Awesome bike … got a giant talon 2 in November after taking 15 years off from biking 1994 trek 820 was my previous bike … ordered a recon yesterday for it .. went recon because it gave me the most adjustment for the price point .. plan is to move travel up to 120mm from 100mm.. already put a KS dropper on it and grips .. changed out the stem from 50mm to 35mm … I will end up moving in to full suspension but I am committing to riding my hard tail for a year … that will help me choose what I want to have in a full suspension… LBS support is important to me I am lucky enough to have several to choose from trek, giant, Santa Cruz , Rocky Mountain, specialize are all available to me within 10 mins from my house.
Sweet bike man. I live in new England also. Just picked up a new niner air 9 aluminum hardtail 6 weeks ago. I already upgraded a lot of the bike. Industry nine trail 1/1 wheelset magura m8 pro brakes. Nukeproof v2 carbon handlebar carbon saddle. Titanium seatpost it's such a addiction lol
My kids 2020 9.6 has crank brothers 30 rims with I9 1-1 hubs. Great swap, completely changes the ride on the bike. 6 bolt wit HD drivers… smooth like butter with instant engagement. I would suggest a hub swap over the Bontrager‘s, every time. Plus they sound like a swarm of bees!
I have the 2022 Procal 9.5. Love the bike, but I have the Judy fork and it’s the one thing I need to upgrade, it’s so heavy. Maybe wheels down the road too.
I like the idea of the frame with that flex point. Its also a sweet bike and a great price for a carbon frame. Some of the components are good too for that price! Great buy for someone that has an extensive parts bin. Some frame kits cost more than this entire bike! Cool video James!!
Great to see you'll be trying out isospeed on a mt bike! I have it on my Domane, and I'm wondering if I should upgrade my hardtail to a Procaliber. Keep the good videos coming!
I enjoyed my rage red carbon pro caliber. Mine came just when SRAM was having the NX derailleur issue (went through three before they sent a GX). My new favorite hard tail is a BMC Twostroke.
Beautiful machine. What is the saddle on it? Love the oil slick rails. Definitely put those oil slick hubs back on the bike, even tho those 1/1 hubs are top quality. Def get the 35 stem to use the OneUp bars.
Nice bike James . I like the upgrades also . I purchased today my first Procaliber 9,5 from my local Trek store . Shout out to Crossroads Bikes in Clemmons, NC. What a pleasure that was today . Already thinking about upgrades and a frame wrap . Thanks for the cool video
I had XR2 on my gravel bike for 3 months until the desert cut it up. Great tire for gravel, rigid xc and even bad roads, but I think XR3 would be better.
Thanks 4 the video. I got one of those last march. Changed so far: Exa Form 9001 dropper post (sweeeet), SID SL Select suspension, 34T chainring (it comes w/ 30T). Thinking on Speedsafe carbon wheels in the near future. It is not clear for me why praxis crankset is not good?
Cool bike you have. The Praxis crank is great, but the size is not. 175mm on a modern medium bike is way too big. Should be 170mm and around here that extra clearance would make a difference.
@@Jamesthebikeguy In that case, I'm happy they're 175mm. The dropper I got is quite short (345mm long), since I'm 1.75mt tall, so the extra centimeter, 0.5 when cranks is up and other 0.5 when is down, allows me to pedal in a more comfortable way. Again, thank you for the video.
What a coincidence, I’m waiting if the dealer can get me that exact color, and also thinking to get the Marzocchi, in my old bike I’ve been using the 320LCR and is awesome, and maybe getting a RaceFace Wheelset or DTSwiss or Mavic Crossmax, depending on availability, cool bike
The 175mm crank arm is surprisingly common in 2022. It is something I noticed myself about two weeks ago when looking at different models across the industry. They are putting them on Medium size frames now (normally you only see it on Large or XL), and thats what caught my attention and I knew something was up. I am guessing the industry is just so desperate for parts, they are using whatever leftover stock they can just to get a completed bike into the customers hands. There was probably a surplus of 175 cranks. Would not be surprised if they get so desperate for parts that they start putting 160mm or 165mm cranks on size small frames next instead of 170. Normally only triathletes use 160. Lets hope it does not get to that point and the industry bounces back this year.
