2016 trek session 9.9

Downhill Bikes

Trek session 9.9, stunningly crafted. effortless ride dynamic. one of the finest dh bikes in the world.

With eight or more years development behind it the Trek Session 9.9 has evolved into a highly regarded, almost intimidating race bike that delivers pace, well constructed damping characteristics and an impeccable build quality. When it comes to delivering performance and finish the Trek has few rivals. It has been a favourite for many years as we’ve found in past tests .

Trek themselves might well disapprove if we didn’t mention some of the key features of the Session 9.9 including the OCLV carbon, ABP (active braking pivot) which allows the suspension to work freely whether on the brakes or off, Full Floater suspension or Mino Link adjustable geometry but many of these were features that formed the first production Session bikes back in 2008. What Trek have done marvellously well is improve the bike year on year leading to this bike which was one of the first full carbon production 27.5” wheel bikes on the market.

What makes it so special? Very simply is its speed across the ground, but not like some bikes that are great on steep, tight technical but lack pace when the grounds become more level. The Session is fast – everywhere. Offering an engaging ride with precise steering geometry the Session similar to the Specialized Demo seems to build in momentum but in quite a different way. The Session is livelier than the Demo, easier to move around and slightly easier to crank on flatter grounds, the kind frequently found in between rougher sections of track.

“What Trek have done marvelously well is improve the bike year on year. Its also the most incredibly well finished and presented bike”

That doesn’t mean the Trek is lousy in the tougher stuff, oh no, from average damping beginnings in 2008 Jose Gonzalez and his team have stepped up the rear damping on the Session to a place that many can only dream of. Fox suspension played their part too in this process and for 2016 the Session comes with the finest Fox 40 yet to come from the Californian brand.

There are still a couple of minor negative points, for starters the adjustable geometry is still a shade on the high side and we’d like to see the current ‘high’ setting become the standard setting with the addition of a ‘low’ position. The XL is a good size for 6’ riders but there’s still a place for an XXL in the future. And in terms of components whilst the Shimano Saint’s are reliable brakes the Guide Ultimate’s and Code’s offer smoother and more consistent braking through the range. The bar and stem combination takes getting used to – bar too narrow, stem to low.

Overall however if we were to choose a bike for racing on the varied terrain that racing often throws up, then the Session is one of the bikes we would always reach out to. Its pedigree is impressive. A bike that Aaron Gwin steered to nine world cup wins in two seasons and that culminated in two World Cup series wins making it one of the most successful race bikes of all time.

YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS BUT…

Dylan howes, trek r&d.

When we were developing the 27.5 bike, we actually made a full-on carbon prototype with prototype molds that we knew we wouldn’t go to production with. The geometry, suspension kinematics and tube shapes matched the 26” Session exactly with the only changes being wheel size, BB drop (same BB height) and fork offset to maintain the same trail number. We wanted to be able to feel what the wheel size difference felt like before we made any other changes to geometry and suspension kinematics.

Those changes were things like overall bike geometry (top tube length) and suspension improvements that we were planning on regardless of wheel size. On those protos, we also built a full carbon chainstay, which we hadn’t done on a downhill bike before. Even in prototype form, it cut a huge amount of weight from the aluminum (fine, aluminium!) stay and was really robust.

“The chainstay became one of the hardest parts to mold and took months of iterations on layups to get it to pass”

But, we felt we could do it even better and make assembly easier by changing exactly how we molded the parts for production. And then the problems really started! The chainstay became one of the hardest parts to mold and took months of iterations on layups to get it to pass. It became the longest development time of any carbon chainstay we had done, and led to the team, and your test bike, having aluminum chainstays to start the season.

We did solve the molding problem, created a lighter and stronger chainstay than we had in aluminum, and learned some good molding lessons. Future versions would be made like the proto’s. Sometimes you get it right the first time….

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Stunningly crafted. Effortless ride dynamic. The Trek Session 9.9 is one of the finest DH bikes ever made

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2016 Trek Session 9.9

Frame Geometry and Fit

As I alluded to at the outset, fit on the Session is a topic worthy of some discussion. To put it briefly, the bike feels really small. The last Session I rode was a size Medium, but this time I bumped up to a size Large. The Large Session has a reach of 426 mm and an effective top tube length of 539 mm. To give some perspective on that, my Canfield Jedi (a Medium), has a reach of 419 mm and an effective top tube length of 584 mm. As another point of reference, a Medium Specialized Demo is right in line with the Jedi: 420 mm reach, 596 mm effective top tube.

