2023 Trek X-Caliber 8 is Only Missing One Thing

[@TheRedddot]

I've had this bike for a year now, what makes it worth the price is the parts used. The 60 psi tubeless tires, great gears and shifters, decent fork and lightweight aluminum frame. Also, xcal-9 has a dropper post :D

[@ThePupil]

what color do you have? Currently Black is in sale but the store doesn't have it in stock. Not sure if the Black color lives up to it in real life.

[@thesilversender]

XC Racers spend a lot more time in the saddle than Trail or Enduro so they usually skip the Dropper Post to save weight.

[@55mtb51]

Agreed, also one less thing to go wrong.

[@webmenacee]

Yeah I just put on a carbon fiber post. Dropped is too heavy

[@Andrew-ft5zf]

Have a 2020 XCaliber 8 and I love it. I take it on trails and commute. You can go anywhere.

[@kris4645]

Beautiful bike! I prefer this one, over the Roscoe! If only by some miracle,I could afford it!😌 Greetings from Kris from Croatia 😎

[@michaelsmeatham219]

Nice vid Matty,glad you finally got to get on the xc....I got one and loving it....👍

[@anthonygordon241]

Oh my days, I've been waiting for this review. I'm getting an x caliber 9 2022 this weekend. Thanks mate

[@allanridesbikes5856]

I'm curious to see how this bike has evolved in 2022/23. Back in 2020, they built the Roscoe using the same frame as the XCal, but spec'd it for more trail than XC. And now the Roscoe is an aggressive hardtail bike. Would love to see how the XCal pushed their XC hardtail.

[@BlackMan614]

I have the 2019 XCal-8. Had to get a dropper post and went for a 1X drive train. Only issue is the QR.

[@allanridesbikes5856]

@@BlackMan614 is it that weird 141 boost qr?

[@BlackMan614]

@@allanridesbikes5856 yup

[@davidleemann7395]

Guy at the bike store tried to sell me one of those instead of the Roscoe 7 in 2020, said it was the same as the Roscoe7 but no dropper post and was a 29" . I held out and ordered the Roscoe and never regretted my decision🤣 #TeamRoscoe

[@MattyActive]

Haha that was a great decision

[@jamessbca]

No joke. I know this sounds nutty, but this is why I mostly prefer youtube videos over bike shops for research. Not their fault - human nature - they want to sell what's on the floor. Matty's channel is awesome. I may end up with a Trek Roscoe, and frankly, they'll owe Matty a commission :)

[@55mtb51]

The X-Cal used to share a frame with the Roscoe, but Roscoe(except 6 model) got a new frame in 2022, so they are more different.

[@pratyushpancholi2837]

Finally wait is over....Finally xcaliber 8 2022 review 🙌 thanks a lot 👏 for such a great review... it will gonna help me a lot in my buying decision 🙂

[@ylana4444]

I have the xcaliber 8 2022 in crystal white. I upgraded the seat post with a Fox Transfer dropper. I love it! I use it for easy neighborhood trails, fire roads, single track…it does climb well and is pretty comfortable..I put some composite flat pedals on too and bought some 5/10 shoes. It’s a pretty complete bike for my needs!

[@flrn6233]

BTW, if you want a more XC style tires for the Marlin, I recomend you a Maxxis Recon Race for the front, and and Maxxis Icon to the rear, you can get both tubeless ready. You are gonna get a fast bike with good control on the front, and the Ikon is nice for wheelies.

[@mrvwbug4423]

I run the Ardent Race on my hardtail, they work great for XC and light trail work, surprisingly grippy for XC tires. Surprised to see them on a Trek from the factory, I would expect to see Bontrager tires on a stock Trek. This style of XC bike is almost becoming obsolete for XC racing because XC races have been getting more and more technical over the years. The XC race I'm planning to ride in September up in Wyoming includes a fair amount of black rated tech trail on the Advanced and open class courses, even the intermediate course has a couple of black rated lines. The Laramie Range Epic, which is a big XC race that happens up here in July has a steep and janky black rated downhill right before the finish of the 31 mile lap

[@MIsterioStudios]

Sick looking paint job. I agree with you that a dropper post would be nice to have at that price point. But for light xc / trails a dropper isn’t a deal breaker I guess. I have the Trek Marlin 8 and I love it! Using it for general fitness, hill climbs and such while I rehab a back injury.

