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Field Test Review: 2024 Trek Slash - Rides Like a Session

Cool Features

New 2024 Trek Slash 9.9 XO AXS first ride review – A new evolutionary stage of high pivot bikes?

The new 2024 Trek Slash is right on trend: high pivot rear suspension, mullet wheel set-up, generous amounts of travel and plenty of adjustment options. Furthermore, it combines both familiar and newly developed features that are meant to simplify your riding experience. After six weeks of testing on both sides of the pond, we were able to gather countless impressions, both good and not so good.

The Slash has been an integral part of Trek’s portfolio for over 10 years, and is now entering its 6th generation. The most significant innovation is the new rear suspension, which relies on a high pivot design and generates a very generous amount of travel, bringing the Slash in line with the latest generation of enduro bikes. Up until now, Trek have only used the high pivot system on their downhill bike, the Session, which nevertheless allowed them to gather lots of practical experience with the system and use their World Cup riders’ feedback to develop the new enduro rig. The new Slash generates 170 mm of travel both front and rear, and rolls out of the factory sporting a mullet. An interchangeable shock mount, however, allows you to convert it to a full 29er. As usual, Trek are releasing both an alloy and a carbon version of the new Slash, both of which are available in several different spec variants. We’ve already put the new Trek Slash 9.9 XO AXS 2024 through the wringer over a 6 month period, dipping its tires both into Canadian and European soil to gather some exciting insights.

The detail solutions of the new 2024 Trek Slash

The predecessor of the 2024 Trek Slash already came with a practical storage compartment integrated into the down tube, which Trek has updated for the latest Slash iteration. The opening is much bigger, making it easier to reach all the trail essentials you store inside it. Moreover, the edges of the compartment are still framed with a plastic liner, preventing you from cutting your fingers or damaging the contents when you pull them out of the compartment. The alloy frame has a storage compartment too and all models come standard with a small pouch for all your trail essentials, which can be easily pulled out of the frame using the bright red Cordura tab. The closure system relies on a simple lever that disappears under the bottle cage when engaged, and is easy to operate even while wearing gloves. The cables of the new Slash are routed internally and only reappear briefly at the transition from the main frame and swingarm. The cable ports are in a rather unusual position, sitting prominently on the front of the head tube – this look takes some getting used to! In combination with a wireless drivetrain, Trek close the cable ports with small rubber plugs.

There’s an additional tool mount underneath the top tube, which allows you to carry a spare inner tube or a tool strap, for example. In typical Trek fashion, the new Session comes standard with an integrated Bontrager BITS mini tool in the steerer tube, which includes all of the basic tools required for essential trailside repairs. That said, removing the tool from the steerer tube requires strong fingers and, as usual, the lever of the closing mechanism rattles on the trail. Trek also hide a 6 mm Allen key in the rear thru-axle.

For model year 2024, Trek provided the Slash with several protective features, all of which are meant to preserve the bike’s value. Amongst them is the generously sized integrated mudguard, which is bolted directly to the seat stay and is meant to protect the seat tube from stray rocks. Unfortunately, this has to be removed if you want to swap the 27.5” rear wheel for a bigger 29″ rear wheel. Furthermore, the down tube comes standard with a pair of dual-density TPU plates, which allow you to replace the inner section if it gets damaged. In addition, the frame comes with an additional protective layer under the final finish. Trek also redeveloped the chainstay protector from the ground up, raising both the inner and outer edges to prevent chain slap more effectively – and this really works, ensuring a quiet ride on the trail.

The high-pivot rear suspension of the new 2024 Trek Slash

While the new 2024 Trek Slash 2024 still relies on the same linkage-driven single pivot rear suspension, it combines it with a high pivot point design. This positions the main pivot point well above the chainring, allowing the rear wheel to swing up and backwards during an impact. This rearward axle path can help to make the suspension feel smoother over square-edged hits, ironing out roots and rocks more efficiently. However, the system also has its drawbacks: as the axle moves rearwards through the travel, the distance between the cassette and chainring grows, resulting in wheelbase and chainstay growth. This pulls the chain backwards, manifesting in high levels of pedal kickback and resulting in an imbalanced weight distribution of the rider on the bike throughout the travel. To counteract this, a chain idler pulley is fitted on the seat tube, which helps minimise pedal kickback and also gives high-pivot bikes their characteristic look. This also allows the engineers to fine tune the bike’s anti-squat and anti-rise levels independently simply by moving the position of the idler pulley. The unusually big 19T idler pulley is meant to mitigate the negative effect that the high pivot system has on pedalling efficiency, because the bigger pulley has a wider radius. Furthermore, Trek use a small chain guide to prevent the chain from falling off the idler.

The new 2024 Slash also features an additional pulley below the chainstay, which isn’t that common with high pivot bikes. This special pulley also includes an MRP bash guard and can be retrofitted to other high pivot bikes. Its job is to prevent the chain from stretching under the chainstay and thus to stop it from pulling on the rear derailleur. That said, even with the biggest XL frame, the chain runs at a sharp angle in the lowest gears, as the distance between the rear derailleur cage and the idler pulley is very small. While this didn’t cause us any problems on the trail, we’re not sure how good this is, both for pedalling efficiency and the chain’s service life. Speaking of the chain, with all frame sizes up to L, you’ll get away with a conventional 126-link chain. The new Slash in XL, however, requires 128 links, meaning that you need two chains.

The new 2024 Slash still relies on Trek’s proprietary Active Breaking Pivot or ABP technology, which can be found on most of their full suspension bikes and is designed to keep the rear suspension active even under heavy braking, helping to maintain traction.

The spec of our test bike – The Trek 2024 Slash 9.9 XO AXS

Our Trek Slash test bike comes equipped with Rockshox Ultimate suspension consisting of a 170 mm ZEB Charger 3.0 fork with independently adjustable low- and high-speed compression damping, and a brand- new Vivid Ultimate air shock , which offers externally adjustable compression and rebound settings as well as a climb switch. Unlike the Super Deluxe, the new Vivid relies on a high-volume air chamber and Rockshox’s new proprietary Touchdown damper. Unlike the rest of the Trek range, the Slash doesn’t use a Thru Shaft damper, which comes standard with most of their full-suspension bikes and is developed specifically for Trek.

As the name extension suggests, the 2024 Trek Slash 9.9 XO AXS employs a new electronic SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission drivetrain. The rear derailleur mounts directly to the thru-axle and worked flawlessly throughout our test. SRAM also supply the wireless, electronic Reverb AXS dropper post, but this only offers a meagre 170 mm of travel, which is far too little for a modern enduro bike. However, there isn’t a longer-travel version of the Reverb AXS dropper, so we recommend swapping the standard dropper for a cable-operated model if needed. Given the seat tube’s generous insertion depth, you could even push a 240 mm OneUp Components V2 dropper post all the way into the frame of a Slash in size L. Needless to say, the brand-new drivetrain is complemented with SRAM’s four-piston Code Stealth Silver brakes, which, just like the old RSC model, feature tool-free lever reach and bite point adjustments as well as SRAM’s proprietary SwingLink lever for optimal modulation. Compared to the Stealth Ultimate flagship model, the Silver variant only forgoes the carbon levers, tipping the scales at just 8 g more. Due to the new design, the brake lines run parallel and close to the handlebars, which ensures a cleaner look but can cause the cables to rattle – this can be easily fixed with a couple of additional clamps or zip ties ;) The brakes are paired with 200 mm rotors front and rear, which suit the Slash’s character and field of application rather well! For more oomph, you can can upgrade to 220 mm rotors both front and rear, because both the frame and fork are approved for it.

