trek boone isospeed

Trek Boone 5 review

We've tested Trek's race-winning Boone cyclocross bike in its 105 spec variant. It uses Trek's IsoSpeed decoupler to help smooth out the ride on rough ground

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The Boone 5 is well specced and its IsoSpeed decoupler is a definite boon. But its handling is a bit edgy and the Bontrager tyres are a bit lacking in grip.

IsoSpeed decoupler works well to smooth bumps

Tubeless-ready wheels and tyres

Rather edgy handling

Tyres not as grippy as some

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In his last few seasons before retiring from cyclocross racing, Sven Nys was riding Trek’ s Boone and he’s taken the bike to the Telenet-Fidea Lions team where he’s now owner-manager . The Boone is available in a range of builds and we’ve tested the Shimano 105 variant. There’s also a cantilever braked version still available if you prefer rim brakes.

Buy now:   Trek Boone 5 Disc 2017 Cyclocross Bike at Evans Cycles for £2,200

Read more:  Sven Nys's Trek Boone

Trek has borrowed from its road bike range in designing the Boone’s frame, incorporating its IsoSpeed decoupler into the top seat tube junction. It says that this doubles the frame’s compliance. It’s paired with an IsoSpeed fork, designed for improved front end compliance.

>>> Is it the end for cantilever brakes?

The Boone has a front thru-axle, although the rear hub is quick release. There are indents in the chainstays to provide a bit more side-to-side space around the tyres, but they still come quite close to the tyres. The bridgeless seatstays provide bags of clearance though.

>>> Disc brakes: everything you need to know

The front mech cable is well integrated, as it runs through a grove under the bottom bracket and is enclosed right up to the derailleur so that it’s less prone to contamination. There are integrated mounting bolts for mudguards with removable hidden eyelets too.

Specification

Trek specs Shimano 105 shifting on the Boone 5 with a cyclocross specific 46/36 FSA Energy chainset which runs on a wide BB80 bottom bracket. It has gone for the higher spec and prettier RS685 hydraulic shifters though. The brakes work really well, although the RS685 levers are actually less comfortable than the RS505 variant off road as they are narrower and so provide less impact absorption.

The Boone 5 comes with tubeless ready wheels  from Trek’s in-house Bontrager brand, fitted with Bontrager CX3 Team Issue 32mm tyres. Bontrager also supplies the Boone’s finishing kit: saddle, carbon seatpost, bars and stem.

Watch: Guide to cyclocross bikes

The Boone has an edgy feel, which requires concentration and rider input to keep it going in the right direction. It feels engaging in the dry conditions in which it was tested but but might be a bit of a handful when it’s wetter. The Bontrager tyres are less grippy than some alternatives.

>>> Nys: "He has something very special: like a young Peter Sagan"

I’ve ridden Trek’s road-going Domane and been rather underwhelmed by its IsoSpeed decoupler, but on the Boone its ability to deal with the larger bumps encountered off road is ideal and makes fast progress a lot easier. Riding over ruts and lumps make full use of its considerable in-built travel, so that effort goes into forward motion rather than teeth jolting.

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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.

He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.

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Exclusive: Trek Boone 9 Disc first ride review

IsoSpeed 'decoupler' is a game changer for cyclocross

James Huang/Future Publishing

James Huang

One of our first thoughts after we first tried Trek's Domane endurance road bike was that its bump-leveling IsoSpeed 'decoupler' would be fantastic on a cyclocross machine. That day has now come with the introduction of the Boone . BikeRadar got an exclusive first ride on the top-end Boone 9 Disc model and after racing it at the 2014 US Cyclocross Nationals, we can confidently declare that this thing is a legitimate game changer.

• Highs: IsoSpeed 'decoupler' offers amazing ride quality and traction benefits, great geometry, precise Di2 transmission, awesome full-hydraulic disc brakes, solid workhorse wheelset
• Lows: A bit heavy, slow-rolling and narrow tires

Ride and handling: smoother = faster

We took delivery of the bike on a Saturday and raced it at the US National Championship just four days later on what turned out to be a very bumpy, slick and technically challenging course. Though the Boone would likely be a fine machine without IsoSpeed, it's that unique mechanical pivot at the seat cluster that defines and absolutely dominates this bike's ride and performance characteristics.

We wasted little time pulling the Boone out of the box and getting it on to the race course

In combination with the integrated seatmast, IsoSpeed allows the entire seat tube to flex much more than usual under impact. The affect on comfort, rider freshness, pedaling efficiency, and traction is real and dramatic. It's akin to running clinchers with 30psi versus tubulars at 25psi – it's that profound.