In other words (and at the risk of stating the obvious), the Session feels really small because, by the numbers, a Large Session is about the same size as many other companies’ size Medium.

An exception to this is the Santa Cruz V10 — the Session 9.9’s sizing is pretty similar to that bike, and interestingly, they’re both pretty long in the chainstays. Many companies tout their short chainstays, but Trek has always bucked that trend; the Session has 445 mm chainstays, which are some of the longest on the market.

Those long stays have a pretty significant impact on how the bike rides, but in terms of geometry and numbers, it mostly means that the wheelbase on the Session isn’t actually all that short. While the cockpit of the Session feels really small compared to a Jedi or Demo, the wheelbases between those bikes are roughly comparable. The Jedi, with its super short stays, has the shortest wheelbase despite having an effective top tube length that’s almost three inches longer than the Session.

The Session does come equipped with Trek’s Mino link, which is a swappable chip in the rear linkage (similar to that used by a few other companies) that’ll change the head tube angle by about .5° and change the bottom bracket height by about 10 mm.

The head angle on the Session, in low mode, sits at 63.6°, which is pretty middle of the road by modern DH bike standards. Interestingly, even in low mode, the Session’s bottom bracket sits at a relatively high 356 mm — about 14 mm higher than a Demo, and higher than most other bikes on the market. I’ll get into how that affects the bike in the riding impressions below.

Frame Features, Weight, and Construction

As one would expect of a high-end carbon bike, the Session 9.9 is impressively light; a Medium weighs in at a bit over 34 lbs, which is fairly absurd, especially considering that the wheels and drivetrain aren’t particularly light. The frame also gets a bunch of nice touches to keep everything stiff, clean, and running smoothly.

The Session is built around Trek’s ABP (Active Braking Pivot) design, which involves a pivot concentric to the rear axle. The idea is to keep braking forces neutral so that, when on the brakes, the rear suspension remains active. The system bears some similarities to a Split Pivot design insofar as there’s a pivot at the rear axle, but the rest of the suspension linkage is quite different than, for example, a bike like the Devinci Wilson that uses a Split Pivot rear end.

With the exception of the rocker arm and some hardware, the Session 9.9 is carbon front to back; the front triangle and both stays are carbon. Cable routing on the bike we rode was internal and quite clean, with the forward cable ports being integrated into fork bumpers, but the frame also has “microtruss” attachment points for external routing on the top of the downtube. As with most modern carbon frames, the Session 9.9 has integrated rubberized frame protection in the usual spots (underside of the downtube, and in chain slap areas).

The pivots are running on sealed cartridge bearings as is fairly standard among DH bikes. The rear shock is a “full floater,” meaning that the shock attaches to the rocker arm at one end and the chainstay at the other. This offers two advantages — the front triangle can be made lighter since it doesn’t have to include a shock attachment point, and it gives Trek a little more leeway in creating the leverage ratio that they want.

I rode the Session 9.9 back-to-back with a Devinci Wilson Carbon and a Rocky Mountain Maiden . The first and most noticeable thing about the Session, especially compared to those two bikes, is that it’s pretty damn light.

Coming in under 36 lbs with pedals in a size Large for a completely stock build is ridiculously light for a downhill bike, and the lack of heft is noticeable on the trail in all the ways that you’d expect. The Session is easy to push into corners and maneuver in the air, and particularly for smaller or lighter riders, it takes less work to yank the bike around in technical spots.

The flip side of the low weight, however, is that the bike also got kicked off line a bit more easily. A bit more time to dial in the suspension might have improved this, but I had the suspension set up very similarly the the Wilson I was riding, and the Wilson felt a bit more planted in high speed chunder.

I also noticed that the Session wasn’t quite as stiff as some other DH frames on the market, presumably because the frame has been pared down to save weight. Standing in the lift line and pressing sideways on the bottom bracket yielded some pretty obvious flex, while doing the same with a number of other bikes didn’t reveal much at all. On the trail, I can’t say that the added flexiness made a huge difference — I could feel the rear end wiggle on hard hits sometimes, but it wasn’t particularly problematic. That said, bigger riders who are putting more force into the bike or anyone who’s overly concerned about frame stiffness should take note.