Wish they would make a carbon version of the Roscoe with the IsoSpeed in order to get those two benefits with a more all mountain, slacker head angle geo.
Love the content James! This video is perfect timing as i am on the fence between a Procaliber 9.5 or 9.6. I am 80% roadie and 20% mtb rider, and i am looking to replace a 2018 scott scale 950 alloy hardtail. I think the 9.5 will be plenty of bike, but i just don’t want to be underwhelmed by the deore and judy trying to save the $700 off the 9.6. What are your thoughts???
Hi Jon, I think it depends on what if anything you plan to change/upgrade. I spent a ton of time thinking about it since I knew I was going to upgrade the bike, but also wanted to get the best value. The 9.5 nd 9.6 are comparble, but the 9.7 seems expensive compared to the two. Anyway, here were my thoughts. - Rockshox Judy is an OK fork for a true MTB rider that is just getting in to it. It lacks a lot of adjustment and refinement and the Recon is much nicer. I knew out of the gate I was going to remove the fork, and the Recon while much nicer than the Judy, also has a way higher resale value and demand. - XT/SLX vs. Deore is not as big of a deal, but also money well spend. The groupset will save nearly 3/4 a pound off of the bike between the two specs and cranks. Something you might not miss if you didn't have it, but you will appreciate that you do. - Wheels, this is where the Procaliber 9.6 really wins. The 9.5 has generic hubs and the basic Kovee rims. This is where you will find the other 1lbs of weight savings with the 9.6, you will also get way more durability with the Kovee Comp 23 rim and the Rapid drive hubs are ones you want to keep. This wheelset was the deal maker between the two. So the obvious and likely expected answer is spend the extra, sorry :-)
Looks amazing, i’ve got my new bike day planned out already. Think it’s going to happen this winter when I order. Probably going to be a trek bicycle also 🦾
23.56lbs with the parts in this video. I didn't include that in the video as I have several more changes until it is "done" and I'll make a bike check video with the final weight.
Why do you not enjoy the Recon? I've had one on my Fuse Comp 2020, been riding it and it served me well until this winter... I recently did a full service and upped the travel from 130 to 150 and honestly it feels better than when I first had it. Although I'm afraid of what 150mm on 32mm stanchions could do. I dont ride very hard so hopefully it will be fine. My friend had to replace his fork (same bike) because he rides way harder and his stanchions had wear marks and it couldnt be serviced...
@@Iggy52 Just for fun, never felt like 130 was enough and I couldnt buy a spacer kit at a decent price to make it 140 so I said screw it and went up all the way
23.56lbs with the parts in this video. I didn't include that in the video as I have several more changes until it is "done" and I'll make a bike check video with the final weight.
This is not a "trend". Personally have been running 170 cranks for clearance for at least a decade. Many brands for a long time have not spec'd 175 on a medium frame. The 175 on this bike is no doubt a supply chain solution.
23.56lbs with the parts in this video. I didn't include that in the video as I have several more changes until it is "done" and I'll make a bike check video with the final weight.
After having personally ridden over 10k miles on carbon bikes, I have yet to have an issue. All frames can break or have issues and at this point carbon is well sorted.
@@Jamesthebikeguy 10K miles is a year of riding. All my carbon bikes have cracked at or around the 20K miles mark ( 2 years and some months ) and I take extremely care of my bikes. Then when it cracks, you have to deal with the BS you get from the warranty if they even approve the claim in warranty. Riding Ti now and is way better, feels better, last forever and again it feels better.
Great minds think alike! I love my ‘21 Procaliber 9.6 and I’m so stoked to see you on one!!
That’s a sweet ride! The color is great too.
You forgot to end with the weight! Looking forward to the metamorphosis! Thanks!
Awesome you got your hands on one! I remember asking you ages ago in another video to review this one. Thanks James
You bet!
Congrats! (Feeling your joy with the Arvada saddle- gonna switch it out on my MTBS). :)
Awesome bike … got a giant talon 2 in November after taking 15 years off from biking 1994 trek 820 was my previous bike … ordered a recon yesterday for it .. went recon because it gave me the most adjustment for the price point .. plan is to move travel up to 120mm from 100mm.. already put a KS dropper on it and grips .. changed out the stem from 50mm to 35mm … I will end up moving in to full suspension but I am committing to riding my hard tail for a year … that will help me choose what I want to have in a full suspension… LBS support is important to me I am lucky enough to have several to choose from trek, giant, Santa Cruz , Rocky Mountain, specialize are all available to me within 10 mins from my house.