The rear end of the Boone isn't just less jarring; it's silly smooth. On one section of the course that was straight but disruptingly bumpy, we were able to stay comfortably seated and continue to apply power, whereas we would have been forced to stand and/or coast on other 'cross bikes. This, of course, pays dividends in terms of speed, but it also left us feeling fresher at the end of the race than we expected. And in the specific case of cyclocross, the slight give in the seatmast made for gentler remounts, too.

Not only were we able to more consistently apply power, but we also discovered benefits in terms of rear wheel traction. One particularly tricky corner – the treacherous 'Pete's Plunge' – was very off-camber, slick, and littered with grassy lumps covered in melting snow and mud. Grip and stability were of the utmost importance here and the Boone supplied both in spades. Even with not-so-supple clinchers installed, all we had to do was stick a leg out, maintain weight on the saddle, and basically rail it while many others around us were forced to tip-toe through the corner to avoid sliding out.

We can't really think of any drawbacks to incorporating the IsoSpeed decoupler, either. According to Trek, the system only adds about 50g, there's no undue bounciness, and no negative affect on overall frame stiffness that we could notice. Riders who might be worried that the Domane's ultra-smooth ride might be a little too soft on the Boone shouldn't worry, either, as the pivot point has been repositioned to be more inline with the seat tube to firm it up slightly while still being incredibly effective.

Not only does the IsoSpeed decoupler take the edge off, it also improves traction

Just as we found on the Domane, though, there is a slightly unbalanced feel as the front end just doesn’t level out the ground as well as the rear – which isn't surprising since there's no mechanical pivot like there is out back. Nevertheless, Trek has still done a very good job making the most of a conventional setup with dramatically curved fork blades terminating in rear-reaching aluminum tips to maintain a proper rake. While the impact isn't as big, the slender fork does still offer a notably smooth ride when compared to most tapered carbon 'cross forks – particularly ones with huge crowns and oversized blades.

The slender fork legs take the edge of rough courses

Even ignoring the fantastic IsoSpeed benefits, there's a lot to like here. Frame geometry is wholly lifted from the aluminum Crockett and it's fantastic. The low bottom bracket is stable and confident through corners, the front-end geometry is both agile at low speeds and calm at high speeds, and in general the bike seems more than happy to attack slippery corners.

Overall stiffness is very good, too. The Boone is quick to respond when you apply the power and the solid front end contributes to the predictable handling, especially when the ground is slick.

Mud clearance is also generous throughout thanks to the widely set chain stays and the broad stance of fork crown. There are no bridges on the seat stays or chainstays, either, and there's absolutely no shelf whatsoever behind the bottom bracket on which mud and debris can collect. With true-to-width 32mm tires installed, we measured no less than 15mm of space around the fork and seatstays and a still-ample 10mm between the sidewalls and chainstays.

The Boone has ample mud clearance and no shelf on the bottom bracket shell to collect mud and debris

Frame: a Domane adapted for the dirt

In many ways, the Boone's carbon fiber frame is simply a Domane that has been rejiggered for use on a 'cross course with extra clearances, revised geometry, and the aforementioned modified IsoSpeed pivot leverage ratio. Of course, our disc-specific test bike also adds post mount tabs at the fork and on the chainstay.

Many of the tube profiles are quite similar, too, with mostly organic shapes throughout and few abrupt edges to speak of.

The Boone has clean lines and a shoulder-friendly top tube

Not surprisingly, the Boone also has similar frame features, including an extra-wide BB90 bottom bracket shell and tapered 'e2' 1 1/8-to-1 1/2in head tube – both with drop-in bearings – Trek's usual no-cut integrated seatmast, and convertible internal routing that can be used with either mechanical or electronic drivetrains.

Trek has taken some impressive steps toward versatility and component integration, too. In addition to the hidden full fender mounts and dual bottle bosses (which isn't always a given on top-shelf 'cross bikes), there's even a dedicated pocket inside the bottom of the seat tube to affix an internal-style Shimano Di2 battery. Given that the charge port for Shimano's latest electronic drivetrains now conveniently resides on the box beneath the stem, most users will likely never need to access that Li-ion pack at all – and if they do, they'll just have to remove the crank and bottom bracket cover to get to it.

