# Trek Roscoe and X-Caliber hardtails reviewed



## Entrenador (Oct 8, 2004)

Some goofy geometry info listed, if indeed they're the same frame. No way that adding 2cm of travel to the fork will change the seat tube angle by more than 1 full degree - even on the smallest size frame.


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## Entrenador (Oct 8, 2004)

Effective STA would vary on both versions of this bike, contrary to what the website states.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

I'm not a strong enough enthusiast to know a lot about bikes and handling etc.... so I like a bit of the feedback to how the subtle differences can make almost the same bike one format versus the other.

I'm most impressed with the specs and comments on these as compared to my trail oriented bikepacker or adventure bike, steel, 1x11, Recon, Schwalbe and coming in a shade over 30# at $1199 new, a few months ago.


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## Jon_Dahl (Dec 4, 2017)

I'm thinking about the rear hub "boost" 9*141 ??? Where in the aftermarket can you buy a new rear wheel if it gets broken. Why go back to QR when thru Axel has come to stay.... sad.


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## Bret2 (Dec 11, 2017)

Was really tempted by the Roscoe 8...solid build for the price. Ended up stretching the budget a tad more and got Diamondback Release 1...I'm so glad I went full squish.


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## Gordon2 (Jan 8, 2018)

I'm somewhere between XC and novice trail. I like long days out in the British country side but also like to dick around on the trails. Does the Rosco also work well on the road as well as the trail? I like the idea of having the dropper post and bigger tyres but suspect this combine with the 1x11 would make it really difficult on a long day out. What are you thoughts?


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## John_Mac (Jan 9, 2018)

Gordon, I've got the Roscoe 9 (which is available in the UK) as my do-it-all bike. It handles roads fine albeit not at the pace that a 2-by bike could due to gearing, but where it shines is on climbs with some proper granny gears that help your legs keep churning. The plus size tyres (2.8" rather than 3.0" mentioned in the article) also eliminate any concerns over drain grid gaps (the enemy of skinnier hybrid/roadie tyres) and roll over most things with ease. Speaking of roll over, given the plus size tyres, some will say that they roll like 29ers rather than 27.5, but all I can say is that I have not had one single bad ride or found fault with the bike at all so far.


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## r1Gel1 (Apr 23, 2010)

The Trek website lists the X-Caliber's BB as being lower than the Roscoe's. So the statement about trail hardtails being lower than their XC counterparts isn't correct in this case.


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## r1Gel1 (Apr 23, 2010)

Just found this on the Q&A portion of the X-Caliber on the Trek website:

Can you swap wheels between 29 and 27.5 plus like on the roscoe models? What is the maximum tire witdh.
Verified Reply - Luke @ Trek
No, this is not recommended. The tires will not fit in the frames that already use 27.5" tires. The 29er X-caliber has less fork travel than the Roscoe which will make the bottom bracket height too low for ideal riding performance if the X-caliber were to use 27.5+ wheels. 2.4" tires are the maximum recommended tire width for both the 27.5 and 29er X-caliber bikes.

So apparently, the X-Caliber and Roscoe frames are not the same frame.


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## tom28 (May 13, 2018)

yes you can swap wheel sizes the boost 141 is the same as 148 but with quick release
trek has wheel sets ready to go


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## Ricardo_Torrado. (Aug 16, 2018)

Me hice a la roscoe 8, y es destacada su respuesta en caminos difíciles y descensos pedregosos. La supensión es poderosa y la transmisión suave y fiable. La estética es impresionante, generando comentarios de los compañeros de ruta. El precio es mucho menor al de la competencia, y destaca en componentes frente a esta.


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## Josh14 (Feb 29, 2020)

Awesome review. I recently got a roscoe 7. I love it. For what it is meant for it is incredible. Great traction. Smooth ride. Fun bike. I love riding it in the snow. 
I am considering an x caliber 9 vs marlin 7 vs verv 3. I want it to be very fast, responsive and comfortable for mostly pavement and some light cc trail. It would replace my 2009 trek 6000 series mtb with 26x 2" wheels. It would also be used to pull a trek tag along. any suggestions? How does the xcaliber do on roots and rocks vs the marlin 7. I imagine the 29er xcaliber wheels will blow my 6000 series 26"wheels out of the water when it comes to overall speed? will the xcaliber be as nimble as my 6000 series or will it handle more like my roscoe 7? Will the xcaliber be as fast and responsive as a verv 3 on pavement?


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## Fernando3 (Mar 29, 2020)

Estas seguro? Tengo una x caliber y el dato me sirve mucho para un futuro


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## shwndh (Nov 20, 2004)

r1Gel1 said:


> Just found this on the Q&A portion of the X-Caliber on the Trek website:
> 
> Can you swap wheels between 29 and 27.5 plus like on the roscoe models? What is the maximum tire witdh.
> Verified Reply - Luke @ Trek
> ...


Late, but this is bad info. It's the same frame. What he's trying to say is, the fork needs to match the wheel setup to keep the intended geometry.


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