It’s hard to believe that Trek hasn’t had a 27.5+ hardtail in its lineup up until this point. Trek has filled that void up until now with its 29+ Stache models. However 29+ and 27.5+ are different animals and now Trek has decided to enter the crowded market of 27.5+ trail hardtails with the Roscoe.
Honestly the higher end Roscoe looks to be a pretty compelling option though. There are two models, the Roscoe 7 and Roscoe 8, offered in both mens and women’s models. The Roscoe 7 comes in at just over grand retailing for $1099.99. For this price it is under specced though. You get a Deore M600, 10 speed drive train, Tektro M285 brakes and a RockShocks Judy Coil fork. Not exactly anything to write home about. At least they did fit it with Schawlbe Rocket Ron 2.8 tires which I found to be quite nice.
Stepping up to the Roscoe 8 however, you get a RockShox Judy Silver TK air sprung fork, SRAM NX 11-speed drivetrain, Shimano M315 brakes and an internally routed dropper seat post! You get all of this for a MRSP of $1,259.99. The geometry is slightly steeper and less aggressive than many of the bikes I would compare this bike against. The head tube angle at 68.3° is slightly less slack. The chainstay length of 438mm is a bit longer.
The Roscoe does feature rack mounts with make this a bit more viable as an adventure / trail bike. It has boost spacing all around, however, oddly it features a QR rear axle as opposed to a through axle which would yield a stiffer rear end.
All in in all, if you are looking for a 27.5+ trail hardtail. The Roscoe 8 deserves a look.
All the details and specs can be found here
Thanks for the review!
What other bikes would you compare this to? (Looking for a trail hardtail in the 1000-1300 range)
A few bikes you could look at would be the Marin Pine Mountain, Specialized Fuse and the Salsa Timberjack. I am currently riding a Raleigh Tokul 3 which is another great option, though they are becoming a bit hard to find.
I have never had a mountain bike. There are no real trails close to my house but I could run a lot of field roads, pretty rough gravel roads and some pavement to get to nearby towns. not many hills. I might occasionally trail ride but i will have to commute someplace with the bike to do it. i am looking at a used Trek superfly elite 100 al full suspension vs. a trek roscoe 17.5+ as a novice i really don’t know what to compare. The roscoe has newer technology wider hub spacing and axle….the superfly more features but Trek not longer makes a bike with those wheel and hub specs. what would you recommend and why?
Why do I not see this type of bike at races? I just started getting into racing and have noticed that most riders have 29er fs bikes. Thanks!
I think there are a few reasons for this. It sounds like you are going to xc races. The absolute fastest bike on an xc course is most likely going to be a short travel 29er. The 29er wheel size allows for the lightest, most efficient wheels. In addition 29er cross country bikes have been around a lot longer than 27.5 plus bikes. Thus you see more of them at races. All this being said, I raced a 27.5+ bike last year and had good success. And this year, at the local races I’ve attended, I’ve noticed more plus bikes showing up.
Thanks. I was looking at a Roscoe 8 and the vender kept calling it “fun”. I took that as “not fast”. Maybe he wanted to sell me something more expensive. So basically those plus size tires are heavier and are not as snappy or responsive as the narrower ones, right? I wish they’d let me ride a Roscoe for 6 or 8 miles of trail so I can really decide if I like it.
find your local trek dealer, they often setup a ride day early june or at least they do here and im in the middle of nowhere ( saint john new Brunswick Canada) so id assume you could manage to find a demo day near you, they might not allow you to take it to any trail you like but for my town they have it setup by a short local xc trail to allow perspective buyers to try it and to figure out sizing , hope this helps even though im a year late lolol , cheers !