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The Basics of Upgrading the Fork on Your Mountain Bike (Check Before You Buy!) [Video]

Words by: Liam Woods

When choosing a new fork, it can be complicated figuring out what fork fits your bike. In this blog, we’ll go over the key things to keep in mind when making mountain bike upgrades with a new fork.  There are tons of options (including fitment options) to consider so that you can be sure the fork fits your bike. As you read further, we’ll go over the more common questions and discuss the more modern products (roughly ‘09 and newer). There are millions of bicycles out there in the world -- and all sorts of exceptions to “common” -- so please keep that in mind.  

Fork Type and Travel

There are lots of bike front forks out there   -- literally hundreds. You’ll not only want to get one that fits your bike but is also intended for your style of bike. This can almost always be determined by the travel of the fork. If you’ve got 80-100mm travel, odds are you’ve got an XC bike or general light trail bike; 120mm-140mm, you’ve got a modern-day trail bike; 150-170mm, it’s probably a modern-day enduro bike; and 200mm, you’ve most likely got a downhill bike.

You always want to keep the same fork travel that your bike is made for. When frames are engineered they are designed specifically around a certain travel fork. If your bike is meant for a 100mm travel fork, stick with 100mm and you’ll be happy.

If you desperately want to get a new fork with more or less travel, we NEVER suggest you go more than 20mm away from what the bike was designed around. If you do that, you are taking a major risk of disrupting the structural integrity of the frame and fork. You will also totally mess up the handling characteristics of your bike.

Steerer Tube Size

-Most common steerer tubes these days are tapered, which is 1.5’’ at the bottom and tapers to a 1-⅛’’ at the top. This is most common on newer bikes (2009+), but it is very rare or non-existent on older bikes. Older bikes often have a straight steerer , which is just straight 1-⅛’’ all the way. Certain older bikes might have a threaded straight steerer,  but that is extremely rare.

- You need to be sure you get the right size steerer tube because certain frames only fit certain steerer tubes. If you are planning to keep your existing headset, those are only designed for a certain size as well.

-Keep in mind there are some other weird steerer tubes out there . Cannondale and Giant are two bike brands that have made some super confusing and proprietary steerer tubes for their bikes only. If you’ve got one of those… you may be in for a struggle.

-This seems obvious but as there are three wheel sizes these days (26’’, 27.5’’ and 29’’), it makes a big difference. So know your wheel size because bike front forks are specific to wheel size.  

-To add a bit more complexity, you’ve got Fat bikes and Plus bikes that use one of the three common wheel sizes , but need a different fork because of the super wide tires. If you’re in this boat, you’ve got to figure out what you’ve got and get a fork with the same spec. Eg. 27.5+, 29+, Fat Bike specific, etc. 

-This is only important for 29’’ wheeled bikes. Offset is how far the front hub sits out in front of the imaginary line that runs through the steering axis. All forks just come in the offset they come in, however, many forks made specifically for a 29’’ wheel are offered in two offset types. Standard and 51mm offset. The majority of modern-day 29’r frames are engineered around a 51mm offset fork as the 51mm offset simply works better with the 29’’ wheel. In some cases, there is a 29’r frame that is designed around a traditional offset, but that is rare and becoming more and more uncommon.

-If you have a 26’’ wheel or a 27.5’’ wheel, don’t worry about this at all. If you have a 29’r then you need to make sure what fork offset your frame is intended to use, very likely and most common it will be designed for a 51mm offset. I'm not going to explain what fork offset does as that is a whole topic on its own, one which we explained in our video on  Fork Offset Explained .

-If you want to geek out more on fork offset, PinkBike wrote a great article you can read here .    

-You’ll want to get a fork with an axle that fits your front hub. Although 15x100   axles are very common , there are plenty of other “common” ones these days like the 15x110mm Boost axle, or the 20mm axle which is and always has been only 110mm wide, or the quick release axle also called QR or 9mm. Keep in mind a 15mm axle can also be called QR15, this means the 15mm axle has a quick release lever as shown in the pic below. Some 15mm and some 20mm axles have a QR feature and are often called QR15 or QR20 but that simply refers to the way you install/remove the axle from the fork. When you just hear "QR axle" with no reference to 15 or 20 then that means 9mm quick release style and not a thru axle. The 9mm QR axle is not a thru axle so the fork does not come with an axle and looks like the RockShox fork image shown below. 9mm QR is more old school and/or cheaper style. And of course, don’t forget the ever confusing Fat Bike axles... but that is a whole other topic. 

-Another confusing thing: The Predictive Steering hub. So far this is only available for RockShox RS1 forks, and if you have an RS1 fork you can only use the Predictive Steering hub. At the moment no other forks but the RS1 use this style axle/hub.  

-Know your hub, know your axle and get a fork that matches. Or you can opt to buy a new front wheel/hub/axle conversion kit if that option is available.

Brake Mount

-There are two mounting types (on modern-day MTB’s made for disc brakes), post mount and I.S. mount. Post mount is where you only have two bolts that mount the brake caliper to the fork , and they thread directly into the fork. The I.S. style mount always needs an adapter, two bolts go through two holes on the fork and thread into an adapter, then two bolts come straight down from the brake and thread into that adapter. Post mount style is more common on 2010+ bikes , and I.S. is more common on older bikes. But there are always exceptions.

-The 160 post mount is the most common on 2009+ bikes/forks. This means you can mount disc brakes directly to the fork, no adapter is needed and it will be spaced for a 160mm rotor. However, some forks like the Fox 36 series use a 180mm post mount . Newer Fox 40’s use a 200mm post mount, where the old ones used a super confusing I.S. mount that worked with a 160mm I.S. adapter but was spaced for a 203mm rotor.

-If you’ve got an older bike or entry level mountain bike you might have V-brakes. These mounts work and look entirely different than disc brakes. There is only one type of V-brake mount for mountain bike forks. So if you’ve got V-brakes and intend to keep them, you will need a fork with V-brake mounts.

-Brake adapters deserve an entire blog post of their own. (Or a dictionary-sized book!) The topic is seeming to get less complicated as time goes on but is still one of those things where lots of forks used different sizes and styles of mounts over the years.  

Air vs. Coil??:

Air VS Coil, the debate that still goes on everyday.  When you are looking to upgrade your suspension fork, it's likely you will be looking at an Air fork. They are more adjustable, feel smoother most of the time, and normally they are the upgrade option.  If you currently have a lower end coil fork, an air fork will make a huge improvement. Now, there are a few coil forks coming back to life in the mid-high end range, like MRP Ribbon Coil, CaneCreek Helm Coil, and the new Marzocchi Z1 Coil fork, are new coil options if you want a set it and forget it fork. If you are also looking to maybe turn your mid-high end fork into a coil fork, you can look at Push Industries ACS-3 coil insert kit. 

How Much Should You Spend?:

The last thing to consider is how much do you want to spend? This is hard to answer as it depends on your budget, riding amount, style, as well as what bike you are putting it on.

If you are upgrading a bike that is more than 10 years old, it's likely that you might want to think about even making those upgrades. For a little bit more money, you can often get a more modern mountain bike that has newer standards and geometry.

If you have a bike that is only a few years old, it's very likely you can make some upgrades that will work for your bike and might be future proof as well if you wanted to upgrade other parts as well. It also depends what you are looking for in your fork upgrade. Do you want a better feel, more travel, more adjustments, or lighter weight? Those are all things you should consider when looking at new forks.

Generally, the more money you spend you get better performance, in trail and XC forks you get a lighter weight fork and a better feel, on trail/enduro forks you normally get better performance, stiffer chassis, and more adjustments.

So are you the type of rider that needs any of those things? Then you might want to look at the upper midrange to high end forks. If you just want something that feels a bit better than you can probably look around the entry level - mid range type of forks. 

Beyond all these little things, you’ve got loads of options as far as features you want on your fork: lockout, compression, rebound, air or coil spring, etc. These require their own blog posts as well . All in all, this stuff can be more than a bit confusing…

Final Thoughts:

Wow, that is a lot of information to digest and think about. Upgrading your fork can get you some major performance improvement but it’s important to understand the right model for your bike.  Also consider things like your bike's age, and how much it's worth to you. Then look at Wheel Size, Axle Type, Steerer Tube Type, Travel amount, Brake Mount type, and fork offset.  With so much to consider, it's a great option to contact our customer service team, the experts at Worldwide Cyclery are here to help you get the correct fork on your bike, maybe give you some options to choose from and get you the best fork for your bike. 

This article was written / authored by Liam Woods. Liam has been in the bicycle industry for over 10 years as a racer, professional mechanic, service manager and as of late, media and content creator. Liam has ridden thousands of different bikes , ridden countless components , tested endless MTB apparel of all kinds and written reviews on it all. He's a key piece to the Worldwide Cyclery "All Things MTB" content creation puzzle. He also makes consistent appearances on the Worldwide Cyclery YouTube channel and Instagram .

November 15, 2020

Bike Knowledge › Fork › Fox › How To › RockShox › Suspension › Video ›

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TREK Rail 9.8 GX AXS Review

Long-travel carbon e-MTB Rail 9.8 GX AXS shreds like Trek’s toughest trail setups and propels you back up the mountain. Everything is updated, even the frame, to give you the most fun possible on the trickiest runs. The newest technology from Bosch is the Performance Line CX, a smart system with a longer-range 750Wh battery and unique features like activity tracking, navigation, and Bluetooth connectivity that elevate your ride.

Specification

  pros & cons, check specifications here.

Specifications

Check specifications here

Oclv carbon frame.

When compared to metallic materials, a well-constructed carbon frame significantly saves weight while preserving the strength and stiffness required by high performance bicycles and the riders that ride them. This is where Trek’s OCLV Carbon process, which stands for “Optimum Compaction Low Void,” comes into play. Starting with the best material available, OCLV Carbon frames are made. Trek has perfected the manufacturing of numerous weights and types of carbon fibre over the course of countless development hours (cloth, unidirectional, etc.).

The new frame for the Trek Rail 9.8 models including GS AXS, maintains the company’s state-of-the-art OCLV Mountain Carbon fibre for the main frame, along with the company’s venerable rocker-driven single pivot suspension and ABP (Active Braking Pivot) to regulate braking characteristics. The F1-inspired thru-shaft rear shock technology is kept in place to provide reliable damping.

Bosch Performance Line CX motor

With up to 85Nm of torque and a sophisticated eMTB mode with Extended Boost that automatically varies the amount of assist according on the terrain, the Bosch Performance Line CX sets the bar for eMTB performance.

250 watts of power and 85 Nm of torque are claimed for the Bosch Performance CX motor. When you push the pedals, it reacts almost immediately and offers a decent range of assistance thanks to the four output levels of the system. The bike was simple to accelerate to its 20 mph top speed, and switching between output settings was straightforward.

The four modes, Eco, Tour, eMTB, and Turbo, provide 60, 140, 240, and 340% support, respectively.

Bosch Smart System

A very individualised eBike experience is made possible by the clever Bosch eBike Systems system, which consists of the eBike Flow app, control unit, display, rechargeable battery, and Drive Unit. The latest system generation, which combines technically superior eBike components with digital features, raises the bar for riding, whether for daily use or just for enjoyment.

The outstanding Performance Line CX motor with 85Nm maximum torque is complemented by the 2022 Trek Rail 9.8 GX AXS, extremely advanced Bosch Smart System. The fully networked, LED-lit control centre links everything together, automatically updating the software over-the-air, letting the user access a wide range of features and customize the assist mode settings from their phone, tracking activities automatically, and even providing theft protection capabilities. This software offers navigation so you don’t need to add an external cycle computer, and it integrates with third-party apps like Apple Health and Strava to provide them data from your rides.

SRAM Code R 4-piston hydraulic disc

Built to handle everything from electric bikes to enduro and downhill sleds, The Code is SRAM’s high duty brake. To boost power and heat dissipation, each Code brake is equipped with a 4-piston calliper and an extended piggyback reservoir.

These should let you to brake effectively in all weather conditions and offer you the assurance to tackle slick terrain and steep descents without worrying about slipping.

