Trek Scratch Air 9 – First ride review
Freeride bike with secret climbing powers
GBP £4,300.00 RRP | USD $5,039.99 Skip to view dealsPublished:
Trek’s Scratch bikes have been refocused for 2011, which means their hefty coil-sprung model has given up any pretence of being a trail bike, shifting to a single ring and fixed 180mm-travel (7.1in) fork. The Air, meanwhile, is pitched as a ‘light’ freeride bike that’ll climb without much grumbling.
Ride & handling: A ‘light’ freeride bike with secret climbing powers
The Scratch Air’s regular Fox RP23 shock doesn’t have the two-stage magic of the DRCV model found on Trek’s popular Remedy but since it has 20mm (0.8in) more travel, we didn’t particularly miss the feature. Set the back end up with a decent amount of sag and the Scratch Air settles back on its haunches, ready to take on pretty much anything.
It’s poised on steep, technical stuff but light enough to be chucked around. The surprise comes when you have to pedal back up. A bike in the 13.6kg (30lb) range is never going to keep pace with a 11.6kg (26lb) trail bike, but the Scratch Air puts in a decent showing.
That’s mainly thanks to the steep seat angle – in the saddle, your weight’s pushed forward, helping to keep the front end in line, and there’s always the TALAS fork’s 120mm (4.7in) travel setting if you need it. Yes, you’re hindered by the short cockpit, but it’s not meant to be fast uphill – just to get there, which it does well.
We rode a coil-sprung Scratch back-to-back with the Air, and while the heavier, slacker bike is an excellent park weapon, the Air isn’t far off it and is considerably more versatile. For lift-free areas, the Scratch Air 9 makes a lot of sense.
Frame & equipment: Versatile chassis plus decent finishing kit
Trek use the same Alpha Red aluminium frame on the Scratch Air and burlier coil-sprung Scratch – both have 170mm (6.7in) of rear travel, but the Air ends up with slightly steeper angles thanks to its shorter fork. Trek’s adjustable Mino Link lets you alter the head angle by 0.5 degrees and the bottom bracket height by 7mm, though.
Up front, you’ll find a tapered E2 head tube and under the down tube is a polymer guard to reduce the potential for rock strike damage. Out back, you’ll find the same Active Braking Pivot rear end as Trek’s other full-suspension bikes. The Scratch takes a 142x12mm rear wheel, but you can convert it to use a 135×12 if you prefer.
With the introduction of 10-speed cassettes, 2×10 drivetrains have come into their own. Shimano XT transmission is dominant throughout here and the 11-36T cassette is teamed with a Race Face Atlas 24/36 chainset to deliver a useful range.
The wheel package consists of DT Swiss E2000 wheels shod with 2.35in Bontrager XR4 tyres. Finishing kit is mostly Bontrager too, with an adjustable CrankBrothers Joplin seatpost adding to the bike’s ready-for-anything feel.

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Product Specifications
Product
Name | Scratch Air 9 (11) |
Brand | Trek Bikes |
Available Colours | Black/Tinted Raw |
Pedals | n/a |
Weight (lb) | 30 |
Weight (kg) | 13.6 |
Stem | Bontrager Rhythm, 31.8mm |
Shifters | Shimano Deore XT, 10 speed |
Seatpost | Crank Brothers Joplin 4R, 31.6mm |
Seat Angle | 75 |
Saddle | Bontrager Evoke 4, titanium rails |
Rear Shock | Fox Float RP-23, "freeride tuned" w/XV can, boost valve, Pro Pedal, rebound; 8.5x2.5" |
Rear Derailleur | Shimano Deore XT |
Headset Type | Cane Creek Frustum SE Light Edition, E2 |
Available Sizes | 19.5 19.5 17.5 17.5 15.5 17.5 19.5 21.5" 15.5 17.5 15.5 17.5 19.5 21.5" 17.5 |
Head Angle | 66 |
Handlebar | Bontrager Rhythm Pro, 31.8mm, 50mm rise, 9 degree sweep |
Grips/Tape | Bontrager Rhythm, dual lock-on |
Front Derailleur | Shimano Deore XT, MRP LRP |
Frame Material | Alpha Red Aluminum w/Aluminum Armor, ABP, Full Floater, alloy EVO Link, E2 tapered head tube, oversized pivot bearings, ISCG03 mounts, 142x12mm or 135x12mm rear axle adaptors, replaceable derailleur hanger, adjustable geometry, 170mm travel |
Fork | Fox 36 Talas Fit RLC w/air spring, low speed compression, lockout, rebound, alloy E2 tapered steerer, 15QR, 120-160mm travel adjust |
Cranks | Race Face Atlas, 36/24 w/bash guard |
Cassette | Shimano M77110 11-36, 10 speed |
Brakes | Avid Elixir CR, hydraulic disc |
Spoke Type | Bontrager XR4 Expert, 26x2.35" |