TREK FARLEY EX 9.8
The MBA crew spent some quality time aboard a fully rigid version of the Trek Farley last year—known as the Farley 9.8. Its impressive list of carbon parts and dialed fat bike geometry made for a sub-25-pound fat bike capable of flying down snow-covered hills or flowing through our favorite sections of singletrack. The rigid Farley was great and still is, but when we saw a full-suspension model on display at Sea Otter in 2016, we knew right away that this fatty would be a thrill to ride. The Farley EX 9.8 takes everything we loved about our rigid Farley and combines it with 120-millimeters of travel, a dropper post and the sensation of riding a trailbike on a cloud. The Farley EX has a mean look with a lot to live up to, so we wasted no time and pushed this fat tire machine as hard as it would go.
WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
The Farley EX is a four-season mountain bike built for ripping loose summer trails or diving head first into a winter snowstorm. It’s packed with high-performance suspension that lets the EX feel at home on gnarlier sections, and its larger-than-normal, 27.5-inch fat tires kept the Farley rolling fast on smooth and flowy trails. The EX has a long list of carbon parts to drool over, and its proprietary Trek technologies give it an edge over other bikes in its category.
RE:aktiv technology: The Fox Float aboard the Farley received Trek’s RE:aktiv shock technology, which was developed by one of the leading developers of race car suspension, Penske Racing. The exotic technology gives the shock the ability to easily soak up gnarly terrain while retaining great pedaling performance.
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
Trek constructed the Farley EX 9.8 from OCLV (Optimum Compaction Low Void) carbon along with alloy chainstays, 197x12mm rear hub spacing and 120 millimeters of travel. The rear end of the Farley has all the high-tech features we’ve come to expect from a Trek full-suspension mountain bike, including ABP (Active Braking Pivots), Full Floater suspension, an EVO link (allowing for geometry adjustability), and, of course, the Formula 1-inspired RE:aktiv shock. Trek then incorporated its Control Freak internal cable routing, stout carbon guards and a pair of Trek Wampa carbon wheels. The Farley is topped off with a carbon handlebar, a titanium-railed saddle and an 11-speed drivetrain.
WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
Ready for anything: The Farley’s 30-tooth chainring and 10-42-tooth cassette allowed our test riders to climb up steep sections of trail with ease. SRAM’s X01 derailleur provided smooth shifting, and the Race Face Next carbon crankset attributed to the Farley’s lightweight feel.
Super plush: Trek built the Farley EX with a RockShox Bluto fork that has 120 millimeters of travel. Combine this plush fork with shock-absorbing, large air-volume tires and you have a bike ready to eat up any rough trail.
The Farley EX has plenty of standout features, such as its light-weight carbon frame and its tall, 27.5-inch fat tires, but its rear shock takes the prize for the most performance-enhancing feature. Trek’s RE:aktiv technology was designed in conjunction with Penske Racing—one of the leading developers of custom race car suspension. The result is a shock that makes the rear tire feel firmly planted to the ground over bumps while still being super efficient during climbs. Combine this shock with 3.8-inch-wide tires and you have a bike that truly feels glued to the ground.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
Adjustable linkage: Trek’s Mino link gives riders the ability to make minor adjustments to the Farley’s geometry. Riders can set up the bike in the high position for a taller bottom bracket height and steeper head tube angle, or the low position for a slacker head tube angle and lower bottom bracket height.
Setup:
It took a bit of effort to get the Farley set up just right. We set both the shock and fork to 20-percent sag and started with the rebound knobs in a centered position. Next, we played with different tire pressures to get the best balance of traction and control. Adding too much air pressure caused our Farley to buck like a wild bull, while too little air pressure made the bike’s handling slow and unresponsive. The Farley came alive with a tire pressure of around 9 psi and quickly proved to our test riders that it is a very capable and nimble bike, considering its size.
Moving Out:
The Farley is a fat bike on the surface, but it’s a trailbike at heart. It features 750-millimeter bars and a 70-millimeter stem that complement the ride characteristics of its large air volume tires. The Farley also has a dropper post that all of our test riders welcomed with open arms. The suspension feels buttery smooth, and the 3.8-inch-wide tires soak up small bumps as if they weren’t there. The Farley can even be tossed around in a playful manner, making it an absolute blast to take down the trails.
Climbing:
Judging the Farley’s ability to climb solely on its looks is a bad idea. This bike combines lightweight carbon parts with ultra-efficient suspension and tops it off with huge amounts of traction. The end result is a fat bike that can charge up climbs and battle toe to toe with many trail bikes. We didn’t set any personal records aboard the Farley, yet we rode up sections with ease that we would normally struggle with. The Farley’s suspension worked flawlessly, providing a great pedaling platform, and the 30-tooth chainring gave our riders the ability to spin the pedals up any steep hill.
Riding on rails: Highly tuned suspension and 3.8-inch, ground-hugging tires allowed our test riders to rip through any berm or tight turn with ease. Our riders often felt like they were riding on rails.
Cornering:
The Farley has a surprisingly agile feel for a fat-tire machine. Our testers found they could easily dive into corners thanks to its 68.8-degree head tube angle and fairly short 17.4-inch chainstays. The Farley’s ground-hugging tires held traction really well, and the dropper seatpost allowed riders to move their body weight around on the bike. The Farley does require a bit of body language to navigate tight sections of trail, but, compared to other fat-tire machines, this thing is a true ripper.
Light and agile: The Farley EX 9.8 sports carbon parts from its handlebars down to its wheels. These high-end and lightweight parts gave the Farley a playful feel and allowed our riders to toss it around like a trailbike.
Descending:
The Farley EX mixes the plush suspension of a trailbike with large air volume tires, resulting in a bike that is capable of running over anything in its path. The bike rolled fast on flowy trails, thanks to 27.5-inch Bontrager Hodag tires, and its dropper seat post allowed our testers to toss the bike around with ease. The 750-millimeter handlebars seemed just right for this bike, and the RE:aktiv technology in the rear shock glued our rear tire to the ground. The Farley EX is a mean-looking machine with the performance to match.
Braking:
Big tires call for big stopping power. Trek decided to use a pair of SRAM Guide RS brakes to help bring the Farley to a stop, and they offered more than enough power. Trek’s ABP (Active Braking Pivot) suspension design keeps the suspension working to further improve traction, even under hard braking efforts.
Let it fly: The Farley EX begs to be ridden like a trailbike, seeking out any opportunity to get its big wheels off the ground. Our test riders confidently hit trail features with the Farley that they would normally reserve for longer-travel bikes.
TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?
Out of the box, the Farley EX 9.8 is a dream bike covered head to toe in carbon goodies. We decided to set the wheels up tube- less to avoid pesky pinch flats, but that was the only upgrade this bike needed. An issue with the 27.5-inch fat wheels, however, is that it may be hard to find replacement tires anywhere other than a Trek dealer. We also think this bike might be more vulnerable to the elements and may require more maintenance when riding in snow or mud, since there are more moving parts than on the rigid version. That said, however, riders who want a fat bike for trail riding will find the Farley EX is one of the best tools for the job.
BUYING ADVICE
Fat bikes have long been known for their ability to tackle trails covered in sand or snow, and although the Farley Ex would excel in those conditions, it seems this fat-tire machine was built to hang with the trailbike crowd. Trek designed the Farley EX with all the features we’ve come to expect from its trailbikes and high-end fat bike parts. The result is a bike that is truly fun to ride and much more capable than it appears. Riders seeking the utmost traction and a plush ride will thoroughly enjoy riding the Trek Farley EX.
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