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

For one it’s a cross country bike, intended use is fast as possible not necessarily steep and rough.

[@MIsterioStudios]

@@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5 True that. But for practicing certain drills and things I'd love the ability to drop the seat.

[@dagus1985]

I have X-Caliber 9 2022 and I’m really exited with my new bike is awesome

[@MrTacoJay]

Thinking of buying this. But the qr rear is holding me up. It’s a sweet deal right now on sale Convince me I don’t need a rear thru axle lol

[@Hand_of_Dorn]

Love this video Matty! I own this exact bike, and have started to race XC on it this spring/summer. Definitely surprised me how comfortable it is over long miles. I really didn't like the stock Maxxis tires though, and would recommend going for something from Continental like the TrailKing or Bontragers XR2 or XR3. Tons of fun on the Dirty Bismarck loop.

[@ThePupil]

what color do you have? Currently Black is in sale but the store doesn't have it in stock. Not sure if the Black color lives up to it in real life.

[@mjdgaming6060]

Hey brooo! Just try out x-caliber 9 It's very awesome 😊

[@Mat7780]

Thanks! for your time and infos ;)

[@MattyActive]

My first ever super thanks! I really appreciate it, thank you!

[@abdulqadir3773]

❤❤

[@s3aitken]

would love to see you try out a "hardcore hardtail" with super slack geometry. nukeproof scout, kona honzo esd, canyon stoic something like that

[@joshuaallswang8016]

What do you think his Roscoe 9 is!?

[@eemelikarjalainen3896]

@@joshuaallswang8016 That definitely isn't hardcore hardtail.

[@jamesmathews243]

A lot of XC riders choose not to use dropper posts, for weight savings and/or cause XC is a different style of riding.

[@christopherbritton2256]

I have a white X caliber 8 2022 model And I have a 2022 X caliber 9 And they are very awesome bikes And they do Ride a lot nicer Then a MarLin 7 And Marlin 8 I want you to have a very nice awesome wonderful day and be safe

[@dylancluck7346]

i have the 2022 version of this bike and i love it. i really like how light it is and yea having no dropper out of the box kinda sucks but Im guessing its to save weight because its supposed to be an entry level race bike. First thing i did was put a dropper on it tho lmao

[@55mtb51]

You don’t necessarily need a dropper for XC riding. If you do, it’s easy to add one, or just buy the X-Cal 9. I prefer not paying for it if I don’t need it.

[@ThePupil]

what color do you have? Currently Black is in sale but the store doesn't have it in stock. Not sure if the Black color lives up to it in real life.

[@shatter22]

November 2022. I canceled the order and bought a scott Scale 950 instead. The xcaliber8 (2020) is missing, but the Scott scale seems better: boost hub, fox32

[@64Michaelwayne]

Great review Matty,I’ve been looking a while now for a good decent mountain bike. I’ve always had a Hybrid but I want to start going off trek and a little more adventurous, this ticks all of the boxes apart from my £700 max budget……but the wife doesn’t need to know that 😉😂

[@chrisforbes]

Thanks Matty - I’m buying one this week!🤘🏻

[@Biking_with_Akiva]

I never rode an XC style type bike glad you liked it... I've looked at a few and notice some of them don't come with a dropper 🤷🏾‍♂️ at least some of the ones I've seen. Im gonna try hitting some stairs you made that look fun 💪🏾💯 another great video Matty

[@boydcrowder4436]

Much quieter and smoother than a Marlin.