Sweet bike man. I live in new England also. Just picked up a new niner air 9 aluminum hardtail 6 weeks ago. I already upgraded a lot of the bike. Industry nine trail 1/1 wheelset magura m8 pro brakes. Nukeproof v2 carbon handlebar carbon saddle. Titanium seatpost it's such a addiction lol
with this colour frame, those tan wall tires are a must. It looks much better than black ones imho.
Wow, congrats on your new bike. ...I was waiting for you to weigh it.
My kids 2020 9.6 has crank brothers 30 rims with I9 1-1 hubs. Great swap, completely changes the ride on the bike. 6 bolt wit HD drivers… smooth like butter with instant engagement. I would suggest a hub swap over the Bontrager‘s, every time. Plus they sound like a swarm of bees!
Hey man great video, I was always a fan of the procaliber. Just waiting to see a full review and see what your thoughts on the bikes are.
I have the 2022 Procal 9.5. Love the bike, but I have the Judy fork and it’s the one thing I need to upgrade, it’s so heavy. Maybe wheels down the road too.
wait.. can you explain to me why 175mm is not good? then what size is good?
Stuff like that all comes down to preference really
I like the idea of the frame with that flex point. Its also a sweet bike and a great price for a carbon frame. Some of the components are good too for that price! Great buy for someone that has an extensive parts bin. Some frame kits cost more than this entire bike! Cool video James!!
Thank you!
Nice bike! Looking forward to seeing how it performs on the trail.
Great to see you'll be trying out isospeed on a mt bike! I have it on my Domane, and I'm wondering if I should upgrade my hardtail to a Procaliber. Keep the good videos coming!
@tipntrn
Nice one James.......congrats. Those rapid drive hubs are gorgeous! Let's see a test on the bike sometime!
Congratulations on the new bike
I enjoyed my rage red carbon pro caliber. Mine came just when SRAM was having the NX derailleur issue (went through three before they sent a GX). My new favorite hard tail is a BMC Twostroke.
Congrats !! would love to see your feedback on it and how it compares to the rest of your fleet.
Coming soon
Beautiful machine. What is the saddle on it? Love the oil slick rails. Definitely put those oil slick hubs back on the bike, even tho those 1/1 hubs are top quality. Def get the 35 stem to use the OneUp bars.
WOW, SUPER WEAPON.⚔️
IT FLATTENS EVERY TRAIL ☠️☠️☠️
SUPER VIDEO...... THANK YOU ⭐ ⭐ 👍
GREETINGS FROM GERMANY AND HAVE FUN WITH THE NEW WEAPON 💪🇩🇪💪⭐
Thank you!
@@Jamesthebikeguy 👍🙏🇩🇪
Nice bike James . I like the upgrades also . I purchased today my first Procaliber 9,5 from my local Trek store . Shout out to Crossroads Bikes in Clemmons, NC. What a pleasure that was today . Already thinking about upgrades and a frame wrap . Thanks for the cool video
Rock on!
I’ve test ridden these, they like to launch you off the seat a little, going to go for a a supercal next instead.
Interesting, I'll see how that works. The isospeed on my Checkpoint was awesome, even off road.
9:10 woo hoo lol you got it bro 🦾
Hi, nice bike ;) I have a question. How tall are you that you chose the size M / L? I am 170cm and I wonder between M and M / L...
X mas in June. Very nice. Congratulations.
Thank you
What is the weight as you build it up?
Congrats, Jimmy John!
lol, thanks.
I had XR2 on my gravel bike for 3 months until the desert cut it up. Great tire for gravel, rigid xc and even bad roads, but I think XR3 would be better.
Thanks 4 the video. I got one of those last march. Changed so far: Exa Form 9001 dropper post (sweeeet), SID SL Select suspension, 34T chainring (it comes w/ 30T). Thinking on Speedsafe carbon wheels in the near future. It is not clear for me why praxis crankset is not good?
