Trek's Farley EX Full Suspension Fat Bike - Sea Otter 2016

Apr 15, 2016
by Mike Kazimer  
Sea Otter 2016


Trek Farley EX

Trek Farley EX

Trek let their Stache 29+ hardtail loose on the world at last year's Sea Otter Classic, a goofily fun bike that surprised many riders with its capabilities, myself included. This time around big wheels are the theme again, but now Trek has gone ahead and created a line of full suspension fat bikes that roll on 27.5 x 3.8” tires. 26” wheels are still the most common size for fat bikes due to the limited number of extra-fat 27.5” tire options, but Trek didn't let that hold them back – they simply developed their own tire line, and then built the bikes that would fit the new tires.

According to Trek, fat bikes are their fastest growing category, and the most searched term on their web site is 'fat bikes', factors that led them to decide to expand the line to include more than just hardtails. Who's the ideal rider for the Farley EX? It's not necessarily someone who lives in a location that's snowbound most of the year, although it's certainly a good option for those conditions. Instead, Trek sees the Farley EX series as being more versatile, a bike that could serve as someone's primary bike year round, rather than being an N+1, off-season bike.

Trek Farley EX

In addition to further smoothing out rough terrain, the bike's 120mm of front and rear travel makes it easier to keep the undamped rebound created by the big tires in check. The Farley EX uses the same suspension design found throughout Trek's mountain bike line, including the RE:activ shock technology that was developed in conjunction with Penske and Fox.

There will be two versions of the Farley EX, one with a carbon frame one with an aluminum frame. The carbon EX 9.8 comes with Bontrager's Wampa carbon wheels, a RockShox Bluto, and a SRAM X01/X1 drivetrain for $5,500 USD. The alloy version is equipped with a RockShox Bluto, Sun Ringle Mulefut wheels, and a SRAM GX drivetrain for $3,500. Both bikes are expected to be available this August.

Trek Farley EX
The Farley comes with 3.8" tire, but there's room for up to a 4.0."
Trek Farley EX
RockShox's Bluto fork provides 120mm of front suspension.

Geometry
Trek Farley EX geo




MENTIONS: @trek



Author Info:
mikekazimer avatar

Member since Feb 1, 2009
1,719 articles

118 Comments
  • 179 5
 this bike is perfect if you live in a van down by river and every now and then enjoy a nice polish sausage with coach ditka.
  • 17 0
 bouta bakers dozen
  • 28 5
 Which is exactly what the guy in the background of the first picture does
  • 5 0
 not a chance, Waterloo is Packers country
  • 37 0
 @Rmcfarland: that would be Gary Fisher...
  • 26 0
 @Rmcfarland: That "guy" would be Gary Fisher - one of the founding fathers of mtn biking. I'm guessing he's fine with riding whatever he wants.
  • 10 1
 @csyhoss: it was a joke. Gary and his attire will be fine.
  • 8 3
 @Rmcfarland: Dude thats Larry Squisher!
  • 5 0
 @scottay2hottay: Lay off me, I'm starving!!
  • 6 0
 @Philitup: everybody on the bus? GOOD GREAT GRAND
  • 7 0
 If it would land in Germany, would it be the Wurst bike ever?
  • 6 0
 @look-out: you sure brat up a good point
  • 1 2
 And enjoying polish sausage when the mood strikes. I know I do.
  • 2 0
 Don't forget the government cheese!
  • 4 0
 Slowly but surely, fat bikes are looking more and more normal....
  • 1 2
 @Rmcfarland: looks like Gary Fisher....
  • 2 1
 @takeiteasyridehard: dude four other people already said that and I find it hard to believe you didn't see those comments if you read his lol
  • 1 0
 That was the perfect comment. I am rolling!
  • 1 1
 Okay guys, that' not Gary Fisher...it is however a PICTURE on canvas of Gary Fisher.
  • 108 1
 A full fattie! I'd hit it after a few dozen pints.
  • 5 1
 hahaha, best comment ever...
  • 79 4
 A full suspension fat bike. It's like a condom, you can't feel a damn thing during the whole ride.
  • 52 0
 Not that I'd know. Still waiting on my first kiss.
  • 3 0
 Like riding on a cloud... Until you run out of mud clearance...
  • 4 0
 The Life Goal of the First World Problems folk is to numb all feeling...drugs, prescription drugs, beer....fat bikes
  • 47 1
 Oddly nobody types "new standards please" in their google searches and yet the bike industry gives us them anyways
  • 27 0
 Is that Gary Fisher there photobombing the bike in the first pic?
  • 13 0
 Yep, that's the man himself.
  • 1 0
 I thought that too, had to read all the way down here to see if I was alone.. I think it is, perhaps someone can confirm
  • 1 1
 It is always great to see him out. I have some items that he signed from a visit years ago.
  • 24 6
 I rode Stache 29+ a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. It's not for everyone for sure, if you live in area with sweet singletracks of top quality then regular wheels will just work better, but if you live close to nowhere with trails that barely exist, plenty of mud and soft underlay, this thing is the best thing the money can buy. A true explorers bike. You can ride where you'd normally carry the bike, stomping in mud all the way to the ankles, swearing and wishing you lived somwhere else. it doesn't take much speed off the singletrack either, providing a very decent handling and aristocratic feeling over the bumps. Climbs over incredibly crappy terrain like a road bike on asphalt, at least as long as you have the power to mash those pedals and keep it rolling. It is defo sprintier than fatbikes. I am not sure if "regular" hardtails with 2,3-2,5" tyres make any sense to me anymore.

