This is Tracy’s personal bike, painted in team colours and kitted out with Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain, Deity components and Fox suspension.

Everybody knows that enduro races are best ridden, and won, on 27.5in wheels, right? Because they’re better suited to gnarly terrain, right?

Well, not according to Tracy Moseley, and she should know, having won the Enduro World Series three years on the trot aboard a 29er.

Watch: What is Boost?

T-Mo’s Slash

Single-ring specific — Slash is the first Trek trail bike to come without a front derailleur mount

In fact, she consistently eschewed the burlier Trek Slash at events, in favour of its bigger wheeled, smaller travel sister bike, the old Trek Remedy. So successful was this partnership that Trek has taken notice, designing the brand new Slash with 29er wheels.

Although this is Tracy’s personal bike, don’t feel left out; you’ll be able to buy one of three bikes in the new range, all of which deliver 150mm of travel through a Boost-equipped carbon frame that’s single-ring specific and gets the new Knock Block steerer stop to protect the straight down tube.

Down tube loses its old S-shape in favour of a stronger, straight tube: Trek has added a Knock Block steerer bumper to protect it from spinning handlebars in a crash

Prototype testing

Tracy has helped design the new machine, testing a prototype in Whistler last year.

“My main concern was that a 160mm 29er would feel like a monster truck,” she says. “For me, an enduro race bike has to climb as well as descend, as we pedal around 65km a day at most events.”

As feared, the first bike did feel too slack, too low and not efficient enough, Tracy says. “But I’ve just ridden the new bike in Chamonix and it feels as light and as good to pedal as my old Remedy — super- stiff with carbon chainstays.

“It feels like it has a lot of travel, yet when you’re climbing it feels like they’ve managed to make the position of the saddle further forward — so you’re on top of the bike and going somewhere.”

New OCLV Mountain Carbon frame with 150mm travel and geometry adjustment via a Mino-link chip

A glimpse of future Treks?

To show its commitment, Trek has canned the 650b Slash, instead the new Remedy gets bumped up to fill the gap.

Tracy told us the Slash feels like a mini DH bike that you can pedal, and it certainly looks primed to tear up the toughest downhill tracks. Which reminds us, Trek was spotted testing a prototype 29er downhill bike last year.

Could this Slash just be Trek’s hors d’oeuvres?

Slash in numbers

2.7 seconds quicker on 29in wheels than 650b on a three-minute DH track (50 Shades of Black, BikePark Wales).

65.1 degree head angle in low mode (65.6° in high).

1,248 millimetre wheelbase in size 21.5in.

1 chainring only — the first Trek not to accommodate a front mech

Slash 29 complete builds and frameset

The Slash comes in two complete bike options or as a frame and shock only, all specifically built for 29in wheels only.

The Slash carbon frameset comes with a Fox Factory Float X2 shock, the Slash 9.8 with a RockShox Pike fork and Super Deluxe RC3 shock, and the top end 9.9 29 Race Shop Limited gets a Fox Factory 36 Talas fork and Fox Factory Float X2 shock.