Cool bike you have. The Praxis crank is great, but the size is not. 175mm on a modern medium bike is way too big. Should be 170mm and around here that extra clearance would make a difference.
@@Jamesthebikeguy In that case, I'm happy they're 175mm. The dropper I got is quite short (345mm long), since I'm 1.75mt tall, so the extra centimeter, 0.5 when cranks is up and other 0.5 when is down, allows me to pedal in a more comfortable way. Again, thank you for the video.
What a coincidence, I’m waiting if the dealer can get me that exact color, and also thinking to get the Marzocchi, in my old bike I’ve been using the 320LCR and is awesome, and maybe getting a RaceFace Wheelset or DTSwiss or Mavic Crossmax, depending on availability, cool bike
Enjoy!
Your fork is worth more than my entire bike 😏
My friend own one of that. The whitr black version and damn looks good and head turner
Sweet. When I ordered it, it was the 2021 in Red, and I was looking forward to that bright color.
Excellent frame - IsoFlex is underrated ⭐️
Massachusetts ❤
The 175mm crank arm is surprisingly common in 2022. It is something I noticed myself about two weeks ago when looking at different models across the industry.
They are putting them on Medium size frames now (normally you only see it on Large or XL), and thats what caught my attention and I knew something was up.
I am guessing the industry is just so desperate for parts, they are using whatever leftover stock they can just to get a completed bike into the customers hands. There was probably a surplus of 175 cranks.
Would not be surprised if they get so desperate for parts that they start putting 160mm or 165mm cranks on size small frames next instead of 170. Normally only triathletes use 160. Lets hope it does not get to that point and the industry bounces back this year.
Definitely a better choice with the 120mm Marzocchi bomber!
100% More rowdy and better performance
How much is that fork? Looks sick
Wish they would make a carbon version of the Roscoe with the IsoSpeed in order to get those two benefits with a more all mountain, slacker head angle geo.
I think it would probably require eliminating the dropper post, unfortunately.
Love your videos bro 😎
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Hello James.
Haha you have a LOT of new bike days👍🙋
LOL, just buy the same color and your significant other won't know...
I think to change my Suntour XCR 34 with Marzocchi Z2 to my Merida 120 full suspension 😇
Love the content James!
This video is perfect timing as i am on the fence between a Procaliber 9.5 or 9.6.
I am 80% roadie and 20% mtb rider, and i am looking to replace a 2018 scott scale 950 alloy hardtail.
I think the 9.5 will be plenty of bike, but i just don’t want to be underwhelmed by the deore and judy trying to save the $700 off the 9.6. What are your thoughts???
Hi Jon, I think it depends on what if anything you plan to change/upgrade. I spent a ton of time thinking about it since I knew I was going to upgrade the bike, but also wanted to get the best value. The 9.5 nd 9.6 are comparble, but the 9.7 seems expensive compared to the two. Anyway, here were my thoughts.
- Rockshox Judy is an OK fork for a true MTB rider that is just getting in to it. It lacks a lot of adjustment and refinement and the Recon is much nicer. I knew out of the gate I was going to remove the fork, and the Recon while much nicer than the Judy, also has a way higher resale value and demand.
- XT/SLX vs. Deore is not as big of a deal, but also money well spend. The groupset will save nearly 3/4 a pound off of the bike between the two specs and cranks. Something you might not miss if you didn't have it, but you will appreciate that you do.
- Wheels, this is where the Procaliber 9.6 really wins. The 9.5 has generic hubs and the basic Kovee rims. This is where you will find the other 1lbs of weight savings with the 9.6, you will also get way more durability with the Kovee Comp 23 rim and the Rapid drive hubs are ones you want to keep. This wheelset was the deal maker between the two.
So the obvious and likely expected answer is spend the extra, sorry :-)
@@Jamesthebikeguy awesome, thank you for the in depth reply!
You still got a gravel bike?
Sweet!!!
Sure is, fun bike
I have the same exact recon. The small bump sensitive is almost zero 😩
Yeah, its not the best. Functional, but not the best
NICE.....
Looks amazing, i’ve got my new bike day planned out already. Think it’s going to happen this winter when I order. Probably going to be a trek bicycle also 🦾
Nice hope you get a sweet bike
Beauty!
