ROB’S TREK SLASH £4,050 (frame only)
Our tech-ed-in-chief reflects on a year aboard one of his favourite frames
I’ve loved having the Slash as my go-to bike over this past year. The 456mm reach, 437mm chainstays and slack 64-degree head angle of the medium frame seem to suit me and my riding style down to the ground. Every time I swing a leg over it, I feel at home instantly. And that little cubby hole in the down tube is a bonus, so I never forget the essentials when heading out on the trails.
But this year has been about more than just the Slash alone, as this particular build is pretty special. That’s down to the RockShox Flight Attendant suspension units I have bolted to it. For those not in the know, Flight Attendant works wirelessly, automatically altering the level of low-speed compression damping in the fork and shock to best suit the terrain. It’s a seriously clever bit of kit and works really well, doing exactly what it was designed to do.
I’ve not been able to catch it out, or ever felt like I needed it to shift settings from one mode to the next when it wasn’t. It’s simply done what’s been asked of it from day one. With the SRAM AXS app installed, tuning the compression levels and bias (how fast the system will lock out) is quick and easy, too. But since finding the sweet spot, I’ve been happy just leaving it to work