The Boone has a wide BB90 bottom bracket shell

We do have to take issue with Trek's claim that the Boone frame is "weatherproof". While the integrated seatmast design does eliminate the usual entry point for water, the access ports for the brake and derailleur lines are hardly hermetically sealed. Water will eventually get into this thing, especially if you plan on regularly using a power washer, but at least there's a drain hole down at the bottom.

We haven't had a chance to tear down our test bike for actual frame and fork weights, but Trek claims 1,000g for the former and 400g for the latter. Our disc-specific fork will certainly weigh more, however, given the aluminum steerer instead of the rim brake version's full carbon fiber construction.

The rear brake line and Di2 cable are routed through ports on the top of the downtube

Equipment: Awesome Ultegra Di2 transmission, fantastic brakes, great wheels

Our top-end Boone 9 Disc tester came well-equipped for 'cross duty with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 electronic transmission, the company's new R785 hydraulic disc brakes , and a full complement of Bontrager finishing kit. Surprisingly, though, the Bontrager was not applied to the wheels, which instead come from HED in the form of its fantastic Ardennes Plus Disc tubeless-ready clinchers.

Much as we love Di2 on the road, we're of a slightly mixed opinion for 'cross. As usual, shifts are robotically precise and consistent regardless of conditions. Simply push the button and you're rewarded with a perfect shift every time.

The Ultegra Di2 transmission doesn't offer much in the way of tactile feedback, but it shifts with robotic precision each and every time

That being said, the small buttons are especially tough to feel with full-fingered gloves – more so when it's cold or bumpy – and there's still barely any tactile feedback, particularly since the shifts themselves are so flawlessly (and fluidly) executed. The Ultegra Di2 variant is also a bit heavy, which generally doesn't create much of an issue until it's time to pick the bike up for barriers and run-ups – which in the case of the US National Championship course was 3-4 times per lap.

Total weight for our 52cm test sample was 8.08kg (17.81lb) without pedals – hardly a boat anchor but not nearly as light as it could be with a mechanical drivetrain.

We were quite willing to deal with that slight increase in weight, however, as it's currently the only way to get into Shimano's utterly amazing R785 hydraulic disc brakes. Just as with the company's off-road brakes, these offer a light and silky smooth lever feel, outstanding power, and fantastic fingertip control that allowed us to consistently flirt with the limits of traction. They also run virtually silently, even when wet, and given the full-hydraulic design self-adjust for pad wear (which is critical for 'cross racers who regularly tackle wet conditions). Trek specs 160mm rotors front and rear but both ends will accept 140mm ones.

Shimano's R785 hydraulic disc brakes offer impressive performance even in the worst conditions

The HED wheels may have been a surprise but they're a pleasant one. The wide-profile rims (20mm internal width) provide a great foundation for bigger tires, they offer confidence-inspiring stiffness, and the front and rear grease ports are a godsend after soupy races.

The matching Bontrager CX3 tires, however, were more of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the aggressive tread pattern is awesome in slippery conditions with stout knobs that bite hard even when there's little traction to be had. However, the casing is surprisingly stiff – and thus, noticeably slow-rolling – for a 120tpi tire and we expected them to measure wider than their 32mm printed width given the extra-wide rims on which they were mounted.

The HED Ardennes Plus wheelset offers ample support for 'cross tires at low pressures

Also, while we applaud Trek for including tubeless-ready wheels, the tires use standard tube-type beads and don't readily seal. We had to add a second layer of Gorilla Tape on top of the stock adhesive rim films in order to get a reliably tight fit. Thankfully, tires are such a location- and conditions-specific item that you'll likely need to switch to something else anyway.

Otherwise, the rest of the Bontrager gear do their respective jobs competently and without complaint. The Race Lite IsoZone aluminum bar features a comfy bend and genuinely effective under-tape foam padding, the matching forged aluminum Race X Lite stem is suitably stiff and secure, and the Evoke 3 saddle is reasonably light and comfy – solid and dependable stuff all around.

Th e Bontrager Evoke 3 saddle is not the lightest option, but its a comfortable perch for remounts

At least for now, UK customers will unfortunately be limited to the mid-range Boone 5 Disc (£2,400) complete bike and the rim brake-specific frameset (£1,750).

The verdict: Only once in a great while does a bike come along that truly changes the game. The new Boone does just that. The IsoSpeed 'decoupler' offers an uncannily smooth ride that no other 'cross bike can match at the moment, and the performance benefits it imparts are real and significant. While we have some issues with the spec, they're relatively minor and don't significantly take away from what is otherwise an utterly incredible bike for hitting the barriers.

