but this needs to happen if I'm going to actually buy a new damn bike...I want to start this out by saying this bike has been an incredibly fun rig for the last 10 years. It's a rad bike that pedals well, rides very nicely, and will take a hefty beating and keep coming back for more.
If you look up a 2009 Trek X-Caliber you'll see it's a red Gary Fisher! I bought it when 29ers were brand new on the market and this was the hot shit from Gary Fisher. A few years later, GF was rolled into Trek bikes, and here we are. The OG frame cracked, and was warrantied by Trek (amazing company btw) to a 2012 model frame. This is a good thing, it looks a hell of a lot better in black/blue than it did in red.
The bike only has a few stock components on it. The crank, bottom bracket, headset, and fork. Everything else has been changed from stock and rebuilt a year ago with $400 of new parts. So here's what is on it:
Frame: 2012 Trek X-Caliber 29er aluminum, size 19.5", no plastic fantastic to be found here
Fork: 2009 model Fox Float F29. 80mm travel, spacer removed for "100 mm" travel, it usually bottoms around 88-90mm. This is a non-tapered fork.
Bars: Renthal Fatbar lite, 740mm wide for extra fun
Stem: Azonic Predator 50mm choad
Grips: ODI Rogue bolt-on
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite gel
Seatpost: Who knows, Bontrager something or another that I sticker bombed
Brakes: Shimano SLX, 180mm front 160mm rear 6-bolt rotors, awesome stopping power
Shifter: rear only, it's a 1x... Shimano SLX M7000 11-speed
Derailleur: Shimano SLX M7000 clutched
Chain: Shimano XT
Cassette: Shimano SLX M7000 11-46t pizza pie plate bail out gear special
Crank: Stock off-group Shimano hollowtech something or another, IDK, replacing it would save some weight. I polished all the anodizing off it because it was some horrible gray-purple color. It looks alright.
Chainring: RaceFace 30t
BB: Threaded!!!!!!!!!!! NO CREAKING HOLY SHIT YUSS
Wheels: Mavic XC429 tubeless hookless rims, Sram X9 hubs
Tires: newer Schwalbe nobby nic. Tubeless set up.
Pedals and bell not included. Or they could be. Whatever.
Weight? Uh. 26 lbs? Does it matter? Does anyone care about weight anymore?
Is it beat to shit? A little. Chain slap on the drive side chainstay is real. Might want to watch that. Rest of bike is good to rip though. Fork is v smooth, has been serviced a few times in its life at the LBS, last time was 2 years ago and I don't ride this a hell of a lot. Parts are newer so they all work fine. Amazingly nothing is broken on it currently.
Is it gram worthy? Likely.
Can I rip on it? This bike is pretty fast with the right rider. It's an XC bike though, so it'll do best on packed singletrack. I've ridden it in Nockamixon, White Clay, Wissahickon, Belmont, whatever it's all awesome and totally rad on this bike. A longer fork would be nice but it's rideable as is. It's rather whippy to ride, chainstays are shortish, 29er wheels are fast, and the shorter stem REALLY sped up the handling. It's a little twitchy now actually. Add a dropper post to it and go hog wild. Do it. Please.
Can it climb? No rear suspension, lower travel front, yes this will climb. With the 1x drivetrain I took a lot of time to figure out the best gear ratios and honestly it's perfect. 30t x 46t will get you up everything around here, any lower and you wouldn't be able to keep the front on the ground.
Can I take it off sweet jumps? The world is your oyster. I take the jump line all the time.
Will I fit on it? I'm 6'2". The 19.5" size should accommodate someone 5'10" to 6'2". If you're taller than me, it's no bueno really.
Can I try it out? If you're in the area come grab it and rip on it for a week, be my guest. I need to know you though, no "but this is my friend's dog's day care partner's mom's best friend, he's a good dude."
Price? Open to discussions. PRICE SLASHED TO $400!!
Let's trade?! Let's not.