For the rest of the spec, Trek rely on their in-house component brand Bontrager, including a Bontrager Line Pro 30 carbon wheelset, which didn’t survive the testing sessions unscathed, with several spokes snapping after just 3 weeks of deployment. In addition, the rims are paired with flimsy, puncture-prone tires, which force you to run higher air pressure to avoid burping and snake bites. We recommend upgrading the standard Bontrager SE6 and SE5 tires for more robust tires before you start riding. In this test, we swapped to tires with a tougher DH casing after just a few laps. For the cockpit, Trek rely on an 820 mm Bontrager RSL one-piece handlebar/stem unit, which might look fancy but doesn’t allow for fine tuning except for the stem height, which can be changed using spacers. On top of that, the handlebars are very stiff and get even stiffer if you shorten them, like we did! With such a potent enduro bike, an adjustable cockpit makes more sense because it allows you to adapt the front end ergonomics to your anatomy. With the standard spec, our 2024 Trek Slash 9.9 XO AXS test bike in size L tips the scales at 15.7 kg.

Trek Slash 9.9 X0 AXS 2024

Specifications.

Fork RockShox ZEB Ultimate 170 mm Rear Shock RockShox Vivid Ultimate 170 mm Seatpost RockShox Reverb AXS 170 mm Brakes SRAM CODE Silver 200/200 mm Drivetrain SRAM Eagle Transmission X0 1x12 Stem Bontrager RSL 35 mm Handlebar Bontrager RSL 820 mm Wheelset Bontrager Line Pro 30 29"/27.5" Tires Bontrager SE6 Team Issue/ Bontrager SE5 Team Issue 2.5"/2.4"

Technical Data

Size S M M/L L XL

Specific Features

storage compartment Flip Chip Toolmount

More spec variants of the 2024 Trek Slash

As already mentioned, the new 2024 Trek Slash is available both with an alloy and carbon frame. That said, none of the alloy versions comes with a high-end spec, meaning that you have to order the frame kit if you want to combine an aluminium frame with top-tier suspension, for example. Prices for complete builds range between € 4,499 and € 12,499, and the bikes should be already available from all official Trek dealers. The American manufacturer also lets you test ride their bikes in one of their “Test-a-Trek Centres”. Starting today, you can test the new Slash in Lenzerheide, Saalbach and Sölden.

The alloy version of the new Slash is available in two spec variants. The entry-level Slash 8 XT model comes equipped with a FOX 36 Rhythm fork and a hybrid Shimano XT/SLX drivetrain. Shimano also supply the four-piston Deore M6100 brakes. The Slash 9 GX relies on higher quality RockShox Select+ suspension and SRAM’s new electronic GX Transmission drivetrain, with matching SRAM Code Bronze four-piston brakes. The Slash 9.8 GX combines the same identical spec with a carbon frame.

The flagship Slash 9.9 XX model comes equipped with electronic RockShox Flight Attendant suspension, electronic SRAM XX Transmission drivetrain and wireless RockShox Reverb seatpost. The rest of the spec consists exclusively of top-tier components and plenty of carbon bling. However, all the fancy components come at a price – an eye watering € 12,499! However, Trek have released a total of 5 carbon variants, offering a suitable option for all sorts of wallets.

The geometry of the new 2024 Trek Slash

The new Trek Slash 2024 will be available in 5 sizes, S to XL, and there’s also an intermediate size called M/L. All models in size S feature a curved top tube and 27.5″ wheels front and rear. From size M onwards, the new Slash rolls on a mixed wheel setup with a 29″ wheel at the front and smaller 27.5″ wheel at the rear. However, from size M upwards you can also use a 29″ rear wheel using a different shock mount, but this has to be bought separately and isn’t included in the frameset. The optional shock mount comes with a flip chip that allows you to change the progression of the rear suspension from 20% to 25%, which is intended for coil shock conversions.

Trek deliver the new Slash with three different headset cups, which allow you to change the head angle by up to 1.5°. Of course, by altering the head angle you’ll also change the reach, bottom bracket height and stack height. The new Slash comes standard in the neutral setting. When swapping the cups, however, the lower one has to be installed with a bearing press, meaning that you can’t just quickly swap cups on the trailside. In the neutral setting, the Slash has a 63.3° head angle, which can be changed to either 62.6° or 64.1°. In addition, Trek forgo their usual Knock Block with the new Slash, which means that you don’t have a steering stop limiter.

The position of the bottom bracket allows engineers to achieve different chainstay lengths by using the same rear end, whereby sizes M/L and L share the same values. Simply put, all frame sizes share the same identical swingarm but rely on a slightly different bottom bracket position to allow for the size-specific effective chainstay length. The advantage of this system is that you can easily replace the rear end in case of damage.In size L, the Slash combines 488 mm reach with a short 435 mm seat tube, which offers a generous insertion depth for long-travel dropper posts. The seat tube is short across all sizes, ensuring sufficient freedom of movement on the trail.

The geometry of the new 2024 Trek Slash in the neutral setting

The new 2024 Trek Slash 9.9 XO AXS on the trail

For this review, we were able to ride the new Trek Slash 9.9 XO AXS 2024 in both size L and XL. We tested the bike over the course of several weeks, putting it through the wringer on the legendary trails of Whistler, Squamish and Della Creek, both on bike park trails and natural trails – and also managed to squeeze in a few laps with freeride legend Andrew Shandro. We also rode the new Slash (in size L) on our home trails around Stuttgart and on some techy Alpine gnar in Switzerland. Testing the new Slash in different frame sizes and countless locations gave us the opportunity to gather plenty of impressions.

Needless to say, an aggressive enduro bike won’t earn you any uphill KOMs, and yet the new 2024 Trek Slash 2024 gets you to the trailhead without too much effort. The rear suspension only bobs slightly and generates plenty of traction on technical climbs, meaning that you can easily make your way to the top of the mountain without reaching for the Vivid’s climb switch. On steeper climbs, the front wheel remains planted on the ground, ensuring excellent steering precision. While on the first test laps the bike was totally quiet, with the idler pulley working discreetly in the background, this changed after a few days, with an increasingly loud rattling noise accompanying us on every climb.

When gravity takes over, the first thing you’ll notice is the high front end and deeply integrated riding position. This inspires huge amounts of confidence, even on the gruellingly steep Canadian trails. The Slash makes you feel at ease from the get-go, encouraging you to keep your fingers off the brakes after just a few corners. If you do brake – which is inevitable from time to time – the rear suspension generates tons of traction without stiffening up excessively if you hit a large bump while decelerating. The wheelbase of the Slash grows noticeably less than with other high pivot bikes, remaining agile and playful even when fully compressed. Overall, the rear suspension provides plenty of support, allowing you to pop off ledges and kickers while at the same time offering enough reserves to cope with botched landings.

The new Slash has direct handling and reacts to steering input quickly and precisely. During this test, we swapped the original wheels and handlebars for alloy models, which helped mitigate the very direct ride feeling, ensuring more forgiving handling in slippery conditions. Even in open corners, the Trek sticks to the chosen line with great composure and doesn’t require you to actively weight the front wheel – and that’s despite the high front end! As a result, you’re always in a central riding position, which conveys huge amounts of confidence in all situations. Overall, the Trek makes you feel as if you had more travel on tap and at the same time is just as agile and playful as bikes with less travel. Trek also seem to have successfully addressed the typical drawbacks of high pivot bikes, like the sluggish handling and unbalanced suspension performance, which can result from the growing wheelbase.

Who should take a closer look at the new 2024 Trek Slash?

The new Trek Slash is aimed at trail rippers, enduro racers, park rats and anyone who likes to get rowdy on gnarly trails. Provided you perform a few basic upgrades, like more robust tires and a tuneable cockpit, the new Slash offers a pretty sweet overall package – we’re pretty chuffed with it ourselves. Even on slower, narrower trails, it’s refreshingly nimble, while the excellent suspension allows you to generate speed by pumping through flow trails, which isn’t always a given with high pivot bikes. In our humble opinion, the Trek Slash 2024 is the next evolutionary stage of high pivot bikes, bringing all the advantages of a high pivot suspension design while at the same time eliminating most of its drawbacks.