But weight and flex quibbles aside, the Session is undeniably fast. If floats through chunky terrain impressively well, and I was actually pretty surprised at how little the bike would hang up in holes. Whether it was an excavated series of brake bumps, a big messy pile of roots, or just some ledgy rocks that I picked a crappy line through, the Session handled it all with impressive grace and more importantly, without losing momentum.

A lot of this I attribute to the long chainstays – that extra length means less of my weight was hovering over the rear axle, and it also meant the axle path was a little more inclined to allow the rear wheel to get out of the way of obstructions. It was interesting switching from the Session to the Rocky Mountain Maiden which has chainstays that are almost an inch shorter. The Maiden tended to hang up in holes and didn’t carry speed through rough patches that the Session glided over relatively effortlessly.

Some might expect that the longer rear end would make the Session a handful in corners, but for the most part, I actually found the opposite. The longer rear end meant my weight was much more centered on the bike, and it was easier to maintain traction on the front wheel. Rather than having to consciously keep my weight forward, I could ride in a more neutral position and still keep the front end hooked up. In a few tight situations, the longer rear end maybe took a little more attention, but there wasn’t any cornering situation where I came out of it thinking that a shorter chainstay would have been clearly preferable.

The long stays do, however, make the bike a bit less playful – it’s harder to manual than something like the Maiden or a Specialized Demo. I’d also say the longer rear end makes it a bit less interesting on jumps, although the light weight largely makes up for that.

I’ve also heard concerns about the height of the Session – in an age where bottom brackets heights are trending lower, the Session still sits relatively tall. I have to admit that, while the Session didn’t feel like the lowest slung bike I’d been on, it never felt tall while I was riding it. I was actually surprised when I checked the geometry chart after spending a day on it to see how tall the stated bottom bracket height actually was.

If you’re dead set on having the lowest bike on the market, the Session clearly isn’t it. But if that isn’t a chief concern, I never found the Session to feel top heavy, nor did I find it difficult to settle it into a corner. And, of course, there’s all kinds of tweaks that can be done to the setup and suspension to dial in the bike’s ride height.

I did notice that the Trek handled quite well while on the brakes – the ABP design apparently works as intended. The place where this was actually the most obvious in Whistler was actually just under the GLC drop, right at the lift. The runout of that little drop is always a brake bumped, bombed out mess since everyone is on the brakes as they come back into the lift line. That area is always brutal on the hands, but the Trek was pretty smooth through it, and stayed active even when I was dragging brakes through the holes.

NEXT: Some Comparisons, Bottom Line

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2016 Trek Session 9.9 - Large

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Description

Specifications.

• Model Session 9.9 DH
• Size Medium
• Frame Material Carbon Fiber
• Drivetrain N/A
• Fork Fox Factory Series 40 Float
• Fork Travel 203mm
• Rear Shock Fox Factory Series DHX2 - Fox Coil 450 x 27.5
• Rear Shock Travel 210mm
• Handlebar Renthal Fatbar, Alloy
• Brakes Shimano Saint M820, Disc Brakes - Hydraulic
• Brake Type Disc Brakes - Hydraulic
• Shifters Shimano Saint
• Front Derailleur N/A
• Rear Derailleur Shimano Saint Shadow Plus
• Cassette N/A
• Crankset Shimano Saint
• Chainring N/A
• Seatpost Bontrager Rhythm Elite
• Saddle West Biking
• Wheel Size N/A
• Wheel Set DT Swiss FR 1950 Disc
• Front Tire N/A
• Rear Tire N/A
• Bottom Bracket N/A
• Charger Included N/A

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2012 Trek Session 9.9 (discontinued)

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Review by Brandon Turman // Photos by Sterling Lorence

Following the official launch of the Trek Session 9.9 Carbon in Whistler, we've been riding it for nearly one full year. That's a long time for a test bike. The reason? We just can't let go of this one. It's that good. So good, in fact, that we're giving it the illustrious Vital MTB Shreddy for 2012 Bike of the Year.

Inspired and refined in conjunction with Trek World Racing and Aaron Gwin, there's no wonder why this bike rips so much. Their success on the World Cup downhill series is a huge testament to the bike's capabilities.

