ZR 9000 Alloy -- Trek's Advanced Concept Group spent over a decade developing a new generation of alloy. And their work has finally paid off. During those years, Trek engineers experimented with hundreds of alloy variations to discover a frame material that's light and fast riding.

The whole character of an alloy is decided by its hardening agents. Creating alloys, engineers will strengthen it with Magnesium, Lithium, or Silicon in small quantities to harden it. But if you make the alloy too strong, it'll crack when you try to form it. Make it too light, and it'll dent. After twelve years of development, Trek engineers discovered the perfect amount of the hardening agent Zirconium to create a remarkable material for bike frames.

ZR 9000 Alloy is the first alloy developed exclusively for the bike industry. Why's that such a big deal? To make superior bike tubes, an alloy must be able to withstand the stresses and stains unique to cycling. The frame material has to be strong, but at the same time be dense, weldable, formable, and capable of heat treatment. This has been achieved by adding the hardening element Zirconium. This has allowed a tubing that is fast and strong enough to surpass the expectations of the riders of the Trek/VW mountain bike racing team. One of Trek's engineers said of ZR 9000 Alloy, "It's been fun to work with." ZR9000 Alloy is now available on seven road and mountain bike models (some made especially for women).

Fuel -- The fully independent rear suspension system has a full 3" of tunable travel with no bobbing when you hammer, but soaks up rough terrain.The Rocker Link's stiff, triangulated design transfers force directly to the rear shock with no flex, while the rear triangle eliminates side-to-side play for a solid, quiet ride. And the tunable air shock lets you match your ride to the day's terrain.

Fuel uses Alpha™ SLR Super Light Race, our lightest aluminum, in a practical, double diamond race frame design. Then we combine it with a new, lighter Disc-O mount for full disc brake compatibility, and a lightweight rear air shock. The result's a 28-pound full suspension bike - 25 pounds with carbon fiber seat stays.

Fuel's biaxial formed downtube creates a stiff, power-generating bottom bracket for excellent handling. The Trek/VW team-proven Pro Race Geometry have passed the test. In World Cup. At the brutal 24 Hours of Snowshoe, where it won by the biggest margin in the race's 8-year history. Now on to Sydney. And our Women's Specific Design™ Fuel brings the power to smaller, lighter riders with a unique geometry and component package.

Trek's proprietary OCLV process yields one of the most remarkable carbon composite in the industry. "OC" means Optimum Compaction-carbon and epoxy are compressed to reduce weight and provide the ideal amount of stiffness. "LV" stands for Low Void-air pockets are removed during compression for added strength and durability. Carbon fiber is "directional", so Trek's engineers can layer OCLV sheets to make tubes that soak up vibration for more comfort. And remain stiff for better power transfer. The frame helps absorb road vibration so you can experience far more endurance with far less fatigue.

OCLV Carbon 110 was specially engineered to help Lance Armstrong defend the Tour de France. This frame has been designed to be as light as possible. Trek was able to reduce the weight of the frame 160 grams for the 110. This may not sound like a lot, but when it comes to a competition such as the Tour, ever gram counts. Trek has optimized the amount of OCLV per square meter (110 grams) and has added high modulus carbon to create a rame that's ultrastrong, ultrastiff, and ultralight.

OCLV Carbon 120 -- The 120 is a stiff, strong frame with excellent ride quality that weighs 100 grams less than the original Tour winner. It uses 120 grams of carbon fiber per square meter, hand built into a comfortable frame without compromising its strength and stiffness. The result is a high-performance bike ridden by the USPS team.

OCLV Carbon 150 -- This version uses 150 grams of carbon fiber per square meter of OCLV material and is hand built into a lightweight frame. Featured in both Lance's original Tour winner and the Trek Volkswagen Pro Mountain Bike Team's STP rides, this is the material that started it all. Trek has continued to optimize the process throughout the years and have succeeded. It's re-engineered to be stronger, lighter, more durable and comfortable. Ride one and you're riding a frame that's close to perfection.

OCLV Carbon HC -- This material is formed from a honeycomb of Nomex™ sandwiched between layers of OCLV Carbon. Sandwich construction results in increased wall rigidity, allowing engineers to make more exotic shapes. Shapes that lead to incredible aerodynamics for Lance Armstrong's 2001 Tour time trial bike. Or added stiffness in the bottom bracket and headtube of Trek Volkswagen Pro Mountain Bike Team's World Cup proven 9.8 hardtail. Overall, the strength of the honeycomb requires less carbon, which reduces the total weight of these remarkable frames.