Removable Integrated Battery & Range

RIB is a one-piece battery and cover with a built-in handle that can easily be removed and re-installed in the frame with no tools and no hassle. It’s the most convenient way to remove your battery for transport, security, or just easier charging.

The new Trek Rail’s 750Wh Bosch Powertube battery has a 20 percent increase in watt hours over previous models, allowing you to ride longer and harder. Trek Bicycles is still using its RIB (removable integrated battery) system, which makes it simple to remove the battery from the downtube while maintaining security while in operation. With a brand-new 4A charger, this battery can be fully charged in six hours and will reach 50% capacity in just two hours. Intelligent battery management prevents overloading and maintains good battery health.

Check out Bosch’s range calculator to determine how far you can travel on an electric mountain bike with one charge. You can make changes to achieve your most precise estimate even if we’ve pre-filled the data for this bike model and the typical rider.  Calculate your range here.

Active Braking Pivot

Allows our engineers to tune how the suspension reacts to acceleration and braking forces independently. That means you get more confident control when you need it most.

RockShox Super Deluxe with Thru Shaft

With the brand-new RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Thru Shaft, you get the most sophisticated shock on the market, with an upgraded air spring and a special Thru Shaft damper that gives you tenacious grip, velvety control, and the support you need for ripping hard descents all day.

Custom eMTB Lite mode

Instead of a Tour mode, Trek eMTBs have a unique eMTB Lite mode. You get longer battery life and more natural-feeling power delivery.

Oh! What a feeling

With a new Bluetooth-connected LED remote and the eBike Flow app, Bosch’s updated smart system gives you the same amount of power and responsiveness while giving you even more control and customization options.

The redesigned frame is more durable, with a 34.9mm seat tube to accept dropper posts that are more robust and a bigger head tube that works with forks designed specifically for eMTBs to reduce flex and improve steering.

The Trek Removable Integrated Battery (RIB) system is incredibly user-friendly and stylish. It protects the battery by completely encasing it in the frame, makes it simple to remove the battery without any tools, and allows you to mount a water bottle cage.

The full-color Kiox display provides ride information and may connect to Bluetooth®-enabled devices. It also has an integrated theft protection feature.

Pros & Cons

Bluetooth-connected LED remote

Robust dropper post and bigger head tube, positive ride, comfort factor, ultra-precise sram electronic shifting, powerful bosch motor with powerful 750w battery, many customization options thanks to ebike flow app, removable integrated battery system, not noted any, how much does the trek rail 9.8 gx axs weight.

Trek Rail 9.8 GX AXS weighs around M – 23.40 kg / 51.59 lbs (with TLR sealant, no tubes).

What is Oclv?

The technique of inserting sheets into the mold, using the correct amount of heat and pressure to compress them, and limiting voids or gaps between the layers that could jeopardise strength and durability is known as optimal compaction low void, or OCLV.

Where are Trek OCLV frames made?

From where i can get trek trail 9.8 gx axs, what size 2022 trek rail 9.8 gx axs should i get, total score, our rating​.

If you’re looking for a long-travel carbon e-MTB with wireless electronic shifting and a lot of battery power. You want the stability of a longer reach, the plush feel of high-end suspension, and the very latest e-bike tech with the new Bosch smart system.

An upgraded OCLV Mountain Carbon frame with longer reach and oversized head tube and seat tube for maximum strength. An extra-long-range 750Wh battery, a super responsive RockShox ZEB Select+ fork, and RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Thru Shaft shock. You get SRAM GX AXS wireless electronic shifting and the latest from Bosch with smart system Performance Line CX, including the new Bluetooth® LED remote for easy connectivity and all-in-one navigation and activity tracking through the eBike Flow app.

The AXS drivetrain in particular has all-around improvements that make this bike a real ripper. Thanks to the strong Bosch engine, 750Wh battery, and components that can withstand all that raucous riding, it is designed for hammering downhill descents before soaring back up.

Check latest price of TREK Rail 9.8 GX AXS

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Our articles are developed after considerable research and studies online and also including seeking informational experience based tips from professional rides. Key sources of information are interviews, google search and youtube.

Suspension travel: Understanding fork length and how it affects your mountain bike

Forks come in varying lengths of suspension travel and stanchion sizes, this is what they mean for your riding

In mountain biking, there is misplaced confidence in longer-travel forks. With your front wheel having to steer and balance traction on those big trail features and steep descents, the logic is often that more suspension travel is better. But is this the case?

To better understand how the suspension travel of the best mountain bike forks influences your riding and what should be best for your trails, you need to understand the relationship between terrain absorption and trail feedback.

Modern mountain bike geometries are designed explicitly around suspension travel. For example, the best XC forks for cross-country mountain bikes are short-travel forks as the trails are relatively smooth and comprise lots of climbing. They need to be light and responsive while still providing a decent range of compression.

As you move through the various types of mountain bikes, fork travel requirements change. The weight, stanchion thickness, and travel all increase to meet the demands of each discipline – and longer forks aren’t superior in every application.

Cross-country: 100-120mm travel, 30-32mm stanchion diameter

Shorter travel forks are generally aimed at cross-country mountain biking , designed to balance performance, lightweight and just enough suspension travel to help smooth out bumpy singletrack. 

Cross-country forks can work with narrower 30-32mm stanchions because the upper tubes aren’t exposed to much leverage. This helps to keep the overall fork weight down.

But why shouldn’t you fit a cross-country mountain bike , recommended for maximum fork travel of 120mm, with a 130mm fork? Isn’t that a great idea? Not really.

Any increase in fork travel will slacken the bike and shorten its reach. Slacker head angles boost confidence in steep descending terrain, but they make a mountain bike less agile at climbing technical singletrack as well as unbalancing the bike by moving the rider's weight backward. It will also raise the bottom bracket which will cause the bike to feel less planted and confident in corners.

For many years 100-120mm forks were designed either as ultralight racing components or cheap beginner bike suspension. That has changed with the popularity of downcountry and there are now 120mm forks that have much stiffer crowns.

Consider the terrain you are riding. A 100- to 120mm lightweight cross-country fork will be ideal if your trails are smooth and flowing. The shorter suspension travel gives a more responsive feel and you’ll enjoy greater trail feedback through the handlebar and grips.

Shorter suspension travel forks also bob less when climbing up steep trails in a standing position. Many short travel forks further support climbing with the addition of a lockout switch.

Trail: 120-150mm travel, 34mm stanchion diameter

The best trail mountain bike market is probably the most competitive category in mountain biking and these bikes are often ridden right up to their design capabilities.

Reasonably efficient climbers and confident descending bikes, the trail machine is a hybrid between cross-country and enduro. And as you would expect, it needs a fork with more travel and stiffness than those 100-120mm options.

There has been significant development with the Fox 34 in recent years. RockShox has reacted too with its latest Pike range, blending 35mm stanchions with low fork weight.

At 150mm of suspension travel, you are probably pushing the limits of what a 34mm stanchion can deal with, especially for aggressive trail riding. The sweet spot for suspension travel and stanchion size for trail bikes would be 130- to 140mm.

Yet again, it is a tale of less being more. If you use a 34mm stanchion fork at the upper reaches of its travel, there might be a higher risk of terrain-induced steering deflection due to flex. Those roots and rocks can ping you offline, despite being sure of your steering inputs.

Too much travel can also dull the feedback of your trail bike. We recommend that a trail fork ideally have 34mm stanchions, at 130-140mm, for a 29er - possibly, up to 150mm, for the smaller 27.5in wheel size.

As fork travel increases with trail bikes, the latitude of responsiveness from your damper becomes more complex. You will see premium trail bike forks offering high- and low-speed compression adjustment, allowing riders to balance full travel benefits on gnarly terrain without having the fork dive too much in high-speed berms. 

Enduro: 150-180mm travel, 35-38mm stanchion diameter

The fork stiffness formula is simple: when adding more suspension travel increase stanchion size.

Single-crown fork design has had to go longer, with the best enduro mountain bikes now ripping down terrain once reserved for downhill rigs. RockShox and Fox introduced 38mm stanchion single-crown forks last year, especially for the riding demands of enduro mountain biking .

Having more travel is great but potentially useless if the fork internals can’t make the best use of it. That 180mm enduro fork is pointless if it blows through its travel or is entirely unresponsive to small-bump impacts.

With 150- to 180mm single-crown forks, you don’t need a lockout control for climbing, but you want to control the multiple channels of compression and rebound. Balancing the increased leverage effect and fork dive under braking in steep terrain is the crucial enabler with long-travel single-crown forks.

As a forks suspension travel lengthens, set-up becomes crucial. This is why you'll find 150- to 180mm enduro single-crown forks with intricate compression and rebound adjusters and dials. These allow riders to make the best of all that travel by configuring the damping circuits and rebound to work across all terrain.

A decade ago, the idea of a 180mm single-crown fork that could provide an adequate compression platform for pedaling uphill was unfathomable. But today’s big-hitting 38mm single-crown forks are hugely adaptable, giving riders all the precise cornering support and cushioning when landing those huge drops or landings.

Downhill: 180-200mm travel, 40mm stanchion diameter

These are the largest forks you can buy with the most suspension travel and a dual-crown design to cushion the rider from the huge, repeated impacts when riding the most technically demanding descents possible.

With the amount of leverage involved at 200mm of travel, and considering how slack the best downhill mountain bikes are, the dual-crown design is crucial. There would be enormous flex issues if you were to produce a single-crown fork at 200mm of travel and ride it down very steep and technical terrain.

Downhill riders are less bothered by weight or climbing efficiency. This frees engineers to focus all their resources on making the stiffest structure containing sophisticated internals and valving.

The speeds that downhill bikes roll over highly technical terrain require exceptional torsional stiffness at the axle to prevent riders from being deflected off-line and crashing. That dual-crown structure increases the stiffness of these long-travel forks, although steering angle is reduced, at very low speeds.

Dual-crown forks are at the complete opposite spectrum of those short-travel,100-120mm forks, with nearly rigid lockout control. Downhill mountain biking is solely about descending, with huge dampers that react intuitively to terrain impacts and help maintain the front tire's contact with the ground when cornering and braking.

• Suspension 101 : Everything you need to know about your mountain bike suspension dials
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Lance Branquinho is a Namibian-born journalist who graduated to mountain biking after injuries curtailed his trail running. He has a weakness for British steel hardtails, especially those which only run a single gear. As well as Bike Perfect , Lance has written for MBR.com , Off-Road.cc and Cycling News.

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Karate Monkey Suspension Fork Options

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I have read online, but not confirmed, that the KM is rated for a 140mm fork. Can anyone confirm this? I've seen others say they preferred a 120mm fork. What forks should I be looking at? I know there were some Fox Rythym 34 forks for sale around the Internet a while back and I missed the boat on those. I've heard good things. I've also enjoyed riding the fancier Fox Factory/Performance forks and the Rockshox Pike. I have a Manitou Mastodon Pro on my ICT so I'm familiar with their damper as well. It's hard to compare a rowdy trail bike to my fatty. What travel should I be considering? I want a high quality fork but I don't want to spend a bunch of money if there isn't going to be a lot of bang for the buck as well, which is why I'm seeking input. All opinions welcome. Thanks in advance. KM is a 2017 so it has the current geo/tapered headtube.  

Did you notice the geometry difference with the 130 fork? Anyone running a 140 on theirs?  

twodownzero said: I have read online, but not confirmed, that the KM is rated for a 140mm fork. Can anyone confirm this? Click to expand...

EDIT: Missed that last line in the post. You don't say what year your Monkey is? That makes a VERY significant difference in what fork it can handle. A newer Gnot Boost frame is built to handle the 140 you speak of. The frame prior to Gnot Boost that runs the MDS Chip drop-outs, '15-prior, is only capable of a 100mm fork. I have 1 of each frame and the Gnot Boost has that rare and cheaply priced Fox 34 Rhythm in 130 and it is absolutely a friggin hoot. Great fork, great bike! My other is a singlespeed with a 32mm Reba RL and it's getting the same new Fox fork but I'm reducing it down to 100mm. Just got all my parts lined up to do it. If I didn't have the opportunity to buy the 2 Rhythms for $220ea, I'd be putting a Pike RCT3 on the Gnot Boost frame and leaving the Reba on my SS.  