Session 9.9 Highlights

• Frame Material: OCLV Mountain Carbon main frame and seat stay, alloy chainstay
• Travel: 210mm (8.2-inches) via a Fox DHX RC-4 with Kashima
• 2-position Mino Link Geometry Adjustment
• Active Braking Pivot (ABP)
• Full Floater Linkage
• ISCG 05 Tabs
• Carbon Armor
• Tapered Head Tube
• Internal Cable Routing
• Micro Truss Zip Tie Guides
• Chainstay Length: Adjustable from 17.4 to 17.3-inches
• Head Angle: Adjustable from 63.6 to 64.2-degree head angle, additional adjustment provided with Cane Creek Angleset
• Bottom Bracket Height: Adjustable from 14 to 14.3-inches
• Rear Hub Dimensions: 157x12mm
• Fork: 203mm front travel via a Fox 40 Fit RC2 with exclusive Hybrid Air technology and Kashima
• Tires: 2.35-inch Bontrager G4 Team
• MSRP: $8930

Weighing in at less than 35-pounds, the Session 9.9 was the lightest 2012 production downhill bike. That's no small achievement. If you're so inclined, the bike can go even lighter. " Project Flyweight " weighed in at just 28-pounds 13-ounces! For day in and day out use on the race course, though, the stock build at 35-pounds is just right.

On The Trail

So how does the 2012 Bike of the Year perform on the trail? When friends ask this question, we're quick to respond that it's the best overall downhill bike we've ever ridden. That's the honest truth. This bike's standout characteristic was just how incredibly comfortable and balanced it was from day one. Following a few setup tweaks, the bike just worked, and it worked very well over nearly every type of terrain. Yes, there are bikes that will outperform it in certain situations, but the Session 9.9 is a very well-rounded package which should make it appealing to the rider that races or rides in several locations, or even on courses where the type of terrain changes drastically from top to bottom.

When we first received the bike for testing, we immediately headed to a familiar local downhill run in Southern California. While screaming through one of the roughest, steepest sections of the trail, the realization that hit us as we rounded the catch berm at the bottom was basically "Holy ****, I'm hauling ass!" The added level of control that the Session offers almost seems to slow things down a bit, meaning that you feel as though you have more time react or prepare for the next move. What happens as a result is that your speed increases to the point where the time you have to react feels the same, and ultimately you're going faster. As the old saying goes, "It's not the bike, it's the rider," but this steed had us questioning the phrase time and time again.

Trek's design team has achieved a careful mix of stable and playful that make it a bike capable of charging through sections while still being a blast to ride. Handling is precise and responsive, the bike tracks like it's on rails, and last second line changes all but disappear because, surprise(!), we're already in the right line.

The carbon front end and seatstay rely on Trek's Optimum Compaction, Low Void (OCLV) Mountain Carbon technology interspersed with InTension material (shown in blue, above) - a low-density, ultra-stiff material injected inside the frame to support critical areas like the bottom bracket, pivots, and down tube. The resulting combination is a frame that is sufficiently stiff in all the key areas. This is obvious when really leaning the bike into hard turns or landing slightly sideways off a jump. In chatter bumps, the carbon responds in a why that helps to absorb and deaden the impacts, resulting in a smoother feeling ride that its aluminum brother.

The Key - Suspension Performance

The ride qualities of the Session 9.9 are flat out confidence inspiring - the bike encourages you to just let it rip. Perhaps the most important aspect of the bike for racers is that the bike carries speed everywhere. The key to the equation? A lot of it has to do with the bike's suspension. Trek spends a lot of time and resources dialing in their dampers for each bike, and the Session 9.9 uses some proprietary bits that greatly improve the overall package. On top of that, it very rarely gets hung up thanks to a slightly revised suspension leverage rate for improved square edge performance when compared to previous generations.

New for 2012 (and exclusive to the Session 9.9) is the Fox 40 Fit RC2 with Trek's Hybrid Air technology and Kashima coating. Hybrid Air combines a lightweight titanium spring and an air spring, allowing riders to more accurately tune their spring rates. The air cartridge replaces the traditional compression rod, acting as an air assist (not preload), effectively changing the spring rate. There are two immediate benefits from this system. First, by simply adding or removing a little bit of air Trek eliminated the hassle of swapping out heavier or lighter coil springs. The air spring allows you to hit numbers in between those offered by coil springs. This combination makes it incredibly easy to dial the fork in for different terrain. Second, because the fork relies on air and a lightweight spring, it's more supple and active at the beginning of the stroke than an equivalent heavier spring. One key feature is the auto-fill negative spring that charges to suit various rider weights.

