Bike Check: Ben Forbes' EWS Trek Slash
Ben Forbes is an Australian privateer who is no stranger to the EWS.
Ben Forbes is no stranger to racing the Enduro World Series, and his bike is no stranger to the pages of AMB, be they print or digital. Ben's last Trek Slash featured on the cover of an issue, and we took at look at the bike back in early 2017.
Time marches on, and Ben had that bike stolen while racing in Europe in 2018, and he's also raced to an EWS stage win at Derby in 2017 since then. As a privateer, Ben's bike ends up being super interesting, as he doesn't really have many restrictions on what he can run, beyond some specific equipment sponsorship which has typically come about as it's parts he loves to ride and race.
Ben is on a Trek Slash frame, and he's moved up a frame size to an XL.
Based in South East Queensland, Ben races downhill and enduro on this bike, and pulls out his hardtail for training and XCO races. He does a whole lot of coaching as well for riders looking to improve their skills.
The spec is quirky, but is based on what Ben has found works.
Over summer he has tuned his bike to find what works, which included spending time getting a coil spring to suit the Slash, thanks to help from Fox Australia and Cyclinic.
Ben has swapped out the Minion DHR off the back to the Aggressor for this race, and said that with a little moisture overnight the Aggressor is exactly what he wants out the back.