Absolutely loved it. Not sure if devil sits in the wheel size here, something tells me that tyre width plays the biggest role but none the less, I hope my local Trek Factory Store will have this Farley for testing soon. Again, plus sized tyres do make a difference and can be game changers for those of you less fortunate to have a sweet singletrack system but instead can really go beyond the point where trail ends andcan explore the true wild.
  • 3 1
 Amen
  • 5 1
 Dude, the Stache is just a fun bike, full stop. I think it's hard to really analyze things any further than that cause you're too busy screaming WOOOHOOO at the top of your lungs.
  • 4 0
 I own a Stache 9 and it's awesome but I wouldn't buy a full suspension fat bike. Between the the weird bouncy tire rebound and the suspension, they just don't compliment each other. No complaints with the Stache at all.
  • 2 2
 I'd love to try a 26+ bike with tyres like Chupacabras 3.0 on Stache. It should drop at around 100g of rotating mass on rim and tyre in total. All placed on smaller diameter should theoretically minimize the sluggish feel on steepest climbs, which for me is the only fault of the Stache. I mean once I come to a stall on a steep climb it is taxing me a lot to get moving again. I liked it how it forced me to be smooth with cornering and keep the momentum going on climbs. I have to drop 26" habits of "came to a stop? No problem!"
  • 4 0
 I have been riding a bucksaw all winter at 26 x 4 and then on dirt and loved it. I thought nothing could be better. Then I threw 27.5 x 3 on there and have scared the shit out of myself with the speed, traction and pop of that bike. That front wheel just begs to be slammed into something to make it a lip.
  • 1 1
 I've had my Surly Pugsley running 3.8s for about a month now. I absolutely love it, and it's rapid on the climbs!!
  • 1 1
 @Beez177: *YOU* Wouldn't buy a Full-Suspension Fat Tire Bike... meanwhile, there are people saying *they* wouldn't ever Need, nor even 'Want' a bike with tires wider than 2"... and "suspension"? What good would come of *that*...?!?

Meanwhile, I have 33+ Mountain Bikes, and over the last two years my Farley EX8 has accumulated more hours than all the others put together over the past 5 years...

My EX8 (and now EX9.Cool may not be the quickest or fastest bikes on the market... but I am fairly sure they
*Slow Down The LEAST* meaning that, over most of the terrain in the NorthEast, I have my fastest segments with the EXs because I; Corner Faster, Float Over Roots and Rocks Better, Climb Farther and Faster on Steep or Bumpy Trails, Brake Latter and Less, and (Simply) Have More FUN...
(Which is kinda-sorta what mountain biking is all about, right?!?)