After months of tweaking dials and pressures, our preferred settings for the fork are as follows:

• Low Speed Compression: 6 clicks in from full out
• High Speed Compression: 8-10 clicks infrom full out
• Hybrid Air Assist Pressure: 28-34 psi, depending on the terrain (for a 175 pound rider)

Out back, the Session 9.9 relies on a custom tuned Fox DHX RC-4 with Kashima to control the bike's 210mm of rear travel. The shock uses a special 2-stage main piston, a stepped piston in the hi-speed valve and a lower ratio Boost Valve control. The shock tune gives the bike a more consistent and controlled mid-stroke, which was something the Trek World Racing team desired. The result is a more stable, lively ride.

Preferred shock settings:

• Boost Valve Pressure: 160 psi with volume all the way out
• Low Speed Compression: 6 clicks out from full in
• High Speed Compression: 6-8 clicks out from full in
• Spring Weight: 450-500 lb/in, depending on the terrain (for a 175-pound rider)

Combined with Trek's Full Floater linkage design and Active Braking Pivot (ABP), their custom additions to the bike make it more responsive, predictable, and balanced than nearly every other bike we've tried.

To add to the fun, the Session 9.9 features Mino Link, a small black chip that, when flipped, will slacken the head angle 0.6 degrees, drop the bottom bracket 8mm, and alter the leverage ratio slightly. The configuration shown here gives the bike a "poppy" feel. Flipping the link turns the bike into a big hit, square edge absorbing race machine.

Race Worthy Build Kit

Components include Sram X0 DH carbon cranks, derailleur, and brakes, a 10-speed SRAM 11-26 tooth cassette, MRP G2 SL carbon chainguide, Wellgo MG-1 pedals, and DT Swiss FR 600 rims laced to DT Swiss 240 hubs. With the exception of the Avid X0 brakes, all have proven to be solid, race-worthy parts.

For a bike made to go fast, Avid's 2012 X0 brakes simply didn't cut it. They were underpowered, prone to fading, and the spec'd 7-inch rear rotor certainly didn't help. Unfortunately, we found ourselves distracted far too often due to their poor performance. Despite what some may believe, you'll actually go faster knowing your brakes can slow you down when you really need it. For 2013, Trek has switched to the new Shimano Saint group - a wise decision that any serious downhill racer will appreciate.

Other than that, Bontrager's Rhythm Pro Carbon bars were a tad on the skinny and low side for our tastes. At 750mm wide and with just 15mm rise, they were almost immediately replaced with a slightly wider and taller bar.

One piece of the puzzle that we're particularly fond of are the Bontrager G4 Team tires, and for this they deserve some attention. Comparable to the Maxxis Minion (but slightly lighter and cheaper), the G4 uses a 41a durometer sticky rubber and offers very predictable traction in turns. They rarely break loose unexpectedly. The knobs wear in a manner that keeps the edges pretty square, providing good traction throughout most of their life. Flat protection is also impressive. At pressures in the 24-26 psi range, we only had one or two flats over the course of several months.

Long-Term Frame Durability

There's not much to report here, and that's a good thing. Aside from some paint chips, the frame has shown no signs of potential long-term issues. There is no bearing or bushing play, no creaking, and no significant cable rub. This thing is solid. Guys like Adam Billinghurst, Brett Rheeder, and Makken are pounding out hundred of laps , freeriding with it , and going absolutely huge on the Session, which also speaks very well for the frame.

What's The Bottom Line?

We've said it before and we'll say it again, the Trek Session 9.9 is a fun loving race weapon. This sub 35 pound 210mm travel equipped machine has proven its worth time and time again on the World Cup scene. Beyond the races, though, we found the bike to be incredibly comfortable, agile, and stable. Those things combined make it the most confidence inspiring ride we've thrown a leg over in 2012. The custom tuned suspension is responsive and predictable, the components are solid, and the bike can be easily tweaked to squeak milliseconds out of any downhill course. It's our go to ride when the forecast calls for varied terrain.