Our conclusions about the new 2024 Trek Slash

The new Trek Slash 2024 offers agile, balanced handling and combines it with all the positive traits of a high pivot suspension design, ensuring excellent composure and a plush ride. If you like to open the taps on gnarly enduro trails, we recommend upgrading a few components. This will allow you to boost the Slash’s trail performance enormously with relatively little effort and at a reasonable price. The new Slash slaps a huge smile on your face, whether you’re going for a quick post-work ride on your home trails, racing enduro in the Alps or lapping park tracks – and also makes a great companion for the occasional flowing trail.

• Integrated, confidence inspiring riding position
• Combines excellent composure and agility
• Potent suspension provides plenty of pop and reserves
• Practical features like the integrated storage compartment and mini-tool

• Spec has some blemishes
• Idler pulley grinds lightly when pedalling uphill

For more info, visit Trek’s website.

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Words: Peter Walker Photos: Sterling Lorence, Peter Walker

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About the author.

Peter Walker

As editor-in-chief, Peter is as much a man of action as he is of words. This expert, screw-driver-flexing two wheeled-whizz has many envy-inducing characteristics, including a background in motocross, several EWS race plates to his name, and more than 150 recorded days at Whistler Bike Park. However complex the bike and however steep the trail, he’s probably already nailed it, twice. Oh, and he can do it all on skinny tyres too. When it comes to guiding consumers, Peter cut his teeth at Vancouver’s oldest bike shop and now puts pen to paper on the daily translating this know-how into our editorial plan. When not tearing up Stuttgart’s local trails while testing bikes, he loves nothing more than loading up his self-renovated VW T5 and hitting the road. The fact that he’s a trained paramedic gives his colleagues reassurance out on the trails. So far we haven’t had to call him by his alias ‘Sani Peter’, so here’s hoping he keeps it right side up for the rest of his time here!

The brand new 2024 Trek Slash is undoubtedly the most radical iteration yet

The Trek Slash has been a big player amongst the long travel trail and enduro crowd since it debuted back in 2011. It’s evolved considerably over time, being one of the few bikes on the market to have worn all three wheelsizes throughout its lifespan. We were impressed when we tested the latest version back in 2021 , which we called the ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’. Indeed its ability to monster truck through the filthiest rock gardens while remaining smooth and poppy made it one of the more versatile enduro race bikes on the scene.

Since then Trek has since rolled out a number of key models, including the high pivot Session and the mega-adjustable Fuel EX . These bikes introduced some clever new tech, which has given Trek’s engineers plenty to draw from when putting together the recipe for the upcoming Slash. The result of that big melting pot is the 5th generation of the US brand’s big travel enduro bike; the 2024 Trek Slash.

An overview of the 2024 Trek Slash

The 2024 Trek Slash is now equipped with 170mm of travel front and rear. Complete bikes come set up in a mullet configuration with a 29in wheel up front and a 27.5in wheel out back. The exception is the Small frame size, which is purpose-built around 27.5in wheels at both ends.

On the M-XL frame sizes, it is possible to set up the Slash as a full 29er. There’s clearance for a 29in rear wheel, and thanks to an interchangeable shock mount, Trek says the geometry and suspension kinematics are maintained when switching between the two setups.

The shock mount can also be adjusted to tweak the rear suspension’s leverage rate. Set it up in the linear mode for use with air shocks, or put it in the progressive mode to better suit coil shocks.

Speaking of the rear shock, you’ll no longer find the custom Thru Shaft Super Deluxe on the back of the Slash. Trek has been making a conscious move away from proprietary tech on its full suspension bikes, and the Slash follows suit with most models equipped with an off-the-shelf RockShox Vivid Air shock.

A high pivot hero?

Like the latest Session, the new Trek Slash adopts a high pivot suspension design. The hype around high pivots may have died off a little over the past year, but there’s no denying the advantages they can bring to the trail when it comes to eating up square-edge impacts at speed.

The main pivot on the Slash is mounted partway up the seat tube where it’s accompanied by a big 19T idler pulley. The larger diameter is said to reduce drag, and it should offer improved wear life too. You’ll spot that the idler is offset from the main pivot, which is to modify the anti-squat characteristic. According to Trek the anti-squat level hovers around 100% nearly all the way through the travel.

There’s also a lower idler manufactured by MRP, which claims to reduce chain growth underneath the chainstay to prevent the chain from tugging on the derailleur cage. It provides considerably more chain wrap around the chainring, especially compared to a bike like the Norco Range .

Trek continues to build its four-bar suspension platform with the ABP pivot that is located concentrically to the rear axle. The goal here is to neutralise braking influence on the rear suspension, which can be a problem on high pivot bikes.

Trek Slash geometry & size chart

As with the latest Fuel EX, the 2024 Trek Slash adopts modular headset cups that allow you to tweak the head angle by up to a degree each way. The head angle sits at 63.5° out of the box, though it can be adjusted to be as slack as 62.5° or as steep as 64.5°.

We’re glad to see a steeper seat angle on the new Slash, which clocks in at around 77° depending on the frame size. The seat tube is also shorter and has less of a bend, which allows for a big improvement in insertion depth. Trek says a Medium frame will easily swallow a 200mm travel dropper post.

As with the latest Fuel EX , the Slash varies its rear centre length between sizes from 430-440mm. Trek achieves this by modifying the location of the BB shell on the mainframe, which means that the chainstays and seatstays are actually the same on all frame sizes.

Frame features galore

To suit its big-hitting intentions, the Trek Slash incorporates masses of frame protection with bolt-on plates underneath the downtube that includes a dedicated shuttle guard.

The carbon frames also feature ‘integrated carbon armour’, which is an additional layer that’s moulded into the laminate during construction.

Trek has also developed one of the chunkiest chainstay guards we’ve ever seen, with a heavily textured design that aims to mitigate chain-slap. Lurking between the seatstays is a neat bolt-on mudguard, though this does have to be removed if you wish to run a 29in rear wheel.

The Slash incorporates fully guided internal cable routing, and mechanics will be pleased to see regular ports on either side of the head tube. Downtube storage carries over from the old model, though the design has been updated with a new latch system, and it’s worth pointing out that all of the plastic components are made from 100% recycled plastic. Nice touch Trek!

2024 Trek Slash price & specs

There will be six models available in the 2024 Trek Slash lineup.

Prices will start at $6,999 AUD for the Trek Slash 8, which is the only alloy model coming into Australia. The rest of the range utilise the OCLV carbon frame, with prices topping out at an incredible $19,499 AUD for the Slash 9.9 XX1 AXS model. Sheesh!

2024 Trek Slash 9.9 XX AXS

• Frame | OCLV Mountain Carbon, ABP Suspension Design, 170mm Travel
• Fork | RockShox Zeb Ultimate Flight Attendant, Charger 2.1 RCT3 Damper, 44mm Offset, 170mm Travel
• Shock | RockShox Vivid Ultimate, 230x65mm
• Wheels | Bontrager Line Pro 30, OCLV Carbon Rims, 29mm Inner Width
• Tyres | Bontrager SE6 Team Issue 2.5in Front & SE5 Team Issue 2.5in Rear
• Drivetrain | SRAM XX Eagle AXS Transmission 1×12 w/34T Carbon Crankset & 10-52T Cassette
• Brakes | SRAM Code Ultimate 4-Piston
• Bar | Bontrager RSL Integrated, OCLV Carbon, 27.5mm Rise, 820mm Width
• Stem | Bontrager RSL Integrated, OCLV Carbon, 35mm Length
• Seatpost | RockShox Reverb AXS, 34.9mm Diameter
• Saddle | Bontrager Arvada, Austentite Rails
• RRP |  $19,499 AUD

2024 Trek Slash 9.9 X0 AXS

• Fork | RockShox Zeb Ultimate, Charger 3 RC2 Damper, 44mm Offset, 170mm Travel
• Drivetrain | SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission 1×12 w/34T Alloy Crankset & 10-52T Cassette
• Brakes | SRAM Code Silver 4-Piston
• RRP |  $17,499 AUD

2024 Trek Slash 9.9 XTR

• Drivetrain | Shimano XTR 1×12 w/34T Alloy Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
• Brakes | Shimano XTR 4-Piston
• Seatpost | Bontrager Line Elite, 34.9mm Diameter
• RRP |  $15,499 AUD