Complete bike specifications

• Frame: Trek Boone Disc
• Fork: Trek IsoSpeed Cross carbon disc
• Headset: FSA Orbit integrated, 1 1/8-to-1 1/2in tapered
• Stem: Bontrager Race X Lite
• Handlebars: Bontrager Race Lite IsoZone
• Tape/grips: Bontrager Gel
• Front brake: Shimano BR-R785 hydraulic disc w/ 160mm SM-RT99 Freeza rotor
• Rear brake: Shimano BR-R785 hydraulic disc w/ 160mm SM-RT99 Freeza rotor
• Brake levers: Shimano STI Dual Control ST-R785
• Front derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Di2 FD-6870
• Rear derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Di2 RD-6870
• Shift levers: Shimano STI Dual Control ST-R785
• Cassette: Shimano Ultegra CS-6800, 11-28T
• Chain: Shimano Ultegra CN-6800
• Crankset: Shimano Ultegra FC-6800, 46/36T
• Bottom bracket: Trek BB90 integrated
• Pedals: n/a
• Wheelset: HED Ardennes Plus Disc
• Front tyre: Bontrager CX3 Team Issue, 700x32c
• Rear tyre: Bontrager CX3 Team Issue, 700x32c
• Saddle: Bontrager Evoke 3
• Seatpost: Bontrager Ride Tuned Carbon seatmast

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Ridden and Reviewed: Trek Boone RSL Cyclocross Bike with Front IsoSpeed Decoupler

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With cyclocross season a month away, some ’crossers might be looking to upgrade their ride for the upcoming season. Our #crossiscoming series continues with a look at the re-designed, race-specific Trek Boone RSL carbon cyclocross frameset and bike.

The Trek Boone was “born” on January 1, 2014, when Katie Compton and Sven Nys rode the new bike at the year-opening GP Sven Nys . The development of the Boone was emblematic of Trek’s commitment to cyclocross, and it continues to be the company’s flagship cyclocross bike four years later.

The original Boone model was developed with input from Katie Compton, and with her 14 straight national championships, looking at the latest Boone model at Nationals has been an annual Cyclocross Magazine tradition . We looked at Compton’s new Boone model at Hartford Nationals in 2017, where she used the bike and its front IsoSpeed decoupler to navigate the frozen ruts at Riverside Park.

Trek’s continuing involvement with cyclocross has also included sponsoring the Telenet Fidea team managed by Nys. This past year, the team rode aptly colored bright yellow Boones with Bontrager wheels. We took a sneak peek at the new yellow Boones last summer while at Trek Headquarters doing a preview of World Cup Waterloo.

The new Boone ridden by Compton, the Lions, Evie Richards, Justin Lindine and other Trek athletes features several changes from the previous year’s model. Most obvious—and of most interest, based on my experience—is the addition of the front IsoSpeed decoupler. Trek also added flat mount disc brake mounts, front and rear 12mm thru-axles and made the frame sleeker and lighter. Trek offers the new Boone as both a Race Shop Limited frameset and in two complete builds.

Trek provided Cyclocross Magazine with a test bike built around the Race Shop Limited frame similar to the one ridden by the Telenet Fidea team, Compton and the other professionals. The build includes SRAM Force 1 components, a set of Bontrager alloy tubulars and a white paint scheme that is a bit more muted than the yellow Telenet frames.

I have ridden the Boone RSL on cyclocross courses, in the snow when conditions allowed and put the front IsoSpeed decoupler to work on some Midwest singletrack. Read on for impressions of the ride and review of the newest Trek Boone.

Although the name “Boone” might conjure up thoughts of backwoods adventures, Trek built the Boone RSL for cyclocross race performance. This approach is not unique to Trek, with other companies such as Specialized and Cannondale following the race-specific trend. Unlike other companies, Trek added front and rear compliance to their bike to help smooth out efforts on bumpy courses.

The all-carbon Boone frame uses Trek’s 600 series OCLV carbon, which is the company’s second-lightest carbon design—only the ultra-light Émonda uses the 700 series carbon. The fork is all-carbon and features a 12mm thru-axle and flat mount disc brakes. Trek’s “Control Freak” system internally routes the cables through the frame, and Trek opts for external routing on the fork for the front brake cable.

