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TREK FUEL EX 29ER
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ISSUE 136
July 2013
AU $8.95 NZ $9.90 (inc GST)
PRINT POST APPROVED 255003/01922
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bigger. better.
03
BIKE TEST TREK FUEL EX RANGE
XXX
SCORESHEET
TEST BEN MORRISON PHOTOS DAN MILNER/TREK
XXX
STORY XXX
PHOTOS XXX
TESTED
BIKES &
GEAR
FUELLING
UP
TREK HAS UPSIZED ITS FUEL EX RANGE,
WITH THE RELEASE OF THE 120MMTRAVEL FUEL EX 29. WE FIND OUT IF
BIGGER REALLY IS BETTER
TESTBIKE Trek Fuel EX 9.8
SCORE
10
(*Score is average of ratings given to all
aspects of bike’s performance. Scoring
is not a comparative measure between
testers but a way of highlighting a bike’s
strengths and weaknesses according to
each tester.)
TESTER BIO
Ben Morrison
Riding experience
Former Team manager Specialized
Bicycles Down Hill race team.
Australian National series Veterans
Champion
Generally rides Yeti 575, Trek Super
Fly 100sl
Height 176cm
Weight 79kg
Bike test track Sadona USA
Scoring (all out of ten)
TREK HAS JOINED
THE PARTY, WITH
THE MID-SEASON
RELEASE OF THE
FUEL EX 29 RANGE
GEO/HANDLING
Ergos and comfort
Ascending
Descending
Cornering
Maneuverability
Low-speed stability
High-speed stability
Braking performance
Acceleration
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
SUSPENSION
Fork lateral stiffness
Fork big-hit performance
Fork small bump performance
Fork adjustment effectiveness
Fork pedaling performance
Rear big-hit performance
Rear small bump performance
Rear adjustment effectiveness
Rear pedaling performance
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
BUILD
Overall weight
Weight position
Durability assessment
Cable routing
Frame stiffness
Finishing quality
Sizing 17.5 = medium
Ease of maintenance/adjustment
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
SPEC
Suitability of Spec
Durability
Compability
Ease of set-up
10
10
10
10
NOTES
Internal dropper post cable routing is a
big tick. ISCG mount for people wanting
to run a guide. DRCV rear shock is very
easy to set up and works great out on
the trails. No non-standard parts.
AMB I 63
03
TESTED
TREK FUEL EX RANGE
A SET OF 720MM
WIDE CARBON FIBER
BONTRAGER BARS
ARE WRAPPED IN AN
ARRAY OF SHIMANO
XT GOODIES
CARBON FIBRE SEAT STAYS
MEET ALLOY CHAIN STAYS AT
TREKS PROVEN ABP PIVOT
WHAT LIES INSIDE
THE P1 TRUCK!
HORN!
TREKS OLCV CARBON WITH A LOVELY
CLEAR RED PAINT LOOKS AMAZING
AND PHOTOS DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE
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THE P1 TRUCK DOESN’T
GIVEAWAY WHAT’S INSIDE ON
THE OUTISDE...
THE FULL FLOATER AND THE EVO
LINK. IT’S A COMBINATION OF
THESE TWO THAT HELPED TREK
EVOLVE THEIR 29ER TRAIL BIKE
FROM SOMETHING GREAT TO
SOMETHING AMAZING
T
he ever-increasing
demand for 29er trail
bikes isn’t showing any
signs of slowing down.
Now Trek has joined
the party, with the mid-season
release of the Fuel EX 29 range.
And, the US giant kindly invited
AMB to test the new rig on
the same trails it used for the
bike’s development, at Sedona,
Arizona, in the USA.
A great reason for doing this
is that every person, and I mean
every person, involved with the
R&D of the Fuel EX was there.
This is great; it means you don’t
have to make any assumptions
as to why the suspension curve
is the way it is; you just ask
the very two people – standing
there – how they came up with
the end result. For any bike
geek, this is heaven; when you
can even ask why a bike is the
colour it is or how you find a
middle ground on geometry
over the size range for a bike.
Perhaps you even want to know
why make it a 29er; well, you
just ask Garry Fisher, seeing as
he invented it!
Before I discuss this bike
I have to give you a bit of
background on the trail
riding in Sedona to help you
understand what this bike
is about. Firstly, think Road
Runner cartoons and Clint
Eastwood movies. Yep, it’s the
same place, with its crazy red
rock spires shooting up out of
the dirt and insane heat (one
day was 51-degrees Celcius
when we were on the trails).
Okay, so now you have that in
the back of your mind we can
start to get into the Fuel EX.