It's a 2017. If I can find some Rythyms for $220, I'm going to buy one in an instant. Sadly I think they're up to $4-500 now.  

I've got a second one, fresh in the box. I'll let you have it for $219! Shipping and handling will run $181. :ihih: :lol: I should have bought that 3rd one. :madman:  

So I bit the bullet and bought a Rockshox Pike at a discount. I went to install it today and I learned two things: 1. The stock KM fork has a straight steerer 2. The 2017 KM does not use the same headset the Surly website says it uses and a conversion race to install the straight steerer stock fork. Instead, it uses a lower headset race that only fits with a straight steerer fork. The stock lower headset race and bearing are too small to fit a tapered steerer fork. See this thread for details and part numbers: http://forums.mtbr.com/surly/headse...-steerer-fork-2017-karate-monkey-1050903.html It appears that I need Cane Creek lower headset cup/race part number BAA0085K to install my tapered-steerer suspension fork on the KM. I will also need to knock the original crown race off of my rigid fork and install the conversion race, part number BAA0463A, so that I will be able to use the rigid fork with the new lower headset race and bearing. Surly claims that the Karate Monkey comes with a headset that can take a tapered fork or the straight steerer fork they come with, but Surly's website is not accurate as applied to the 2017 KM: https://surlybikes.com/info_hole/fa..._for_my_instigator_ice_cream_truck_karate_mon My Ice Cream truck does have the headset the website says, so installing a suspension fork was a simple crown race and done. The KM, apparently, even though they advertise it as being able to accept a suspension fork without any additional parts, is not set up that way from the factory, although once I install the parts they claim it has from the factory into my headtube, the rest of what they say on their website will become a reality. The moral of the story is that I still have a rigid bike and a Rockshox pike in a box. The good news is, once I get the correct race and lower bearing for my frame and conversion crown race for the rigid fork, the plan to be able to have both a rigid and squishy Karate Monkey will be a reality.  

You need a Cane Creek EC44 lower headset only. It will come with the proper crown race that goes on your RS tapered steerer. Easy peasy. $38 I don't recall Surly saying anything about not needing any other parts to install a tapered steerer. It's common knowledge that the 44mm headtube diameter is there so you can go both ways and rigid forks are 1 1/8 straight steerer. At least with the girls I hang with. If you decide to go rigid again, just get the Cane Creek crown race that fits the EC44 but has a 30mm inner diameter. With that set up, you can interchange forks as you wish without any headset conversions or changes.  

The part numbers I gave are for the parts you describe--a lower headset race and bearing with a larger inner diameter and a conversion crown race. My ICT came with the larger lower bearing/race. My KM did not.  

So, update: I bought a whole headset, the reason being that I don't care for how the upper headset race and cap fit together anyway. So I'm going to knock out both races and install this, which is the same headset my Ice Cream Truck has: https://www.amazon.com/Cane-Creek-4...pID=51cUwinqzYL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch I'm going to make the tools since I don't have a headset press. I'll update this thread with what I made and how well it worked after I figure that out.  

I just bought a used but good-condition 2016 Performance Elite Fox 34 27.5+/29" fork for my KM. It's set up in 140 mm travel mode at present. I am used to a Reba with 100 or 120mm of travel (my old Reba had both air pistons and I experimented with both on a few frames over the years), or a rigid Vassago fork. Dumb question- should I just install the 140 mm Fox fork and ride it, or reduce the travel? I have an air shaft bit from Fox to reduce it to 130, and I believe it can be reduced to 120 but no shorter. I might be able to trade or buy the bits to shorten the fork cheap, especially on Pink Bike or something. Edit: I have a new KM that can handle a 140mm fork. I am trying to figure out if a 140mm fork is the best option for my riding style.  

mack_turtle said: I just bought a used but good-condition 2016 Performance Elite Fox 34 27.5+/29" fork for my KM. It's set up in 140 mm travel mode at present. I am used to a Reba with 100 or 120mm of travel (my old Reba had both air pistons and I experimented with both on a few frames over the years), or a rigid Vassago fork. Dumb question- should I just install the 140 mm Fox fork and ride it, or reduce the travel? I have an air shaft bit from Fox to reduce it to 130, and I believe it can be reduced to 120 but no shorter. I might be able to trade or buy the bits to shorten the fork cheap, especially on Pink Bike or something. Click to expand...

Hey, I was considering putting a front suspension on my 2011 karate monkey. I assume I will need to be in the 100mm category since it is an older frame? Sent from my SM-G973U using ****************android_app_mtbr  

maybe it was in my head because I calculated the approximate geometry change of going from 120 to 140, but it raises the BB and shortens the reach on a frame that already has a high BB and a short reach. I am 5'9" and I ride a medium KM (the current version) with a 70mm stem. I rode it with a 50mm stem for a long while but eventually experimented with a longer stem and I feel more relaxed wit the little extra reach. the front-center is long enough that putting the longer stem on it does not turn it into an endo machine for me like many would expect.  

Ive never played with changing the travel on a fork, but it sounds like what you're saying is that the fork length actually shortens when you reduce the travel? I guess I thought that the stanchion would just travel less... but sounds like lessening the travel moves the stanchions down further into the fork legs?  

Yes, a shorter fork is less long than a longer fork.  

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Table of contents, trek powerfly 7 equipped review (2023).

Trek’s Powerfly range is the company’s answer to a sporty commuter, which is designed to bridge the gap from the urban environment to the trails. The range of hardtail e-MTBs were brought out to be versatile, capable of holding their own on their dirt, but also capable for the daily routine of life or a companion on long distance tours.

The range comes in many different guises, from the super sporty FS versions, which come naked at the rear, or the Equipped versions, which have racks over the back wheel to take panniers or bags. The Powerfly 7 Equipped is the second highest spec bike in the Equipped series.

So, has Trek been able to really master multiple terrains and purposes at once? Or is it a case of this bike being a Jack of all trades, and master of none? Let’s find out…

Our Verdict

Congratulations to the crew at Trek – the company has created a belting bike here.

It’s very hard to straddle the worlds of commuter, trail and tourer – and the folk at Trek have managed it here.

The bike features excellent component pairing, with a top end Bosch battery and motor, a seriously robust frame and durable wheel components – it’s made for lots and lots… and lots of riding.

It isn’t a gnarly single-track shredder, and it doesn’t pretend to be, but it gets the elements it needs to get right absolutely spot on.

Potentially, the suspension deserves an upgrade given the price, but apart from that we’re pretty stoked with this one.

• Comfortable ride
• Commutable & tour riding friendly

Trek Powerfly 7 Equipped

Price: $6,266

Weight/frame.

The Powerfly 7 Equipped comes with an Alpha Platinum compound aluminium frame.

The bike is made to be robust and is fitted with a pannier/bag cage over the back wheel, so it’s usable on the daily commute or on touring style rides.

It’s a solid bike and you feel very stable up top, exactly what you need from a bike which might have to balance extra weight on the back from luggage.

That comes at a cost, though, the overall weight of the bike comes in at 25.12kg (in a size medium), so it is a bit of a beast to contend with.

The bike comes in 5 frame sizes – extra small , small , medium , large and extra large – with the weight varying slightly between them.

You feel that extra weight out on the trickier trails, it doesn’t manipulate well and feels very cumbersome, but really – the bike isn’t made for technical trails or on seriously sharp up and down terrain.

It’s made to be a loyal partner on longer, flatter, distances and it certainly holds its own on the gravel or on a dirt road with a few lumps.

The Powerfly 7 Equipped comes with a chunky 625Wh Bosch PowerTube battery . The bike is made to take on some longer distance riding and the Bosch battery offers the capabilities to keep pushing on longer and longer.

Given the bike isn’t made for super technical and steep trail-based inclines, that battery actually stretches a long old way and it’s ultra reliable. On the flatter style of terrain you’re likely to be tackling, the battery gives you hours and hours of fun.

How Long Does a Trek Powerfly Battery Last?

We found on our review rides that we got well over 100km on one charge, with juice still to go on with. It’s secured tightly into the downtube and is easily removable with a simple click system.

The PowerTube takes around five hours to fully charge from dead and only two hours to get to 50%, which means you can get back out on the road/trail at pace. A fitting battery for this burly bike.

The Powerfly 7 Equipped comes with a seriously powerful Bosch Performance CX motor , which can punch out up to 85Nm of torque. We’re very impressed with this pairing yet again from Trek.

That extra kick takes the edge off the bike’s overall weight and means you don’t have any anxiety when approaching a large hill. The power is delivered in a super-natural way and it doesn’t give off any unusual drag or overshoot.

It also works very intelligently with the battery to release the power conservatively. Overall, it’s a stunning partnership for a bike, which could feel very sluggish – however, the electrical components are well matched to the bike’s needs.

Motor Display

The Powerfly 7 Equipped is fitted with a Bosch Kiox display – another excellent choice from Trek. The Kiox is a best friend while out riding, offering your battery percentage as an exact percentage – praise the Lord!

It’s exactly what we want and now expect from a motor display, but it doesn’t always happen. The Kiox offers much more than that, though. It also offers calorie consumption data, pedalling cadence, speed, distance to your destination, among many other features. You can also link it up to a heart rate monitor via Bluetooth to keep on top of your performance.

We found it a beautiful display to accompany us on our review rides and it elevated the overall ride experience.

The Trek Powerfly 7 Equipped is a hardtail e-MTB, so only comes fitted with front suspension. It’s one of the reasons the bike is so good on the longer distance rides and on urban streets – you don’t suffer from any unnecessary bounce or sponginess from the back end.

At the front end the bike comes with SR Suntour Zeron 35, air-sprung, front forks , which have 120mm of travel . Listen, the forks are a bit uninspiring if we’re honest, but you haven’t bought this bike to launch of jumps and take on huge downhill routes.

The bike has enough give to cope with the demands of a touring cycle and on your daily commute.

ℹ️ Another moment to be very aware of what you’re looking at here. This isn’t an all gnarly trail rider, so steer clear if that’s what you want.

Wheels/Tyres

The Trek Powerfly 7 Equipped is fitted with different wheel sizes, depending on the size of frame you go for. For the extra small and small versions you’ll get a 27.5in wheel setup, but a larger 29in setup on the medium , large and extra large frame sizes.

The bike comes with Bontrager Line Comp 30 wheels and Bontrager LT4 Expert tyres . Both are a really decent accompaniment for the type of strains the bike is put under. The wheels are super durable and ultra strong – capable of taking the extra weight of luggage and long distance use.

The tyres offer enough bite on the dirt, but also shed very well on hard packed and on concrete – useful so that you aren’t carting extra drag around for hours on end.

The Powerfly 7 Equipped comes with a 4-piston, hydraulic disc brake setup , with M6100 levers and M6120 callipers . They offer enough bite to bring you to a halt when needed. They aren’t all singing, all dancing, but you don’t need them to be.

The Powerfly 7 Equipped comes with a 12-speed SLX M7100 group set . They offer smooth shifting and an ease of use, which you need when spending hours up top on the pedals. The pairing does everything you need them to.

A decent price point for the Trek Powerfly 7 Equipped. We’re impressed with the ability to include those high spec Bosch components for the price and there aren’t many points to grumble about throughout the whole bike. Bravo to the Trek team.

Trek Powerfly 7 Equipped Facts & Figures

Size configurations.

* All measurements provided in cm unless otherwise stated.

* Please note – spec applies to all sizes unless listed separately

How Does it Compare?

A good range of bikes to compare the Powerfly 7 Equipped to is the Canyon Grand Canyon:ON series.

The Grand Canyon:ON bikes are made for the same purpose – with the aim of being versatile rides, capable of switching from road to dirt and useful for commuters, along with being comfortable over longer distances.

We’ve recently reviewed the Grand Canyon:ON 8, so will shine the spotlight on this bike in our comparison.

