Trek has launched the latest version of the Farley, that they say is its best fat tire mountain bike to date, featuring an all-new aluminum frame and carbon fork. Farley comes ready for mountain bike adventure, with 27.5 x 4.5-inch tires, tons of mounts, and new custom front and back racks that Trek say makes Farley an all-in-one adventure mountain bike capable of handling any terrain you throw at it from winter snow to sand and the deepest of mud.
The Farley has an expedition-oriented frame that comes in four different configurations, three with the new aluminum frame and one in carbon. That ranges from the entry model Farley 5 to the Farley 9.6, an OCLV Mountain Carbon race ready bike. OCLV is Trek's own patented carbon fiber process, which they say is its strongest and lightest carbon to date.
The range starts with the Farley 5 and features the new aluminum frame and carbon fork and is specced with a MicroShift Advent X 10-speed groupset and SRAM Level brakes. The Farley 7 also comes with the same frame but with an 80mm Manitou Mastodon suspension fork to smooth out the bumps on rougher terrain with SRAM GX Eagle and SRAM Level T brakes.
The Farley 9 has the rigid fork with the alloy frame and gets the upgraded SRAM Level TL brakes and uses the same GX Eagle groupset found on the 7.
The Carbon 9.6 again has SRAM GX Eagle groupset and the SRAM Level TL brakes with all frame options available as a frameset only option, that allows riders to spec and dream build their own adventure ride.
What else is new in the Trek Farley?
Trek say the new Farley is all about all-terrain, any-season exploration and it has received updated tube shaping to give a more modern look to the new alloy frames. The brand-new carbon fork has a shorter offset for improved handling and it also gives extra space for mounting a custom rack or cargo gear cages. There are mounts for the 1120 front rack as well as lower leg mounts for additional carrying capacity.
If mounts are your thing, the Farley won't leave you short. It has plenty of mounting options with all-new top tube bag/box mounts, inside of the front triangle for custom strapless frame bag or bottle cages, downtube mounts for accessory cages or fenders with multiple positioning options and an updated rear rack mount with more secure attachment.
Trek Farley geometry updates
Geometry on Farley 9.6 stays the same as the previous model, except the fork offset and wheelbase are slightly shorter. Trek has said the 9.6 is its benchmark for the fastest and lightest fat mountain bike performance and that the other models had more room for improvement, with focus and resources directed to the new aluminum frame.
Stand-out changes in the geometry for the new frames are a steeper seat tube angle (1-degree more at 74 degrees), a slacker head tube angle (-0.5-degree at 68.5 degrees, a shorter fork offset (from 51mm to 42mm) and a longer reach, now 461mm on the Large – which is around 20mm longer.
Farley frame details
The horizontal sliding dropouts from the previous models are gone on the new alloy frames and replaced by a fixed rear-center length of 450mm (5mm shorter than previously) and uses the SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger). Trek believes that fat bike tire standards have leveled out and that most riders prefer to run 27.5 x 4.5-inch tires, so the need for a sliding dropout to accommodate new tire sizes is therefore no longer required.
Other additions see internal routing for the dropper seatpost, a 100mm threaded BB, a maximum chainring size of 32t and there are no ISCG chain guide mounts.
Trek Farley pricing and availability
Trek says the new Farley models will be available by mid-March, with pricing starting from $2,199 / £2,130 / €2,299 on the Farley 5, Farley 7 $2,999 / £2,493 / €2,807, with Farley 9 $3,999 / £3,233 / €3,742, and the Carbon framed 9.6 at $3,699 / £3,525 / €3,799 in sizes S, M, L and XL.
Frames are also available separately in the same sizing, with the aluminum frameset priced at £1,390 / $1,499 / £1,390 / €1,499 and the carbon frame at $2,599 / £2,590 / €2,799.
More information on the new Farley fat mountain bikes can be found at trekbikes.com