[@erikyoutube5641]

Thx!!! Now i know what i want. I was thinking about a Marlin 7 or roscoe 6 but now i know! Just need to know my size i think i go for a L. Thx again m8

[@willmuckel9131]

Same. I tried out the Roscoe 7 and Xcaliber 8. I loved the Xcaliber, but fell off the Roscoe. The Xcaliber 9 has the dropper post and better brakes.

[@bccc3478]

I bought one yesterday. Non stop thunderstorms since I left the shop...

[@Adventuregirl96]

All the Trek XC bike are excellent. My little sister has one which she rides on fast flow trails, but she loves using it as a City MTB around campus. Pretty sure she has a dropper post on hers and she might have changed out the handlebars, but I am not sure. She says it is playful and lots of fun to ride.

[@caseyjones3380]

If you get a dropper post you should get the Rock Shox reverb

[@robgoffroad]

That looks a lot like my Rockhopper Elite 29, at least in terms of geometry. It too has a Judy fork, an 11sp Shimano drivetrain and brakes. And I added a dropper post to mine the day I bought it. EDIT: I had to check the websites; the Trek's head tube angle is 1 deg steeper than the Rockhopper, so yeah pretty close. I do notice mine turns waaaay easier with the steeper head angle compared to my Stumpjumper, which has roughly the same geometry as your Roscoe but with full susp.

[@YanicEtoCharles]

WHAT do you think x caliber 8 2023 OR rockhopper Elite 29 11sp

[@ambc38vsxn]

Hi, please share the exact model of the dropper post you installed

[@55mtb51]

Good review, but I don’t think the lack of a dropper post is a big deal. A lot of people won’t be racing these, or riding aggressively enough to need it. Some will be used as commuters, for example. It’s easy to add a dropper if you need one, or just buy the X-Caliber 9. I’d rather see the money go into a brake upgrade, or stay in my pocket.

[@virginiascurti5036]

The X-caliber 9 does and up until recently dropper posts on XC bikes were rare but your seeing pros ride with them more and more. BTW just traded in my Marlin 5 Gen for one of these!

[@mirondavis1981]

I just bought the Xcal 8, can't wait to see how different it is to my Roscoe 8.

[@bmwm3man]

how does it compare to your roscoe 8?

[@blakeschoenbrun865]

That bike is what got me started in mountain biking. Upgraded to be more trail bikey. Loved it till i sold it to get my fuel ex 8

[@MattyActive]

That’s a great upgrade!

[@oldkicker8958]

Me too got the ex5 and EX8 I have the 5 setup for XC. The Cal 8 I had was super fast I even rode it on very technical trails with no problems but It would be nice if it had a 148 through axle in the rear.

[@BlackadderSnap]

Great review man!

[@lockonstrauss7714]

it will be much faster if you change the tires to maxxis ikon and sid select. i already upgraded mine with these. i will also change the wheelset in future.

[@rdziller1]

love this bike just picked oneup about a week ago

[@Thomas-pv4my]

I reccomend to get a normal rekon in the front and the rekon race in the rear.

[@kwaktak]

On second though, after coming up against some limitations with my Marlin 7 I'm thinking that maybe I should upgrade one of these. I could also transfer some of the upgrades I made to my Marlin (such as an internally route dropper post, PNW Range handlebars and a set of Maxxis tubeless ready tires) to one of these. The only downvote I have is that it can only take a 32t crank; I have a 34t on my Marlin.

[@iLuvNegrosO.]

I'm using 34t chainring. If you want to bigger than 34t, you need to add a spacer.

[@hikers012]

Been using for 2 years really fast xc bike.

[@stylusmtb1762]

You’ve been on the bike before just didn’t realize it. It’s the same frame as your old Roscoe 7 just specd out differently

[@chrisjones7281]

Are you sure? I thought the XCal was a better version of the Marlin with Tapered HR Alpha Gold Aluminum. Where as as the Roscoe was slightly slacker. I could be wrong but Seems like Roscoe was slightly burlier designed around 27.5+ vs 29er.. yes you can put 29s on a Roscoe.but think Marlin geo is same as XCal.