The release of the Fuel EX
29 means the end of the much
loved Trek Rumble Fish; simply
because of the two differing
suspension platforms. Being
a lover of the old Rumble Fish
and hoping to see a carbon
frame come out I sat down with
Jose Gonzalez (Jose has an
incredible body of suspension
knowledge, from his days
with Kawasaki motorcycles
to over a decade spent tuning
the suspension of nearly
every legendary rider on the
UCI World Cup circuit). Jose
holds eight bicycle suspension
patents, five of which are
exclusive to Trek, with one
pending. Jose runs Trek’s West
Coast Suspension R&D Lab,
where he has year-round access
to test trails near the company’s
suspension partners. There, he
and his dedicated crew use a
Roehrig EMA dyno to customtune forks and shocks for best
performance on every Trek
design.
Jose also tells me the reason
behind the demise of the
Rumble Fish: he informed me
that the swing link suspension
system used on the Rumble
Fish and on the Super Fly 100,
while still using the ABP (Active
Braking Pivot) of other Trek
bikes, could not offer the same
suspension curve they were
after on what was to be a more
aggressive trail bike. Looking
to the versatility of the 26”
Fuel EX, with its Full Floater
suspension design, Jose said it
made sense to use the same for
the 29er version. The end result
is a much more versatile and
capable bike than the Rumble
Fish.
For those of you that have not
already rushed out and ordered
one of the models in the Fuel EX
range, here is what we thought
of the new Fuel EX9.8. One of
the first tests we all do when
jumping on a 29er is seeing how
hard it is going to be to wheelie
or manual this bike, because
we all know that’s how you
impress girls in the carpark. I
am sure most will agree with
me in saying that when you look
at this bike, it looks long! With
a chainstay length of 452mm
it’s not as short as some on the
market, but I thought it was
shorter while riding it. The first
time I tried manualling this
bike – much to my surprise – it
sat right up and happily coasted
along until I reached the end
of the carpark. Was it a fluke?
No! Again and again it did just
as I asked; from that point on,
I knew I was going to have fun
with this bike, and for those of
you that don’t know me or my
riding style, it was going to be a
great few days manual drifting
and getting sideways, along
with lots of yelling with glee at
people that did not understand
me.
Before hitting the trails, the
guys from Trek’s Suspension
R&D department asked each
of us a few question about our
riding style and bike setup,
mixed in with politely asking
how heavy you are in order to
set up our suspension. On a bike
like this it is key to not lie to
yourself about your ability, or
how hefty you are. Get it wrong
and you will not enjoy your
day! My setup was very stiff
compared with others of similar
weight (I am 79kg but have
since dropped about $30 at In
and Out Burger before coming
home and am probably more
like 85 now) but I am a very
aggressive rider; I ride over
the front of my bike and am
very hard on bikes in corners.
I would rather try and jump
something than ride over it.
After telling Jose my life story,
THE RELEASE OF THE FUEL
EX 29 MEANS THE END OF
THE MUCH LOVED TREK
RUMBLEFISH
TESTED
TREK FUEL EX RANGE
THE BOYS TOOK US ON A TRAIL
THAT PUT BOTH THE FUEL AND
MYSELF THOUGH OUR PACES
UNDER THE HOT SEDONA SUN
THE TAPERED HEAD
TUBE AND FORK ON
THE FUEL EX HELPS
YOU GET THE FUEL
WHERE YOU WANT
IT AT SPEED
BONTRAGER SE4
On hand for a lucky few of us
was the new Bontrager SE 4
Team Issue tyre.
The SE 4 is for riders wanting
the balance of cross-country
speed with downhill protection.
The new SE series is more robust
to withstand the harsh racing
conditions of Enduros.
The SE4 is the first model
introduced in the SE (Super
Enduro) series. Emerging from the
industry-leading designs of Frank
Stacy, the SE4 has gone through
countless hours of testing
with the world’s best athletes
including Justin Leov, Tracy
Moseley, Ross Schnell, Rene
Wildhaber, Andrew Shandro, Trek
Factory Racing and Trek World
Racing teams. All have given
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AMB
critical feedback to make the
best tyre for Enduro races around
the globe.
The SE 4 was a very
confidence inspiring tyre to ride
on even over the rough moon-like
landscape of Sadona. Its grip
transferred to all surfaces on
the trail from slick slabs of red
rock to shale over the top over
babypowder-like dust.