Trek gave the 2018 frame a makeover to make it sleeker and lighter. Trek claims a 56cm frameset weights 4.05 pounds (1.84kg), which includes the 50g seat mast that is part of the rear IsoSpeed system. For reference, the 2017 Boone disc frameset has a claimed weight of 4.28 pounds. Figuring 200g for the average seat post, you’re looking at about 1,600g for a frame and fork if comparing to other options. That’s not record-setting by any means, but considering it includes the bearings and pivots of the IsoSpeed up front and out back, it’s quite light.

Sleeker is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. In my opinion, the new frame design does have nice lines and the sleeker appearance Trek sought to design.

Another race-specific aspect of the design is the narrow chainstays. Trek claims they have room for 38mm tires, although I measured the gap around the tires at 48mm, which means 38mm tires would be a bit of a tight squeeze. If you are looking to run higher-volume tires for gravel adventures on a Waterloo-designed bike, Trek’s new Checkpoint gravel bike or alloy Crockett cyclocross bike might be worth a look.

The Boone RSL frame features a removable section along the down tube that can house batteries for electronic shifting setups. The section also features Trek’s Quick Connect water bottle mount that is likely to come in handy at the beginning of the season when you want a water bottle during race warm-ups but do not want a cage on during the race.

Based on my anecdata, the most inquired-about change to the new Boone is the addition of the front IsoSpeed decoupler.

The front IsoSpeed follows a long tradition of companies trying to add compliance and shock absorption to rigid frames. The spring-based Specialized Future Shock with 20mm of travel, Redshift ShockStop suspension stem and Fox AX Cross fork with 40mm of travel are examples of front-end shock absorbers. Another approach we have seen flexible carbon seat posts such as the Cane Creek Thudbuster, Ritchey WCS Carbon Link Flex Logic, Specialized CG-R and the new Schwinn Vantage RX1 .

The front IsoSpeed decoupler features a rocker cup at the top of the headset that allows the steerer tube to flex. Trek claims the system reduces the impacts of bumps with no lateral movement that would affect bike handling thanks to a pin through the side. The ride impressions section of this review describes the performance of the front IsoSpeed system.

The Boone retains the rear IsoSpeed decoupler that has been a part of the bike since its launch. The rear decoupler separates the seat tube from the top tube and seatstay junction to provide vertical compliance. Unlike the version on Trek’s road bikes, the rear IsoSpeed on the Boone RSL frame cannot be adjusted. As we have noted in our coverage of Katie Compton’s growing collection of Nationals-winning Boones, the system favors a long extension and setback saddle position.

The geometry of the 2018 Boone is similar to past models with what Cyclocross Magazine contributor Cliff Lee calls “modern ’cross geometry.” Our 58cm test frame has a head tube angle of 72.3 degrees, trail of 6.6cm and 42.5cm chainstays to give a total wheelbase of 102.8cm. The bottom bracket drop of 6.5cm is in line with many of the bikes we have reviewed in recent years. It’s high enough to please the Euros, while making remounts doable for more than just high jumpers.

The stand over clearance for the 58cm frame is 81.6 cm and the stack is 59.7cm, which did not create any issues for me at 6’1.” The reach is 39.7cm. I requested the bike with a 110mm stem, but found a better fit with a 90mm model.

Trek designed the Boone RSL for use with 1x cranksets. Professionals such as Compton and the Telenet Fidea Lions use clamp-on derailleurs to run double cranksets with Di2 front derailleurs. The Boone RSL frame and the two stock builds—the Boone 5 and 7—have mounts for chain catchers for use with 1x drivetrains. The higher-end Boone 7 comes with SRAM Force 1 components and the Boone 5 comes with Rival 1.

Since Trek sells the Boone RSL as a frameset, I asked the company to build our RSL frame with components it uses on stock builds. Our test bike came with a Force 1 crankset with a 42t chain ring and Force 1 rear derailleur paired with an 11-speed 11-36t cassette. SRAM HRD shift/brake levers control hydraulic disc calipers that bite onto 140mm Centerline rotors.

The contact points are similar to those on the Boone 7. The handlebar on our test bike is the Bontrager Pro IsoCore carbon VR-CF, the seat mast cap is Bontrager carbon and the saddle is the Bontrager Montrose Elite.

The wheels on our test bike are Bontrager’s Paradigm CX RSL Disc tubulars, which have a bit of an interesting back story. According to Trek Race Shop manager Scott Daubert—who is not a bad cyclocross rider himself—when Trek partnered with Telenet Fidea, the team requested 180 sets of carbon cyclocross tubular wheels, a request that even gave one of the world’s biggest bike companies sticker shock.