Firstly, the Powerfly 7 Equipped is more than $2,500 more expensive, but is it worth the extra money?

The Grand Canyon:ON 8 is lighter by 3kg, but it is far more poorly kitted out in the electronics department. The Shimano components, despite offering the same sort of power and battery life, are far inferior.

The Shimano Steps EP8 on the Canyon doesn’t touch the Bosch Performance CX motor on our Trek. And the user experience is far poorer, too. The display on the Canyon is disappointing and our Kiox 300 is magnificent.

You also can’t just clip out your battery on your Canyon, it has to be unscrewed, which is a pain in the backside. The Canyon shades it with a RockShox suspension, with the same 120mm of travel.

The wheels, brakes and drivetrain on both are solid and do the job needed. Overall, it’s a tough call, but we found the overall user experience far more enjoyable on the Trek, compared to the Canyon.

You may pay more, but we think you’re getting a much better rounded package.

Final Thoughts

We think Trek has done beautifully here. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed riding the Powerfly 7 Equipped in our review rides. It’s a versatile e-MTB, which can take on many different types of terrain and do so with a flourish.

Be it commuting in the city, heading out on a long touring cycle or a quick rip through some forest roads and minor trails – the bike handles it well. They’ve selected their component partnerships excellently and the bike rides a dream.

Our only qualm would be the suspension – for the price you’re paying, we think Trek could have pushed the boat out more. It isn’t cheap for this sort of bike, but you won’t be let down.

At least that’s our view, now go out and find out for yourselves.

If you enjoyed this review then make sure to check out our other Trek reviews.

Trek Powerfly FS 9 Equipped Gen 2 Review (2023)

Trek Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS Review (2023)

Trek Rail 9.9 XTR Gen 3 Review (2023)

Trek Rail 9.9 XX1 AXS Gen 3 Review (2023)

+1 (918) 393 4169, [email protected].

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Polarizing & Plush: the Fox 32 TC gravel suspension fork reviewed

Undeniably fun and remarkably comfortable, the Fox 32 TC is a worthy upgrade for gravel cyclists who like to shred or are singletrack-curious

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Few products have triggered the off-road cycling trolls as much as the recent crop of gravel forks, but love them or hate them, it’s hard to deny the performance and comfort benefits a suspension fork offers gravel riders. Unlike other products that increase comfort at the cost of performance, the Fox 32 TC allows you to push harder and go deeper than you might think.

Outstanding performance on small bumps, your wrists & hands will thank you

Familiar feeling damper

Adjustments are simple & clicks make distinct changes to performance

Impressive build quality

Fender mounts!

Long steerer tube will work with even the longest head tubes

Kashima & Orange look great

Doesn’t play nicely with 650B

Axle to Crown length might not work well with your frame geometry (it’s a LONG fork)

You will have to hear people say “just ride a mountain bike”

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

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What's in the box

Value and conclusion, the bike setup.

Fox has been making legendary suspension products since 1977. Its products have been on countless podiums, and the brand is known for pushing the envelope of what is possible on a bicycle. In 2017, Fox released its first dedicated adventure fork, the 32 Step-Cast AX, which shares its DNA with the brand's XC mountain bike offerings. This 2022-released Fox 32 TC is redesigned from the ground up, and the result is a lighter platform tuned specifically for gravel riding, allowing you the confidence to push your rides further. Plus, that reverse arch and Kashima-coated stanchions look amazing.

Fox 32 TC: Construction

The Fox 32 TC comes in 40mm (tested) or 50mm travel options with three trim levels: Performance, Performance Elite and Factory (tested). The Performance level comes with a grip damper, while the Performance Elite and Factory come equipped with a Fit4 damper. All levels sit on Fox's 'FLOAT EVOL' air spring, specifically designed for this travel length. The Factory units come equipped with Kashima-coated stanchions and an option for Factory Orange paint. 

Other specs include: 

• Brake Mount: Flat Mount, 160mm or 180mm max rotor size
• Travel: 40mm or 50mm
• Weight: 1226g
• Axle: 12x100 Kabolt (note: dropout will not fit a 15x100 CX hub with sleeve to 12mm)
• Max Tire Size: 700c x 50mm (Optimized for 700c – not 650b compatible)
• Axle-to-crown: 435.5mm - 40mm travel • 445.5mm - 50mm travel
• Steerer: 1 ½ tapered
• High-speed Compression Adjustments: 3 Position — Open - Medium - Firm (Fit4 & Grip)
• Low-speed Compression Adjustments: 22 Clicks in Open Mode (Fit4) Micro Indents (Grip)
• Low-speed Rebound Adjustments: 10 Clicks (Fit4 & Grip)

The Fox fork tuning guide is easy to navigate and is a great way to get started

The fork comes with two volume spacers, fender mounts, an instruction manual, and a tuning guide. Fox has been generous with the steerer tube on the 32 TC; it is 350mm long and should work with all but the most extreme headtubes. It is worth noting that the upper fender mount is in quite a different spot than a standard rigid fork. If you have a set of fenders that you have fit to a fork, they might need some slight adjustment to the top mount in order to fit properly on the 32 TC.

The fork has three high-speed compression adjustments:  Open - Medium - Firm (Fit4 & Grip)

The tuning guide is easy to navigate and is a great way to get started. I used the guide for setup, which landed me on 121psi of air pressure and 12 clicks of rebound. Those settings felt great to start, and I only needed to adjust a couple things to get the fork feeling even better. It’s worth mentioning that with this fork you’ll have a aluminum steerer tube. This means you can take advantage of all the fun steerer tube storage solutions with this fork, like a ONEUP EDC. Bonus!

The fork I was replacing was a Whisky CX fork, coming it at 395mm axle to crown. The Fox 32 TC at 40mm of travel is a whopping 435mm — 429 at 15% sag. This is significantly longer than my fork, and after a quick search, it would seem that it is significantly longer than most rigid gravel forks. And I was a bit worried that this significant geometry change would adversely affect the ride.

Fox 32 TC: The Ride

The 32 TC gravel suspension fork gives your bike a mountain bike-esque feel. You can push harder, preload the suspension to pop off roots or take it off drops and jumps.

Before I hopped on the bike, I was filled with doubts about this setup. As soon as I clipped in though, I knew it was the real deal. The fork is plush but supportive. It erases small imperfections in the road, and it keeps the wheel planted. I ride a Fox 36 on my trail bike, and the feeling of the suspension was immediately familiar. It was like I was on my trail bike but the miniature version.

My inaugural ride was a local group ride. The kind of ride where the goal is to ride as many trails as possible with the shortest road connectors. Folks show up on all sorts of bikes: CX, Gravel, Hardtail, Full-sus. It was the perfect testing grounds for the new fork. The initial climb is a steady 12% grade littered with cobbles, sharp rocks and various drainage cuts. I was impressed at how well the 40mm of squish was able to all but erase those bumps, and let me focus on pedaling. Normally on my rigid fork, my tire is deflecting off any surface not perfectly perpendicular to my path. On the 32, it would pop right up and over the obstacle with only a little feedback making it to my hands. On the descents, the fork is even better.

One of my biggest challenges with gravel riding is finding the right tire pressure to take the edge off on the descents while also maintaining performance in corners and compressions. Inevitably, you have to compromise on one of those. Either opting for beaten up hands or sloppy handling. With the Fox 32 TC, you don't have to compromise. This fork allows you to run high enough pressure in your tires to keep them from folding, and rely on the air spring to do the squishy part. The result is a mountain bike-esque feel. You can push harder, preload the suspension to pop off roots or take it off (small) drops and jumps. Once you start pushing, you might find some limits. I found that my tire selection couldn’t quite keep up. To really maximize the fun of this fork, you’ll need to run something with substantial side lugs for cornering, and some good braking traction. This would be a great platform for the Pirelli Cinturato M , Teravail Rutland or the WTB Raddler.

My biggest qualm with the fork: why didn’t Fox design it to work with 650B?

Once you get back on the road, you can flip the compression dial to firm and it will go from plush to almost rigid, allowing you to put in out of the saddle efforts without wasting too much energy. It’s not a complete lockout but it’s close and it works great on long road stretches. Over the next few weeks I took this fork out on a variety of routes, from 90% road to 90% trail. The fork performs exceptionally on long washboard-riddled gravel descents, rough road sections, and singletrack. My hands felt relief that they haven’t in years of underbiking, and for that fact alone, I think this fork is worth it.

This brings me to my biggest qualm with the fork. Why didn’t Fox design it to work with 650B ? Seems like from a design perspective it isn’t a huge ask but from a performance/flexibility perspective, it is a massive gain. For reference, the MRP Baxter fork can clear 27 x 2.4. The ability to run up to a 27 x 2.4 mountain specific tire opens up countless route possibilities. It also makes for more fun on the local trails. This fork would absolutely rip with a set of 27 x 2.3 Maxxis Minion SS rubber — oh the side knobs! But this is getting close to the point where we start flirting with the original question that triggered so many internet trolls. Why not just ride a mountain bike?

So who exactly is this fork for? I believe the Fox 32 TC is a perfect upgrade for anyone that currently loves their gravel bike but is singletrack-curious. Someone looking to push the possibilities of their routes. Someone that is looking for a little hand and wrist relief but doesn’t want to buy and store an entirely new bike.

For the Factory unit, you are looking at $949 / £1079 retail, which is pretty steep considering you can get a complete Kona Lava Dome or Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike for less. But getting a new bike does come with drawbacks; more storage, more maintenance.

At the end of the day, I think this is a fantastic piece of kit that will really enhance your riding experience. If you are a die hard 700c fan, I highly recommend this fork. If you like to ride 650Bs on your gravel bike, I would look into the MRP Baxter.

Oh, and once you install one on your bike, be prepared for everyone to share their opinion about it with you…

4 out of 5 stars, simply for the fact it isn’t compatible with 650. 

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Hi! I'm Charlie. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest riding a 20" BMX bike around the neighborhood, building jumps, smashing through ditches and causing chaos. Nowadays I find myself searching for that same feeling but on a larger scale. The neighborhood got bigger, and the rides got longer. But the goals have remained the same: explore new pathways, connect with nature, get airborne and have fun. When I am not riding, I am generally tinkering with my bikes. Always trying to find a new way to maximize fun, style, and efficiency.

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Review: 2021 Trek Roscoe 7

Trek has been an industry leader for quite some time and the Trek Roscoe 7 provides a quality bike to not just get you in the game, but keep you there.

Trek Roscoe 7 Review

If there is one thing COVID has taught our society, it is the need to be outdoors exploring and getting some much needed exercise.  What better way to do this, then to go out and mountain biking! 

Off Grid Essential founder, Mike, and his wife Carmen both have the 2020 Trek Roscoe 7s and when we arrived to Colorado this summer gave us the opportunity to take them out on the trail to see what the hype was all about. As previous experienced road and triathlon riders, we were excited to enter into the mountain biking arena and had a baseline of what we wanted.

A 1x drivetrain, hydraulic brakes, tubeless ready rims, and an air spring fork were a must for us.  We wanted a somewhat entry level bike that would give us the features that would last us for a few years.  And this is exactly what the Trek Roscoe 7 has.  We also wanted a hardtail.  Reason for this was everything I kept reading said to enter into this world with a hardtail to ensure you had proper form before entering the full suspension bikes .

On to Trek Roscoe 7.  This is a mid-fat trail hardtail.  Below are some quick facts about this bike.