2024 Trek Slash 9.8 XT

• Fork | RockShox Zeb Select+, Charger 3 RC2 Damper, 44mm Offset, 170mm Travel
• Shock | RockShox Vivid Select+, 230x65mm
• Wheels | Bontrager Line Elite 30, OCLV Carbon Rims, 29mm Inner Width
• Drivetrain | Shimano XT 1×12 w/34T Alloy Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
• Brakes | Shimano XT 4-Piston
• Bar | Bontrager Line Pro, OCLV Carbon, 27.5mm Rise, 820mm Width
• Stem | Bontrager Line Pro, 35mm Length
• RRP |  $11,599 AUD

2024 Trek Slash 9.8 GX AXS

• Drivetrain | SRAM GX Eagle AXS Transmission 1×12 w/34T Alloy Crankset & 10-52T Cassette
• Brakes | SRAM Code Bronze 4-Piston
• RRP |  $10,499 AUD

2024 Trek Slash 8

• Frame | Alpha Platinum Alloy, ABP Suspension Design, 170mm Travel
• Fork | Fox 36 Rhythm, GRIP Damper, 44mm Offset, 170mm Travel
• Shock | Fox Float X Performance Series, 230x65mm
• Wheels | Bontrager Line Comp 30, Alloy Rims, 29mm Inner Width
• Tyres | Bontrager XR5 Team Issue 2.5in Front & Rear
• Drivetrain | Shimano XT 1×12 w/34T Deore Crankset & 10-51T XT Cassette
• Brakes | Shimano M6120 4-Piston
• Bar | Bontrager Line, Alloy, 27.5mm Rise, 820mm Width
• Stem | Bontrager Elite, 35mm Length
• Seatpost | Bontrager Line, 34.9mm Diameter
• Saddle | Bontrager Verse P3, Chromoly Rails
• RRP |  $6,999 AUD

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Trek’s New Slash Goes High-Pivot and Mixed-Wheel for 2024

More pulleys for more performance?

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If you’re a fan of long-travel MTBs, you’ve probably had your eyes on Trek’s Slash at some point. If you also like high-pivot bikes, you’ll be stoked to see the new 2024 Slash. Aside from the new linkage, Trek has made a few other notable updates to the 6th generation Slash.

For 2024, Trek boosted rear travel to 170mm. Another significant update is the move to mixed-wheel setups. All new Slashes come stock with MX wheels, except on small frames which stick with 27.5” front and rear. Medium frames or larger do offer the option of running a 29” rear wheel.

Trek doesn’t simply describe the new Slash as an enduro bike, they’ve billed it more broadly as a long-travel bike intended for all-mountain riding, enduro racing, or bike park shredding. With gobs of travel and refined pedaling characteristics, the new Slash could be a tempting option for anyone who enjoys riding rough terrain. 

2024 Trek Slash – Frame Details

The new Slash offers 170mm rear travel, adding 10mm from the previous Slash. 170mm forks come stock on all models. Trek says you can run up to 190mm single crown forks, but they haven’t tested the Slash with dual crown forks so they won’t give the green light for that conversion. 

Trek decided the MX wheel setup was ideal for the Slash, offering optimal rollover up front and agile handling plus extra tire clearance out back. While all models of the new Slash will be sold with MX wheel setups, medium-XL frames can run 29” wheels if you swap the stock lower shock mount for the geo-correcting 29” version (sold separately).

As noted above, small frames run a set of 27.5” wheels to offer a proportional fit and easier handling for smaller riders. Trek notes there is not enough clearance to put a 29” rear wheel on the small frame, nor can you run a 29” fork and front wheel. They also don’t recommend running a 27.5” front wheel in the larger frame sizes.

The new Slash does not have Trek’s Mino Link flip-chip. Trek says with the angle adjust headset cups and swappable lower shock mounts the Mino Link is no longer necessary.  They’ve also decided to axe their Knock Block headset steering stops.

Size-Specific Chain Stays

Trek took an interesting approach to providing size-specific chainstays on the new Slash. The chainstays for all frame sizes are actually the same; the location of the BB on the front triangles varies to create different rear end lengths for almost every size. 

If you’re wondering about chain length with the new high-pivot linkage, most sizes of the new Slash run a standard uncut 126-link chain, but the XL frames do require 128 links.

More Dropper Post

The new Slash frames boast significantly increased dropper post insertion. A medium frame can accommodate a 200mm post, and a small can run up to 170mm.  

As for fitments, the Slash uses Boost 148 rear axle spacing and has a 55mm chainline. Max chainring size is 34t (round) or 32t (oval). The bottom bracket is a BSA threaded 73mm, with a 3-bolt ISCG05 mount. Max tire clearance is 2.5” for 27.5” or 29” wheels. The frame has a 200mm post-mount for the rear caliper, but you can size up to a 220mm rotor. The new Slash frames use SRAM’s UDH derailleur hangers.

Updated Storage

Trek has revised their in-frame storage for the new Slash: The compartment opening is now bigger, and the latch is now easier to reach. Trek has added ‘chunnels’ inside the frame to eliminate the chance of cables catching on your cargo or the included BITS tool roll. All bikes and framesets come with a right side-loading Bontrager bottle cage. In an eco-friendly move, Trek is now making all the plastic parts of the storage compartment from recycled materials. One note for smaller riders; the size small Slash can still fit a water bottle, and still offers in-frame storage.

Included Rear Fender

Trek includes a rear fender with the new Slash, which was designed to match the look of fork-mounted front fenders. It can be used with a 27.5” rear wheel, but if you go for a full 29” setup the fender must be removed, as it does not leave ample clearance for the bigger wheel.

Under-Paint Frame Protection?

To protect your steed, Trek did something unique with the new Slash – The carbon frames come prewrapped with an impact-resistant film that sits under the paint. The Slash also features two replaceable dual-density upper and lower down tube guards. The chainstay also gets a noise-reducing guard, shaped to prevent the chain from whipping and to reduce both vertical and lateral chain movement.

The new Slash still uses Trek’s long-standing ABP linkage, but it’s been revised to work with the high-pivot design. Trek’s ABP linkage keeps the suspension active under braking and allows them to tune anti-squat and anti-rise independently.

With its rearward axle path, the Slash’s rear wheel resists hanging up on square-edged hits and helps maintain momentum.

The Slash’s oversized 19t upper idler and its precise position were engineered to optimize pedaling efficiency and achieve Trek’s desired anti-squat value (which is now much closer to the 2022 Top Fuel than the previous Slash, as the chart above shows). The upper idler also eliminates pedal kickback caused by chain growth.

The lower idler pulley fights the effects of chain growth, preventing the chain from pulling the derailleur cage. This means smoother drivetrain performance and free suspension movement that doesn’t battle against the derailleur clutch.

Just like the latest Fuel EX, the new Slash includes a leverage rate adjustment chip, so you can choose between ‘Less’ and ‘More’ settings. This chip provides another bit of adjustability so riders can fine-tune the Slash’s suspension curve to suit their weight or riding style. The Slash’s suspension is suitable for air or coil shocks, but flipping the leverage chip to the ‘More’ setting will likely yield the best results with coil shocks.

Trek’s geometry is certainly up-to-date, if not pushing the envelope in some areas… like the very slack head tube at 63.5°! That head tube angle is adjustable by +/- 1° with Trek’s angle adjust headset cups (sold separately).

With the different headset cups and wheel size options, there are actually six different geo configurations for the new Slash. Included above are the numbers for MX bikes and full 27.5” or 29” bikes, with the stock headset cups. Check out Trek’s website if you want to crunch the numbers on the Slack or Steep configurations.

Almost every frame size gets its own chainstay length, except the M/L and large frames which share the same rear-end measurement. Smaller riders will be happy to see the size small Slash has a dropped top tube to keep the standover height low.

