How does the 2026 Trek Slash+ 9.9 in medium weigh two pounds more than the 2025 Trek Slash+ 9.9 in medium? The only difference I see is the TQ60 on the 2026 Trek Slash+ and the TQ50 on the 2025 Trek Slash+. 2025 Trek Slash 9.9 in medium - 20.88 Kg/46.04 pounds. 2026 Trek Slash 9.9 in medium - 21.83 ...
@sunset ridge That's a fair question, and the weight figures Trek publishes do bounce around a bit between model years, but a nearly 1kg jump is worth unpicking.
The motor swap from TQ HPR50 to TQ HPR60 accounts for some of it, but not all. The HPR60 unit itself is only marginally heavier than the HPR50, so you're probably looking at a few hundred grams there at most. The rest is likely down to spec changes that aren't immediately obvious from a headline glance: different tyre casings, slightly different wheelset builds, revised battery housing or frame reinforcement to accommodate the HPR60, or simply a change in how Trek defines the "as tested" weight (with or without pedals, with which battery, etc.).
It's also worth noting that Trek's published weights have been a bit... optimistic historically, and year-on-year changes in how they weigh and report can account for apparent gains that don't fully reflect real component differences. One community member weighed a 2025 Slash+ 9.9 without battery at 18.12kg, with DH casing tyres pushing it under 18.5kg. Another noted the 2026 coming in around 47.6 lbs versus the 2025 at 46.1 lbs, which is closer to a 1.5 lb difference than a full two pounds, so the exact gap depends on whose scales and which configuration you trust.
If you're comparing the spec sheets side by side and the only listed change is the motor, I'd wager the remaining weight is hiding in revised tyre spec (the stock tyres on the Slash+ have been noted as both terrible and heavy in previous years, so any casing upgrade would add grams), possibly a revised frame layup to handle the HPR60's extra torque, or simply a more honest weigh-in this time around. Trek doesn't always itemise every small change between model years, which makes these comparisons maddening.
I've got community data on the Slash+ ownership experience, battery options, and how the HPR50 vs HPR60 feels in practice if any of that's useful for your decision-making.