Trek Roscoe 7 Quick Facts :

• Price: $1279.99
• Seven Sizes: XS, S, M, M/L, L, XL, and XXL
• Three Colors Schemes: Factory Orange/Metallic Gunmetal, Aloha Green/Battleship Blue, and Dinister Black

Trek Roscoe 7 Components

• Saddle: Size XS, S, M, Bontrager Arvada, steel rails, 138mm width
• Size: M/L, L, XL, XXL, TranzX JD-YSP18, 100mm travel, internal routing,       31.6mm, 361mm length
• Seatpost: See Size Specific below:
• Size: XS, S, M, TranzX JD-YSP18, 100mm travel, internal routing, 31.6mm, 361mm length
• Size: M/L, L, XL, XXL, TranzX JD-YSP18, 130mm travel, internal routing, 31.6mm, 425mm length
• Handlebar: See Size Specific below:
• Size: XS, Bontrager alloy, 31.8mm, 15mm rise, 720mm width
• Size: S, M, M/L, L, XL, XXL, Bontrager alloy, 31.8mm, 15mm rise, 750mm width
• Stem Size: XS, S, M, Bontrager Rhythm Comp, 31.8mm, Knock Block, 0 degree, 50mm length
• Size: M/L, L, XL, XXL, Bontrager Rhythm Comp, 31.8mm, Knock Block, 0 degree, 60mm length
• Grips: Bontrager XR Trail Comp, nylon lock-on
• Headset: Semi-integrated, loose ball bearing, 1-1/8” top, 1.5” bottom
• Brake: Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc
• Brake Rotor: See Size Specific below:
• Size: XS, S, M, M/L, L, XL, XXL, Shimano RT26, 160mm, 6-bolt
• Size: M, M/L, L, XL, XXL, Shimano RT26, 180mm, 6-bolt

Trek Roscoe 7 Drivetrain

• Shifter: SRAM SX Eagle, 12 speed
• Rear Derailluer: SRAM SX Eagle
• Crank: Size: See Size Specific below
• XS, S, M, SRAM SX Eagle, GXP, 30T steel ring, Boost, 170mm length
• Size: M/L, L, XL, XXL, SRAM SX Eagle, GXP, 30T steel ring, Boost, 175mm length
• Bottom Bracket: Truvativ Powerspline, 73mm, threaded cartridge, 118mm spindle
• Cassette: SRAM PG-1210 Eagle, 11-50, 12 speed
• Chain: SRAM SX Eagle, 12 speed
• Pedal: VP-536 nylon platform
• Chainring Size: 32T

Trek Roscoe 7 Frameset

• Frame: Alpha Gold Aluminum, tapered head tube, internal derailleur & dropper post routing, rack & kickstand mount, Boost141, 5mm QR
• Fork: See Sizes Below:
• Size: XS, RockShox Judy SL, Solo Air spring, TurnKey hydraulic lockout, tapered steerer, 42mm offset, Boost110, 15mm Maxle Stealth, 100mm travel
• Size: XS, RockShox Judy SL, Solo Air spring, TurnKey lockout, tapered steerer, Boost110, 15mm Maxle Stealth, 100mm travel
• Size: S, M, M/L, RockShox Judy SL, Solo Air spring, TurnKey lockout, tapered steerer, Boost110, 15mm Maxle Stealth, 120mm travel
• Max Compatible Fork Travel: 120mm (XS: 100mm)

Trek Roscoe 7 Wheels

• Front Hub: Formula DC-511, 6-bolt, Boost110, 15mm thru axle
• Rear Hub: Formula DC-2241, alloy, 6-bolt, Shimano 8/9/10 freehub, Boost141, 5mm QR
• Rim: Bontrager Line 40, Tubeless Ready, 28-hole, 40mm width, presta valve

Trek Roscoe 7 Spokes:

• Size: XS, S, M, M/L, L, XL, XXL, 14g, stainless
• Size: XS, S, M, M/L, L, XL, XXL, 14g, stainless steel, black

Trek Roscoe 7 Tires:

• Size: XS, S, M, M/L, L, XL, XXL, Maxxis Rekon, tubeless, 60 tpi, 27.5 x 2.80”
• Size: XS, S, M, M/L, L, XL, Bontrager XR3 Team Issue, Tubeless Ready, Inner Strength sidewall, aramid bead, 120tpi, 27.5 x 2.80”
• Rim Strip: Bontrager TLR
• Max Tire Size: 27.5 x 2.80″ or 29 x 2.40″
• Weight: Size M, 14.84 kg / 32.72 lbs (with tubes)
• Weight Limit: 300lbs

Please visit Trek for any additional details by clicking here.

Trek Roscoe 7 Review (Continued)

I am 5’11” and went with a Size Large for my Trek Roscoe 7, and my wife is 5’7” and went with a men’s Size Medium/Large.  We both chose the Dinister Black color scheme, with plans to eventually upgrade our pedals to add a little color (blue for mine, and red for hers). 

The color of our Trek Roscoe 7 is just what we wanted.  It truly has this rad look!  The yellow Maxxis on the tires stands out off the all black bike.  The dirt and dust collects all over and shows that you are putting some work in on the trails…this bike was built to have some fun.

If you are new to trail riding, then the Trek Roscoe 7 is perfect for you!  There is a sense of confidence you get when hitting the trails on this bike.  The traction is unreal.  Those big fat tires handle the dirt and gravel with ease.

The suspension is nice, handling those bumps and pot holes on the technical trails that seem to be unavoidable.  I have not tested out any jumps as I am not there confidence wise yet, but I have all the confidence in the world that it will hold up just fine.  The locked suspension feature is great when you need a sustained level of pedal efficiency.

Trek Roscoe 7s 1x drivetrain is absolutely phenomenal.  It is smooth, changing gears with this fluidity that keeps you motivated when climbing that tough incline.  On my first trail ride we were approaching a significant incline and while I had some momentum, I knew I was going to have to get pretty low in the gears to make the climb and had a fear that I would have to come to stop and walk.  Did I?  Nope, I just lowered the gears, put my head down and charged! 

Psst! Brining you’re doggo camping with you? You need to check out our  Camping With A Doggo Checklist , you wont regret it!

Did someone say dropper seatpost?  Being new to mountain biking, I really did not think anything of this feature, but I have used it every time I get on my Trek Roscoe 7…every time!  When your roaring downhill it is nice to drop that seatpost to avoid taking a beating.  My wife, well she loves it as well. 

If there was one area I wish they put a little more into this bike it would be the grips and pedals.  This may sound little, but the I wish the grips had a little more padding to them.  And the pedals, well they are just basic pedals and most people upgrade to clip-ins or better platforms anyways.  And I want to be clear that they are not horrible, just for the price point wish they would just put a little more upgrades to these two areas.

The Trek Roscoe 7 is a little heavy when compared to other brands…but for me this is not a show stopper.  And to be quite honest, I probably would not even notice the minimal weight difference of the other brands.  Everything is heavy when you are on an incline.

We both know there are some other entry…ish level mountain bikes out there that offer the same specifications (maybe even better), but that initial ride had us sold.  Trek is a well-known industry leader, and we have never been disappointed.  Another great option if this bike is out of your price range is the Trek Marlin 5 which I wrote a review on here.

We have owned Giant and Scott bikes in the past along with Trek, and there is something that has us always going back to Trek. 

Still unsure?  Well head to the nearest Trek store and try one out for yourself, you will not be disappointed. And with the features of the Roscoe 7, you will not have to upgrade anytime soon if you find yourself really enjoying mountain biking .

…..and if your gonna be out adventuring your gonna poop. Check out our write-up on the  Best Camping Toilet Options . Stop acting like you won’t need it!

8 Essential Items For Mountain Bikers

• Crankbrothers M19 Multitool
• Osprey Raptor 10 Hydration pack
• Crankbrothers Flat Stamp
• ROAM Phone Bike Mount
• Vibrelli Mini Bike Pump Flat Tire Repair
• Yakima Gatekeeper Tailgate Bike Pad – (Full Review on this, here )
• Kryptonite Evolution U-Lock
• Terry Women’s Metro Mountain bike Shorts
• Troy Lee Designs Men’sMountain Bike Shorts

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Tame the Trail

Take to the trail with a new level of confidence. With its grippy plus-sized tires and smooth-riding suspension, Stance gobbles up rocks, roots and ruts so you get maximum traction and control on rough, technical terrain.

Key Performance Factors

Plus-sized compatible.

27.5+ wheel and tire compatibility gives you added confidence and control on the trail.

Proven suspension setup

FlexPoint rear suspension offers 120mm of travel (plus 120mm fork up front) for smooth-riding confidence on climbs and descents.

High-quality aluminum frame

The lightweight, stiff and durable ALUXX aluminum is hand-built and engineered in-house by the world leader in alloy bicycle technology.

See the products

Built with a lightweight ALUXX aluminum frameset and our innovative FlexPoint rear suspension, Stance is the perfect way to improve your trail-riding game. Its 27.5+ wheel and tire compatibility gives it a plush ride quality that soaks up bumps and adds more traction and stability. Combined with 120mm of smooth suspension travel front and rear, it’s a confident ride that will have you nailing new lines.

ALUXX-Grade Aluminum

Formed from raw materials in Giant’s own forging facility, this proprietary alloy features 30 percent additional stiffness over traditional 6061-series aluminum, while also reducing overall weight.

Flexpoint Suspension

A proven “single-pivot” design that uses the flexing action of the chainstay/seatstay junction to produce a lightweight and durable suspension system with 4.7 inches/120mm of rear travel.

Designed to provide precise front-end steering performance, the system’s oversized headset bearings (1 1/2” lower and 1 1/8” upper) and tapered steerer tube work in conjunction to provide optimal steering stiffness.

A massively oversized bottom-bracket/chainstay area features a fully integrated, 86-millimeter-wide bottom-bracket design. Asymmetric chainstays provide additional stiffness on the driveside and stability on the non-driveside.

130mm of travel up front allows you to easily navigate trail obstacles and singletrack terrain.

Techs & Features

This Performance level frame material features 6061 alloy with single-butted tubes to produce strong, lightweight framesets for a variety of different bikes and riding styles.

A proven “single-pivot” design that uses the flexing action of the chainstay/seatstay junction to produce a lightweight and durable suspension system with 4.7 inches/120mm of rear travel.

Giant’s original oversized fork steerer tube technology. Designed to provide precise front-end steering performance, the system’s oversized headset bearings (1 1/4” lower and 1 1/8” upper for road, 1 1/2” lower and 1 1/8” upper for mountain) and tapered steerer tube work in conjunction to provide optimal steering stiffness.

A massively oversized bottom-bracket/chainstay area features a fully integrated, 86-millimeter wide bottom-bracket design (92-millimeter wide for off-road bikes). Asymmetric chainstays provide additional stiffness on the driveside and stability on the non-driveside.

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Moscow Travel Guide: Best Things to Do + More [2023]

· everything to know about visiting moscow, including the best things to do and how to get around. ·.

Moscow is Russia’s vibrant capital city, and it also happens to be the largest city in all of Europe. The city’s long and infamous history makes it one of the most unique places we have ever visited.

The architecture ranges from centuries-old palaces to uniform, gray concrete buildings. The people range from cold and private to warm and welcoming. Moscow is a city is strong juxtapositions, and we learned a lot during our time there.

This post will break down all you need to know about visiting Moscow, including the best things to do, how to get there, how to get around, and more.

The Best Things to Do in Moscow

1. explore the red square.

The Red Square is the heart of Moscow. Most of the city’s top attractions can be found here, including just about everything on this list. The Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and Lenin’s Mausoleum are all located here, and the State Historical Museum and GUM are not far from here, either.

The Red Square is a common home for parades, protests, and seasonal celebrations. There are massive Christmas celebrations here, with food vendors and carnival rides set up in numbers.

2. Check Out the Ziferblat

The Ziferblat is a café in Moscow that is unlike any café we have ever been to. While most cafes charge you for your drinks and food, the Ziferblat charges you for your time.

Upon arrival, you are given a clock. When you leave, the barista calculates how much time you spent in the café and charges you accordingly. This concept was created to help visitors to be more intentional with their time, and the cafe itself is incredibly charming.

For a detailed look at everything you need to know before you visit, make sure you read my post about visiting the Ziferblat Cafe in Moscow .

3. Marvel at St. Basil’s Cathedral

St. Basil’s Cathedral is one of the most iconic churches in the world, and it was the single thing we were most excited to see while in Moscow. Built almost 500 years ago, St. Basil’s Cathedral is recognized by its colorful domes and whimsical style. The church is of the Russian Orthodox faith, and the inside is just as wondrous as the outside.