Model Lineup

The new Slash is available in seven different builds. That’s a lot of parts and color options to list here, so check out Trek’s website for complete build specs on each. A few quick notes on builds; The Slash 8 and 9 models come with aluminum frames, and all others are full carbon. One cool thing about Trek’s builds is that they offer buyers the choice of Shimano or SRAM drivetrains.

If you are in the market for the highest-end 9.9 XX AXS T-Type build, you get one big upgrade for your money… SRAM’s Flight Attendant electronic suspension adjuster is included on the RockShox Zeb Ultimate fork.  Also, all 9.9 models come with a BITS steerer tube multi-tool.  

• Slash 8 – $4399
• Slash 9 GX AXS T-Type – $5799
• Slash 9.8 GX AXS T-Type – $7999
• Slash 9.8 XT – $7399
• Slash 9.9 XTR – $9599
• Slash 9.9 X0 AXS T-Type – $9399
• Slash 9.9 XX AXS T-Type – $11,499

I was hoping to have my hands on a new Slash well before launch, but due to a shipping delay the bike just arrived yesterday… keep an eye on Bikerumor for a complete review later this fall.

trekbikes.com

Steve Fisher is a staff contributor for Bikerumor. Steve has been writing about trail, enduro and downhill mountain biking (plus a few commuter bikes) for seven years. Prior to that, Steve wrote for Whistler Traveller Magazine and Mountain Life Magazine. Steve is based in Pemberton, British Columbia, an area that offers plenty of challenging world-class singletrack and makes for great photos!

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Flash Review — 2024 Trek Slash

The Trek Slash has gone high-pivot and grown a mullet, and we’ve started spending time on the new one.

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TREK SLASH 9.9 X0 GEN 6 REVIEW

Words by Drew Rohde  |  Photos by Staff

After nearly six months of abuse, conversations with Trek Bikes HQ and a YouTube Service Bulletin video full of interesting comments, we’re kicking off the new year with a high pivot, Gen 6 Trek Slash review that should be another great conversation piece as one of the hottest bikes of 2023. We’ve been fans of many of Trek’s bikes over the last few years from the Session DH bike to their Fuel EX and Fuel EXe and of course, the last generation Slash . We first rode the Gen 6 Trek Slash during Crankworx Whistler, where we filmed a Dissected Feature with their engineer: Trek athlete Casey Brown and more. Since then, we spent the rest of summer in the bike park, pedaling backcountry trails and yes, filming a service video on the famous “Chain dropping” issue that commenters had us thinking was affecting nearly everyone who owned one of these bikes. But…as the saying goes, don’t believe everything you hear. Even if you don’t believe what we’ve got to say when it comes to the goods and bads of the new Trek Slash, we think you’ll find it entertaining at least.

QUICK SPECS

• 170mm High Pivot ABP Suspension • Mixed Wheel (29”F/27.5”R) as standard, dual 29” option • HTA 63.3 • STA 76 (effective) • REACH 490 (Large)

FULL BUILD SPEC

CHASSIS Frame: OCLV Mountain Carbon | 170mm Fork: RockShox ZEB Ultimate 170mm | Charger 3 RC2 Shock: RockShox Vivid Ultimate 230x65mm

COCKPIT Brakes: SRAM Code Silver | 200F/R Centreline rotors Bar/Stem: Bontrager RSL Integrated | OCLV Carbon | 820mm | 27.5mm Rise | 35mm Length Headset: Integrated Sealed Bearing Seatpost: RockShox Reverb AXS | S: 100mm, M-XL: 170mm Saddle: Bontrager Arvada

WHEELS Hubs: Bontrager Rapid Drive 108 Rims: Bontrager Line Pro Carbon Front Tire: Bontrager SE6 Team Issue | 29″ x 2.5″ Rear Tire: Bontrager SE5 Team Issue | 27.5″ x 2.5″

DRIVETRAIN Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB Threaded Cassette: SRAM Eagle XS-1295 | T-Type | 10-52T Cranks: SRAM X0 Eagle | T-Type | 30T | 165mm length Shifter: SRAM AXS POD Ultimate | 12s Derailleur: SRAM X0 Eagle AXS | 12s

Downhill performance is incredible

Rear suspension plush yet solid

Fast and Confident

Bike Park shredder

Vivid Ultimate

WE DON’T

3 Dropped chains (fix appears to work)

Steep, chunky climbing

About The Trek Slash Gen 6

Packing 170mm of travel out back, the new Trek Slash claims to be a 70/30 bike, meaning Trek designed the bike to have a 70% downhill bias with a 30% nod to climbing and uphill capabilities. Needless to say, this isn’t your run of the mill XC or all-mountain bike. It’s designed and built for riders who prioritize downhill speed, composure, and confidence on the gnarliest terrain over efficiency and climbing performance.

Since this review is likely going to get a bit long, we’ll link to our Dissected Feature which has a written interview, all the tech details and a video interview and presentation on the Gen 6 Trek Slash. If you’d like to check that out, click here.

If the CliffsNotes version works for you then we’ll gloss over a few key features:

FRAME AND FEATURES

Updated for 2023, the high pivot Trek Slash Gen 6 can be run with a number of wheel size configurations and can take up to a 190mm travel fork but comes with a 170mm fork and mixed-wheel setup as standard. Riders can choose a full 29er race machine, 27.5” aggro-shredder or put a dual crown 190mm with a mullet and have a mini-Session bike park rig.

With many people loving the last generation Slash, some may have wondered why Trek opted to go to a high pivot and run two idlers? Well, with Trek’s other bikes creeping up in capability and riders wanting to go faster and bigger, it seems many brands are making their bikes bigger and burlier, and of course, more high-pivoty. Trek Slash engineer, Matt Yerke told us that even though the bike’s 70% focused on DH performance, they took time to keep it versatile and pedal-friendly, as a mountain bike should be. Did they deliver? We’ll see down below.

BUILD SPECS AND VALUE  

With bikes starting at $4,399 and going up to $11,499, our Slash 9.9 X0 AXS sits on the higher end of the spectrum at $9,399 and comes with a dialed spec. If we were spending our own money however, we’d likely be checking out the Slash 9 or Slash 9.8 XT models.

Chain Drop Service Bulletin and Notes from Trek

We published this How To Video to address some of the popularized videos and comments talking about chain drop on the new Trek Slash. After publishing this video and seeing all the comments, we reached out to Trek as it had us reconsidering our official stance on the long-term review you’re about to see below. The statement below from Trek, which we are taking as truthful, made us feel better and also aligned with our notions of what we’ve observed. Trek passed our concern around their Customer and Dealer Service teams and below is a small excerpt.

“First off, Trek Bicycles and I would like to acknowledge that it is frustrating to buy a nice new bike that doesn’t work exactly like it should out of the box. Luckily however, it has been a very small number of people affected and thankfully they have been far less upset than what online commenters may have you believe.

Trek’s customer service team has actually received way more calls about internet comments talking about chain drop than actual Slash owners who are experiencing the issue. We have found that a handful of riders said the fix did not entirely solve their dropping issues. We have sent out early units of our updated idler wheel to that handful of riders, one of which is Ryan Howard, who has been spending a ton of time on his Slash. We’ve been pleased to hear that those riders are no longer having any drop issues.

These will ship to dealers at no cost for any Slash owners who want to get one.” – Ross Rushin // MTB Product Manager

When evaluating the new Gen 6 Trek Slash 9.9 X0 AXS against the previous generation Slash and current offerings from other brands in this genre, the Slash commands attention. As with any purpose-built product, the things that make it excel can also alienate or turn off others. I’m traditionally not a huge fan of high pivot bikes, though I’ve grown to like mid-high pivot bikes for certain applications. Rocky Mountain’s Powerplay eBike and the Trek Session , which we reviewed last year, are two examples of mid-high pivot bikes that I like quite a bit.

Chances are you’ve already heard the touted claims of high pivot bikes since they’ve been so heavily marketed over the last couple of years, so we’ll save you the pitch. What is undeniable though, is that they can charge over terrain and obstacles a bit better than other designs, but only if they are tuned and designed well. We have ridden some high pivots that don’t really improve much, but suffer the downsides of a high pivot, but we’re happy to report that Trek has avoided this ill fate.