To save money, Trek asked its engineers to design a lightweight alloy tubular the team could use during training. The result was the Paradigm CX RSL Disc tubulars us amateur penny pinchers can now benefit from.

Trek built the alloy tubular wheels specifically for cyclocross performance. They have 24 spokes front and rear and have 12mm thru-axles, with adapters available to convert to 15mm thru or quick release setups. The rims have an outer width of 26mm and are equipped for CenterLock disc brakes. The rims, at 460g each, won’t threaten Saavedra Turbo alloy hoops in sewing up weight weenie titles, but have a shallow rim bed—similar to what we’ve seen on the Velocity Major Tom and Williams Cyclo-cross offerings —for better contact with the 33mm Challenge Grifo tubular tires.

The claimed wheel weights are 715g front and 860g rear, for a total weight of 1,575g, which compares to 1,260g for the Aeolus 3 Disc tubulars the Telenet team primarily uses. The alloy tubular wheelset has a list price of $600 and the carbon wheelset is $2,400, so Trek saved a decent amount of money at a cost of 300g of extra wheel weight ($3 a gram, if our math is correct).

As built, our test Boone RSL build has a retail price of $5,200. The total weight of the build is 17.2 pounds with wheels and 10.2 pounds without.

Although I was unable to race this past year due to a back injury, I was able to get out and ride on the Boone both on cyclocross courses and singletrack trails later in the fall and into the spring.

If I were asked to describe the Boone RSL test build in a few words, I would call it race-ready and fun. Trek designed the Boone RSL frame for race performance, and it responded accordingly. The head tube length and angle create a front end that steered where I wanted it to. The light, responsive frame encouraged me to push its limits and did not cause me further injury when trying to shoulder it.

Here in Wisconsin, most of our cyclocross races are at grassy parks that vary from bumpy to washboard-like, so the local conditions are tailor-made for testing a system like the front IsoSpeed. I also made sure to take it on some singletrack, since I have touted the benefits of riding mountain bike trails on a ‘cross bike in the past.

I quickly noticed the compliance provided by the front IsoSpeed decoupler. The front end of the Boone softened the park bumps and helped absorb some of my less-than-stellar moves on singletrack. Especially given my bad back, having some shock absorption on the front improved the ride quality. The rim-brake Boone fork was already a favorite due to its compliance, and the front IsoSpeed increases that compliance by an order of magnitude.

Smoothing out a ride is one thing, but does the front IsoSpeed handicap actual racing by hindering accelerations out of corners or finishing sprints? I pushed the Boone RSL frame through several practice sprints and found the only limiter to be my lack of sprinting pop.

If you are looking to a new bike to help you earn your next category upgrade, the Boone RSL frame and its IsoSpeed decouplers are likely not going to be a miracle worker. In our coverage of rider-suspension features such as the ShockStop suspension stem, we have noted that although they lessen the impact of bumps on the rider, they do not noticeably reduce the rolling resistance of the bike.

The same was true of the Trek Boone with front and rear IsoSpeed decouplers. Riding over bumpy sections was smoother, but the Boone did not necessarily make me faster than I am on a fully rigid ’cross bike.

The alloy tubular wheels and Challenge Grifos proved capable of riding in mixed conditions. The light rear end allowed me to get loose in turns and the Grifos provided reliable traction. When the snow came over the winter, I went out for some rides and found the Grifos hook up well in the slushy snow as well .

I had to make an adjustment after receiving the test bike. Trek’s sizing chart recommends a 58cm frame for my 6’1″ height, and so I requested a 58cm Boone RSL frame with the same 110mm stem I usually ride. But everyone is built differently. The fit initially felt long for me, and I found it much more comfortable after swapping in a 90mm stem and moving the saddle pretty far forward.

For cyclocrossers looking for a bike to pull double duty during gravel season, the Boone RSL is a mixed bag. For most of us, $5,000 is approaching “dream bike” territory, so having to buy another bike for gravel might not be an option. Members of our team think the front IsoSpeed would be perfect for long gravel rides. At the same time, we are also proponents of wide, high-volume tires for gravel riding, and the Boone RSL frame does not have room for the new crop of 42mm and larger gravel tires now available.

That said, we saw the Boone in action at the Barry-Roubaix gravel race in Michigan , and if your local flavor of gravel riding can be tackled on 33 or 35mm tires, the Boone RSL will likely be up to the task.

