Trek's fat bike gets an update and a bigger battery for YT Industries Decoy e-MTB
Our round-up of the very best tech stories of the week
With lots of upgrades to both tech and bikes and fresh new releases on the off-road cycling scene, it’s been an exciting week. Trek has overhauled its fat bike with modern geometry, and Wahoo and Trailforks have collaborated to provide more comprehensive mapping features. This week's other two big news stories came from Focus and its updated Raven hardtail, and YT Industries with its Decoy and larger battery.
- How to choose the best dropper post for your mountain bike
- The best gravel and adventure bikes you can buy for under £1,500
Trek’s fat bike gets an update
2023 Trek Farley TK22_MY23_Farley_Munising_MI_DR5608.jpg, by Trek
The Farley, best known as Trek’s fat bike, has seen some cool upgrades, including extra mounting points to take care of the luggage situation and a fresh geometry with a steeper seat tube angle and a slacker head tube, a shorter fork offset and a longer reach.
This is the ultimate backpacking machine equipped to plough through loose terrain with stability, while its chassis can easily carry many more racks and cargo cages for many nights on the trails. There are four new models to admire, and two (Farley 9.6 and 5) are available to the UK market. They both feature a dropper post and, the 5, which is aluminium, has an array of mounting options. Availability is from mid-March, starting at £2,130.
Wahoo’s partnership with Trailforks
2023 wahoo trailforks 3.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The Elemnt’s range in Wahoo’s best cycling computer collection has partnered with Trailforks to provide more comprehensive mapping features. The mobile app offers information such as thousands of trails, heat maps and trail reports created by user input. Without needing to upgrade to Trailforks Pro, riders can benefit from the app integration, where they can sync their routes to the Elemnt computer range and the Companion App.
New Raven hardtail by Focus
2023 focus raven hero 2.jpg, by Liam Mercer
German bike manufacturer Focus Bikes has revealed its updated Raven hardtail, focusing on slacker geometry, offering more versatility for a bike that isn’t shy to tackle aggressive cross-country and downcountry terrain head-on with a heavy lean towards gravel riding capabilities, too. The headset is adjustable, meaning the rotatable headset cups offer another angle from its 66.5-degree to 67.5-degree to promote better manoeuvrability through twistier courses.
The three models available range from the Raven 8.9, being the most expensive at £3,500 and comes with a dropper post, RockShox SID Select providing 120mm of front travel, SRAM GX Eagle shifting, and DT Swiss X1900 wheels. The entry-level model features RockShox Judy Silver TK 29 fork and is £2,200, while the middle option has Fox Rhythm forks and Shimano components.
YT’s Decoy gets an upgrade with a more battery range
2023 yt industries decoy 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
YT Industries has expanded its e-MTB range, adding a more premium model to its enduro Decoy range with the ability to travel further on enduro missions thanks to its battery that can eat miles for breakfast. The two carbon models are the Decoy Core 4 29 and Core 4 MX, with the latter designed for more downhill-style terrain. The standard Decoy Core 4 has a different approach to riding and is aimed at adventure with a little less suspension. A whopping 165mm of travel features on the MX, with 170mm of bounce taking care of bumps from the front. What stands out with these models is that the bike can use a 720Wh battery option when the standard 540Wh range doesn't quite cut it, giving the rider an extra 30% extended range. The battery can be bought separately for an extra £900.
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