Trek’s Roscoe hardtail has been a staple of the American brand’s line-up for some time, but the latest version goes back to the drawing board as a progressive trail ripper.
Once seen as a capable entry-level cross-country hardtail mountain bike, the Roscoe now firmly states its intentions as an aluminium hardcore hardtail. Trek’s slogan for the bike’s launch says it all: “Hardtails have more fun.”
Revised geometry, 29in wheels, 140mm of travel and a host of new features suggest it is ready for anything you can throw at it.
Big wheels, big tyres
Key areas of the bike are overhauled.
The Roscoe now rolls on 29in wheels on all models except the XS sizes, which run on 27.5in wheels – a change from the last version’s 27.5 setup (we've got a guide to mountain bike wheel sizes if you want to know the pros and cons of each).
Beefy 2.6in tyres combined with the big wheels should help smooth out trail rattle.
Longer, slacker
Hardtails might be for fun, but mountain bike geometry still needs to be spot-on if you want to go fast and feel confident.
Trek has revised the Roscoe’s numbers, with the new bike sporting a slacker 65-degree head angle (the 2021 version was 67.2 degrees) and steeper seat angle (now 73.1 degrees).
The bike’s reach is stretched out an average of 40mm extra length across the sizes. This puts the quoted reach of a size large at 470mm – that’s 20mm longer than the popular Nukeproof Scout and 10mm longer than a standard BTR Ranger.
To balance things out, Trek has shortened the chainstays from 438mm to 430mm across all sizes (shorter than the Nukeproof, longer than the BTR).
Trek Roscoe 2022 geometry
| | XS | S | M | ML | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube length | 340 | 360 | 420 | 435 | 450 | 500 |
| Stem length | 40 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Reach | 390 | 415 | 440 | 455 | 470 | 495 |
| Stack | 591.5 | 625.6 | 634.6 | 639.2 | 643.7 | 666.4 |
| Effective Top Tube | 551.8 | 586.1 | 613.6 | 629.9 | 646.1 | 677.3 |
| Chainstay length | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 |
| Head tube angle | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| Head tube length | 90 | 90 | 100 | 105 | 110 | 135 |
| Effective seat tube angle | 74.7 | 74.7 | 74.7 | 74.7 | 74.7 | 74.7 |
| Actual seat tube angle | 73.1 | 73.1 | 73.1 | 73.1 | 73.1 | 73.1 |
| BB drop | 45 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 |
| BB height | 318.5 | 321.15 | 321.15 | 321.15 | 321.15 | 321.15 |
| Standover | 728.8 | 741 | 748 | 742 | 755 | 765 |
| Wheelbase | 1119.9 | 1151.4 | 1180.6 | 1197.7 | 1214.8 | 1250.4 |
| Front centre | 694 | 728 | 757 | 775 | 792 | 827 |
| Fork axle-to-crown | 532 | 552 | 552 | 552 | 552 | 552 |
| Fork offset | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| Trail | 122.1 | 130.9 | 130.9 | 130.9 | 130.9 | 130.9 |
| Fork travel | 140 | 140 | 140 | 140 | 140 | 140 |
| Wheel size | 27.5 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
Hardcore hardtail
Up front, fork travel is up to 140mm (the previous Roscoe had a 120mm suspension fork) and Trek says you can run a 150mm fork should you wish.
Meanwhile, Boost 110/148 spacing front and rear, and a sturdy 12mm rear thru-axle, again indicate the Roscoe’s intentions as a bike happy to hit turns, bomb hills and fly over jumps.
The frame features ISCG 05 chain guide mounts and the top-spec Roscoe 9 is fitted with an upper chain guide as standard. There are two locations for water bottles in the usual spots (down tube and seat tube) and all sizes fit at least one water bottle.
The package is rounded off with some neat features aimed at helping longevity and rider experience. An internal cable routing fastener on the down tube, double-sided chainstay guard (top and bottom of the chainstay) and a large down tube protector pad should help reduce noise and limit damage while you ride.
Six frame sizes are available from XS to XL, along with three build options. All new models come with a tubeless setup kit.
Trek Roscoe 2022 models
All three of the new Roscoe models feature a 140mm fork, 780mm-wide handlebar, dropper seatpost, threaded bottom bracket and 12-speed mountain bike groupset. (The Roscoe 6, which uses the old frame, remains available as a budget mountain bike for £1,000 / $1,149.99)
Trek Roscoe 7
- Frame: Trek Roscoe, Alpha Gold Aluminium
- Fork: RockShox Recon Silver RL, 42mm offset
- Tyres: Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, 29×2.6in
- Brakes: Shimano MT200
- Hubs: Shimano MT400
- Rims: Bontrager Line 30 rims
- Cranks: Shimano MT511
- Front derailleur: Shimano Deore M6100
- Dropper post: TranzX JD-YSP18
- Price: £1,350 / $1,699.99
Trek Roscoe 8
- Frame: Trek Roscoe, Alpha Gold Aluminium
- Fork: RockShox 35 Gold RL, 44mm offset
- Tyres: Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, 29×2.6in
- Brakes: Shimano MT4100 lever, MT420 caliper
- Hubs: Bontrager Boost, 12mm rear thru-axle
- Rims: Bontrager Line 30 rims
- Cranks: SRAM X1 Eagle
- Front derailleur: SRAM GX Eagle
- Dropper post: TranzX JD-YSP18
- Price: £1,950 / $2,299.99
Trek Roscoe 9
- Frame: Trek Roscoe, Alpha Gold Aluminium
- Fork: Fox Rhythm 36, 44mm offset
- Tyres: Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, 29×2.6in
- Brakes: Shimano M6100 lever, M610 caliper
- Hubs: Bontrager Boost, 12mm rear thru-axle
- Rims: Bontrager Line 30 rims
- Cranks: E*thirteen Helix
- Front derailleur: Shimano XT M8100
- Dropper post: TranzX JD-YSP18
- Price: £2,200 / $2,699.99
