Trek Roscoe 7 Review

Should I Buy This Bike?

Should you buy this bike? Perhaps. If you want a mountain bike that is capable of a wide variety of endeavors, the Roscoe might just be the bike for you. Its performance on singletrack mountain bike trails could be described as competent, but one thing we found very appealing about this hardtail is how exceptionally versatile it is. The Roscoe could be a great bike for the rider who is interested in some adventure riding or bikepacking in addition to traditional trail riding. This bike is best for a rider who values versatility over outright singletrack shredding.

If you want a mountain bike to charge downhills or ride aggressive terrain, there are better options available.

Fun Factor

The Rosce 7 has a “jack-of-all-trades” attitude. While it might not be the best in any one performance metric, it is well-rounded and highly versatile. Owning a mountain bike that is comfortable in a number of situations sounds pretty fun to us. From logging miles on old doubletracks to riding singletrack with your crew, this bike is ready for an adventure.

Traditionally, a bicycle's fun factor relies heavily on its ability to shralp corners, boost jumps, and willingness to engage in trailside shenanigans. The Roscoe 7 isn't the most eager bicycle to engage in such endeavors. The large 29 wheels fitted with meaty 2.6-inch rubber prefer to live life on the ground. Cornering abilities are solid and the reasonable wheelbase is evident when snapping through a tight corner. Being a hardtail, this bike is fairly fun pumping through rolling terrain and maximizes energy transfer.

Downhill

The Roscoe 7 is competent on the descent. This hardtail mountain bike provides a reasonably comfortable and capable ride although you will never mistake it for a full suspension bike. It prefers to live its life carving down flow trails and ripping through berms as opposed to bouncing down chunk. In other words, it thrives on rolling terrain as opposed to steep and rough trails.

When perched atop the Roscoe, the 65-degree head tube angle is confident and progressive without being clumsy. Just a few short years ago, this slack front end would seem out-of-place on a hardtail in this price range. Times are a-changing and this figure is more or less in line with high-end mid-travel trail bikes. The 470mm reach on our large test bike offers plenty of space to shift weight around and feels fine. A 1215mm wheelbase is on the shorter end of the spectrum and allows the bike to change directions relatively quickly. The shorter wheelbase detracts from all-out-stability when you are carrying speed. Where a longer bike tends to be more stable at speed the Roscoe can feel a little skittish. Luckily, this bike doesn't inspire all-out charging and is quite fun at moderate speeds.

The 29 x 2.6-inch Bontrager XR4 tires play a huge role in this bike's ride quality. On a hardtail mountain bike, tire pressure is absolutely critical. Being able to run a slightly lower air pressure allows for a far more comfortable ride as the lower pressure adds an element of damping and enhanced traction. The 2.6-inch Bontrager XR4s can comfortably run 21 PSI while retaining enough support to avoid squirming in corners. A couple of PSI can make an enormous difference and the Roscoe provides a more comfortable ride than many other hardtails we have tested that require closer to 24-25 PSI.

When things get rough, the RockShox Recon fork is easily overwhelmed. It is difficult to set this fork up to feel good. The best you can do is air it up to achieve the desired support. For our 6'2" 195-pound tester, this meant running 130 PSI and a bunch of low-speed compression to keep the fork from diving into its travel too easily.

Climbing

The Roscoe 7 is an efficient climber thanks to the direct power transfer and nice tire spec. When perched atop this bike you feel like you are right on top of the cranks. The 74.7-degree seat tube angle may not sound all that steep, but it is important to know how seat tube angle works on a hardtail. Without rear suspension, the seat tube angle actually steepens when your fork sags under your riding weight, and your rear end, due to the lack of suspension, remains static. All of that is to say the seat tube angle is plenty steep and riders are put in an efficient position. The generous reach measurement allows the rider to shift weight to maintain traction effectively.

The 2.6-inch Bontrager XR4 are surprisingly fast-rolling tires. When sitting and spinning, the bike feels efficient and it carries speed effectively. On technical punches, the lower tire pressure delivers loads of traction on steppy or ledgy portions of the climb. At 31.5 pounds this bike isn't a featherweight. That being said, it feels light enough to log big miles.

We played with handlebar height by adding and removing spacers from under the stem. When we dropped stem/bars into the lowest possible position, the climbing efficiency really skyrocketed. That said, we preferred the stem with 3-4 10mm spacers under it for a more upright feel. The point is, the bike is adaptable and highly versatile.

Build

The build kit on our Roscoe 7 was rock solid. It was fitted with some impressive components but there was a significant hitch that kept this build kit from reaching its full potential.

Fork- A 140mm RockShox Recon Silver RL was fitted to the front of our test bike. It worked fine especially within the Roscoe's sweet spot of adventuring and exploring trails. We had to run a high pressure to keep the fork from diving into its travel too easily. Though it didn't feel plush, we still identified some settings where could essentially forget about the fork.

Drivetrain - A Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain should have been a highlight of this build kit. We have ridden numerous bikes with this groupset and it is among the best wallet-friendly drivetrains available. Unfortunately, we experienced a persistent issue with our test bike.

Immediately upon unboxing our bike, we identified a shifting issue that could be traced back to a bad shifter. The Shimano M6100 12-speed shifter's spring didn't function properly and you couldn't get clean “clicks” when shifting. As a result, shifting was a bit sloppy throughout testing and we couldn't get a replacement part before our test period ended.

Brakes- The Shimano M200 hydraulic disc brakes worked well enough. They offered plenty of power when riding the bike within its intended application. They aren't the most powerful, but they got the job done in an understated manner.

Tires- The Bontrager XR4 tires have sneakily become some of our favorite light trail tires. They feature a somewhat rounded profile with mellow shoulder knobs but they are very easy to ride and offer a surprising amount of grip in loose conditions. We settled on about 21-22 PSI in these tires and they also offered a damp ride that mellowed out the harshness of a hardtail.

Wheels - The E*Thirteen rims laced to Shimano hubs worked just fine. They set up tubeless very easily and remained straight.

Conclusion