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Give Trek $13.5K for a 2022 Speed Concept Bike? But It Has an Integrated Bento Box

Every once in a while, a machine hits the market and could be considered as expensive as some cars. Well, that's the case with Trek's 2022 Speed Concept, a bike that may even be as fast as a car if your legs allow it.
2022 Speed Concept SLR 9 20 photos
Photo: Trek Bicycle Corporation
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Folks, aside from running for a starting price tag of 13,500 USD (11,940 EUR at current exchange rates), the 2022 Speed Concept SLR 9 is Trek's freshest triathlon bicycle that's been engineered and tuned to bring you that gold medal or podium placement. After all, Trek has been placing athletes on podiums since before some of us were even born. Don't believe me? Just turn on a TV to any cycling channel, and chances are you'll see a Trek machine in less than a minute.

Well, this time around, we are led to expect nothing less than a peak performance bicycle. As you may have guessed from the price, Concept is fabricated using as much carbon fiber as possible; just about anything that can be carbon fiber is.

One major carbon component is the frame. Here, Trek uses 800 Series OCLV Carbon with KVF (Kammtail Virtual Foil) design to complete a frame a like few others before it. If you don't know what KVF is, it's an airfoil tube shape meant to improve aerodynamics. This means more speed and is also the main reason for this bike's shape; it's meant to pick air up and set it down gently behind it with as little ruckus as possible.

2022 Speed Concept SLR 9 \(Mulsanne Blue/Trek Black\)
Photo: Trek Bicycle Corporation
The frame is then jampacked with Trek's IsoSpeed feature, helping reduce vibrations without affecting energy exertion, and a carbon fiber fork completes the frameset. The fork is just as tuned for aerodynamical purposes as the rest of the tubing.

As for a few other tricks the frame hides, since you'll be using this bike to compete in races and other events, all of it is tuned to keep you riding and reduce your times. There's an integrated Bento box in the top tube, a flat kit in the down tube, and a water bottle on the down tube and handlebar too. I think it's safe to say you don't have to leave your bike to replenish energy levels.

The cockpit I mentioned is completed with ultimate customizability in mind. No matter the racing stage you're in or body fatigue that you display, this feature is set to help you not only control this machine accordingly but is designed to reduce fatigue as much as possible.

2022 Speed Concept SLR 9 Flat Kit
Photo: Trek Bicycle Corporation
All gimmicks aside, one reason you're asked to dish out this sort of cash is because of the drivetrain. A Shimano Dura-Ace setup with R9250 Di2 derailleurs, R9200 cassette with 11-30 T, and Dura-Ace chain are tuned to run on 2x12 speeds. No need to mention that shifting is wireless.

I mentioned that anything that can be completed out of carbon fiber is for Speed Concept. That being said, you'll be looking at a bicycle that comes in with a weight of 19.18 lbs (8.7 kg) for a size M model. That's all near $14K will get you.

Now, try and remember that bikes like these aren't made to just be taken out for a stroll or a Sunday morning ride, but rather are fine-tuned machines that require just as fine-tuned an athlete to handle. After all, if you're going to blow some of your life's savings to buy a bike, you might as well turn it into an investment.

Just a tip: if you feel that the Speed Concept is the bike of your dreams, bring along more than the asking price as it's a customizable machine, and that always ends up pinching your pocket a tad more.
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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