Trek Roscoe 8 Hardtail Mountain Bike - 2021 - Matt Black/Red

About The Roscoe:

One word to describe the Roscoe: unbe-frickin-lievable.

In 2019 the Roscoe won our Bike of the Year award for it's incredible mix of performance and fun. For 2021, it's back with a bang. The Roscoe is all about fun and that is down to several factors, but let's start with the big one: tyres.

The Roscoe platform use plus-size 27.5" x 2.80" tyres which have a number of benefits over regular sized tyres: 

• More volume means more comfort as it soaks up all those stones and debris on the trail.
• Wider tyres mean a bigger contact patch with the ground for substantially more grip and traction.
• Bigger tyres do weigh more, but that provides more momentum allowing you to carry more speed and roll over obstacles with ease.

What it all boils down to is a super fun ride with comically high levels of traction and stability. Your wheel won't spin out on steep climbs, and it finds grip on lines you never thought possible on the way down. They're massively forgiving of errors and help you stick the bike exactly where you want it.

The Roscoe frame and fork are designed specifically around these tyres with masses of mud clearance and a geometry designed for sheer fun. The 67 degree head angle is slack enough to feel stable when you're hooning downhill and the lightweight aluminium frame features low standover and all modern standards to provide a stable and secure ride. 120mm of suspension travel adds even more ability to the front end and allows you to really throw the bike around with confidence.

But the Roscoe isn't just a descending demon. Those plus-tyres and efficient pedalling position also make longer, less technical rides a joy. Load up the Roscoe with bikepacking kit and head into the wilderness. You'll be amazed how the Roscoe eats up the miles, and how those tyres make light work of the extra weight of camping kit compared to standard MTB tyres. All together, the Roscoe is a super fun bike suitable for any mountain biker who values having a good time.

This Roscoe 8 model features SRAM's NX Eagle 1x12 drivetrain with lightweight Truvativ chainset. It's a great setup, and one found on bikes costing three times as much. Slick shifting, excellent chain retention in rough terrain, and all the gears you need for mountain biking anywhere. Rockshox's 35 Gold fork is a big upgrade on this model with wide 35mm stanchions delivering excellent stiffness which translates into more accurate steering plus an upgraded damper offers excellent control in rough terrain. The Bontrager rims are super-wide to accomodate the plus tyres and can be setup tubeless to save weight and prevent punctures. A wide 750mm bar and short stem gives great handling and leverage to get those big tyres pointing where you want. A 130mm dropper post completes the spec and means you can really let loose when the trail points down. 

The Roscoe was Bike of the Year in 2019. With its fun personality and quality kit, it's well in the running to re-claim that prize in 2021.

Read our 2019 review here.