TREK SLASH 8 | $3,680

hen it was released in the summer of 2016, the Slash 29 didn’t just turn heads, it blew minds. Trek’s decision to make its premium enduro racing bike a 29er, with no small-wheel version, showed confidence and gumption. Despite bikes like the legendary Specialized Enduro 29 leading the way, gravity-focused riders were still resistant to big wheels when the Slash 29 came around. Even Specialized, a company that caught the 29 bug hard, has a 650b Enduro in its lineup. The Slash wasn’t developed to be a crowd pleaser. It was meant to be the fastest possible enduro race weapon. Twenty-niners are faster, so that’s what the Slash