SETUP | Setting up The Trek Slash was one of the easier tasks of the year. It required almost zero tuning, customization or tinkering with to feel amazing. If you’ve read our older Trek reviews, you may recall us being a bit critical about the tune being a bit too mellow, which led to heavier or more aggressive riders needing to add maximum volume reducers or going our route, contacting Fox Shox to weasel a Trek Factory Racing tuned shock, which did wonders for the bike. This is no longer an issue as Trek seem to have finally identified that if they’re going to design an aggressive bike for aggressive riders, they need to have a shock and tune that are ready for it.

The most time-consuming part of our review bike’s set up was removing the one-piece Bontrager bar and stem combo unit and replacing it with our favorite OneUp Components Ebar and stem. This resulted in a better body position and way less hand fatigue.

DESCENDING | Trek has done a great job of making the new Slash’s suspension absolutely devour hits of all sizes. The RockShox Vivid Ultimate rear shock only compliments the insane capability of the Slash’s rear end. It is possibly the smoothest, best feeling rear suspension I’ve felt in a while. For me, a rider who loves smashing, gapping and floating rough, chunky downhill trails, it offers a very nice platform for support and control, but gets out of the way offering a bottomless and smooth feel. I could have been tricked into thinking a coil shock was mounted out back based on the composure and smoothness.

When it comes to downhill performance, the Trek Slash may be the best descending mountain bike we rode in 2023! It absolutely shreds trails with ease and begs to go faster. Whether we were lapping blown-out end of season bike park trails or remote backcountry downhills, the Slash leads the way. In fact, we can’t think of any bikes that aren’t downhill bikes that we’d want to ride in a bike park more than the Slash. The speed this bike carries, composure over braking bumps, big and little hits as well as the way it corners make it a really impressive machine.

The downside is, the compliance combined with the weight, makes this bike a little bit tougher to jib on smaller features at slower speeds. It absolutely still gets off the ground and is fun to play on, it just requires a bit more muscle to get it up and tweaked. Granted, this rocket ship wasn’t designed with lower speeds in mind, and it shows with a list of Personal Records that our various testers achieved.

Another downside is that the bike does have more stuff to go wrong. Whether you’re one of the unlucky riders dropping chains – which we did three times before the service bulletin addressed the issue – or not, more moving parts, extra chain links, and more nooks and crannies all mean more chances for things to go wrong.

CLIMBING | Along with the above concerns, the climbing performance of the Gen 6 Slash certainly isn’t what its outgoing sibling offered. Since taking possession of the Trek Slash 9.9 XO AXS we’ve had four riders put time on it. Two of which owned previous generation Trek Slashes. All riders agreed, like Trek claims, this bike is a definite 70/30 bike, and the climbing performance is tolerable in certain situations like fire roads and smoother trails, but can be a struggle on more steep, technical trails with larger obstacles that want to eat your momentum.

The weight is noted, and while the drag may be a claimed 3%, it felt a bit closer to 10% in practice. That could be exacerbated by the lengthening rear end – yes, the same thing that makes high pivots so great, also works against it.

It’s been a while since we graduated but, we think someone smart once said something about actions having reactions, but we didn’t pay close attention in school so maybe we’re making it up. Either way, when speeds are low, the grade steep and effort high, we found that the rear end could “stall” as we tried to pedal over roots or rocks, sucking our energy and momentum in the process. Much the way the rear end grows to get up and out of the way of an impact while descending, as you climb and hit an obstacle, the front continues to creep up the hill as you grind away at the pedals. However, the rear wheel goes backwards before going up and that delay can make it feel like you’re pedaling harder to get up and over that obstacle, which means more energy and slower times. Of course, this bike wasn’t designed to race up the hill, it’s meant to go down. If your energy is spent on the way up, however, it could be worth considering you may be more fatigued when that race timer starts.

FINISH AND VALUE | Now, as amazing as the bike is, we did in fact drop the chain three times over the six-month test period we had. Since the repair, we didn’t drop the chain, however we only had a few rides on it before winter hit, so we can’t say with 100% confidence it’s gone, but we are pretty certain that with the updated spacing and especially the new idler wheel, we’d be in good shape. You may want to wait until the updated idlers hit, hopefully February of 2024, but in the meantime the chain dropping issue may not be quite as bad as commenters may have you believing.

The rest of the bike is a nicely put together package. Trek paint had some years known for being a bit, soft we’ll call it, and while it’s still not as durable as we’d like, it’s a lot better. Though we’d recommend a frame wrap, of course, we’d recommend that on any bike, so maybe not a surprise there. If you stop, look closely and examine the details of this bike, it does look very nice, has quality bits, nice hardware and a very classy overall appearance. Trek have done a nice job making this a drool-inducing bike.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Price: $9,399 Weight: 36.4lbs Website: Trekbikes.com

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• Rider Notes

2024 Trek Slash 8 Gen 6

A 27.5″ / 29″ aluminum frame full suspension enduro bike with upper mid-range components. Compare the full range

Slash 8 Gen 6

In Stock: SM, MD, MD/LG, LG, & XL

In Stock: LG

Slash 9.8 AXS

In Stock: MD

For This Bike

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A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

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187cm – 195cm

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A great excuse to make poor choices

Read Review

Trek made some changes for Gen 6 of the Slash. Cooper has had a good amount of time to suss them out.

Jan 2024 · Steve Fisher

Trek gives the 2024 Slash a high-pivot linkage with 170mm travel and mixed wheels, making a capable and well-rounded long-travel bike.

The 2024 Trek Slash looks nothing like the old one. So how do all the changes play out on the trail? Read on for our Trek Slash review.

Incredible composure on the rowdiest terrain

Plush & well-controlled suspension

Surprisingly efficient pedalling performance

Mullet setup injects welcome agility

Loads of in-built adjustability

Extra pulleys add complexity & noise

Tyres too flimsy for the application

Downtube storage is on the small side

Chainstay armour lacks damping

GX derailleur clutch failure

Oct 2023 · Dario DiGiulio

Trek did a very good job making the Slash a quiet bike, then seemingly lost the plot when they specced a hard rubber chainslap protector that does little to mitigate the drivetrain noise in bumpy terrain.

Excellent geometry and balanced ride

Composed, capable, and predictable suspension

Climbs well for such a downhill-focused bike

Excels in challenging terrain

Chassis may be too stiff for some

Chain drop issues due to improperly spaced lower idler (fixed)

Stock chainstay protector did very little to manage noise

The all-new Trek Slash is beefed up in celebration of its sixth iteration. This fresh design features an oversized, 19-tooth idler pulley and a high-pivot rear suspension configuration for the first time in the model’s lineage. Travel has been increased to 170 millimeters, pushing it further into the all-out, winch-and-plummet ethos that so many enduro bikes seem to be gravitating to. Our 9.9 version was spec’d with Bontrager’s RSL integrated handlebar and stem, a SRAM T-Type XO drivetrain, and the all-new RockShox Vivid Ultimate rear shock. The previous Slash was an impressive bike. It was impressively light for an enduro bike and was surprisingly efficient to pedal around all day. The new Slash Gen 6 leans more heavily toward the chairlift and shuttle culture side of the mountain bike world with some extra heft and additional pulleys in the drivetrain. However, with the oversized pulley and lighter casing tires, I found the Slash to climb the most efficiently of any high-pivot bike I’ve reviewed thus far. I attribute this mostly to the large, 19-tooth upper idler.

The Trek Slash 9 9 shines on the steeps and excels in the rough, making it an almost perfect rig for enduro racing. Read the full Trek Slash 9.9 XO1 Review here.