[@stylusmtb1762]

@@chrisjones7281 the year roscoe 7 he had was the exact same frame as the xcalibers. The new roscoes except for the 6 now have updated geometry and components. The 6 is still the old model year

[@chrisjones7281]

@@stylusmtb1762 yeah I have a 19 Roscoe as well. I had a Marlin before that and at the time I thought the Marlin and XCal had same design and geometry and Xcal and Roscoe had same grade of Aluminum. Roscoe was slacker by 1° than Marlin. But if what you're saying is right i might make it a Roscaliber. Lol. I have a Ragley Big AL as my HT Trail. Cool thanks for clearing that up👍

[@stylusmtb1762]

@@chrisjones7281 I have a mulleted chromag stylus as my main bike and an orange crush as my loaner bike for others. A few years back I took a 2018 xcaliber and mulleted it with a 120mm travel fork and then put in a dropper and that bike handled like a dream. Sold it for almost double what I bought it for

[@meepcheep314]

the reason why it doesn't have a dropper post is because xc bikes don't really need a dropper post as much as trail bikes, they probably saved the money to put it towards different components of the bike

[@politan83]

A lot of XC bikes don't come with droppers, probably, as another commentor said, to save weight, since weight matters a lot in XC races.

[@flrn6233]

Could be better. They use the "deore" cassette which is heavier than the "Deore XT". They use the Rockshox judy (not bad but too heavy). I'm so used to the shimano xt brakes with the xt disc that I don't like others, it's so good for modulate. I think they hate droppers, they even removed the dropper post hole from the frames, was removed in that frame or not? And the tread of those Ardent looks too separated to me (I'm very picky), if they make too much noise they are not gonna be that fast. I would use a Pace on the rear, but that's just me. I would love to see the parts of the bike with a close up. I would love to see if the frame that that hole for the dropper post (for example). Nice to see another bike.

[@michaelgrieve3296]

Nice video!

[@Ben-sv9op]

Will, this drive on the street pavement better than a rusco 8 Or should I just go for a Marlin? I'm looking for a second bike, but mainly for like around the neighborhood pavement street thir

[@bernieromero3520]

You ever come back to Albuquerque I know a nice trail you may like.

[@MattyActive]

I should be in Albuquerque this fall

[@rikelmore4895]

Xc bikes typically have a fixed post to save weight instead of a dropper

[@MattyActive]

Oh ok That makes sense because I could really lower the seat at all.

[@rohankoripalli]

@@MattyActive Looks like the Marlin where you cant lower the post all the way and you have to cut it

[@55mtb51]

@@rohankoripalli yes, the top water bottle mount is the lowest it can go. Cutting a little off the post is easy if you need to go lower.

[@hikers012]

Great bike

[@natalkapotorzycka6355]

Jaki rozmiar ma pan?

[@iceboogie827]

Whats up?. Good Vid!. ?. What size is the bike??

[@MattyActive]

It’s a size M

[@iceboogie827]

@@MattyActive ... Oh Ok... I'm 5'11 and a large seems a lil big for me..Thanks brother!

[@iceboogie827]

How tall are you?. If you don't mind me asking. I'm 5'11 and the Medium fits well dlfor me. Or might have to get the M/L.

[@Mat7780]

Did you feel the M/L a bit small ? L fit better? (im 5.9 … 32… in the inseam) ?? i whant to order it but can’t return it so i’m a bit scare lol 😅

[@MattyActive]

The M/L is perfect size for me and I’m 31 inseam 5’8

[@Mat7780]

THANKS MATTY!!!! 👍🏼

[@robbo8566]

Whats that noise?

[@kihealthandwellness]

No thru axel... means no deal!

[@mattj6676]

Do I think you can wheelie? Does it have two wheels?