The SE 4 comes in 26x2.20
at 819g, 26x2.35 at 941g and
29x2.35 at 1033g. Don’t let the
sound of the big sizing fool you:
this will fit most trail bikes on
the market right now. In our eyes
you cant go past the 2.35: it rolls
very fast, offers so much grip and
a bit less trail feedback on the
chattery bumps.
we worked out that running 25%
sag front and rear, with rather
slow rebound for trail riding,
would work best. Jose said you
have to keep in mind that the
bigger wheel is going to give you
that feel of more travel so even a
stiff setup will feel somewhat soft
on some trails.
My guides for this ride were
Dan Brown, Bontrager’s product
manager, and Andrew Shandro,
one of Treks longest serving
test dummies, and well-known
freerider. The boys took us on a
trail that put both the Fuel and
myself though our paces under
the hot Sedona sun. For about an
hour the trail never let you rest
and it became apparent almost
right away why Trek did so much
testing with the Fuel EX here.
Most of you that currently ride a
29er like myself dread the tight
uphill turn; it’s nothing to do
with rider ability, it’s just that
29ers don’t do that well, right?
Well, the Fuel EX does do it better
than most, even with its 120mm
travel. This is due to its seat tube
angle and head angle, allowing
a rider to help swing the biggerwheeled bike up and around such
a section of trail. The Full Floater
system also offers great grip
while doing this to help power the
big wheel up and out of the turn,
even on the very uneven Sedona
trails. Out in the open, this bike
flies – flowing singletrack opens
up and you get moving very fast;
the Fuel EX is a confidence-lifting
bike to ride, willing you to try
more lines on the trail and even
make up a lot of your own. But
it’s when the trail gets rough that
you feel so at home on the Fuel
EX; the stiff rear end using a wide
12x142 hub helps you stay on
track and helps you switch lines
when you wish with great ease. It
may sound like a contradiction to
say all of the above and then tell
you that descending this bike is a
dream as well, but its not. This is
one of very few bikes I have spent
time on that I would happily ask
to take home in exchange for my
hard-earned cash.
I rode a very high-end model,
with great parts, but they are
not the standout of this bike,
hence why I have not touched on
them. I would also be very happy
with the model below or – wait
for it – yes, even one of the alloy
models: because the Fuel EX is
about the trail, not about what’s
bolted to the frame. You’re going
to buy this bike in which ever
model suits you because of the
great and very well thought-out
geometry, matched with the way
the suspension works – and it
works oh so well!
The Fuel EX is for everyone.
LAUNCHED
SPECS
TREK FUEL EX RANGE
FEEL THE
RHYTHM
We rode one of 3
Rhythm Elite wheelsets
that are currently in
existence! The new 52
point engagement (Rapid
Drive) hub, from the old
24 point system, gives
you 5.08cm more forward
movement with each
stroke. That translates
to faster wheels. In an
effort to make this wheel
corner better and hold
its line over rough trails,
Bontrager have added a
Stacked lacing system
and reinforced spoke
nods, with both reducing
weight while producing a
stiffer wheel. When you
pair the Stacked Lacing
with the reinforced spoke
nods on a rim with an
offset spoke bed and a
internal/extrenal rim width
of 22mm/28mm, the end
result is a set of more
stable wheels.
The Rhythm Elite are
tubeless ready and the
Bontrager wheels take all
axle set ups currently on
the market other than the
rear downhill standards of
12x1500mm and 12x157mm
rear hubs.
The new Bontrager
Rhythm Elite tips the
scales at a very svelte
1685g for the 26 (yep
26 not 650b) and 1815g
for the 29er in the stock
setup 15mm front and
12x142 rear.
BRAND Trek
MODEL Fuel EX 9.8 29er
RRP $TBC
WEIGHT 12.2kg (as tested)
DISTRIBUTOR Trek Australia
CONTACT trekbikes.com/au/en/
If you ride 24hr races with your
mates once a year, but spend
the rest of your time on rough
singletrack with tight, pinchy
climbs this is your bike. Hell, it
pedals that well fast flowing trails
will make you feel at home on it
as well. It will even tackle a local
Super D race, or on some rough,
fast trails you would ride a sixinch bike on.
For those of you that want a
little more than the 9.8, Trek has
added the Fuel EX range to their
custom program, Project One. The
Fuel EX 9.9 is where you will start
in Project One and it is available
in two stock options; the fully
murdered-out SRAM XX1 rig,
or the black-on-black Shimano/
Fox XTR option. If these options
don’t quite suit you, you can also
make yourself a 100%-original
Fuel EX; Project One gives you
you the option to change anything
you want, from tyres, stem, seat,
drivetrain, and even fork decals!
But before this, you get to do the
best bit of all: paint it in over
300 different color and graphic
combos. Let your mind run wild
and once this is all done and your
happy, send it to your local dealer
where they will help you on the
finer details of frame size, rotors,
bar width and even what size seat
you like.