Steep terrain crusher

Rough terrain performance

Not the best climber

Ineffective drain tube

Apr 2022 · Alan Muldoon

The Trek Slash 9.8 XT is an enduro bike with progressive geometry and 29er wheels and 170/160mm of travel, and offers a performance that seriously impressive. Good enough to make it on our list of the best enduro mountain bikes? Absolutely. It’s good enough to score a  10 out of 10; a rare feat. Trek Slash 9.8 XT need to know: Mino Link geometry adjustment allows for a 27.5in Mullet setup KnockBlock 2.0 offers an increases the steering angle from 58º to 72º and can be removed if needed A bash guard on the MRP chain guide helps protects the 30t XT chainring RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock sports ThruShaft technology to control the 160mm travel We took the Trek Slash 9.9 XO1 for a first ride when it launched last year, and while the 2022 bike looks remarkably similar, right down to the frame colour of the bike we featured last time, there are several differences. The main one being that the XT equipped bike is £1,500 cheaper and there are changes to the specification that reflect its lower price. You get a full Shimano XT drivetrain and 4-piston XT brakes, rather than SRAM XO1. You also get a RockShox Zeb Select+ fork rather than the Ultimate, while the Bontrager Line Carbon 30 wheels switch to the alloy version. Downgrades? Yes, but none that should detract from the underlying ride quality of the Slash. The most important thing is that the OCLV carbon frame remains unchanged, so you still benefit from all of the advances in the frame geometry and suspension that Trek introduced last year. Updates that saw the addition of downtube storage, the head tube angle getting slacker, the seat tube steeper and the reach longer. Trek also made the suspension more progressive, and increased rear travel by 10mm to 160mm. All positive changes then. Trek Slash 9.8 suspension Trek has always been a big proponent of proprietary suspension components. As such, the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock on the Slash 9.8 XT features Trek’s ThruShaft technology and it’s the exact same shock that comes on the flagship model. This design eliminates the need for a high pressure IFP (internal floating piston) and in simple terms, this allows for lower breakaway resistance and improved sensitivity. And because the damper shaft passes straight through the shock body, it needs an extender mount and a small hole in the frame to accept the ThruShaft at bottom out. Sounds complex? Well it is, but thankfully setting up the suspension on the Slash is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Sag gradients make it simple to dial in the correct air pressure, and in the open setting the shock has three low-compression settings for fine tuning the response to pedal inputs or the style of terrain you’re riding. Also if you ever want to fit an aftermarket shock, that’s still possible as the Slash uses a 230×62.5mm metric shock size, you’ll just need different lower mounting hardware. Setting up the suspension …Continue reading »

Fast, fun and efficient. Tight, reactive ride. Progressive geometry. Versatile, composed. A do-it-all bike

XL would benefit from a steeper seat angle

Last updated 10 April

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Check out Moscow’s NEW electric river trams (PHOTOS)

Water transportation has become another sector for the eco-friendly improvements the Moscow government is implementing. And it means business. On July 15, 2021, on the dock of Moscow’s ‘Zaryadye’ park, mayor Sergey Sobyanin was shown the first model of the upcoming river cruise boat.

The model of the electrical boat with panoramic windows measures 22 meters in length. The river tram - as Muscovites call them - has a passenger capacity of 42, including two disabled seats. The trams will also get cutting edge info panels, USB docking stations, Wi-Fi, spaces for scooters and bicycles, as well as chairs and desks for working on the go. The boats will be available all year round, according to ‘Mosgortrans’, the regional transport agency. 

Passengers will be able to pay with their ‘Troika’ public transport card, credit cards or bank cards. 

The main clientele targeted are people living in Moscow’s river districts - the upcoming trams will shorten their travel time in comparison to buses and other transportation by five times, Mosgortrans stated. 

As the river trams are being rolled out, Moscow docks will also see mini-stations, some of which will also be outfitted with charging docks for speed-charging the boats.  

Moscow is set to announce the start of the tender for construction and supply in September 2021. The first trams are scheduled to launch in June 2022 on two routes - from Kievskaya Station, through Moscow City, into Fili; and from ZIL to Pechatniki. 

“Two full-scale routes will be created in 2022-2023, serviced by 20 river trams and a number of river stations. We’ll continue to develop them further if they prove to be popular with the citizens,” the Moscow mayor said .

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Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Apr 24 2017

City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Moscow, Russia

*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

At over 12 million people, Moscow is the largest city in Russia and second largest in Europe by population ( Istanbul is #1). An urban, cosmopolitan metropolis with more than enough glitz and glam to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of Soviet era roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of West meets Russia atmosphere and beauty that provides plenty of unique interest. The Red Square is as famous as it gets, but there’s so much more to this city, including the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen. It would take years to capture all of Moscow, but that means you have an endless amount of areas to discover.

So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Moscow has to offer before you even arrive!

• Patriarch’s Pond
• Old Arbat Street
• Maroseyka Street
• Tverskoy Boulevard

Top 5 Street Spots:

1. red square.

The Red Square is the most famous square in not just Russia, but all of Eastern Europe. The name actually doesn’t come from the color of the bricks or communism, but from the name in Russian, Krásnaya, once meaning “beautiful” before its meaning changed to “red.” This large plaza is what you see on the cover of guide books and magazines for Moscow, with St. Basil’s Cathedral being the center piece next to Lenin’s Mausoleum surrounded by the Kremlin Wall. Of course, the Red Square attracts hordes of tourist due to the main attractions, but all that activity around an interesting atmosphere does provide street photo opportunities. It’s also the central square connecting to the city’s major streets, providing a good starting point to explore outward.

You’ll also find the popular pedestrian only Nikolskaya Street connecting the Red Square to Lubyanka Square. This line of expensive shops includes plenty of activity, while also leading you to another popular square. Filled with history rivaling any city, the Red Square and surrounding areas are the heart and soul of Russia.

2. Patriarch’s Ponds

Patriarch’s Ponds is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Moscow. Despite the name being plural, there’s only one large pond, but it’s worth a visit with your camera. It’s a popular spot for locals and expats to come relax or take a stroll around the pond. You get an interesting mix of young and old too, from young love to “babushkas” feeding pigeons. It’s a very peaceful park atmosphere in one of the nicer areas within the city center, while bringing enough activity for street photography. 

The pond is shallow and in the winter becomes a popular spot for ice-skating too. The area is also well-known for the location in the famous Russian novel, The Master and Margarita. 

3. Old Arbat (Stary Arbat)

Old Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Moscow, and dating back to the 15th century, also one of its oldest. Originally, it was an area of trade, but soon became the most prestigious residential area in Moscow. During the 18th century, Arbat started attracting the city’s scholars and artists, including Alexander Pushkin. Cafes lined the streets and impressive homes filled the neighborhood. Since then, New Arbat street was created as a highway in the area, while Old Arbat was paved for a 1km pedestrian only walkway.

Due to the historic buildings, famous artists that lived here, and the bohemian atmosphere, Old Arbat has become a big attraction for tourists today. Now, there’s a mix of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, street performers, street merchants and other attractions for visitors, and some locals, to come enjoy. It can get really busy here and there’s usually something interesting going on so it’s a good street to come walk with your camera for guaranteed life.

4. Gorky Park

One of the most famous places in Moscow is Gorky Park. The official name is Maxim Gorky’s Central Park of Culture & Leisure, which gives you an idea of what goes on here. When built, it was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Divided into two parts, it stretches along Moscow River. One end contains fair rides, foods stands, tennis courts, a sports club, a lake for boat rides, and more. This end brings more active life due to its number of attractions, while the other end is more relaxed, where you’ll find gardens, trees, older buildings, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Gorky Park attracts mostly locals so it’s a good spot to capture the non-tourist side of Moscow life. Muscovites come here to escape the city and unwind in a picturesque setting. The park remains alive outside of the warmer months too, especially when the lake turns into the city’s largest outdoor skating rink. I’d recommend taking the metro out here to spend at least half a day exploring the massive park’s life with your camera.

5. Maroseyka Street

Maroseyka Street is a popular area not too far from the Red Square. The long, winding street turns into Pokrovka and is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and places to stay. It’s actually where I like to stay when I’m in Moscow due to its location and solid street photography opportunities itself. You have Kitay-gorod station near and if you keep walking southwest, you’ll get to the Red Square. But if you walk northwest, as it changes to Pokrovka, you can find a long street of activity for photography with its own interesting atmosphere.

