Carbon Trek Session 9.9

[Capricorn]

2012 Trek Session 9.9 Specs

 

Session 9.9 Frame:

• Intended use: Downhill racing

• All new carbon frame

• Carbon EVO Link and seat stays

• 210mm of rear wheel travel (up 10mm from last year)

• Tapered 1-1/8'' - 1.5'' head tube

• Frame is approx. 800 grams lighter than the TWR team's aluminum version

• ISCG-05 chain guide tabs

• 12 x 157 ABP DH rear axle spacing (slotted 150mm rear end for easier wheel alignment, can also accept standard 150mm wheels)

• Internal or external cable routing for both brake and derailleur

• Custom Fox RC4 shock with TWR tune

• Adjustable geometry allows head angle range from 62.5 to 65.4 degrees

• Revised suspension rate for great square bump performance

 

Session 9.9 Parts Spec:

Frame - OCLV Mountain Carbon w/ InTension main frame and seat stay. Carbon armor, ABP DH, Full Floater, E2 tapered head tube, HexMC carbon EVO Link, 210mm of travel

Sizes - sm, m, l, xl

Fork - Fox Factory Series 40 Fit RC2 w/ Hybrid Air and Kashima coating, 203mm of travel

Shock - Fox DHX RC4 w/ custom TWR tune

Color - Carbon Smoke

Shifter - SRAM X0, 10 speed

Rear Der - SRAM X0

Cassette - SRAM PG-1070 11-26, 10 speed

Crank - SRAM X0 DH Carbon

Chainring - 38 tooth

Pedals - Wellgo MG-1

Wheelset - DT Swiss 240s 20mm front hub, 12 x 157mm rear hub, DT Swiss FR 600 rims

Tires - Bontrager G4 Team

Saddle - Bontrager - Evoke 4, titanium rails

Seapost - Bontrager Rhythm Elite, 31.6

Handlebar - Bontrager Rhythm Pro Carbon

Stem - Truvativ Holzfeller

Headset - Cane Creek AngleSet

Brakeset - Avid Elixir X0

 

2012 Trek Session Geometry:

Between the Session's Mino Link system (rotatable chips used to attach the seat stays to the EVO Link), the Cane Creek AngleSet headset that comes stock, and 12mm of adjustability in the Fox fork’s axle-to-crown length, The new Session has over 28 different geometry settings. This unique combination of adjustability gives you 1/3 of a degree adjustments at the head tube, and bottom bracket adjustments down to the millimeter. Excessive? Certainly not considering the bike's intentions as a top tier race machine. It should also be stressed that although using a combination of the Mino Link and AngleSet allows you to select a head angle between 62.5 to 65.4 degrees, the Mino Link's prime intention is to tune the suspension (by varying the leverage ratio to either devour square edge impacts or to pop, enabling the rider to clear rough sections easier, while the AngleSet and axle-to-crown length are used to compensate for the geometry changes made by altering the Mino Link.

 

MINO LINK RACE - big bumps, super fast, steep, maximum square edge absorption

http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p5pb6855239/p5pb6855239.jpg

 

MINO LINK PARK - maximum pop for jumping, higher BB for super rough and rocky, fast-pedaling courses.

http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p5pb6855238/p5pb6855238.jpg

 

 

 

http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p5pb6852388/p5pb6852388.jpg

You're looking at Aaron Gwin's Trek Session 9.9 carbon downhill race bike, the very bike that he rode to victory at the Mont Sainte Anne World Cup just two races ago. That race also happened to be the 9.9's coming out, as well as Aaron's first race aboard the new machine, having thrown a leg over it only a short time before heading to the Canadian round of the World Cup. Not a bad debut! While the 9.9 is almost identical to the Trek World Racing aluminum team bikes, it should really be thought of as an entirely different animal from the consumer version, the 2011 Session 88. That isn't solely down to its carbon construction - for about a year and half now the team has been riding a version with a slew of changes, including big changes to both the bike's geometry and suspension layout that greatly effect its performance. Oh, and the new carbon frame happens to be about 800 grams lighter than the 2011 aluminum team frame to boot, with the complete production version of the 9.9 projected to weigh in at around 35 pounds. Pinkbike photographer Ian Hylands sat down with Aaron for a few minutes at Mont Sainte Anne and asked him a few questions about the bike:

 

http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p5pb6855151/p5pb6855151.jpg

Some of the 9.9's most interesting technology is hidden within the frame. Like all top carbon frames, the Session frame is built using a bladder - a lightweight inflatable balloon is inserted within the frame to apply pressure to the layers of carbon as they cure inside the mold. A rubber bladder cannot apply even pressure to tight and or complex-shaped sections within the frame. According to Trek, instead of adding extra carbon to reinforce these trouble spots, it uses a proprietary low-density, ultra-stiff material inside the frame to evenly pressurize these areas from within. Interestingly, Trek claims that this method, referred to as 'InTension', actually results in tube sections that are four times higher in flexural strength and eight times as stiff. InTension helps build a lighter, stronger carbon structure by replacing inner layers of carbon with a material that fills more volume, but with significantly lighter weight than a carbon-only structure. Think of it like the center section of an I-beam. A solid beam is certainly strong, but incredibly heavy. An I-beam, on the other hand, is a fraction of the weight with an increase in stiffness and strength. Presently, the Session 9.9 is the only frame in Trek's lineup that currently uses InTension, but Trek is so pleased with the performance that it is likely to be found on other models in the near future.