Do NOT Knock Something You Have NOT Tried...
  • 1 0
 @StuntMonkey: Sorry, most people tun exactly same setup on 160 and 120 bikes so difference boils down the the frame. And because of that difference in results will be so little that fitness and skill will be a greatly deciding factor. Possibly the only one. Also with all due respect, most mountain bikers who never devoted too much time to develop core skills like race BMX or DJ, will always try to compensate with “stamina”. In such case minimally more efficient bike will suit their “stule” of riding. My friend just changed from Remedy to EX. Used to ride 160 bikes. He was a climbin monster on those apart from being one of the fastest DHillers in Sweden. Will he be faster on EX? Perhaps. The issue is 99.9% of town hasn’t reached his “ Slash” climbing speed yet. So apart from the terrain it depends on your point of reference as well as your goals.
  • 15 0
 lol as if they made a fat bike just because i typed 'fat bikes' into the search bar on their website incessantly
  • 64 0
 gonna start typing cheap session in there now
  • 6 0
 @brand-new: "26 inch session for cheap"
  • 2 0
 Game the system!
  • 14 4
 Fat bikes are fun. But just get a damn rigid! That's half the fun. Love my surly
  • 3 1
 Fat bike with a suspension fork is the bees knees. Been hoping for a fat pike as my bluto is just "meh"
  • 5 0
 Hell all us fat and + biker should all thank surly for Fat Bikes and 29+ they where the first, and all because it was fun. Love my Wedsday and the Krampus!

Slower yes fun for sure.
  • 1 0
 @Wanaber: wednesday! i love mine. and i dont know what you are talking about its quick!
  • 1 0
 @adrennan: I'm slow and like to dotter around when on Wednesday. Riding old logging roads and just being back in the woods, Love it.
  • 2 0
 @UtahBikeMike: I agree and chuckle every-time I pass someone on mine! I still mostly ride my Enduro but I just care so little on my fat bike about lines, speed, etc. that it makes it crazy to ride.

I don't know if you've seen this? forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/bluto-tuning-thread-921527-23.html

I ride my fat bike in the winter on a lot of chunky/rocky trails and have gotten some helpful tuning tips on the Bluto.
  • 1 0
 @ryan83:

Yeah, I'm a member on mtbr and read through that thread. I'm just running a low psi with 4 tokens and it's got the feel i like, but the fork itself is pretty flexy.

In the winter it pretty much stays locked out unless im following a hiker/snow shoe tracks
  • 1 1
 Rigid bikes kill my elbows the next day. Probably because I dislocated them when I was younger. Once skateboarding, once snowboarding
  • 3 0
 helps to reign in the undampened bouncing caused by far tires... I like that full suspension Fatbikes are being touted as a solution to a problem that riding a fatbike in conditions which don't warrant one caused in the first place.
  • 2 0
 If you plan on actually riding in snow 5 inch tires actually make a big difference. I've tested for reals and wouldn't buy a 4.0" fat bike frame for this reason. Also, the fattie market has mostly moved to 5" as the standard frame size.
  • 1 0
 I was hoping for a 5" tire FS.

I think this, the foes and the bucksaw are the only FS fatties i know of that aren't one offs
  • 4 3
 do any of the people who read and digest this shite ever ride a bike?
i have a 140mm trail and a downhill bike both 26". that's enough infact more than most people could justify, most times i have to think "f*ck do i really need this shit". If you can justify anything more superfluous then give some money to charity instead
  • 2 1
 But... you are not the entire world?
  • 4 0
 I wonder what my wife is going to say when I tell her about my upcoming purchase...
  • 17 0
 i'm sure she'll love the flowers...
  • 1 1
 I imagine something like... request denied! Or maybe that's just what mine tells me Frown
  • 4 1
 "Couldn't you wait till after your brain transplant..
  • 4 0
 Is that a typo? The Farley 9.8 will cost $5500 with Bontrager Carbon rims? That appears to be a smoking deal.
  • 2 1
 Seriously. The Fuel EX 9.8 and Top Fuel 9.8 come with aluminum at that $5k and $5300. Although, Trek's top end mountain bikes are significantly cheaper than the competition. The Top Fuel 9.9 is "only" $9000, and the Fuel EX 9.9 is $8400, which puts them at several thousand less than the competition from in the "halo" range.
  • 1 0
 @LeDuke: I imagine Trek will have a tough time keeping these in stock at $5500. I would much rather buy a Farley than a Jiffy. Lol.
  • 4 0
 NO, they'll put a motor on it next and it really will be the death of mtb
  • 5 0
 so basically reverse engineering KTM..
  • 3 0
 How the hell is the Bluto still the only Fat Bike Fork? Seems crazy to me... maybe Patent bullshit?
  • 2 1
 Been saying this for a while. If RS made one with pike internals or fox made a 34 version they'd sell.
  • 1 0
 Ha haa, found them few days ago on TREK dealers site, wanted to shout around the shop, TREK went crazy...
  • 1 2
 I love my Fat tire bike. But really we don't all the tire choices. Then to bike makers think we can all afford these prices it getting reidiculous. We need bikes in the under 2 grand not 3.5 to 5 crazy .
  • 1 0
 off to walmart/ decathlon/ quechua then.....plenty of bikes for under 2k there... Wink
  • 13 11
 How about bike companies stop this + nonsense?
  • 22 0
 It's really over inflated.
  • 9 7
 Plus makes more sense than you may think. You just haven't ridden one. The difference is even bigger than going from 26 to 29 and after trying it you would see applications for it right away. I finished enough rides in my life, trying a new trail and ending up in some sht. Plus bikes laugh at it allowing you to ride what is simply unrideable on 2.3"-2.5" tyres, no matter how much suspension travel you have there. It just opens new possibilities.
  • 6 0
 its not a plus bike, its a fat bike.