6. Tverskoy Boulevard

Tverskoy Boulevard is the oldest and longest boulevard in Moscow, beginning at the end of Nikitsky Boulevard, and finishing at Pushkin Square, a spot to come for activity itself. The boulevard is made up of two avenues, with pedestrian walkways in-between. You’ll find grass, shrubbery, trees, benches and more walking it’s almost kilometer length. Many people come here to enjoy some relaxation, walk their dog, or just to use it to walk wherever they’re going. Its center location also provides a nice place to walk with your camera near plenty of other spots you’ll want to check out anyway.

Sample Street Walk:

For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Moscow:

• Start your morning walking around the Red Square (1), while exploring the surrounding area, including Nikolskaya Street
• Then walk northwest to Patriarch’s Ponds (2) and slowly walk the pond and surrounding area with your camera
• Next, walk east to the Pushkin Monument and stroll down Tverskoy Boulevard (6)
• Once Tverskoy Boulevard (6) ends, it will turn into Nikitsky Boulevard. Follow this down until you get to the start of Old Arbat Street (3), across from Arbatskaya station
• After you’re done walking down Old Arbat Street (3) for more street photography, spend some time checking out Moscow’s beautiful metro stations
• To finish off the day with more street photography, get off the metro near Red Square (1) again, Maroseyka Street (5) or wherever you’re staying for the night.

3 Things I’ll Remember about Shooting in Moscow:

1. museum metro.

The Moscow metro system was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union and today includes 203 stations across 340km of routes. The elaborate system has some of the deepest stations in the world too, with escalators that seem to go on forever. None of this is what makes it so special, though. Many of its stations feel like stepping inside a museum, making it without a doubt the most interesting and beautiful metro system I’ve been in.

When built, Stalin wanted to make the metro stations “palaces for the people” with marble, chandeliers, and grand architecture. The best part is the variety of architecture and styles used, making many of the stations a completely different experience visually. You could easily spend a whole day traveling the stations and there are even tours available for people who wish to do just that. My advice, though, would be just to buy a ticket and hop on and off at different stations, while exploring different lines. The museum-like surrounding mixed with the crowds of characters can make for a great photography experience.

Since there are so many stations, here are some of my favorites to check out:

• Novoslobodskaya
• Mayakovskaya
• Elektrozavodskaya
• Komsomolskaya
• Ploschad Revolyutsii
• Dostoyevskaya
• Prospekt Mira

2. Moscow is Big

It’s no secret that Moscow is a big city, but it can feel even bigger with how spread out much of it is. This is especially true if you compare it to cities outside of Asia. If I compared it to cities in Europe, I’d probably say only Istanbul would warrant more time to really discover the depths of this city. Most only explore around the Red Square and surrounding area, but that is such a small part of the city. Although, that central area does give you plenty to see on its own.

Fortunately, I had a good friend living in the city to show me around, but it opened up my eyes even more to how much there is to discover in Moscow. It’s a big city with a variety of atmosphere that can take you from “east” to “west” and trendy to rugged depending on where you go. I’d imagine you’d have to live here a while to really know the city.

3. Cosmopolitan Mix of East meets West

Modern skyscrapers mixed with amazing architecture, a world-class metro system with museum-like beauty, trendy fashion and chic clubs, Moscow is a rich mix of Russian culture and history in a more western cosmopolitan package. There is a push to keep the Russian culture, while also pushing forward with a modern metropolis the whole world will envy. This comes with an impressive skyline, that continues to grow, and endless modernities, but with soviet nostalgia and atmosphere mixed in for good measure.

Mixed in with this grand western cosmopolitan atmosphere, is a strong national pride in Russia. This includes their famous leader, Vladimir Putin. Maybe no other place will you see a country’s leader more often. All over, from the pricey tourist shops to the underground walkway stalls, you’ll find goods with Putin’s likeness covering them. From t-shirts to magnets to Matryoshka dolls. There’s a strong national pride that can be seen around the city, which also extends to their leader. Moscow is many things. It’s East meets West, modernizations meets Soviet era, and a whole lot more.

What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:

Eat at a stolovaya.

Stolovayas are Russian cafeterias that became popular in the Soviet days. You grab a tray and walk down the line of freshly prepared local dishes, and select whatever you want from the chefs. They’re usually inexpensive and a much better value than restaurants, while giving you the opportunity to try from a wide selection of everyday Russian food. They’re also very tasty. I always include some borsch on my tray and go from there. The places themselves are all over Moscow and usually come with Soviet-era aesthetics to complete the experience.

Street Safety Score: 7

*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!

Being the 2nd largest city in Europe with over 12 million people, you’re going to have your dangerous areas, but for the most part, it feels safe walking around. Russia is statistically higher in crime compared to most of Europe, but this generally doesn’t apply to tourists and visitors. Around the Red Square and surrounding city center, you should feel completely safe walking around. Pick pocketing can happen, but no more than other touristic places. I always explore Moscow freely without coming across too much to worry about. It’s a spread out city, though, so of course it matters where you are. Just use basic street smarts, know where you are and Moscow shouldn’t give you a problem. 

People’s Reaction Score: 7

Moscow is fast paced, big city life, which usually means people aren’t too concerned with you, or your camera. I don’t find people notice or pay much attention to me when I’m out taking photos in Moscow. For the most part, people just go about their day. You shouldn’t get too many looks or concern. But it can depend on the area you are in. The more you stick out, the more you might get noticed with suspicions. I’ve never had any problems in Moscow, or Russia, but just be careful who you’re taking a photo of if you get out of the city center. Other than that, it’s about average for reactions. 

Street Tips:

Learn the alphabet .

Much of Moscow, including the metro system, doesn’t use english. The Russian alphabet uses letters from the Cyrillic script, which if you aren’t familiar with it and don’t know the sounds, can be hard to decipher the words. This is most important for street names and metro stops when trying to get around. It can save confusion and make it easier getting around if you learn the basic alphabet. At the very least then, you can sound out the words to see which are similar in the english conversion, which can help matching them to maps. When out shooting street photography, getting around is as important as anything. So save yourself some time and frustration by learning the Russian Alphabet.

Use the metro

While Saint-Petersburg feels very walkable for a city its size, Moscow can feel very spread out, even for its bigger size. Outside of the Red Square area, you can have plenty of walking before getting anywhere very interesting, so you’ll need to take the metro a lot if you really want to explore the city. Maps are deceiving here too, it will always be further than it looks.

Another reason it’s less walkable than Saint-Petersburg is its completely different set-up. Moscow’s streets are mostly contstructed in rings with narrow, winding streets in-between. This is common with medieval city cities that used to be confined by walls, but you usually don’t have it in a city this massive. Saint-Petersburg has a more grid-like pattern that also uses the canals to help you know your way around. When it comes to navigating on foot in Moscow, it can be more difficult, so bring a map and take the metro when needed. It’s why Moscow’s metro carries more passengers per day than the London and Paris subways combined.

Explore other areas if you have time

Moscow is really big. While most people stay around the Red Square within the Boulevard Ring, there’s so much more to the city. I covered some other spots outside of this circle, but if you really want to see the city, you’ll need time. If you do have time, some other areas I’d check out first are Zamoskvarechye, along some of the south and western Moscow.

Inspiration:

For some more inspiration, you can look through the Street Photography of Moscow photographer Artem Zhitenev  and check out 33 of my photos taken in Moscow .

Conclusion:

Moscow’s name brings a certain mystique, but once you’re there it might bring a different atmosphere than you expect. It’s big and sprawling, but beautiful in many ways. It can feel like a European capital on a grand scale, but you can definitely find its Russian side in there.

The urban sprawl of Moscow can be intimidating, but give it enough time and you’ll be rewarded with plenty to discover. All with the world’s best metro system to take you around.

I hope this guide can help you start to experience some of what Moscow contains. So grab your camera and capture all that Moscow has to offer for Street Photography!

If you still have any questions about shooting in Moscow, feel free to comment below or email me!

(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)

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