Many will ask, "Is the $8,930 price tag is justified?" With the exception of one part, the build is pretty much dialed, the technology is there, and most of all - it's proven. For the serious racer or rider, we think this bike is an investment worth making. Deep down we all want to haul ass. This bike will let you.

Visit www.TrekBikes.com for more details.

About The Reviewer

Brandon Turman likes to pop off the little bonus lines on the sides of the trail, get aggressive when he's in tune with a bike, and to really mash on the pedals and open it up when pointed downhill. His perfect trail has a good mix of flow, tech, and balls-to-the-wall speed. He loves little transfers, rollers, and the occasional gap that gives him that momentary stomach in your throat kind of feeling. Toss in some rocky bits with the option to double over them or risk pinch flatting and you've got a winner in his book. In 13 years of riding he worked his way through the Collegiate downhill ranks to the Pro level. After finishing up his mechanical engineering degree, his riding focus turned to dirt sculpting and jumping with the occasional slopestyle contest thrown in for fun. Nowadays he's Vital MTB's resident product guy.

Post a reply to: Tested: 2012 Trek Session 9.9 - Bike of the Year

2 member reviews.

Post a reply to: Frame only

This is for frame review only so cannot comment on the stock spec list. This frame is the best I have ridden to date. I upgraded from the Aluminum Session 88 DH and yes there was a very noticeable difference due to the instant 2lb drop and carbon fiber's reaction to rough terrain. I had to change all my compression and rebound settings. I have a fully custom build that I swapped straight over from the aluminum. The frame is not a plower like others I have ridden in the past. The weight allows it to be light and nimble so that can sometimes lead to quick line changes without expecting them. I run mine rather high in compression front and rear so I ride on top of the rocks and be able to pedal without bob. The frame has a very dynamic feel on the trail. You can move it and throw it around with ease due to it's lighter weight.I built and rode it initially with the TWR Fox RC4 rear shock with Ti spring and simply did not like it. Bike was 34lb (large). However, I could not get the RC4 to smooth out small bumps. I switched it to my Cane Creek Double Barrel/Ti combo and it made all the difference. With a beefier wheel change mine now sits at 35lb 0oz which feels great. The only annoyance I have is the derailleur hanger. The design of it positions the derailleur extremely far back so it makes for very odd geometry for the derailleur in relation to the cassette. I have to run the derailleur without the B-tension screw and still only gears 4-10 work perfectly. Even a top World Cup mechanic could not figure it out. It was recommended by another mechanic to take a Dremmel tool to the hanger to bring it in more forward! Since I only really use 4-10 I have not worried about it. When all the same drivetrain was on the 88 it worked flawlessly and effortlessly in all gears. I'm running all new X.0 10sp shifter, X.9 Type 2 short 10sp derailleur so parts aren't the prob. I fully feel it is the odd rearward positioning of the hanger. Otherwise, this frame is perfect.

Post a reply to: Race Weapon (Frame Only Review)

Specifications, sizes and geometry.

Trek website

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Get the lowdown on Gee Atherton’s new Trek Session

Part of this story

Gee Atherton

A multiple world champion, world cup winner and red bull rampage podium finisher, gee atherton is one of the greatest mtb riders of his generation..

Gee Atherton’s 2016 Trek Session:

• Frame: XL Trek Session 9.9
• Bar: PRO Tharsis 9.8 alloy bar 800mm
• Groupset: Shimano Saint brakes and shifters. Rotor size 203mm.
• Tyres: 27.5in Bontrager G Mud tyres run between 24–28psi depending on conditions.
• Fork: Fox 40 air
• Shock: Fox DHX2 coil with a 525 spring
• Cranks: Shimano Saint cranks 165mm* (Tune in at 03:05 to find out about the power cranks the team will be using this year)
• Chainring: 36T matched with an 11–11–21 cassette* (Tune in at 02:40 to find out why he runs his set-up this way)
• Pedals: Crankbrothers Mallet DH
• Weight: 35lbs [15.88kg] 

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• Mountain bikes

Trek Session Session 9.9

Where to buy it

Specifications, compare with similar bikes.

