Aluminium hardtail mountain bike Trek Procaliber 8 red: Recon Gold 120 mm, XT/SLX 1x12, 12.78 kg in M

Trek Procaliber 8 Fury Red: aluminium that chases the clock

The Trek Procaliber 8 is the lightest aluminium hardtail in the family: an Alpha Platinum frame, a 120 mm RockShox Recon Gold RL fork with DebonAir spring, a Shimano XT M8100 derailleur and an SLX 10-51 cassette, for 12.78 kg in size M according to Trek. Shimano MT410 hydraulic brakes and a Bontrager Line dropper post complete a race-ready build. Its Fury Red is a bright, bold red, very sporty.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the racer who wants an aluminium XC race bike, or for the sporty mountain biker who strings together fast rides on the Caroux singletrack and wants a bike that responds when accelerating. This version is available in M, ML and L.

The LVR workshop view

Alpha Platinum: a refined aluminium. In Trek's hierarchy of alloys, Platinum sits above the Alpha Silver of the Marlins and below the Alpha NEXT Platinum reserved for the latest-generation Fuels. The Procaliber 8 shares this frame with the Procaliber 6: cables routed through the tubes, a creak-free 73 mm BSA threaded bottom bracket, hidden kickstand and rack mounts, and a UDH universal derailleur hanger. Trek also says it now makes almost all of its aluminium frames from low-carbon metal.

In short: the Procaliber 8 takes the frame of the 6 and invests in the parts you feel on the trail: a more adjustable Recon Gold fork with DebonAir spring, Shimano MT410 hydraulic brakes and an SLX cassette. The result: 12.78 kg in M, just 650 g more than the carbon Procaliber 9.5.

The DebonAir spring of the Recon Gold is more supple at the start of its travel, so more sensitive over small stones, and the Motion Control cartridge allows rebound adjustment. In the workshop, we set sag and rebound to your weight so the fork follows the ground without diving.

The E*thirteen Helix chainset with its 30-tooth steel chainring resists wear well and, paired with the 51-tooth sprocket, gives a very low gear for steep climbs. The cranks are 170 mm in M and 175 mm in ML and L, a length matched to the rider's size.

Which Procaliber should you choose?

Our take: the Procaliber 8 is 780 g lighter than the Procaliber 6 with a comparable drivetrain. To move to carbon, the 9.5 saves a further 650 g and adds IsoBow; the 9.6 brings a 130 mm Fox 34.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? In Béziers, we set up your Procaliber 8 for racing: sag and rebound, tubeless set-up, brake bleed and a full check before events.

Please note that the specifications may be changed without prior notice by the manufacturer, based on the availability of components and other factors.