Different standards duhhh Wink
  • 2 3
 @WAKIdesigns: Agree, I actually think plus bikes make the most sense. My Stache 9 sees more mileage now than my FS trail bike simply because it is more fun. I also have a Farley, and it's fun as well, but not quite as fun as the Stache. I have gone back and forth between the 3, and the 29+ is the sweet spot for me. It runs over everything like the fat bike, and it pedals nearly as good as the trail bike.

I was actually hoping to see something like a Stache EX 27.5+. Specialized is the only option, but they have some work to do on the design.

I would definitely like to demo a Farly EX, though.
  • 1 2
 Just bought an Orbea Loki 27+ as I don't want to ride my enduro all the time and it makes perfect sense. Insane grip, so much fun!
  • 1 0
 @TenBeers: Look at Norco's Torrent.
  • 1 0
 @bosnianrider: How's the climbing? I know it's not a XC bike, but I'm moving to a flatter region next year with a lot of snow in winter. So I think I'm going to need something a little chubbier.
  • 1 0
 @Colnagoyepyep: I don't know about how it rides in the snow but climbing is great. I can climb up on rooty and rocky sections which I thought was impossible Smile Just have the right pressure in the tires - 12psi front and 13psi rear working for me so far everywhere. The higher model was tested here on PB maybe a month ago and I agree every conclusions. Smile
  • 1 0
 @Colnagoyepyep: The Torrent looks like a fun bike, but I have a Stache 9 I am more than happy with. By "Stache EX" I meant a full suspension plus bike. Specialized makes one, but there are some minor details about it that I don't like. A Stache EX or a Remedy+ would be fine with me, if well thought-out.
  • 3 1
 Looks like one of them inflatable beach toys my lad wants every holiday.
  • 2 0
 That looks like my Fat Ex!
  • 5 5
 I have to wonder how many of the people pissing and moaning in the comments have ever actually ridden a fat bike?
  • 2 2
 What,and been laughed at?shiploads.
  • 1 1
 @Mrstamper: Yep, can't have anyone laughing at us and damaging our fragile little egos. LOL
  • 3 1
 I'll take one Big Grin
  • 1 1
 Thats so yesterday. Fat stems is where its at.
  • 2 2
 Bore off big and plus size everything!!!
  • 2 4
 I love how I mention Trek trying to make money off the amazing Chris Farely and they pull my post. Brutal for Pinkbike, brutal for Trek
  • 5 1
 No they pulled it because you're a moron (who can't even spell the guy's name correctly), who knows nothing about the history of their fat models (which have existed since 2013) or how they came to be called Farley and just seek to slander a brand. You just think they're taking advantage of the late comic's name for free advertising. I bet you think Farley Mowat was named after Chris Farley also.
  • 2 4
 Name calling? I hope you get through grade 7 alright. When you grow up, feel free to start posting again.
  • 2 0
 Pinkbike doesn't pull posts, if it gets downvoted enough it gets hidden at the bottom of the page. Your post is still there.
  • 1 1
 @deeeight: Love the Farley Mowat ref!
It's great that more fatbikes are going full sus
  • 6 6
 Fart bike
  • 1 1
 is that Gary Fischer?
  • 5 6
 Nope.
  • 2 5
 Why are they not making an 27.5 Jackalope?
  • 2 2
 They do, just dont stock it on the alloy bike to keep costs down a bit. That is what we were informed.
  • 1 1
 never mind
  • 1 4
 lookin pretty good for such a silly thing
  • 3 6
 how is this trend not dead yet?
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