Trek reimagines Roscoe as hardcore hardtail for 2022

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

Trek Roscoe hardtail mountain bike — Trek has reimagined the Roscoe as a hardcore hardtail. - Trek

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)