In this series we’re looking at the evolution of three bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders. Each fits into a different category – we’ve had a hardtail and a full-suspension trail bike, so for this final feature it’s the turn of the long-travel bike. And few ‘big bikes’ have undergone such a transformation as the Trek Session, which had a bit of a confused birth at a time of overlapping disciplines but has evolved into a sleek, lightweight race bike with multiple World Cup wins to its name.
Downhill racing is considered by many to be the Formula 1 of the sport, with the most cutting-edge technology, the fastest riders and some of the tightest title battles in mountain biking. The bikes that help the top riders win have come a long, long way in a relatively short time, and although the Trek Session has been on the scene for over a decade, the 2016 bike bears little in common with its original namesake.
Rewind to 2005 and Trek hadn’t had much success with their Diesel DH bike. It was heavy and cumbersome, but did have effective suspension – something that’s become key to Trek’s mountain bike DNA – courtesy of a high pivot location and rearward axle path. Abandoning the Diesel from 2004, Trek had to come up with something new. When they debuted the Session in 2005, in the form of two chunky freeride bikes – the 170mm (6.7in) travel Session 7 and 77 – it was the obvious platform to develop into a new downhill bike.
The Session 10, an absolute monster of a bike, hit the trails in 2006. With a massive 254mm (10in) of hard-hitting travel and weighing a lead-like 21.3kg (47lb) out of the box, it wasn’t for everyone. Despite its heft it did have its merits though – after testing it in Whistler, we awarded it 4/5 stars for its descending prowess. Retaining the Diesel’s high pivot and burly looks, it was a bike that could really be ‘sent’. But up against stiff competition such as the Iron Horse Sunday, Giant DH Team (and soon Glory) and Intense M1/ M3 it was on the back foot, and by 2008 it was overdue fossilisation.
Its replacement, the Session 88, was a revolutionary change in direction for the line, boasting a sleek hydroformed frame with a polished finish and top-of-the-range components. Suddenly the Session went from an overweight dinosaur to an object of desire for many riders. Touted as being a hot ticket by pretty much the entire bike industry, we gave it a full 5/5 stars on its release. This was no accident though – the bike was three years in the making, and heavy prototyping and testing were an integral part of its initial success.
Try and try again
The first prototype was a bit of a false start, not incorporating any of the new technology Trek had introduced on their trail bikes, like the Active Braking Pivot (a rear pivot concentric to the wheel axle, isolating the suspension from braking forces) and Full Floater suspension (where the rear shock isn’t mounted to the mainframe but instead ‘floats’ between two links attached to the rear triangle). The second stage brought these elements to the bike, while the final two phases of development saw improvements in the bike’s strength, rigidity and overall design, with two models being decided on – one for DH and one for freeride.
Suspension tuning wasn’t taken lightly either. Trek worked tirelessly with Fox and their testers to develop a system that really delivered the goods, with plenty of time being spent fine-tuning the shock to complement the bike’s leverage ratio and other suspension characteristics. Andrew Shandro, long-term Trek-sponsored rider and tester, was blown away by the bike. “The suspension technology, the platform’s efficiency and the bike’s [low] overall weight allowed me to carry so much more speed than I’d ever thought possible,” he said at its launch. The Session 88 weighed an impressive 17.7kg (39lb) – nearly 4kg less than the Session 10! – and became the benchmark for people wanting to build a lightweight, race ready machine. It was so light that sporadic reports began to filter in of frame failures, but Trek were quick to address the problem and it failed to taint the Session’s success.
Podiums ahoy
In 2009, Martin Whiteley of 23 Degrees Sports Management, who’d previously run the Global Racing and G-Cross Honda teams, formed Trek World Racing (TWR), with the Session 88 as the centrepiece. The bike’s racing pedigree was soon proven, with Tracy Moseley, Justin Leov and Andrew Neethling amassing a total of 14World Cup podiums in the first two years.
The Session remained unchanged for 2008 and 2009. In 2010 there were some minor changes and the range was split in two, with an entry-level model making the bike a little more accessible to the average Joe – a sensible move, given that people were chomping at the bit to get their hands on such a capable bike. The following year saw TWR update their roster with emerging US star Aaron Gwin, who would pilot the Session to two consecutive World Cup overall titles, making “Gwinning” a household term (among mountain bikers, at least)! We also got a teaser of what Trek had in store for 2012 – the bike that was to become the benchmark, the carbon fibre Session 9.9.
The 9.9 had been in development for two years and marked another turning point in the design and construction of Trek’s downhill rigs. Featuring changes to the suspension and geometry inspired by the team’s aluminium bikes, the 9.9 was a totally different beast to the outgoing 88. The carbon mainframe shaved around 800g off the weight, bringing the complete bike down to around 16kg (35lb), and the 63.6-degree head angle and long wheelbase were progressive for the time. The Session 8 and 88 still existed as cheaper alternatives, but the improvements in suspension, geometry and weight on the 9.9 made the decision about which one to buy fairly simple, assuming you had enough cash!