St. Basil’s Cathedral is located on the edge of the Red Square, making it incredibly convenient to visit. Entrance for non-worshippers costs 800 rubles, and tickets can be bought at the church

4. Explore the Kremlin

The Kremlin is the largest active fortress in Europe, and it is the site of most of Russia’s government affairs. In addition to government buildings, the Kremlin Complex is filled with courtyards, towers, and museums that are open to the public. If you have the time, you could spend a couple of days fully exploring all that there is to see in the Kremlin.

5. Walk Through Lenin’s Mausoleum

Vladimir Lenin is one of the most important figures in Russian history, and his body is located perfectly embalmed in a mausoleum in the Red Square. The Mausoleum is open to the public to visit, and as long as you are willing to go through a few security checks, it is easily one of the best things to do in Moscow. Its convenient location in the Red Square makes it a can’t miss attraction.

There is absolutely no photography allowed inside the Mausoleum. Do not test this rule.

6. Wander Along Arbat Street

The Arbat is a very popular street in Moscow that is lined with stores, cafes, and other touristy attractions. It is one of the oldest streets in the city, dating back to the 1400s. This street is both quaint and trendy, and there are many walking tours that introduce tourists to the neighborhood’s wonders and highlights.

7. Catch a Show at the Bolshoi Theatre

As a lover of the arts, it is hard to think of Moscow and not think of ballet. Russia has always been a top dog in the world of fine arts, and Bolshoi Theater is one of the best places to catch a performance. We were lucky enough to attend an Opera here, and it is a venue that you don’t want to miss out on if you enjoy opera, ballet, or orchestral performances.

8. Visit the State Historical Museum

The State Historical Museum is one of the most respected museums in Moscow. Despite its name, it is not really focused on the history of Russia as a nation. Rather, it contains a collection of artifacts from all throughout Russia’s history.

The museum’s collection is very broad in nature. It houses some items from indigenous tribes that used to occupy the region, pieces collected by the Romanov family, and more.

9. Wander Around GUM

GUM is an absolutely massive mall within walking distance of the Red Square. It isn’t just the size that draws visitors here; it’s the sense of luxury. The mall is so beautiful inside, much like the metro stations.

While visiting a mall might not sound like it belongs on a bucket list, this mall does. You will not want to miss out on visiting GUM while in Moscow.

10. Admire the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

While St. Basil’s Cathedral is the most iconic church in Moscow, it isn’t the only one. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is absolutely stunning, with massive golden domes. It is the tallest Orthodox church in the world, and it is the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow.

It is located just about a mile from the Red Square, just south of the Kremlin Complex. You can walk to it from the Red Square in about 20 minutes.

How to Get to Moscow

Flying to moscow.

Moscow has three major international airports: Sheremetyevo (SVO) , Domodedovo (DMO) , and Vnukovo (VKO) . All three of them are directly connected to downtown Moscow by the Aeroexpress trains, which leave every 30 minutes throughout the day. By Aeroexpress train, you can expect to get to the city center in 25-45 minutes depending on the airport that you fly into.

Sheremetyevo is the biggest and busiest of the three airports, and it is the one you are most likely to fly into – especially if you are coming from outside of Europe or the Caucus region. We flew into Sheremetyevo on a direct flight from New York City.

I usually provide backup airport options, because flying right into the city isn’t always the cheapest way to get where you’re going. Unfortunately, when it comes to Moscow, don’t really have a choice other than to fly right into Moscow. It is a very remote city, and it is usually the cheapest place to fly into in Russia as a whole.

Since Sheremetyevo is so busy, you will probably find a great flight option anyway. I wrote in  my post about finding cheap flights  that using hub airports will lead to more affordable airfare, and the same logic applies here. Even though Russia’s national airline, Aeroflot, is no longer a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, Moscow is still a major hub connecting passengers from all over the world.

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Train or Bus to Moscow

Trains and buses are one of the most popular ways to get around Europe. However, they’re of very little use when you’re trying to get to Moscow.

Moscow is hundreds of miles from the nearest major cities. The only major European city that can even be reached within 8 hours on the ground is St. Petersburg, and even the Baltic capitals of Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn are over 12 hours away.

If you want to get to Moscow, the best option is almost always to fly. While the train routes to Moscow are scenic, they simply take forever.

How to Get Around Moscow

METRO | TROLLEYS | TRAMS | BUSES

Moscow has one of the most memorable metro systems in the world. Its metro lines are very deep underground, and the stations are absolutely stunning. Each station has its own unique style, but all of them contain escalators that seem to go on forever.

The system was built in an effort to showcase the power of the Soviet Union and its bright future. The plans were a form of propaganda, but they resulted in what is still one of the most visually appealing subway systems on earth.

Moscow’s metro system isn’t just pretty. It is also very useful and accessible. The system has 17 lines that connect the city and its surrounding area.

But wait; there’s more!

The Moscow metro system is also incredibly affordable, with each ride costing less than a dollar. The metro is by far the best way to get around Moscow, as it is almost impossible to beat the connection times and the low cost to ride.

Tickets can be bought at electronic, English-speaking kiosks in stations, or directly from ticket counters at certain larger stations. There are also day passes available, which are a very solid option if you plan on riding the metro several times per day.

The metro is by far the best way to get around Moscow.

In addition to the metro system, Moscow also has a network of buses, trams, and trolleys. This system is nowhere near as convenient or well-connected as the metro, though, and is likely of little use to you during your trip. There is no Uber in Moscow, but a similar app named Yandex is available if you need a ride in a pinch.

How Many Days Do You Need in Moscow?

Moscow is the biggest city in all of Europe, and it is absolutely loaded with things to do. You could spend weeks in Moscow and still find new things to do. Of course, most travelers don’t have that kind of time to spend in one place!

I recommend spending no less than three full days in Moscow, and ideally closer to five or seven.

Moscow is very spread out, and it can take some time to get from one major point to another. There are also so many places that are nice to just sit back and relax, which is hard to do when you’re in a hurry trying to cram activities into just a few days.

If you only have a week to visit Russia, I’d advise spending all of the time in one city. If you decide to split your time between Moscow and St. Petersburg, I recommend not trying to squeeze in any day trips beyond those two cities.

When Is the Best Time of the Year to Visit Moscow?

There are two different ways to approach this question. Personally, I think the best time to visit Moscow is around Christmas and New Year’s Day. While the weather will be absolutely freezing, Moscow is a surreal winter wonderland in December and January.

We were in Moscow right before Christmas. While it was very cold, you can always bundle up. Exploring the Christmas markets and pop-up ice skating rinks throughout Moscow is one of my favorite memories from anywhere I’ve traveled, and I dream of going back to do it again.

If you aren’t fond of the cold, Moscow is beautiful in the summer. It tends to get pretty cold in the shoulder seasons, so if you want warm weather, you should plan to visit in the summer. Moscow actually gets pretty warm in July and August, and there are a bunch of fantastic places to soak up the sun within the city.

The best time to visit Moscow is either around Christmas or from late May to August.

Is Moscow Safe to Visit?

While Moscow is a truly wonderful city, there’s no denying that visiting Russia comes with risks. As the country is run by an infamous communist dictator, concerns about visiting are valid. While we didn’t experience any sort of threat or negative treatment during our time in Moscow, we visited in a peaceful time.

In our experience, Russia doesn’t seem to detain normal Americans or Westerners to use as pawns. As a regular person, as long as you don’t commit any crimes, there is a slim chance you will run into any issues. However, Russia will not hesitate to enforce its laws against foreigners, and illegal behaviors will likely land you in a very compromising position.

Russia will not hesitate to enforce its laws against foreigners, and illegal behaviors will likely land you in a very compromising position.

To make matters worse, Russia has a bad reputation for gang violence. While the Russian mafia has very little interest in normal Western tourists, they won’t hesitate to pick a fight with anyone who ventures into their sphere of influence. If you seek out illegal substances or activities, you could be a target of the mafia.

If you seek out illegal substances or activities, you could be a target of the mafia.

Finally, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, things are all very different. Russia is currently at war, and there are battles raging within 8 hours of Moscow. While it is still relatively safe to visit, that could change at any time as the war with Ukraine continues.

Is Moscow Worth Visiting?

Without a doubt, Moscow is worth visiting. It is one of the most unique major cities we have ever visited, and we hope to make it back one day. The Russian Orthodox churches are stunning, the city’s history is unlike any other, and the food is to die for.

While many visitors prefer St. Petersburg to Moscow, I think Moscow deserves a lot of hype of its own. Moscow is the beating heart of Russian culture and history, and it’s a place I highly recommend checking out if you have the chance.

That’s all we have for you about Moscow! I hope this post was helpful as you plan your trip to Russia’s capital.

Have you been to Moscow? Or is this your first time visiting? Comment below if you have anything to add to our travel guide!

Hi, I'm Greg. I'm an avid traveler who has traveled to over 50 countries all around the world with my wife and kids. I've lived in Italy, Mexico, China, and the United States, and I dream of moving abroad again in the future. With this blog, I provide my audience with detailed destination guides to my favorite places and pro-tips to make travel as stress-free as possible.

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Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow: The Best of Moscow!

I just got back from one week in Moscow. And, as you might have already guessed, it was a mind-boggling experience. It was not my first trip to the Russian capital. But I hardly ever got enough time to explore this sprawling city. Visiting places for business rarely leaves enough time for sightseeing. I think that if you’ve got one week in Russia, you can also consider splitting your time between its largest cities (i.e. Saint Petersburg ) to get the most out of your trip. Seven days will let you see the majority of the main sights and go beyond just scratching the surface. In this post, I’m going to share with you my idea of the perfect travel itinerary for one week in Moscow.

Moscow is perhaps both the business and cultural hub of Russia. There is a lot more to see here than just the Kremlin and Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Centuries-old churches with onion-shaped domes dotted around the city are in stark contrast with newly completed impressive skyscrapers of Moscow City dominating the skyline. I spent a lot of time thinking about my Moscow itinerary before I left. And this city lived up to all of my expectations.

Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow

Day 1 – red square and the kremlin.

Metro Station: Okhotny Ryad on Red Line.

No trip to Moscow would be complete without seeing its main attraction. The Red Square is just a stone’s throw away from several metro stations. It is home to some of the most impressive architectural masterpieces in the city. The first thing you’ll probably notice after entering it and passing vendors selling weird fur hats is the fairytale-like looking Saint Basil’s Cathedral. It was built to commemorate one of the major victories of Ivan the Terrible. I once spent 20 minutes gazing at it, trying to find the perfect angle to snap it. It was easier said than done because of the hordes of locals and tourists.

As you continue strolling around Red Square, there’s no way you can miss Gum. It was widely known as the main department store during the Soviet Era. Now this large (yet historic) shopping mall is filled with expensive boutiques, pricey eateries, etc. During my trip to Moscow, I was on a tight budget. So I only took a retro-style stroll in Gum to get a rare glimpse of a place where Soviet leaders used to grocery shop and buy their stuff. In case you want some modern shopping experience, head to the Okhotny Ryad Shopping Center with stores like New Yorker, Zara, and Adidas.

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To continue this Moscow itinerary, next you may want to go inside the Kremlin walls. This is the center of Russian political power and the president’s official residence. If you’re planning to pay Kremlin a visit do your best to visit Ivan the Great Bell Tower as well. Go there as early as possible to avoid crowds and get an incredible bird’s-eye view. There are a couple of museums that are available during designated visiting hours. Make sure to book your ticket online and avoid lines.

Day 2 – Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Tretyakov Gallery, and the Arbat Street

Metro Station: Kropotkinskaya on Red Line

As soon as you start creating a Moscow itinerary for your second day, you’ll discover that there are plenty of metro stations that are much closer to certain sites. Depending on your route, take a closer look at the metro map to pick the closest.

The white marble walls of Christ the Saviour Cathedral are awe-inspiring. As you approach this tallest Orthodox Christian church, you may notice the bronze sculptures, magnificent arches, and cupolas that were created to commemorate Russia’s victory against Napoleon.

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Unfortunately, the current Cathedral is a replica, since original was blown to bits in 1931 by the Soviet government. The new cathedral basically follows the original design, but they have added some new elements such as marble high reliefs.

