Trek Procaliber 9.7 AXS Gen 3 review: trail-friendly performer that proves there's still a place for XC hardtails

Trek Procaliber 9.7 AXS Gen 3 setup

Hardtails are inherently easier to set up than full-suspension mountain bikes, with largely just a fork and tyres to inflate.

After a little playing around with the fork’s air pressures, I settled on around 10psi more than the 86psi recommendation on the chart on the rear of the fork for my 82kg weight.

That was enough to avoid hampering sensitivity, while adding a little more support from the spring.

For the damp, rooty, rocky hardpack trails most of my testing was conducted on, I found 20psi front and rear offered me the best performance with the Pirelli tyres at my 82kg weight.

Trek Procaliber 9.7 AXS Gen 3 climbing performance

Although theoretically vertically compliant, I found the back end of the Procaliber suitably snappy for a bike designed for the XC course.

Stamp on the pedals on hard surfaces and all you can feel flex-wise is the tyres straining from side to side. As such, there’s an energetic snap when you put the power down.

This is boosted by the firm lockout offered by the SID, controlled by the easy-access bar lever that sits just above the dropper lever.

Pirelli’s Scorpion tyres feature lots of low-profile, sharp-edged tread blocks. These hum on the road without giving too much away in terms of rolling resistance.

Off-road, those sharp edges provide more grip in slimy mud than you’d give them credit for, and seem to cling to imperfections in roots, too, helping navigate more technical ascents.

Of course, in truly sloppy conditions, you’ll need something chunkier, but on the whole, they impressed.

Over damp rocks, where rubber compound plays more of a part, they don’t seem to have the same dogged grip, with a compound that feels harder in ride quality than that on my favourite XC tyre, the Maxxis Rekon Race.

The geometry works well on climbs. There’s enough top-tube length that the bike doesn’t feel cramped when you’re grinding out the climbs. Slam the stem on the steerer and you can get a really aggressive fit, if that’s your bag.

The short rear triangle helps when you want to lift the front wheel, or haul it round a tight technical corner, although with that slacker seat angle, a longer rear triangle would help with front-rear balance a touch when seated.

There’s ample standover if you lose rear-wheel traction and need to dab a foot to stay upright.

SRAM’s Transmission leaves little to be desired. It feels almost impervious to pedal power, enabling shifting at pretty much any point – although, of course, backing off the power a touch always helps things along.

Trek Procaliber 9.7 AXS Gen 3 descending performance

Although Trek claims the IsoBow technology is there to soften the rear end a little, there’s no denying that hardtails, and especially those designed to go fast on an XC course, give a less compliant ride than most other mountain bikes.

There’s a slight dulling of hard impacts at the back, but you’re more reliant on the wheels and tyres to smooth the way.

At the front, although basic, the SID does a good job of keeping the front wheel stuck to the ground for as long as you want it to.

It’s active in its motion, dealing well with trail chatter and softening bigger hits with much less spiking than equivalent basic forks from a few years ago.

The SID’s 35mm chassis is also stellar, with a fairly stout build that resists twists and twangs as you point it over matted roots, contributing to the bike’s confidence.

The additional travel gives you a touch more safety, as does the slack head angle, which keeps the front wheel fairly forward of your centre of mass when riding on steeper terrain.

I’ll also give a shout-out to those who pressed forward with speccing dropper posts on XC bikes – getting the saddle out of the way boosts speed and confidence much more than the added weight detracts on the climbs. The 150mm of drop on the M, ML and L-sized bikes is ample.

Tyres are always a talking point on any bike.

The Pirelli Scorpions are fast-rolling, so speed picks up quickly on hardpacked tracks.

They’re well-shaped, too, with a less rounded profile on the Bongtrager rims than some XC tyres. This, in my experience, gives more confidence to lean the tyres over in corners and get the most out of their cornering grip.

The small tread blocks dig into semi-soft surfaces well, but push them into trail-centre grit and they wash out with little warning.

Likewise, in the mud or over greasy rocks and roots, look up and hold on.

Still, these tyres should serve you well in drier months, so a secondary set of winter tyres might be a good investment.

The carcass also isn’t the most compliant. I felt the tyres were a little harsh in feel over hard edges and repeated stutters.

This is also the case with the one-piece RSL bar and stem.

The shape is okay, but there’s no adjustment if you want it, and it's not as comfortable as two-piece systems. It's also trickier to mount accessories, such as GPS mounts, to.

Give the Procaliber a long, fast, sweeping section of track and you’ll find yourself hauling.

The shape of the bike inspires confidence here, with its generous front-end length, so you can let off the brakes and enjoy the flow.

The Level brakes enable you to fine-tune your speed, because their bite isn’t sharp, while the mid-stroke support from the SID encourages you to pump the terrain to keep that speed high.