In 2014 another new bike was introduced, the Session 9.8. Using the same frame as the 9.9, it offered all the benefits of carbon with a reduced price tag. Trek were introducing 650b wheels across their range in 2014, but this was something the Session would have to wait until the following year for.
Setting the bar high
The new Session 9.9 debuted in 2015 stayed as close to the 26in version as possible, while incorporating the advantages of the bigger wheels – better rollover and increased grip. The rear stays were also changed from alloy to carbon, saving 300g. Two British riders, Laurie Greenland and Greg Williamson, signed to the TWR team and both rode their Sessions to some impressive victories, with Laurie taking the Junior World Cup overall title and the coveted Junior World Championships rainbow stripes.
As for the 26in-wheeled bike, it remained in Trek’s line-up rebranded as the Session Park, with shorter stays and 20mm less travel. It was an obvious divergence for the range, given that Trek’s C3 Project riders, including Brandon Semenuk, Brett Rheeder and Cam McCaul, had already proven the bike’s freeride capabilities at events like Red Bull Rampage.
This year’s bikes once again see some changes, with 26in wheels being ditched altogether in favour of 650b. The alloy Session 8 and 88 return for those on a budget, while the top-ofthe- range 9.9 remains an object of desire for many – including the Athertons, newly signed to Trek and pretty much guaranteed to pilot the Session to some big wins this season.
Since the Session’s basic DNA was established back in 2008, lots has changed but one thing has stayed the same – the bike’s overall look. How often have you seen the comment, “Looks like a Session” on bike websites? Perhaps this is testimony to the bike’s greatness – it’s become a benchmark for people to judge all other downhill bikes by.
Martin Whiteley Team manager 2009-2015
Martin ran the hugely successful Trek World Racing team for six years. Here’s what he had to say about the Session…
“A huge component for success in downhill racing is being able to attract the right riders for your programme, based on several key elements. One of those is the equipment you can offer, and there’s no quest ion that when we started the team the Session was an unknown commodity in World Cup racing. However, within the first two years, thanks to Tracy Moseley, Justin Leov and Andrew Neethling, we amassed 14 World Cup podium results. It didn’t hurt that Tracy won the first World Cup she raced on a Session! She also went on to win the World Championships after more than a decade of trying.
“That attracted a lot of attention from high-profile riders and assisted me as a team owner in being able to make serious offers to people we were looking to sign. Two years of domination by Aaron Gwin and Tracy followed. As a team we went on to notch up 44 World Cup podiums, of which 16 were wins. With the commitment from Trek’s engineers in Waterloo [Wisconsin], who attend many of the races and take a lot of feedback from the riders, the bike has become a much-admired and soughtafter ride in race circles.
“The wind tunnel testing we did with the team early on was unheard of at the time, which is odd – we’re racing the clock outdoors so it made a lot of sense to us. What we gleaned from that has been carried forward to today, and if the bike was to have DNA, you’d be able to see traces back to our first team camp.”
Brook MacDonald World Cup downhill racer
Kiwi World Cup racer Brook rode the Session 9.9 for two seasons with Trek World Racing and is a big fan of the bike.
“To be honest, when I came to the team the bike’s development was already nearly as good as it could be. The best part for me was moving from 26in to 650b wheels, along with small changes to the geometry and the chainstays going from alloy to carbon. The biggest improvement would have to be the wheels though.
“Second at the Fort William World Cup in 2013 was a huge result atmy first big race on the team. Since then I’ve been run down with an injury and haven’t really achieved the goals I wanted to. I was also fourth and fifth at the Leogang andWindham World Cups last year.”
Trek Facts
-Richard (Dick) Burke and Bevil Hogg set up Trek in 1975 in a barn in southern Wisconsin. In their first year they had five employees and made 900 custom hand-brazed steel frames.
-In 1983 Trek built their first mountain bike, the steel 850. Shortly afterwards they began producing aluminium frames, enjoying success on the XC circuit.
-1992 saw the introduction of their first full-susser, the 9000.A year later their first carbon MTB frames were unveiled.
-The unique-looking Y bikes caused a stir in the late ’90s but it was in the 2000s that Trek really hit their stride with the Fuel series, Remedy and Session.
Trek’s new star signings
The fastest family in mountain biking, the Athertons, have just signed a three-year deal to ride for Trek. This means that in 2016 we’ll see Gee, Rachel and their young protege Taylor Vernon racing the Session 9.9 on the DH World Cup circuit, with brother Dan representing the brand at Enduro World Series races. Dan Brown, manager of the new Trek Factory Racing team, says: “We have substantial goals and we’re really excited to have Trek’s support and partnership.”