Home to some precious collection of artworks, in Tretyakov Gallery you can find more than 150,000 of works spanning centuries of artistic endeavor. Originally a privately owned gallery, it now has become one of the largest museums in Russia. The Gallery is often considered essential to visit. But I have encountered a lot of locals who have never been there.

Famous for its souvenirs, musicians, and theaters, Arbat street is among the few in Moscow that were turned into pedestrian zones. Arbat street is usually very busy with tourists and locals alike. My local friend once called it the oldest street in Moscow dating back to 1493. It is a kilometer long walking street filled with fancy gift shops, small cozy restaurants, lots of cute cafes, and street artists. It is closed to any vehicular traffic, so you can easily stroll it with kids.

Day 3 – Moscow River Boat Ride, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park, the Moscow City

Metro Station: Kievskaya and Park Pobedy on Dark Blue Line / Vystavochnaya on Light Blue Line

Voyaging along the Moscow River is definitely one of the best ways to catch a glimpse of the city and see the attractions from a bit different perspective. Depending on your Moscow itinerary, travel budget and the time of the year, there are various types of boats available. In the summer there is no shortage of boats, and you’ll be spoiled for choice.

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If you find yourself in Moscow during the winter months, I’d recommend going with Radisson boat cruise. These are often more expensive (yet comfy). They offer refreshments like tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and, of course, alcoholic drinks. Prices may vary but mostly depend on your food and drink selection. Find their main pier near the opulent Ukraine hotel . The hotel is one of the “Seven Sisters”, so if you’re into the charm of Stalinist architecture don’t miss a chance to stay there.

The area near Poklonnaya Hill has the closest relation to the country’s recent past. The memorial complex was completed in the mid-1990s to commemorate the Victory and WW2 casualties. Also known as the Great Patriotic War Museum, activities here include indoor attractions while the grounds around host an open-air museum with old tanks and other vehicles used on the battlefield.

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The hallmark of the memorial complex and the first thing you see as you exit metro is the statue of Nike mounted to its column. This is a very impressive Obelisk with a statue of Saint George slaying the dragon at its base.

Maybe not as impressive as Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower , the skyscrapers of the Moscow City (otherwise known as Moscow International Business Center) are so drastically different from dull Soviet architecture. With 239 meters and 60 floors, the Empire Tower is the seventh highest building in the business district.

The observation deck occupies 56 floor from where you have some panoramic views of the city. I loved the view in the direction of Moscow State University and Luzhniki stadium as well to the other side with residential quarters. The entrance fee is pricey, but if you’re want to get a bird’s eye view, the skyscraper is one of the best places for doing just that.

Day 4 – VDNKh, Worker and Collective Farm Woman Monument, The Ostankino TV Tower

Metro Station: VDNKh on Orange Line

VDNKh is one of my favorite attractions in Moscow. The weird abbreviation actually stands for Russian vystavka dostizheniy narodnogo khozyaystva (Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy). With more than 200 buildings and 30 pavilions on the grounds, VDNKh serves as an open-air museum. You can easily spend a full day here since the park occupies a very large area.

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First, there are pavilions that used to showcase different cultures the USSR was made of. Additionally, there is a number of shopping pavilions, as well as Moskvarium (an Oceanarium) that features a variety of marine species. VDNKh is a popular venue for events and fairs. There is always something going on, so I’d recommend checking their website if you want to see some particular exhibition.

A stone’s throw away from VDNKh there is a very distinctive 25-meters high monument. Originally built in 1937 for the world fair in Paris, the hulking figures of men and women holding a hammer and a sickle represent the Soviet idea of united workers and farmers. It doesn’t take much time to see the monument, but visiting it gives some idea of the Soviet Union’s grandiose aspirations.

I have a thing for tall buildings. So to continue my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow I decided to climb the fourth highest TV tower in the world. This iconic 540m tower is a fixture of the skyline. You can see it virtually from everywhere in Moscow, and this is where you can get the best panoramic views (yep, even better than Empire skyscraper).

Parts of the floor are made of tempered glass, so it can be quite scary to exit the elevator. But trust me, as you start observing buildings and cars below, you won’t want to leave. There is only a limited number of tickets per day, so you may want to book online. Insider tip: the first tour is cheaper, you can save up to $10 if go there early.

Day 5 – A Tour To Moscow Manor Houses

Metro Station: Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno on Dark Green Line / Kuskovo on Purple Line

I love visiting the manor houses and palaces in Moscow. These opulent buildings were generally built to house Russian aristocratic families and monarchs. Houses tend to be rather grand affairs with impressive architecture. And, depending on the whims of the owners, some form of a landscaped garden.

During the early part of the 20th century though, many of Russia’s aristocratic families (including the family of the last emperor) ended up being killed or moving abroad . Their manor houses were nationalized. Some time later (after the fall of the USSR) these were open to the public. It means that today a great many of Moscow’s finest manor houses and palaces are open for touring.

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There are 20 manor houses scattered throughout the city and more than 25 in the area around. But not all of them easily accessible and exploring them often takes a lot of time. I’d recommend focusing on three most popular estates in Moscow that are some 30-minute metro ride away from Kremlin.

Sandwiched between the Moscow River and the Andropov Avenue, Kolomenskoye is a UNESCO site that became a public park in the 1920’s. Once a former royal estate, now it is one of the most tranquil parks in the city with gorgeous views. The Ascension Church, The White Column, and the grounds are a truly grand place to visit.

You could easily spend a full day here, exploring a traditional Russian village (that is, in fact, a market), picnicking by the river, enjoying the Eastern Orthodox church architecture, hiking the grounds as well as and wandering the park and gardens with wildflower meadows, apple orchards, and birch and maple groves. The estate museum showcases Russian nature at its finest year-round.

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If my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow was a family tree, Tsaritsyno Park would probably be the crazy uncle that no-one talks about. It’s a large park in the south of the city of mind-boggling proportions, unbelievable in so many ways, and yet most travelers have never heard of it.

The palace was supposed to be a summer home for Empress Catherine the Great. But since the construction didn’t meet with her approval the palace was abandoned. Since the early 1990’s the palace, the pond, and the grounds have been undergoing renovations. The entire complex is now looking brighter and more elaborately decorated than at possibly any other time during its history. Like most parks in Moscow, you can visit Tsaritsyno free of charge, but there is a small fee if you want to visit the palace.

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Last, but by no means least on my Moscow itinerary is Kuskovo Park . This is definitely an off-the-beaten-path place. While it is not easily accessible, you will be rewarded with a lack of crowds. This 18th-century summer country house of the Sheremetev family was one of the first summer country estates of the Russian nobility. And when you visit you’ll quickly realize why locals love this park.

Like many other estates, Kuskovo has just been renovated. So there are lovely French formal garden, a grotto, and the Dutch house to explore. Make sure to plan your itinerary well because the estate is some way from a metro station.

Day 6 – Explore the Golden Ring

Creating the Moscow itinerary may keep you busy for days with the seemingly endless amount of things to do. Visiting the so-called Golden Ring is like stepping back in time. Golden Ring is a “theme route” devised by promotion-minded journalist and writer Yuri Bychkov.

Having started in Moscow the route will take you through a number of historical cities. It now includes Suzdal, Vladimir, Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Sergiev Posad. All these awe-inspiring towns have their own smaller kremlins and feature dramatic churches with onion-shaped domes, tranquil residential areas, and other architectural landmarks.

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I only visited two out of eight cities included on the route. It is a no-brainer that Sergiev Posad is the nearest and the easiest city to see on a day trip from Moscow. That being said, you can explore its main attractions in just one day. Located some 70 km north-east of the Russian capital, this tiny and overlooked town is home to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, UNESCO Site.

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Sergiev Posad is often described as being at the heart of Russian spiritual life. So it is uncommon to see the crowds of Russian pilgrims showing a deep reverence for their religion. If you’re traveling independently and using public transport, you can reach Sergiev Posad by bus (departs from VDNKh) or by suburban commuter train from Yaroslavskaya Railway Station (Bahnhof). It takes about one and a half hours to reach the town.

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a great place to get a glimpse of filling and warming Russian lunch, specifically at the “ Gostevaya Izba ” restaurant. Try the duck breast, hearty potato and vegetables, and the awesome Napoleon cake.

Day 7 – Gorky Park, Izmailovo Kremlin, Patriarch’s Ponds

Metro Station: Park Kultury or Oktyabrskaya on Circle Line / Partizanskaya on Dark Blue Line / Pushkinskaya on Dark Green Line

Gorky Park is in the heart of Moscow. It offers many different types of outdoor activities, such as dancing, cycling, skateboarding, walking, jogging, and anything else you can do in a park. Named after Maxim Gorky, this sprawling and lovely park is where locals go on a picnic, relax and enjoy free yoga classes. It’s a popular place to bike around, and there is a Muzeon Art Park not far from here. A dynamic location with a younger vibe. There is also a pier, so you can take a cruise along the river too.

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The Kremlin in Izmailovo is by no means like the one you can find near the Red Square. Originally built for decorative purposes, it now features the Vernissage flea market and a number of frequent fairs, exhibitions, and conferences. Every weekend, there’s a giant flea market in Izmailovo, where dozens of stalls sell Soviet propaganda crap, Russian nesting dolls, vinyl records, jewelry and just about any object you can imagine. Go early in the morning if you want to beat the crowds.

All the Bulgakov’s fans should pay a visit to Patriarch’s Ponds (yup, that is plural). With a lovely small city park and the only one (!) pond in the middle, the location is where the opening scene of Bulgakov’s novel Master and Margarita was set. The novel is centered around a visit by Devil to the atheistic Soviet Union is considered by many critics to be one of the best novels of the 20th century. I spent great two hours strolling the nearby streets and having lunch in the hipster cafe.

Conclusion and Recommendations

To conclude, Moscow is a safe city to visit. I have never had a problem with getting around and most locals are really friendly once they know you’re a foreigner. Moscow has undergone some serious reconstruction over the last few years. So you can expect some places to be completely different. I hope my one week Moscow itinerary was helpful! If you have less time, say 4 days or 5 days, I would cut out day 6 and day 7. You could save the Golden Ring for a separate trip entirely as there’s lots to see!

What are your thoughts on this one week Moscow itinerary? Are you excited about your first time in the city? Let me know in the comments below!

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24 comments.

Ann Snook-Moreau

Moscow looks so beautiful and historic! Thanks for including public transit information for those of us who don’t like to rent cars.

MindTheTravel

Yup, that is me 🙂 Rarely rent + stick to the metro = Full wallet!

Mariella Blago

Looks like you had loads of fun! Well done. Also great value post for travel lovers.

Thanks, Mariella!

I have always wanted to go to Russia, especially Moscow. These sights look absolutely beautiful to see and there is so much history there!

Agree! Moscow is a thousand-year-old city and there is definitely something for everyone.

Tara Pittman

Those are amazing buildings. Looks like a place that would be amazing to visit.

Adriana Lopez

Never been to Moscow or Russia but my family has. Many great spots and a lot of culture. Your itinerary sounds fantastic and covers a lot despite it is only a short period of time.

What was their favourite thing about Russia?

Gladys Parker

I know very little about Moscow or Russia for the\at matter. I do know I would have to see the Red Square and all of its exquisite architectural masterpieces. Also the CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR. Thanks for shedding some light on visiting Moscow.

Thanks for swinging by! The Red Square is a great starting point, but there way too many places and things to discover aside from it!

Ruthy @ Percolate Kitchen

You are making me so jealous!! I’ve always wanted to see Russia.

Moscow is in my bucket list, I don’t know when I can visit there, your post is really useful. As a culture rich place we need to spend at least week.

DANA GUTKOWSKI

Looks like you had a great trip! Thanks for all the great info! I’ve never been in to Russia, but this post makes me wanna go now!

Wow this is amazing! Moscow is on my bucket list – such an amazing place to visit I can imagine! I can’t wait to go there one day!

The building on the second picture looks familiar. I keep seeing that on TV.

Reesa Lewandowski

What beautiful moments! I always wish I had the personality to travel more like this!

