Image of Trek Elite 9.9 SSL Mountain Bike
The Trek Elite 9.9 SSL is a range leading hardtail mountain bike for which no expense has been spared when it comes to equipment or setup.
It is the kind of bike that would be an ideal platform for professional riders and is particularly well suited to fast, smooth climbs where other cycles might not be able to match it.
The frame is constructed from OCLV Mountain Carbon, which Trek uses on its top off-road bikes in order to give them added strength and stiffness. It has been tested thoroughly to ensure that it is in keeping with the needs of hardcore action on the trail and it has features like internal cable routing to show that it means business.
The Fox Factor Series 32 Float FIT RL fork is found at the front, with remote lockout available so that you can really stiffen things up when you have to dig deep to power through tough climbs. 100mm of travel gives you the suppleness to take the hits that will result on rough terrain or when you are coming back down the other side again. Meanwhile the shock gets a coat of Kashima to keep it working smoothly time after time.
The full Shimano XTR groupset is present in the drivetrain of the Trek Elite 9.9 SSL and it features a pressed BB90 bottom bracket, which helps to reduce the overall weight and also means that the bike can be stiffer than ever. Power transfer is particularly effective thanks to this arrangement, which means that you can accelerate effectively in cross country situations and also keep up the pressure during ascents.
Carbon Light, Bontrager Fast
You get Bontrager Race XXX Lite TLR Disc rims and hubs, with XR0 Team tyres and plenty of carbon in order to ensure that every element of the Trek Elite 9.9 SSL is as light as possible. 26 inch wheels like this are a standard feature of mountain bikes, but here you simply get the cream of the crop in terms of quality and performance.
The Bontrager Evoke RXL saddle is fashioned from carbon, along with the Race X Lite handlebar and the Race XXX Lite seatpost. The bike actually has a no-cut off-road seatmast which is lighter and allows for more vertical compliance while still offering the full adjustments associated with standard seatpost setups.
The seatmast is one of the features which allows the Trek Elite 9.9 SSL to be more comfortable than some hardtail bikes, since the added flex is afforded without any compromises having to be made in terms of lateral stiffness.
The entirety of the Trek 9 series is packed with championship racers, but the Elite 9.9 SSL is understandably up there with the best of the best. The fact that the frame tips the scales at just a touch over a kilogram means that it gives the rider as much opportunity to turn their pent-up energy into forward momentum as possible. Meanwhile the overall rigidity means that this power is not being spent unnecessarily.
This type of bike is typically solid when it comes to handling and you certainly get plenty of feedback and responsiveness from this particular model. It should be clear from the price that the Trek Elite 9.9 SSL is not intended for your occasional weekend rider. However, if you do pick it up it certainly has the potential to be a decent everyday bike if you want to pare down your collection to a single high end model such as this. Just be prepared for it to truly find its feet when you take it out to race.
