One of our regular My Mountain ambassadors, Tall Tim, has recently been struck by an embarrasing problem whereby he only has one mountain bike, and a singlespeed 29er at that. Searching to fill the void in his stable, Tall Tim decided that a longer travel dually would give him an all-round bike to tackle a bit of DH, black diamond runs and rougher trail riding when the hardtail singlespeed just won't cut it. Although the Scratch Air has a lot of travel and looks beefcake, being air-sprung it is actually a lot lighter and more efficient than what you would first suspect.
The alloy mainframe is manipulated, shaped and hydroformed to provide oodles of strength and stiffness while eeking out any unnecessary weight. Clever features like the one-piece EVO link and E2 tapered headtube increase lateral and torsional stiffness while actually reducing weight, and the Float fork and rear shock ensure you're not lugging around heavy coil springs. Not only is this air suspension highly tuneable, it is also so well executed that you would be hard pressed to tell the difference in performance compared to the coil sprung versions.
The Trek Scratch Air 8 shares many of the same frame and suspension technologies with the rest of the Trek mountain bike lineup, including the ABP design that gives you supple suspension performance whether you're on the brakes or not. The Full Floater shock mount works fantastically on the Scratch, as it provides a near-bottomless feel even on the harshest of landings. You'll also be able to see the clever polycarbonate armor guard on the bottom of the downtube to protect the frame from flying rocks and debris - Nice!
The Trek Scratch Air 8 shares many of the same frame and suspension technologies with the rest of the Trek mountain bike lineup, including the ABP design that gives you supple suspension performance whether you're on the brakes or not. The Full Floater shock mount works fantastically on the Scratch, as it provides a near-bottomless feel even on the harshest of landings. You'll also be able to see the clever polycarbonate armor guard on the bottom of the downtube to protect the frame from flying rocks and debris - Nice!
With the Scratch Air 8 currently on special, Tim was able to splash out on a couple of upgrades to improve on what was already a pretty kickarse bike. The stock bike comes with a 160mm travel Fox Float R, though we decided to supersize the bike with a 180mm travel Fox Float RC2. Aside from the 20mm increase in travel, the new fork comes with smooth gold Kashima coated stanchions, an inverted FIT damper that is more supple and consistent than the open bath damper on the stock fork, as well as more adjustment via independantly tuneable high and low speed compression. This all leads to a smoother, more tuneable fork that also rakes out the front end of the bike for incredible high speed DH-like stability.
The tapered steerer tube and 20mm thru-axle mesh perfectly with the Scratch's frame and build on the burly-but-light theme.
You will see evidence of another key upgrade ontop of the handlebar, where a small RockShox remote activates the dropper seatpost in the form of the RockShox Reverb. This most excellent invention is designed to provide you with 5" (125mm) of saddle drop, whilst allowing you to stay on the bike - no jumping off and messing with the seatpost clamp. At the flick of the lever, you can set the seatpost between full extension, anywhere down to full slammed for more clearance on the downhills.
Unlike other dropper posts, the RockShox Reverb relies on a hydraulic system that provides near instant operation as well as a fully sealed hose that is much more resistant to contamination than standard cable units. On a big bike like the Scratch Air, the Reverb makes a whole lotta sense as it opens up the frames versatility to allow for plenty of leg extension for the climbs, as well as a lower seated position that drops your centre of gravity for improved cornering traction. Dropping the seat out of the way is also ideal for technical downhill rides as it allows you to get your body position as rearward as possible without having the saddle in the way. One thing that we do find to be a bit of a hassle is the cable routing for dropper posts, though on the Scratch, Trek has though of everything, with specific cable guides for routing the Reverbs hydraulic line along the underside of the top tube with the gear cables. This keeps everything neat and tidy and ensures none of the cables rub anywhere they shouldn't.
The Scratch Air 8 comes with a custom 2x10 drivetrain that uses a RaceFace double crankset up front with a bashguard and chain device to keep everything secure when the trail gets bouncy. Although the stock bike comes with a capable Respond crankset, Tim upgraded to the higher quality Canadian made Atlas crankset that features incredible CNC machining for reduced weight and beautiful aesthetics. A 36/24t chainring combination gives you a wider spread of gears, with plenty of low-range for climbing steep and technical uphill trails, and the SLX 10 speed shifting is precise, durable and very fast.
The Scratch Air is an incredibly versatile mountain bike, and we're excited for Tall Tim to hit the trails with his shiny new beast. If you want to experience what all the fuss is about, you can come check out our very own demo Trek Scratch Air 9 in store.
You can also read more about the Trek Scratch Air 8 here, and check out our current range of Specials here.
You can also read more about the Trek Scratch Air 8 here, and check out our current range of Specials here.
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