX 9.8 is one of (if not the) best options on the market. Its 27.5 wagon wheels (we’re talking fat bikes, remember) offer more roll over than 26ers. But they aren’t ginormous, meaning less unsettling squirm or undamped bounce when banging around dry trails.
They also roll comparatively fast, a fact I discovered at January’s Fat Bike World Championships in Crested Butte, where hard pack conditions netted an obvious speed advantage when side-by-side with fellow racers on standard (and often heavier) 26×4.5/4.8/5.0 set-ups. Indeed, despite being a full-suspension fat bike, the Farley EX 9.8 (size XL) weighs just over 31 pounds. And like 29ers on an XC course, the taller 27.5 wheels (along with narrower tires) carry speed better than their smaller diameter brethren once up to speed.
Frame and Suspension Dissemination
The frame’s carbon main triangle is the same as that used on the popular Trek Fuel EX. The rear end is alloy. The bike also gets Trek’s well regarded RE:aktiv suspension design, which in a nutshell is aimed at maintaining an efficient pedaling platform without degradation to big hit performance. This is achieved via the Fox Performance Float EVOL shock’s internal spring-loaded valve that permits increased low speed compression for pedaling support, but opens this valve when shock shaft speed — and chunder — increase.
Trek’s well regarded RE:aktiv suspension design maintains an efficient pedaling platform without degradation to big hit performance.
That suspension technology was not something I was overly aware of during winter riding. The bike pedaled well enough and dealt with small bumps capably, but there’s just not much big hitting on snow. On a handful of dry trail rides this spring, though, the Farley EX 9.8 performed better than expected, soaking up medium-sized drops with little complaint, while again staying efficient while climbing. But remember, this is a 120mm bike so there are limits to what it can do.
The frame also features Trek’s adjustable Mino linkage that allows for minor adjustment in geometry. The bike comes set in the high position, which nets a taller bottom bracket height and steeper head tube angle. Switch to the low position for a slightly slacker front end and lower BB. Preferring snappier steering when riding on snow, I left it in high during this test. But for more aggressive summer sessions, it would certainly make sense to slack things out a bit.
As already mentioned, front end suspension is handled by RockShox’s 120mm Bluto fork. During wintertime rides, the fork did its job, soaking up chatter and not losing performance in cold weather. But the slim 32mm stanchions just don’t match up well with the weight and torque of fat tires and wheels, especially when pushed hard on dry trail rides.
Proper cold weather testing of a dropper post. No issues to report.
Finally, before moving on to the rest of the spec, it must be mentioned that the first shock on our test bike failed, losing pressure and spilling its greasy innards all over the bottom of the frame. After sending it back to Trek who forwarded it on to Fox, here’s a summary of the somewhat inconclusive report we got back.
“It was a damper oil leak through the shaft and out of the adjusters… The adjusters had a non-factory replacement grease on them so this shock had been re-worked by somebody. Our suspicion is they accidentally damaged the small O-ring that seals the compression rod on install. The cold weather could have made the seal less compliant which accelerated the problem but we don’t think it was the root cause.”
Trek claimed no one on their end “re-worked” the shock, and instead guessed it could have happened at the factory. Whatever the case, Trek quickly sent a replacement shock, and it held up perfectly fine through the remainder of the test session, which included numerous sub-freezing rides. With all that said, we’re willing to chalk the failure up to a one-off problem and don’t see it as cause for alarm.
Continue to page 2 for more of the Mtbr Trek Farley 9.8 EX review
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