Perfect itinerary for spending a week in Moscow! So many places to visit and it looks like you had a wonderful time. I would love to climb that tower. The views I am sure must have been amazing!

I was lucky enough to see the skyline of Moscow from this TV Tower and it is definitely mind-blowing.

Chelsea Pearl

Moscow is definitely up there on my travel bucket list. So much history and iconic architecture!

Thumbs up! 🙂

Blair Villanueva

OMG I dream to visit Moscow someday! Hope the visa processing would be okay (and become more affordable) so I could pursue my dream trip!

Yup, visa processing is the major downside! Agree! Time and the money consuming process…

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• Payware Airports and Scenery Reviews

Scenery Review : Moscow City XP by Drzewiecki Design

• drzewiecki design

By Stephen September 24, 2016 in Payware Airports and Scenery Reviews

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You fly for hours, anticipating your arrival, wanting to take in the area and the views of another country far away from your departure airport. The airport and the area you leave from is detailed and visually full, and you know you have a great airport scenery waiting for you at the other end of the flight, then when you arrive...

...  Nothing, but flat plain emptiness and the same boring standard X-Plane basic scenery, worse there is no OSM (Open Street Map) data in the tile either, so there is no road or autogen detailing in there as well, just well nothing.

When Drzewiecki Design released their UUEE Sheremetyevo Airport XP , I loved it because it was like a visitor from the Cold War past, the Soviet era, and it was also great scenery and great choice of a destination to fly to from any of the capitals of Europe...  but that was it, just this great airport in the middle of nothingness, bland....   zero ville.

Now Drzewiecki Design has released "Moscow City"  a scenery package to compliment their UUEE Sheremetyevo, and boy how much a difference this release has done to this totally boring area.

To get the full first impression effect I flew JARDesign's A320neo from EFHK Vatnaa, Helsinki to UUEE Sheremetyevo which is flight Finnair AY153 which is a daily 9.25am service.

First Impressions

I was surprised to start picking up scenery still quite away out from central Moscow, as I approached my 6000ft transition altitude. Here there was buildings and houses and the physical visual notes you were arriving somewhere.

Looking hard at the horizon through the A320's windows and you could see the iconic silhouette of Moscow city.

The scenery provides lite versions of all Moscow's Airports, this is UUWW Vnukovo, which was easily recognisable as you flew over. As you fly closer to the centre of the city the density of the objects below becomes quite heavy as the landscape fills in. You have all kinds of infrastructure including, blocks of flats, tower blocks, factories, housing, skyscrapers and almost everything that makes up an urban landscape, in all there is 2000 custom-made buildings that makes up this impressive scenery.

A note here in that you don't get that rolling as you move feeling effect where as it just suddenly appears in front of you and then quickly disappears behind as soon as you have flown out over the area. There is a slight effect of that as there has to be, but only in the far distance and as you can see from the images the views in every direction are widespread and visually it is very good to excellent.

The "Seven Sisters" or "Stalinist skyscrapers" built from 1947 to 1953 are all in the scenery with their "Wedding Cake" architecture or officially  Russian Baroque               - Gothic style. Most famous is the Moscow State University, front and centre of the image below.

Central Moscow is excellent and extremely realistic, and you really need a travel guide to pick out the landmarks and detail, but it is hard to miss the Red Kremlin complex  and St Peter's square from the air.  Both sides of the aircraft is visually full until you have crossed right over the city.

I am not a fan of the generated 3d OSM scenery, but this is very good in blending in perfectly with the X-Plane default scenery and giving you a smooth transition from country to urban and back again with great realism.

Over the city and turning north towards Sheremetyevo, another Moscow airport UUMU Chkalovsky is represented on the turn.

The city skyline is now easily visible on landing at Sheremetyevo, and that really helps in the arrival factor, more so in that the cities building infrastructure spread now comes up and around the airport to fill the gaps to the city itself, and making the original  Sheremetyevo scenery that was so open and lonely in the old X-Plane view is now a big part of the whole in this combination. No doubt it really brings this always good scenery now alive and very usable.

Sheremetyevo Airport

Before we move on to the city itself. It is important to note the area around UUEE Sheremetyevo itself.

Compare the large image above to the earlier image at the start of this review to see the amount of change there is around UUEE Sheremetyevo with the addition of this Moscow City package. The two sceneries are of course meant to be used together, and in reality it would look odd if you had Moscow City scenery installed without the Sheremetyevo scenery included to fill out the northern areas. A highlight is that both sceneries together form a single whole, as the areas between the airport and the central city area are well filled in and that gives you a huge area of coverage and the full visual aspect.

To get a closer lower look at the Moscow Center I commandeered Dreamfoil's lovely Bell 407.

There is a 4.000km² total area covered with this scenery here, and you have expect some sort of building replication to cover all that ground. There is of course but as well in the fact there is also enough variations as to not keep it all interesting and not obviously visually obvious.

The closer you go to the central area, the variations in the buildings change there in style and density as well. And then more of the iconic buildings start to appear as you get closer in again to the middle. The business district is excellent, with a lot of business towers and the more modern futuristic skyscraper architecture that stands out in every view point in eye scans across the city.

The more recent is in tune with the more older Stalinist era that makes up the Moscow skyline.

The Kremlin Complex and the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (St Basil's) is excellently represented and so is "Red Square"

There are Orthodox churches everywhere and all the big icons in the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium, Otkrytive Arena and department stores, museums and power stations and more....

I did have issues with many buildings floating, including the Kremlin. I tried both "Runways follow terrain contours" on and off with no flattening of the objects and there is no information in the manual either on how to fix the problem.

Night lighting is very good, yes there is again a repeatable pattern to the majority of the hundreds of the apartment blocks that does stand out, but the more individual buildings do all have that personal touch and some buildings look really very good.

The highlight here is the business district which looks magnificent and is very realistic from any direction at night as is the lit Stadium.

Although away from the central area the Ostankino Tower that stands 540.1 metres (1,772 ft) tall, and is the tallest freestanding structure in Europe and it looks great at night and is a very good position indicator from the air from any direction.

Included Moscow Airports

As noted also included in the scenery are seven airports and several helipads.

UUWW Vnukovo

The futuristic Vnukovo International is very good for a lite version, with great terminals and lots of small detailing. Only thing missing is the static aircraft and a bit more ramp equipment, but otherwise it is highly usable.

UUDD Domodedovo

The oldest of Moscow's International airports is Domodedovo. Again it is quite devoid of static aircraft and I am not crazy about the blue terminal glass work, but it is still a very workable scenery to use and has a lot of well made objects.

UUBW Zhukovsky

Zhukovsky was a major aircraft testing facility since the  cold war years, with most of the major Russian Experimental Design Bureau's having facilities here. It is also now used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations! and cargo carriers. It was also used as a test site for the Soviet Buran  reusable Spacecraft because it has the world's second longest pubic runway at at 5,402 m (17,723 ft). Mostly it is a collection of very large hangars but has a lot of static aircraft in storage.

UUMO Ostafyevo International Business Airport

A former military airbase. Ostafyevo features a new modern glass terminal, and caters primarily to business aviation.

UUMU Chkalovsky

Chkalovsky is a military logistics airport that is famous for it's support for the Russian Space program and transport to Star City and the Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center. Yuri Gagarin left here on his final flight before crashing by the town of Kirzhach.

UUBM Myachkovo Airport

Myachkovo is a small General Aviation Airport that is owned by the Finpromko company. Cargo aircraft up to the size of the Ilyushin ll-76 freighter can also use the airport.

UUMB Kubinka

Kubinka has been a significant Russian military airbase and large airshows are held here to show off the Russian military might.

There is also provided UUU1 Kremlin Airport, within the Kremlin walls, but I couldn't get it to work? There are two pads in H1 and H2.

Your first thoughts after reviewing this excellent Moscow scenery is not with this actual package. You then wish that you could have this extensive scenery at London, Rome, Madrid, Berlin and the list could go on with any of your favorite European Cities, and don't count a load in the Middle East and Asia. But a London scenery like this would certainly be a godsend in our X-Plane world. Drzewiecki Design has already done Warsaw and Manhattan, so there is always hope.

It is not cheap either and you need to add in their UUEE Sheremetyevo scenery package on top of that as well. But you get an awful lot of ground covered here for your money, with the area covered here that is extensive...  huge and flying into Moscow will never be the same again.

A few areas to note in one that in my case a few of the buildings floated, the download is huge load at 1.4gb and this Russian area is not the best for navigation aids and programming FMS units as most waypoints are not recognised. Most of the airports ILS coordinates also have to checked and recalibrated (Drzewiecki Design do provide all the correct coordinates) so there is a little work to do to set up repeat services but the work is worth the results.

Not only is the actual Moscow city and all it's buildings supported, you also get seven (if lite versions) of Moscow's other airports included as well, but the framerate processing of all this huge amount of objects and scale is pretty good to excellent. Framerate does hurt more on a lower (helicopter) level and certainly you need a computer with a little extra power is in no doubt required, but overall for the size of the area the scenery is extremely efficient.

Yes I was impressed by this Moscow City Scenery, as this once very barren area of X-Plane is now a very attractive repeat destination as nothing can give you a greater fulfilment than seeing your destination appear in the distance and then give you a huge visual experience as you fly over and approach your destination.

Moscow City certainly delivers that and more...  Just more sceneries like this please!

Moscow City XP by Drzewiecki Design is NOW available! from the X-Plane.Org Store here :

• Extremely detailed model of Moscow metropolitan area in Russia
• Almost 2000 custom-made buildings and other objects, all high quality, FPS-friendly and with night textures
• Whole Moscow center done in 3D as well as all other important landmarks - museums, palaces, skyscrapers, towers, bridges, railway stations, Zara stores...
• Trains, ships, 3D people, cars, airport vehicles, static aircraft - anything you can imagine
• About 4000 sq.km of photoreal 0,5-1m/pix terrain with autogen
• Sceneries of all surrounding airports including UUWW Vnukovo, UUDD Domodedovo, UUBW Zhukovski, UUMO Ostafyevo, UUBM Myachkovo and UUMB Kubinka, with all airport buildings, detailed layouts, people, airport vehicles and more
• Very detailed Kremlin model with newly constructed heliport

Requirements

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Installation and documents:

Download for the Moscow City XP is 1.47gb and the unzipped file is deposited in the "Custom Scenery" as four files:

DDZ Moscow City XP (3.99gb) - Yes GIGABYTES!

DDZ Moscow City XP Layer 2 (30.20mb)

DDZ Moscow City XP Documents (1.0 mb)

ZZZ_DDZ Moscow City XP Terrain (20.10mb)

Installation for Windows comes with an .exe installer that deposits the files in the correct order required (however I still moved the ZZZ- folder to the bottom via the INI text install list.

Installation Instructions are provided for Mac and Linux

You need to check all airports ILS coordinates are correct, instructions are provided.

Documents: Two documents include

Moscow City XP MacLinuxinstall

Moscow City XP Manual (seven pages)

Review System Specifications:

Computer System : Windows  - Intel Core i7 6700K CPU 4.00GHz / 64bit - 16 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - GeForce GTX 980/SSE2 - Samsung Evo 512gb SSD 

Software :   - Windows 10 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.50

Addons : Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle : Sound - Bose  Soundlink Mini

Plugins: JARDesign Ground Handling Deluxe US$14.95 : WorldTraffic US$29.95

Scenery or Aircraft

- Airbus A320neo by JARDesign ( X-Plane.OrgStore ) - US$59.95 : A320neo Sound Packs by Blue Sky Star Simulations ( X-Plane.OrgStore ) - US$19.95

- Bell 407 by Dreamfoil Creations ( X-Plane.OrgStore ) - US$34.95

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• 7 months later...

Thank you for this very thorough (as always) review. I just bought it (it's on sale) and have only one disappointment so far: Red Square has no ILS or any landing aids at all for that matter. And what a nightmare of an approach! Also I was hoping the package would include an add-on that gives my c172 a big cup holder for my Stoli. Otherwise the scenery is gorgeous. What a country!

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