The Verdict

It’s hard to not have a good time riding the Trek Boone RSL cyclocross bike. The fun, responsive ride inspired me to get out and ride more often than I otherwise might have, and the compliance offered by the IsoSpeed decouplers left me a bit fresher afterwards. Whether it be grass, singletrack or snow, the Boone provided a great platform for pushing myself to ride aggressively and the front and rear IsoSpeed decouplers facilitated an enjoyable ride by smoothing out bumps and some of my mistakes.

Despite a name that conjures up images of the frontier, Trek designed the Boone for cyclocross race performance. The front end is responsive, and the chain catcher mount and narrow chainstays suggest running a 1x system up front and narrow tires front and rear.

Trek should be commended for pushing the envelope with the design of the Boone frame and front and rear IsoSpeed decouplers. The decouplers contribute to a comfortable ride, but do not necessarily expect them to produce gains in speed that will immediately get you a category upgrade. At the same time, as I experienced while riding the responsive Boone RSL, if riding your bike is fun, you are likely to ride it more often. If you ride more often, you are apt to improve your fitness and skills.

For more on the Trek Boone RSL cyclocross bike, see the photo gallery and specs below.

Photo Gallery: 2018 Trek Boone RSL Carbon Cyclocross Bike

Trek Boone RSL Cyclocross Frameset and Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

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Trek Boone 7 Disc review

Trek's lightweight, dust-busting boone 7 disc cyclo-cross bike might be an out-and-out closed-circuit racing bike but it can also traverse the odd gravel trail when needed.

Cyclingnews Verdict

A closed-circuit precision tool that can be used for the odd gravel adventure

Responsive geometry

Smooth-riding frame with top of the line components at a better price point than competitors’ models that typically have lower end components

Lightweight off the rack at 8kg

275lb weight limit

Tyres puncture easily

Doesn't come set up as tubeless

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

The 2020 Boone 7 Disc is the top of the line when it comes to Trek's cyclo-cross offerings – the lightest, most blinged-out bike in the range, it's the best cyclo-cross bike currently on offer from the American brand. 

Based around ultra-lightweight 600 Series OCLV full carbon frameset, the Boone 7 Disc has all the features of the best road bikes along with some more 'cross-specific tweaks including front and rear IsoSpeed suspension to smooth out the ride, tubeless-ready Bontrager Paradigm Elite 25 TLR Disc wheels to accommodate wider tyres, and SRAM's Force eTap AXS 1x12 groupset.

An impressive bike straight out of the box, the 2020 Boone 7 Disc comes with a juicy Magenta/Mulberry Fade paint job you'd almost hate to get dirty. But a 'cross bike is meant for mud, and its first stop was our local practice 'cross course where the Boone’s proven race pedigree was immediately apparent.

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Specification

The tapered head tube and cabling is hidden by the Control Freak internal routing makes for an elegant, classic look while making for a more comfortable experience while shouldering the bike while the geometry of the Boone remains unchanged from previous years.

It's the same quick-handling set-up that riders like Katie Compton and Sven Nys have ridden to international victories – in fact, they both had a hand in designing the frame geometry. When compared with other bikes I've ridden on this same course, the Boone proved it was more than up to the tight turns, fast descents and loose dusty surface.

The Boone's bottom bracket was high enough that I was able to clear a series of short berms without having to worry about it bottoming out while staying quick in the corners. I'm sure I never came close to pushing the bike as hard as it can be pushed.

While I could never obviously feel the action of the IsoSpeed decoupler – a feature that is also on Trek's top road bikes – I did feel like the bike was staying hooked up with the rough terrain on the course much better than my other 'cross rigs which allowed me to get on the power and stay on it earlier out of turns and over rougher parts of the course. The IsoSpeed Cross full carbon fork with 12mm thru-axle made for a super stiff front end with just enough smoothness for comfort and enough responsiveness for great handling.

Components and performance

Trek's choice of SRAM Force hydraulic disc was also a welcome change from my other setups. Previously all my experience with disc brakes had been on mountain bikes so I was interested to see if I felt like they were worth it in the setting of 'cross, the short answer was a resounding yes!

Gone are the past-years' debates over cantilevers vs disc brakes. It is quite clear why all but the most curmudgeonly 'cross racers became disc brake converts. I quickly found myself braking later and later into corners with confidence, and found the braking performance to be consistent and reliable in every context on and off the road.

In fact, my only braking misstep came when I locked up the back brake on an off-camber, loose gravel turn while descending, resulting in a small crash, but I put that down to the fact that I prefer my brakes cabled up with the front brake on the right hand, opposite of what the Boone came with.

