2012 Trek Session 88 Downhill Mountain Bike
While the Carbon Session 9.9 has been stealing all the headlines this season, the World Cup winning alloy Session 88 continues to quietly evolve into an even faster and lighter race frame for 2012. For many DH riders the leap to a carbon frame is too scary ( and expensive!) and although we know they are as strong, if not stronger than the alloy frames we understand, and so do Trek which is why they have continued to make the world cup winning Trek Session 88. The 2012 Session 88 gets all new geometry and a bump up to 210mm of travel with a redesigned leverage ratio that was implemented and tested on the Trek World Racing DH bikes. The new frame geometry is the same that Aaron Gwin,Tracey Mosely and Justin Leov all rode to various podium victories throughout the 2010/11 season, though if that isn't good enough for you the smart Mino Link is quickly changed at the rear seat stay and adjusts the head angle by +1/2 degree and raises the bottom bracket by 8 mm. In addition to the Mino Link, the Session 88 now also comes with a Cane Creek angle-set headset giving you another option whereby you can adjust the head angle by + or - 1 degree giving those riders who love to fine tune their ride lots of possibilities. 
 
One great development Trek have introduced for 2012 is the new 157x12 rear thu-axle standard that like the 142x12mm setup, uses a drop-out to seat the rear hub making for a much more secure and aligned rear wheel. But it's no problems if you have some wheels that don't support a 157mm rear axle as the 88 comes with the different inserts to swap it back to a 150mm setup. The Bontrager Cousin Earl wheelset may not have the bling of a Mavic or Fulcrum set, but is actually a quality set of hoops that can be setup tubeless with the Bontrager specific TLR rimstrip system. The wide rims, standard DT Swiss spokes and solid thru-axle hubs provide a super strong set of wheels that are designed to live up to the rigours of regular DH riding and racing. Other neat features at the back end of the bike is the internal cable routing for the rear derailleur keeping the all important rear derailleur cable out of danger and away from possible damage. The 2012 Session comes with a custom tuned DHX RC2 shock which at first glance might seem like a down grade compared to last years RC4. What the RC2 may lack in external adjustments is made up from loads of development in Trek's Calafornian suspension lab in conjunction with Fox's top engineers to create a shock specifically designed for the linkage ratios the 88 has. The results are a shock that is simpler to tune that performs better than a stock RC4. For many riders who just want to ride and tend to set & forget their suspension this an excellent upgrade for 2012.