Bike Check: Frankie Du Toit’s Trek Slash 9.8

Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
Frankie’s Slash weighs 14.5kg’s.

Frankie du Toit is a bike rider, beer lover and general Big Boss at the Hellsend Bike Compound retail outlet in Stellenbsoch. She is a talented bike racer whose passion for mountain biking has taken her abroad to represent South Africa on the international scene and helped her claim multiple National titles. In her spare time, you’ll find Frankie hosting rookie Enduro rides and shredding the trails in Stellenbosch. We caught up with Frankie at the opening round of the 2022 SA Downhill Cup for a bike check on her new Trek Slash.

Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
Frankie is 1.7m tall and rides a medium frame.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
The Slash is a 160mm rear, 170mm front 29er Enduro bike that triples up as a big trail shredder and a DH rig for tamer tracks.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
Shock is the new RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate with Trek’s Thru Shaft 3-position damper and Frankie runs it on 165psi with quite a bit of rebound.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
The 170mm RockShox Zeb Select+ fork is run at 65psi and the stock setting of 2 tokens. Rebound is a little quicker than the shocks.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
4-piston Shimano XT brakes with the levers set a little further down (vertical) for the conditions at this Paarl track. Frankie rides Burgtec grips.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
180mm rear and 200mm front rotors.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
The Bontrager carbon bars have a 27.5mm rise and are trimmed down to 780mm, which is a little wider than on her previous bike.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
It’s a short (35mm) stem and Frankie runs the bars quite high with 30mm of spacers under the stem.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
The drivetrain is all Shimano XT and the cranks are slightly shorter at 170mm which aids clearance and exit speed from corners.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
Frankie is running the standard Bontrager Line Elite 30 carbon wheels and the spoke sticker is evidence of how new the bike is. An Assegai on the front is run at 22psi
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
Maxxis Minion DHR2 with 25psi on the rear which usually has a cSixx FOAMO insert but she hasn’t had time to fit it yet.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
The 150mm Bontrager dropper post has been removed for the DH race and Frankie has tilted the nose of her saddle up slightly too.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
The frame storage is accessed through an opening underneath the water bottle cage and there was nothing inside for this race.
Trek Slash 9.8 bike check with Frankie du Toit in Paarl, South Africa on the 23rd of January 2022
Keep it pinned Frankie!

| IMAGES: Ryan Franklin |

RELATED: Top Skills for Trail Riding with Frankie du Toit

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