Session 27.5 Carbon Frameset

Session 27.5 Alloy Frame Set

Other models in the session (2016) serie.

Looks like a Session… or does it? The benchmark of downhill mountain bikes is back with a whole new look—and a whole lot of new speed to go with it. Park runs or World Cup circuit, Session finds the fast on the rowdiest trails with a new high-pivot frame design, 200mm of travel, and the world’s best suspension tech.

• See the bikes

The winningest downhill bike Raking in thirteen World Cup DH gold medals, Session takes the cake as the winningest race bike of 2021. With plenty of gold medals under its belt, it’s no surprise Session earned the title as the fastest downhill ride of the year from both Pinkbike and Global Mountain Bike Network.

All speed, no hangups Session’s high-pivot suspension design The Session features a high-pivot suspension design that results in a rearward axle path, allowing the back wheel to move with the rearward force produced by bumps rather than against it. On the trail, this translates to smoother suspension that doesn’t get hung up on obstacles and instead maintains more forward momentum and provides better grip.

Less kickback. More performance. Session’s idler pulley Pedal-kickback is that feeling you get when your crank rotates backward as your suspension compresses. It’s the result of tension caused by chain growth—when the rearward axle path increases the distance between your cogs and front chainring. To keep you rolling smoothly on even the rowdiest lines, the new Session is equipped with an idler pulley that routes the top section of the chain closer to the high-pivot and virtually eliminates chain growth and all of its negative effects.

Tune for your trail

Session now features a Mino Link suspension adjustment so you can tune your ride for your kind of session. Choose a firmer 25% progression for race day or the plusher 20% progression for park days.

New reach-based sizing

The new Session has a sizing strategy based on reach rather than seat tube length, which lets you choose the size that best fits your riding style. Size up for more stability at speed, size down for more maneuverability.

Size-specific chainstays

Ride balanced, whatever your frame size. Session’s chainstays grow to match the frame’s size, ensuring you get the right weight distribution for control on your biggest lines.

Run it mullet!

Every Session comes stocked for speed with 29er wheels, but the frame accommodates 27.5˝ wheels and party-in-the-back riders can run 29er up-front only.

Hitch without worry

Full-coverage armor helps prevent down tube damage from trail debris and makes for worry-free shuttling on tailgates and chair lifts.

Route it your way

Run your cables in whatever custom variation you prefer, externally for easy replacement or internally to prevent snags and hang-ups.

Additional trail bike options

Slash is a long-travel trail bike that looks like a monster truck and rides like a magic carpet. It’s built for big all-mountain terrain, racing the clock on rugged enduro lines, and having a rip-roaring good time in the rough.

Remedy is a hard-charging trail bike with 27.5˝ wheels, a 160mm fork and 150mm of rear travel, and all the stoke-worthy features that make it perfect for hitting jumps, roosting corners, and throwing down on the trail.

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Trek Session 9.9

• AUS $ NZD $ USD $ CAD $ GBP £ EUR €

Colour / Trek Black/Viper Red

Size / S, M, L, XL

At a glance

Where to buy.

Specifications

• Frame OCLV Mountain Carbon w/InTension main frame & seatstay, aluminum chainstay, Carbon Armor, ABP Convert DH, Full Floater, E2 tapered head tube, integrated frame protection, internal control routing, HexMC carbon EVO Link, Mino Link, MicroTruss, 210mm travel
• Wheels DT Swiss 240s, 20mm front hub; 157x12mm rear hub w/ DT Swiss FR 600 32-hole rims
• Wheel Size 26"
• Tires Bontrager G4 Team Issue, 26x2.35
• Crank Shimano Saint, 36T
• Rear Derailleur Shimano Saint Shadow Plus
• Shifters Shimano Saint, 10 speed
• Brakeset Shimano Saint hydraulic disc
• Handlebar Bontrager Rhythm Pro Carbon, 31.8mm, 15mm rise
• Saddle Bontrager Evoke 3, titanium rails
• Seatpost Bontrager Rhythm Elite, 31.6mm, zero offset
• Stem Truvativ Holzfeller Direct Mount, 31.8mm
• Headset Cane Creek 40, E2

Q: What size wheels does the 2014 Trek Session 9.9 have?

The 2014 Trek Session 9.9 has 26" wheels.

Q: What size 2014 Trek Session 9.9 should I get?

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