[@juanhuttoe4517]

Sharp bike!

[@rasssike5941]

what is your gearing to make wheelie?

[@MattyActive]

I’m usually in 4th or 5th gear

[@JensEser]

Do you like the Marlin 8 or X-caliber 8 better?

[@MattyActive]

I like the x-caliber more honestly. It’s more updated and easier to upgrade

[@Mat7780]

Is it a Medium or Medium/ Large you test in the video and how fast can you get whit it ? (km/h) 26km/h

[@MattyActive]

M/L and about 20mph

[@Mat7780]

@@MattyActive Wow thanks alot !! Realy fast respond ! 🤝👍✌️

[@alex-zh5yv]

what is your height / inseam if you dont mind me asking? thinking about getting this bike but not sure if I should get M or M/L (i am 5'8 right around 30" inseam)

[@MattyActive]

I’m the same as you. I would go M/L

[@alex-zh5yv]

@@MattyActive thanks for the info, now just going to wait and see if they do a black friday sale

[@jenniferdipietro3666]

I am 5/5 and have a 30 inch inseam. I got the small. Fit me great. Have taken it out several times on gravel super muddy road. And I love it.

[@luispantaleonhart3233]

I Just got one ❤

[@madmikemtb105]

It’s the old roscoe frame

[@jasonkwasky53]

X Caliber 8 or Roscoe 9 for trails?

[@MattyActive]

Definitely Roscoe 9!

[@ThePupil]

As a Dutch guy I never understood why people need a 1500 mtb as a commuter bike. Any bike with gears will do. And high spec shifter and gears are only needed when you go off road.

[@demri123]

Weather can be extreme in the US. Frequent snow. Also some ppl commute through dirt trails

[@MrAshkeris]

Bro make a trek marlin 8 2022

[@h1n1worm]

2023..kinda premium xc and....eccentric .

[@ukkilukki3620]

Do you have marlin 7 if u have can u tell me is it good bike for 970€?

[@MattyActive]

I have the trek marlin 6 I think it’s more for the money

[@ukkilukki3620]

@@MattyActive 👍

[@namithakishor1851]

Who much did you paid for it

[@MattyActive]

It was just a test ride but it $1,599

[@JensEser]

@Matty Active - How tall are you?

[@MattyActive]

I’m 5’8

[@JensEser]

@@MattyActive the bike in this video is a M/L, correct? - Thus, I should go at height 5'10 with a size L, I guess..

[@staccatoglock]

Affordability

[@theforeigner6988]

If it only had a dropper post...

[@nipahaus6206]

Indeed trek is fooling the customers, the only change is the number of the year but not on a frame of the bike until now the x caliber is in qr not a true axle

[@MattyActive]

I’m surprised it’s not thru axle.

[@user-ri8ny9hu4q]

Tha best cardiooo leard from old school de mi barrio club deportino cuchilla kuarteta chuspii guadarrama acuna coach old school todabia a tibos ex caliber 8 perrona fuga pala pressà

[@kakusei3672]

$1600 with 141 boost qr no thanks

[@MattyActive]

Yea I was looking at that too. I don’t blame you

[@VK-ip9ru]

What’s wrong with 141?

[@kakusei3672]

@@VK-ip9ru no one uses it but trek and other lower end bikes

[@iLuvNegrosO.]

I was worried about that at first because it's hard to find hubs for 141 boost, till I discovered that you can also use 148 boost hubs on them which is better. But, for sure, I'd still would've liked it better if it's a thru axle.

[@carlt9265]

Not many bikes in that price range comes with an xt derailour

[@perfumesnobs]

Hi bro. Great video man 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 I think buy new bike what is better this one or trek Marlin 7 2023 ? Thanks 🙏

[@MattyActive]

I would get the trek marlin 7 if it were me

[@perfumesnobs]

Thanks really appreciate 💪🏽💪🏽👍🏽