REVIEW: Trek Liquid 30 frameset

It's not all freeride, but that's okay

Words and photos by Dan Murphy

At the end of my three-year stint as a bike mechanic, I learned from our local Trek rep that the company was going to make good on its promise to build a long-travel bike based on the successful and reliable Fuel platform.

While I thought that these short-travel bikes worked well, I was more interested in a bike that would fill my desire for all-day epics in any kind of weather, exploratory 'three hour tours' into no-man's land, and reliable machinery.

Based on the info I had from Trek, it looked like the new Liquid 30 would fill the spot between my Trek 8500 hardtail and my RM7, so this past September I ordered a frameset for about US$1,500. Four months later, she finally arrived - a boss black frame in the biggest size available (21.5").


Starting with a clean slate

A little history

The Liquid, along with the race-issue Fuel that Roland Green rides on the World Cup circuit, the Klein Adept (RIP), and the GF Sugar series all share the same unique pivotless rear wheel dropout configuration. But whereas those short-travel bikes make do with lightweight main tubes and minimal flex through their carbon seatstays, the Liquid frameset is capital-O-Overbuilt in every way.

Due to the increased travel of the rear wheel, the Liquid's stays must flex even more and all of the tubes must be reinforced. The downtube is massive and thick, which makes it a significant contributor to the overall weight of the frame. (We were already breaking the 13lb. mark after I pressed in my King headset and installed the Fox fork.)

The downtube starts out ovalized longitudinally at the headtube junction to allow for a large weld surface, and it becomes nearly box shaped at the BB junction to allow for an adequate surface for the lower shock mount. The downtube is also reinforced with a butterfly gusset similar to the 8500 LT.

The rest of the bike is solid as well; the pivot point for the chainstay is monstrous, and the dropouts are more than 6mm thick. But, and this is a big but, it's important to warn you that the words 'freeride' and 'Trek Liquid' shouldn't be too closely associated. This is not an Intense Uzzi, a Stinky, or a Switch. So why did I choose it?

All of the other popular trail bikes I looked at - bikes like a Santa Cruz Superlight, a Specialized Epic, and the Seven Duo/Maverick - were either too XC / race-oriented, too frail, too pricey, or not designed for a five-inch fork. But ultimately I was won over by Trek's unique suspension system and its bombproof warranty support. I was also drawn to the familiar


The beefy BB junction
geometry that would allow me to purchase a bike sight unseen and be assured it'd fit right.

Building the Liquid

Rather than going with the Trek/Bontrager parts that usually come standard on a Liquid, the rest of the bike is spec'd with familiar and therefore reliable kit: King, Hayes, Thomson, XTR cranks, SRAM 9.0., XT hubs, and IRC tires. All top shelf, oh-so-chi-chi stuff. This is definitely one of the advantages of starting with a frameset.

I'm also using a Vanilla 125RLC fork in place of the TALAS 100/125 fork that is available with the complete Liquid 30. I have yet to use the lockout but the compression and rebound control on this fork is top notch. Stiffness is also first-rate, and it's as smooth as my old Z1 felt three years ago but far more tuneable.

Hitting the trail

And how does the Liquid ride, you ask? So far, so good. It does exactly what I want it to do, and while it would probably hold up fine on many of the Fromme trails I have ridden before, it is definitely not a five-foot-plus dropoff machine.

The huge rocker arm and Fox TALAS shock

The geometry works the way it should, the suspension is spot on, and the bike is quiet. All those sealed bearings working together mean there's low friction and correspondingly, very, very little noise.

Unlike Horst link bikes, there is no derailleur slap against the underside of the chainstay. The drive-side chainstay drops enough from the main pivot before it sweeps up to the dropout that the chain scarcely contacts it.

The bike uses Fox's new TALAS system, which is essentially an on-the-fly travel adjustable air shock with external rebound control and a lockout. The main attraction of the shock is the ability to select between four and five inches of rear wheel travel without changing mounting eyelets, and without the penalty of a changed compression rates.

As in the case of the ITCh shock on the Specialized FSR Enduro, the change is accomplished from the saddle: you flip a lever on the piggyback and compress the suspension to change the travel setting. The first part of the travel feels the same in the longer setting, and the only noticeable difference is the extra squishiness.

The one problem, although really minor, that I encountered with the Liquid was the rear end bobbing at an annoying frequency if you lock out the rear suspension and ride hardpack or pavement at just the right cadence. The rear shock still moves a few millimetres under load and the carbon stays will continue to flex, leading to a small amount of rear axle movement.

Final thoughts

Despite its 33lb. weight, the Liquid rides lighter than she would appear. The reason why is: if you can't have low weight, keep the weight low.

That BB pivot assembly accounts for a good chunk of this bike's bulk, so the Liquid corners well and takes to tight, technical singletrack as well as any other high-zoot trail bike in the 21st century should.

Clearly, the folks in Wisconsin have done their homework. They've come a long way since the shameful days of the VRX, and that's fine with me because I found just the bike I was looking for.
The finished product, ready to be ridden

Features: 4.0
Functionality: 4.5
Price: 3.5
Overall: 4.0
Pros: Cons:
- Burly frame, in appearance and on the trail
- Rides lighter than it is
- Good looks
- TALAS works great so far
- Suspension is very quiet
- Large sealed bearings throughout
- Trek's warranty and service have always been outstanding		 - A little pricey for the frameset, but you get what you pay for
- No stock quick release for the seatpost
- Goofy stops and guides for cables and hoses
- Hefty weight, esp. for smaller frame sizes
- Some suspension bob when lockout is used