Winning bikes: Batty’s secret Trek and Disera’s gloss red Revolver

Details one the top two bikes from 2019 Canadian XCO national championships

Terry McKall July 26, 2019

When Canadian XCO national championships were allocated to Hardwood Ski & Bike, most cross country racers immediately turned to their hardtail race bikes. The Ontario venue is the sort of fast, punchy course that typically favours those willing to forego a little comfort on the climbs.

Both of this year’s elite national champions, however, rode full suspension bikes. Peter Disera raced Norco’s new 2020 Revolver FS 100. It’s the same bike he and his Norco Factory Team have been pushing through World Cup fields aboard. Emily Batty, who won a fourth-straight elite national title, was aboard a mysterious Trek full suspension bike.

We caught a closer look at both bikes, or as close as we could get in the case of Batty’s yet-to-be-released Trek. Have a look and see what the winning formula was at Hardwood Ski & Bike for Disera and Batty.

Emily Batty’s Trek dual suspension race bike

Trek has been extremely secretive about its new dual suspension cross country race design. Throughout the season, Trek Factory Racing bikes have been covered in a fabric sheath, concealing the exact suspension mechanism. Rumours abound, but there’s no final word from Trek just yet. Understandably, we couldn’t get a look behind the shock curtain, or too close to the bike. After the race, though, Batty did call out the bike’s ground-hugging handling as a key element of her win. Here’s what we can see about Trek’s new race bike:

Emily Batty, and the rest of Trek Factory Racing XC, have been racing this mysterious Trek at World Cup's all season

The new design immediately attracts attention, especially covered in this not-so-subtle sheath designed to conceal the exact suspension mechanism

While it has rear suspension, which must add some weight, Batty had no trouble climbing at Hardwood.

What is likely a lock-out cable protrudes from the shock sock. The linkage is quite thin, and looks like the shock is mounted in a forward position

Extremely thin chainstays surely help keep the weight down. The Trek doesn't appear to have a rear pivot, so they might work as part of the suspension movement as well.

Batty accelerating uphill in a solo attack to win the 2019 Canadian elite XCO national championships

Batty took her fourth consecutive title.

Peter Disera’s Norco 2020 Revolver FS 100

While Norco was equally secretive about its redesigned Revolver FS platform all last year and into the early months of 2019, the Canadian brand is now more than happy to show off the red and pearl white race rockets of the Norco Factory Team.

We caught a closer look at Peter Disera’s shining red, white and gold Revolver FS 100 shortly before he went out and won gold in the elite XCO men’s race. It’s Disera’s third consecutive elite XCO national title, and came shortly after his brother Quinton Disera won the under-23 men’s title.

Peter Disera's Norco Revolver FS 100

There's more than one Disera on Norco Factory Team, so specificity is key

Peter Disera started with the #1 race plate, after winning 2018 championships in Canmore, Alta.

The redesigned Norco Revolver FS 100's rear suspension, and a maple leaf to mark Norco's Canadian heritage

RockShox' latest version of the long-standing World Cup XC race fork, the SID

Norco eschews the extremely thin tubes common on World Cup race rigs for a more solid platform

SRAM XX1 Eagle always looks sharp in black and gold

Gold chain, bolts and accents on the highest end of SRAM's wide-range XC group

Norco designed the Revolver FS platform around a shorter stem than has been the norm for XC race bikes

Very fast looking Kenda Saber Pro tires for the Hardwood Ski & Bike course

Disera tracks just how much power he's putting to the pedals with 4iiii's diminuitive power meter

White HT pedals keep the colour scheme going

WTB saddle with red accents to match the frame

Peter Disera walks away with the #1 plate again, after winning his third elite XCO national title

We’ve had some time on the slightly longer-legged version of Norco’s XC race bike, the Revolver FS 120. Check out our early impressions of the new race bike here.

Batty’s Trek and Disera’s Revolver FS 100 are very different designs, but seem to be working out just fine for their respective owners: