Last January, Cyclocross Magazine got a sneak peek of the 2018 Trek Boone when Katie Compton won her 13th-straight national championship. Last month when I was in Waterloo crashing the Trek employee cyclocross practice for our World Cup Waterloo course preview, I was also able to get inside Trek's workshop and take a look at the new 2018 Trek Boones the Telenet Fidea Lions will be riding this year while Trek's mechanics were building them up. Today, I will take a look at the yellow Boones Lars van der Haar, Ellen Van Loy and others will be riding next weekend in Iowa City.
One of the biggest changes to the new Boone is the addition of Trek's IsoSpeed decoupler to the headtube. The front IsoSpeed "decouples" the steerer tube from the head tube using a rocker cup design. The cup only allows the steerer tube to flex longitudinally and is designed with no lateral movement to minimize the impact on steering.
The 2018 Boone comes with a front IsoSpeed decoupler. Telenet Fidea's Trek Boone cyclocross bikes for the 2017/2018 season. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
Last winter I spoke with Katie Compton after Nationals while she was in Europe getting ready for the Worlds, and she said the benefit of the front IsoSpeed is noticeable. "I know for frozen ruts and bumpy courses, the new bike feels pretty good," Compton said about U.S. Nationals in Hartford. "You can definitely feel the difference over the rough stuff. I kept thinking when I hit those ruts, I'm sure they're really rough, but it has just enough to take the edge off. I think they're rough, but it's fine."
The rear decoupler detaches the seat tube from the top tube. Since the IsoSpeed is located where the seat clamp normally would be, the saddle height is adjusted using Bontrager's carbon seat mast cap and secured with an alloy clamp.
The read IsoSpeed decoupler returns on the new Trek Boone. Telenet Fidea's Trek Boone cyclocross bikes for the 2017/2018 season. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
The frame itself is made from Trek's proprietary 600 series OCLV (Optimum Compaction Low Void) carbon. OCLV comes in series ranging from 300 to 700, so the 600 series is the company's second highest quality. The front fork is Trek's IsoSpeed Cross full carbon, disc-only fork with 12mm thru-axles. The frame also has 12mm rear thru-axles.
The full carbon front fork has 12mm thru-axles and disc mounts. Telenet Fidea's Trek Boone cyclocross bikes for the 2017/2018 season. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
Although the stock Boone 7 is spec'd with SRAM components, the Telenet Fidea builds have a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain. The rear derailleur is the 11-speed RD-R9150 and the front derailleur is the Dura-Ace Di2 2x11 speed FD-R9150.
The stock Boone uses the 1x SRAM Force 1 rear derailleur, but many of the Telenet riders choose to run a double chain ring up front. Josh Borgmeyer, one of the mechanics working on the bikes, said the riders have the choice between a 1x and 2x front chain ring setup and nearly all of them opt for the double chain rings. Since the Telenet Fidea team is sponsored by Shimano, the Dura-Ace components provide a nice fit for their needs.
The bikes I saw were being built with a Dura-Ace R9150 crankset with 46-39t chain rings. The 46-39t combination is not a stock Shimano option, but after Sven Nys had success racing with them, it appears he made sure to get the best for his team.
Dura-Ace 46-39 cranksets were waiting to be installed. Telenet Fidea's Trek Boone cyclocross bikes for the 2017/2018 season. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
Brakes on the Telenet Boones are Dura-Ace hydraulic, flat-mount disc brakes. The brake levers are also Dura-Ace dual control levers.
Since the bikes were in mid-build when I stopped by the Trek workshop, there were other components laying nearby waiting to be installed. Handlebars on the Boone 7 are Bontrager's Pro IsoCore 31.8mm bars. There was also a set of carbon, disc Bontrager Aeolus 3 carbon tubular wheels mounted with "Sven Nys"-labeled Dugast Rhino 33mm tubulars laying near the work benches.
Bontrager Aeolus 3 carbon tubular wheels with Dugast Rhino tires were lying near the work bench. Telenet Fidea's Trek Boone cyclocross bikes for the 2017/2018 season. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
You can see the yellow Telenet Fidea Trek Boones in Iowa City next weekend. To help you get ready for the World Cup racing, check out our preview of the Rochester Cyclocross weekend and see all of our past bike profiles.
Telenet Fidea 2017/18 Trek Boone Specs
Frame: Trek OCLV Series 600 carbon, 12mm thru-axle, front and rear IsoSpeed decoupler
Color: Yellow with black decals
Fork: Trek IsoSpeed Cross full carbon, disc, 12mm thru-axle
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150
Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, 4-bolt, 11-speed, 46-39t
Brakes: Dura-Ace hydraulic disc
Brake Levers: Shimano Dura-Ace dual control
Handlebars: Bontrager Pro IsoCore 31.8mm
Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus 3 carbon disc-only tubulars
Tires: Dugast Rhino, 33mm
Photo Gallery: 2017/18 Telenet Fidea Trek Boone
The new Boone has the adjustable rear IsoSpeed decoupler as well. Telenet Fidea’s Trek Boone cyclocross bikes for the 2017/2018 season. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