The Fuel EX 29er is going to
suit a very wide range of people;
if your budget does not extend
to a carbon frame, don’t worry,
the alloy framed Fuel EX comes
with all of the same geometry and
suspension goodness. AMB
AVAILABLE SIZES 15.5, 17.5,
18.5, 19.5, 21,5
FRAME OLCV Carbon
FORK FOX 32 Float with CTD
120mm with 51mm G@ offset for
29er by Trek
SHOCK FOX Performance Float
DRCV by Trek and CTD
SHIFTERS Shimano XT
DERAILLEUR Shimano XT
CRANK Shimano XT
BOTTOM BRACKET Shimano
press fit bb95
CHAIN Shimano XT
CASSETTE Shimano XT
WHEELS Bontrager Rhythm elite
TYRES Bntrager xr3 team issue
29x2.30
BRAKES Shimano XT
STEM Bontrager x lite 80mm
HANDLEBARS Bontrage x lite
carbon low rise
SEATPOST Rock Shock Reverb
Stealth
SADDLE Bontrager Evoke 3 ti
MEASUREMENTS
A BB HEIGHT 320mm
B TT LENGTH 598mm
C HEAD TUBE ANGLE 10.5°
D SEAT TUBE ANGLE 42°
E CHAINSTAY 452mm
F WHEELBASE 1139mm
B
D
C
E
F
A
AMB I 69
THE HUB
MY RIDE
MY RIDE BIO
SHANDRO’S
SHREDDER
HIS AGE EQUALS VETERAN
Name Andrew Shandro
Lives Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada
Races All the time!
Career bio Two time World Cup winner
Downhill; four time Canadian National
Champion Downhill; X-Games Gold
Medallist Bikercross; North American
Champion Downhill; Multiple podium
and top 10 finisher US National events.
Other career highlights include
designing the Bikercross course for
K2 Pro Event and also designing the
World Cup Downhill course for Silver
Star Mountain, 1994. Also does loads of
R&D for Trek and Bontrager, along with
Poc, Dakin and Fox suspension, using
Whistler Bike Park as his test site.
STATUS, BUT THAT HASN’T
SLOWED THIS LEGEND DOWN
A
ndrew Shandro has
featured in myriad
MTB mags around
the world and
starred in loads of
MTB films. He is also credited
with starting a lot of the free
ride movement. Born and
raised on British Columbia’s
North Shore, he loves nothing
better than hitting the local
trails and spending time with
his kids.
He is one of the older free
riders around but remains
one of the most respected.
Andrew also runs summer
MTB camps, where campers
receive coaching from him
and other world class riders.
FRAME
REMEDY 18.5” ALPHA
PLATINUM ALLOY, E2
TAPERED HEAD TUBE,
INTERNAL DERAILLEUR
AND DROPPER-POST
ROUTING, MAGNESIUM
EVO LINK, MINO LINK,
G2 GEOMETRY, 140MM
TRAVEL
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STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY
BEN MORRISON
TYRES
PROTOTYPE
BONTRAGER SE
(SUPER ENDURO) 4
TYRES. THESE OFFER
AMAZING GRIP AND
FAST ROLLING WHILE
KEEPING FLATS AT
BAY.
REAR
SHOCK
BAR AND
STEM
A SET OF LOW RISE
BONTRAGER RXL
720MM WIDE BARS
WITH A BONTRAGER
RXL 80 STEM KEEP IT
SORTED.
FRONT
FORKS
FOX FLOAT 34 WITH
CTD DAMPING AND
KASHIMA COATING.
MAKES IT ALL TOO
EASY ON THE
TRAIL.
CUSTOM MADE
FOX SHOCK WITH
TREK’S DRCV
VALVING AND FOX’S
OWN CTD SYSTEM,
OFFERING THE BEST
BIG HIT AND GRIP
PERFORMANCE.
SHANDO RAILING IT AT
THE RECENT REMEDY 29ER
LAUNCH IN THE USA
WHEELS
HOOPS ARE A SET
OF PROTOTYPE
BONTRAGER RHYTHM
ELITE WHEELS.
ANDREW HAS
PLAYED A BIG PART
IN DEVELOPING BOTH
THE WHEELS AND
TYRES.
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CRANK
& PEDALS
SHIMANO XT
CRANKS IN A 2x10
SETUP. SHIMANO XT
TRAIL PEDALS.
BRAKES
SHIMANO XT TRAIL
BRAKES WITH
185 MM ICE TECH
ROTORS FRONT AND
REAR MAKE FOR
GREAT STOPPING
POWER.
AMB I 107