 

 

The rest over at Pinkbike

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

sensationally simple, and yet so beautiful.

 

I want one.

[(Deon)]

sensationally simple, and yet so beautiful.

 

I want one.

 

..and there is still more at pinkbike!

[Guest Omega Man]

I would happily sell my soul for that if I hadn't already sold it when I was in school for a girl who's name I can't remember.

[Capricorn]

I would happily sell my soul for that if I hadn't already sold it when I was in school for a girl who's name I can't remember.

 

lolwut! you sold your soul FOR a girl, but u cant remember her name. U give her away soon after or something? or sold your soul TO a girl who remains nameless?

at least u didnt give her your balls.

[nigelhicks]

[Capricorn]

I'm more curious about Gwin's training regime, and his suspension setup. It's supposed to feel like a regular rigid frame to use normal folks.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

You're lucky you sold it for a low initial fee. They normally take possession of it forcibly, hide it in an inpenetrable (even by Superman) lead kist, and never let you access it.

Edited July 15, 2011 by cptmayhem

[Nobody]

Is it usual for this "type" of riding style to use Carbon H\Bars? (Width wise it would make them more flimsy as well)

I am still to scared to use them on my XC bike

 

 

Handlebar - Bontrager Rhythm Pro Carbon

Edited July 15, 2011 by Nobody

[Inusc]

Besy trek they have made by faaaaaaaaaar! looks h0t! :clap:

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Carbon is EXTREMELY strong when exposed to lateral forces, ie: When force is applied in the proper plane, and not directly on to the smallest area ( I know what I mean to say, but can't dumb it down) think of F1 cars that are extremely strong as well as flexible, but when they crash they crumple. Or a laminated glass structure, which is also extremely strong when someone bumps into it, but will shatter if a glass bottle drops on any of the edges.

 

So the bars are designed to absorb pretty much anything in terms ov movement up, down and sideways, with the major stress points being at the outer edge of the headset area (hence the need for more support there) but they are not designed to take a knock on the face of the bars.

 

Same principle...

Edited July 15, 2011 by cptmayhem

[wesley_r]

Watching Gwin's MSA race run in that video (on Pinkbike) I can't help but think these top guys are nothing short of superhuman

[Capricorn]

Watching Gwin's MSA race run in that video (on Pinkbike) I can't help but think these top guys are nothing short of superhuman

 

There is this debate going on whether everyone's genuinely getting faster or not. Only way to know is by full race-run telemetry. unfortunately, we only have 1 speed gun to go with, and that's definitely not a fair reflection of how fast the whole race was. It's also difficult to say when the track changes, like Windham did. by all pre-race track walk accounts, the track flowed better, which always means higher overall speed.

 

So training to maintain full pace is cardinal, hence my curiousity about gwin's training programme, and his suspension settings.

 

The only person missing from this whole gwin fanfare is Sam Hill, and not just sam hill, but a fit, and riproaring Sam Hill. That would be interesting indeed.

[missionS]

So who is in the market for a kidney? I might have one to sell

[Capricorn]

Carbon is EXTREMELY strong when exposed to lateral forces, ie: When force is applied in the proper plane, and not directly on to the smallest area ( I know what I mean to say, but can't dumb it down) think of F1 cars that are extremely strong as well as flexible, but when they crash they crumple. Or a laminated glass structure, which is also extremely strong when someone bumps into it, but will shatter if a glass bottle drops on any of the edges.

 

So the bars are designed to absorb pretty much anything in terms ov movement up, down and sideways, with the major stress points being at the outer edge of the headset area (hence the need for more support there) but they are not designed to take a knock on the face of the bars.

 

Same principle...

 

there was this guy on the ridemonkey forum that said he works in the F1 field, and he completely sounded like the real deal. What he had to say about CF HBs put me off them. Now before someone points to a WC rider sporting CF bars, I'd like to remind that person that they are sponsored. So getting replacements even between runs might not be as big an issue as you and me dropping another couple of grand large for new bars at the slightest hint of a kink/nick in the weave.

 

The point that put me off, was that the guy said, the weak point in the whole concept of a CF HB is the mounting: He said the loadings on the HB presented by the stems of today are completely avoided on an F1 car.

 

In many ways, that argument holds true for even aluminum bars that get twisted into position instead of moved (when we loosen the stem bolts just enough to twist and pull on the bars to get them centered). All that twisting could create scratches in the wall of the alu HB. These become stress raisers, and given the fatigue loading on an HB, that's asking for trouble.

That said, modern CF layup and bonding techniques dont allow the structure to shatter anymore. They are incredulously tough.

[Guest Omega Man]

K guys I have some advice. DON'T buy ANY riding stuff this year unless it's broken of course. Save your money and go to France in the 3rd week of June next year. Over!