Speaking of the brake cables, Trek sent out the bike without any frame protectors where the brake cable meets the head tube. After a week of putting it through the paces on dusty crushed gravel and dirt, the cables blemished the paint, so you’ll want to protect that contact point.

• Shimano gravel groupsets

The Boone 7 Disc comes with a SRAM Force 1x12 eTap groupset with a 40T front ring and 10-33T rear cassette, and I wasn't sure how it would compare with a 2x. The course has numerous changes in elevation but nothing so steep it ever required the small ring in a race context. It took a few tweaks adjusting the shifting performance, but once dialled in, the dual-sided shifting worked flawlessly even under load.

The SRAM 1x12 drivetrain seems well thought out for racing cyclo-cross. I never felt like I was under or over-geared. However, that setup did present limitations when I took the Boone out for a week of mixed gravel and road rides.

On the road, I was often out of gear before I wanted to be and found myself spinning like mad on descents, while on steep gravel climbs I was wishing for a smaller front ring so I could settle in and not have to stand up and grind my way up 15-20 per cent grades. I also found the large jumps in the rear cassette rather annoying. It is clearly meant to be a racing bike and would not rank against the best gravel bikes as an adventure machine.

While the jumps in gearing made no sense on the road, on a 'cross course it was perfect, with small enough gears for short, steep climbs or abrupt changes in pitch and big enough gears for powering over fast, flat sections and the lack of a front derailleur coupled with the hefty 3S chain keeper there's less worry about dropping the chain.

The only time I managed to drop the chain was when a stick got caught up in it and pulled the chain off on the outside of the chain keeper. Once off there was no way to get the chain back on without dismounting and putting it on by hand - one of the disadvantages of not having a front derailleur.

Another sweet feature of the AXS groupset is the Orbit 'chain management technology' - it noticeably kept the chain from slapping against the chainstays on bumpy sections and had flawless, quick-shifting even on the roughest sections.

The only part of the bike that wasn't absolutely top of the line was the wheels. It comes with low-profile Bontrager Paradigm Elite 25 tubeless-ready wheels, which were smooth rolling and felt fast on and off the road and, aside from having an "attack of thousand bees" freehubs, they were unobjectionable. 

The Paradigm is light but isn't the lightest wheelset in the range, and if you're looking to save grams and get a more aero wheelset, you might consider upgrading to the Aeolus Pro 3V TLR Disc that comes on Trek's high-end Checkpoint gravel bikes. The wheels came with a “quick release” (a 6mm hex with a short handle) that was easily transferable from one axle to another that was handy to have. The bike is set up for 12mm thru-axle wheels, so if you've got a shed full of 15mm wheelsets from older Trek models, you'll need to find some adapters.

The Bontrager CX3 Team Issue tyres were good for dry conditions and are race-worthy in terms of traction and rolling resistance. However, you will absolutely want to convert the tyres to tubeless. I suffered several punctures in the brief test period which made me question their durability when run with tubes.

As for the rest of the components, Trek made fine choices for the contact points. The Bontrager Montrose Elite saddle with titanium rails was surprisingly comfortable and light while the Bontrager carbon seatmast cap feels amply secure and did not slip when tightened to spec. The tall length gave plenty of room for adjustment for my inseam. 

The Bontrager IsoCore carbon bars have a comfortable shape and are plenty stiff, while the Bontrager Pro stem is compatible with the Blendr mounting system and even the Bontrager Supertack Perf tape is Trek's top of the line.

The Boone was a pleasure to ride and made me hope there was a 'cross season to look forward to. I was impressed with the frameset and while I might make changes to the build to suit my personal tastes, the provided parts were all well-chosen and would allow anyone to jump into 'cross racing with a complete setup that would leave little if anything lacking. There are even a couple of really nice touches such as the water bottle quick disconnects (great for when you want to convert to a race day spec quickly).

Tech spec: Trek Boone 7 Disc

• Price: $4,999.99 / £4,300 / €4,999
• Frame: 600 Series OCLV Carbon, front & rear IsoSpeed
• Weight: 7.92kg
• Groupset: SRAM Force eTap AXS
• Crankset: SRAM Force
• Wheels: Bontrager Paradigm Elite 25
• Tyres: Bontrager CX3 Team Issue, 700x32c
• Brakes: SRAM Force hydraulic disc
• Bar: Bontrager Pro IsoCore VR-CF
• Stem: Bontrager Pro
• Seatpost: Bontrager Carbon
• Saddle: Bontrager Melrose Elite

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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.

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