Trickle down tech: Trek brings IsoSpeed decoupler to aluminium Procaliber

Affordable XC racer gets mechanical pivot for better compliance

By Colin Levitch

Published: July 12, 2017 at 3:00 pm

Trek's IsoSpeed decoupler has been making the rounds on the brand's range of rigid trail and road frames, and now the American outfit has quietly added the mechanical pivot to is alloy Procaliber XC frames.

The higher end 9-series carbon frames received the IsoSpeed treatment a few years back, but the lower end Procalibers were left out to dry. But, now Trek has trickled the technology down into some of its more affordable models.

For those who have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, the IsoSpeed decoupler is a mechanical pivot that allows the entire seat tube to flex independent of the top tube, to take the square edge off of big and small hits, and all without sacrificing any rigidity or efficiency.

This system works extremely well on Trek's carbon bikes, though we’re yet to ride it on any of the brand's alloy frames — the Domane ALR4 Disc also has the mechanical pivot.

This comfort technology has made it to the Procaliber 8, Procaliber 6 and Procaliber Women's. All three models are based around the same Alpha Platinum Aluminum frame in Trek's G2 geometry and utilise the brand's ‘Smart Wheels Size’ system, with the 13.5in and 15.5in frames on 27.5in rolling stock and the larger sizes on 29er hoops.

The new frame also sees Boost hub spacing, a PF92 bottom bracket, 100mm of travel (except for the 13.5in frame, which has an 80mm fork), and updated cable routing to allow for a 31.6mm diameter dropper with stealth routing.

All three builds see a 2×11 Shimano drivetrain, RockShox forks and a fixed seatpost stock and all the Procaliber aluminium frames have a 300lb / 136kg max rider weight.

The Women's Procaliber 6 is almost identical to the Men's/Unisex bike with the same G2 geometry, but sees slightly narrower bars, a women's specific saddle and a 13.5in frame size

The Procaliber will also be available as a frameset for £TBC / $1,099 / AU$NA and is claimed to weigh 4.4lbs / 2kg in a 17.5in frame.

Originally from Denver, Colorado, Colin now resides on the Gold Coast in Australia. Holding a media degree, Colin is focused on the adventure sport media world. Coming from a ski background, his father a former European pro convinced him to try collegiate crit racing. Although his bright socks say full roadie, he can often found exploring singletrack or grinding down a gravel road.

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