The veil was lifted on Trek’s next-generation flex-stay cross-country bike last month, although it's only available to sponsored racers, including Evie Richards.
A name has yet to be given to Trek’s new creation, with the brand saying it “may never hit store shelves” when it was revealed to the public.
Why that is hasn’t been confirmed, but we’d speculate the brand is holding out for a 32in-diameter life preserver and avoiding getting caught out by a possible switch to a larger wheel standard.
Despite that, the bike still has some interesting tech in an attempt to bolster Richards' efforts this year after she rode a modified Top Fuel downcountry bike last season.
We got to take a look at the unnamed bike in South Korea before the 2026 XC World Cup season commenced, so let's take a deep dive into the tech on the Brit’s bike.
The intangible Trek
The new Trek features a flex-stay suspension system, a popular choice for XC bikes, since they require fewer bearings, saving weight while potentially increasing efficiency.
Trek hasn’t shared details of the bike's weight, but we’d imagine it's significantly lighter than the Top Fuel Richards rode last year.
The Trek has standard XC bike architecture, with a top-mounted rear shock leaving space for two water bottles in the front triangle – another benefit for Richards, who had to make do with room for only one last year.
Elsewhere, the frame has 115mm of travel, just shy of the 120mm we’ve come to expect on modern XC bikes.
We’re not sure of the fork travel, but we’d imagine this to be 120mm, too.
Last year, RockShox’s Flight Attendant system came to the rescue for Trek, bringing a new level of efficiency to the Top Fuel that enabled it to remain competitive despite a weight disadvantage.
Richards is still running the brand's electronic tech, with the full roster of AXS-labelled parts featuring on the fork, shock, seatpost and drivetrain.
Interestingly, for the wheelset, the Brit is using Bontrager Kovee RSL rims laced together with Berd’s PolyLight braided Dyneema polyethylene spokes.
The wheels are booted in Pirelli Scorpion XC RC tyres front and back, and there are very few knobbles for finding grip.
SRAM’s Motive Ultimate brakes are used and Richards appears to be a fan of 3D-printed saddles.
