Trek Unleashes 2022 Fat Tire Farley Family Machines Capable of All-Season Riding

One team that’s always been of worldwide interest has been Trek. In the spirit of American Month, I've taken it upon me to show you what one of America’s most beloved bicycle manufacturers is up to for 2022.

Trek has now risen to the level where they don’t really need an introduction. Heck, just turn on your TV to any cycling channel, and chances are you’ll see a Trek bicycle or product in the next five minutes. And the way they’ve risen to the top is because of building bikes like the ones featured in the new Farley line.

Three bikes are available in the new line, two aluminum beasts, and one carbon fiber demon made to show off the new line in its glory. The Farley 5 and 7 are the two aluminum wonders and so I'll start with them, leaving the best, the Farley 9.6, for last.

Now these bikes all boast a similar frame construction, with variations between models based on components. But the main feature they all have in common are those massive 27.5-inch tires, the same ones that can come in with a maximum width of 4.70 inches.

Each bike also includes dropper posts with internal routing, full Bontrager secondary components, and internal derailleur routing too. Some lines are exposed, but their placement on top of the down tube, and inside the central triangle of the bike, keeps them safe and snag-free. To top it all off, Trek also offers an array of gear to transform your Farley into what you see in the main photo.

The Beasts

The first of the bikes, in terms of being the least expensive, is the Farley 5, coming in with a price of $1,950 (€1,650 at current exchange rates). The main discerning feature on the bike, aside from the massive tires, is the way the top tube, down tube, and head tube all form a solid front segment on the frame. That frame is completed using Trek’s Alpha Platinum Aluminum, offering a light and flexible construction.

One thing that I found unexpected was the solid carbon fiber Bontrager Haru fork. Luckily the carbon should take care of vibrations and bumps. For a drivetrain, Shimano Deore shifters and rear derailleur spin a KMC 10-speed chain on another Deore cassette with ten speeds and 11-46 T. Braking on the other hand is completed by Sram with hydraulic disc brakes clamping down on Avid G2 160-mm (6.3-in) rotors.

The Farley 7 features the same hardtail frame as the 5, but one main difference here is the addition of a suspension on the front, but also the drivetrain components. For a price of $2,800 (€1,650 at current exchange rates), I find this may be the best buy of the three, in terms of comfort and components, but I'm a sucker for front suspension hardtails.

At the front of this example, you’ll find a Manitou Mastodon 34 Comp fork with 80 mm (3.14 in) of travel, enough to smoothen things out a bit more than a rigid front. The drivetrain, on the other hand, features Sram as the leading component provider. An NX Eagle shifter controls a GX eagle derailleur that shifts a, NX chain on another Eagle cassette running 12 speeds and equipped with 11-50 T range. Brakes are Sram again, but rotors can reach 180 mm (7.1 in) depending on the size of the bike you choose.

The Demon

The final machine this team has in store for us is the Farley 9.6. Boasting a similar frame geometry to the other two brethren, the 9.6 features a full OCLV Carbon frame. The fork too, is no longer a traveling one, because Trek switched back to a Bontrager Haru stiff carbon construction fork.

For the drivetrain, a full Sram GX Eagle setup is tuned to 12 speeds once again, and a Sram Level TL hydraulic disc brake setup with CenterLine 160-mm (6.3-in) rotors takes care of braking. Overall, you’ll need to dish out $3,450 (€2,918 at current exchange rates) for this sucker.

Conclusion

Trek is currently heralding these bikes as being the all-season, all-round bike for fat tire lovers and riders. Whether or not that’s true is hard to say considering the number of manufacturers with fat tire bikes. Ultimately, it comes down to what you think. So, what do you think of the new Farley family?