Agreed!
Hallo ich würde auch gerne mal wissen wie groß sie sind. Weill ich zwischen ml oder m tediere
What tire was that you slipped into the frame just to see if it would fit
Gum wall 2.4 , I think ?
Maxxis Minion DHR.
What do you think of the nukeproof scout ?
I've never seen in person or ridden a Nukeproof, so I don't really have an opinion on them
@@Jamesthebikeguy appreciate you replying mate.. love from the UK.
Rather than replace the fork could you upgrade it to 120mm?
You can travel adjust to 120mm on the Recon.
Looks awesome but how much does it weigh?
23.56lbs with the parts in this video. I didn't include that in the video as I have several more changes until it is "done" and I'll make a bike check video with the final weight.
Why do you not enjoy the Recon? I've had one on my Fuse Comp 2020, been riding it and it served me well until this winter...
I recently did a full service and upped the travel from 130 to 150 and honestly it feels better than when I first had it. Although I'm afraid of what 150mm on 32mm stanchions could do. I dont ride very hard so hopefully it will be fine. My friend had to replace his fork (same bike) because he rides way harder and his stanchions had wear marks and it couldnt be serviced...
If you don't ride very hard why did you go up 20mm in travel??
@@Iggy52 Just for fun, never felt like 130 was enough and I couldnt buy a spacer kit at a decent price to make it 140 so I said screw it and went up all the way
How much reach did you loose after upgrading to 120mm travel fork? Thanks !
Not sure exactly but shouldn't be much. Typically you lose 3-4mm of reach for every 10mm of additional stack
I might have missed it but what did you pay for the Trek?
The bike costs $2,999
James can I buy that Recon fork from you?
It went on another bike of mine.
YOUR TITLE HERE 🤣
Weight of build?
23.56lbs with the parts in this video. I didn't include that in the video as I have several more changes until it is "done" and I'll make a bike check video with the final weight.
Prefect
175 cranks are dope. There is always a "trend" going on. Don't let the industry finesse you.
This is not a "trend". Personally have been running 170 cranks for clearance for at least a decade. Many brands for a long time have not spec'd 175 on a medium frame. The 175 on this bike is no doubt a supply chain solution.
@@Jamesthebikeguy trek has been putting 175 cranks on medium frames since before the pandemic
What's the weight ?
23.56lbs with the parts in this video. I didn't include that in the video as I have several more changes until it is "done" and I'll make a bike check video with the final weight.
you look so happy lol
Killer bike do you ever ride in NY?
This is M/L. What is your height? BTW beautiful bike, congrats.
the only thing that dissapoints me are the brakes :(
Nice bike but Carbon for MTB makes no sense unless you have disposable money. A good Ti for MTB is way better since it wont crack after a fall.
After having personally ridden over 10k miles on carbon bikes, I have yet to have an issue. All frames can break or have issues and at this point carbon is well sorted.
@@Jamesthebikeguy 10K miles is a year of riding. All my carbon bikes have cracked at or around the 20K miles mark ( 2 years and some months ) and I take extremely care of my bikes. Then when it cracks, you have to deal with the BS you get from the warranty if they even approve the claim in warranty.
Riding Ti now and is way better, feels better, last forever and again it feels better.
I'm glad it works for you
Haven’t watched the video, but I’m going to guess it’s a Top Fuel. ?
I do have a TF frame, just has not been built yet
@@Jamesthebikeguy Nice. I inquired about one a few months back and the shop said they were a year out! Ok I’ll watch the video now.
Can you please send me the fork rich guy. I what to try MTB biking for the first time. 😊
you can climb a tree with that first gear
Yeah…..wanted a Domane but my local shop saying 13+ months………🖕🏼that💩😂😂😂😂😂 guess I’m not getting a TREK
Hè said nó bueno 🤣🤣
YOUR TITLE HERE
SHOOT *facepalm*
Nice but TREK writing needs to be bigger 😜
it is carbon and it has a bomber fork. Why do you need to know the weight? those facts are enough for me.
Its nearly stock.😂
lol, it got worse after making this video...
what an exaggeration that’s only a year lol
Go carbon wheels.