trek fuel ex battery

2023 Trek Fuel EXe Review | This brand new lightweight e-MTB is the stealthiest we’ve ever tested

The not-so-minor details.

Trek Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS

https://www.trekbikes.com

$13,999 USD

- The near-silent motor performance - Solid chassis with excellent weight distribution - Great geometry and all-round handling - Supportive suspension offers exceptional control at speed - Sleek frame is low on e-bulk - The 9.8 model is surprisingly well priced

- Highly damped RockShox suspension isn't the plushest - TQ motor can lag - Not as light as some of its competitors - Rear axle lever makes noise while riding - Crankset Q-Factor is very wide

Mick & Wil review the Trek Fuel EXe

Following two years of development, the Trek Fuel EXe launches as a brand new electric mountain bike for 2023. Aiming to straddle the gap between the Rail (Trek’s full-powered, big travel e-MTB) and the regular Fuel EX, the Fuel EXe is built around a unique, never-before-seen motor that is claimed to be one of the quietest and lightest on the market. Along with its slim battery and carbon frame, the Fuel EXe is purported to weigh around 18kg in its lightest configuration, which is a good 5kg lighter than the Rail. That puts it into direct competition with the Specialized Levo SL and Orbea Rise ; two bikes that have had a significant head start in the lightweight e-MTB category. So what exactly does the new Trek Fuel EXe bring to the party? And how does its new motor perform on the trail? We’ve been testing it for the past few weeks to find out!

Watch our Trek Fuel EXe review here:

Overall it’s a very clean system, and combined with the compact motor and slim downtube, the Fuel EXe does a remarkable job of not looking like an e-MTB.

An overview of the Trek Fuel EXe

Whereas the Rail is based upon the Slash enduro bike, the Trek Fuel EXe is essentially an electrified version of the Fuel EX trail bike. It features 29in wheels, though it gets a touch more travel with a 150mm fork and 140mm of rear wheel travel courtesy of the ABP four-bar suspension platform.

OCLV Mountain carbon fibre has been employed to construct the Fuel EXe frame, while a two-piece alloy rocker link drives the rear shock via a trunnion bearing mount. Unlike the regular Fuel EX, Rail and Slash that feature Trek’s proprietary Thru Shaft damper, the Fuel EXe relies on a conventional rear shock.

The compact TQ motor

Powering the Trek Fuel EXe is a brand new and extremely compact motor that has been developed in collaboration with Bavarian company TQ.

TQ has previously been known for producing the 120Nm monster motor found within the Haibike Flyon. Taking the same patented Harmonic Pin-Ring (HPR) mechanism, those clever Germans have shrunken it right down to create what it believes is the lightest and smallest e-MTB motor on the market.

Comprised of just two moving parts, the HPR drive unit doesn’t require a belt or additional cogs, and it spins at an RPM that is three times lower than a conventional motor. Thanks to its simplified construction, the HPR design is claimed to result in fewer operating frequencies, reducing not only the overall decibels produced by the motor, but also lowering the ‘tonality’ (read: annoyance) of the sound.

Despite its compact form, the German-manufactured HPR50 motor delivers a healthy 50Nm of torque and a peak power output of 300W. TQ claims this motor has the highest torque density on the market, while offering seamless power delivery with virtually no lag.

It’s bloody light too

According to TQ, the HPR50 motor weighs just 1.85kg. That’s lighter than Specialized’s SL 1.1 motor (1.95kg), Fazua’s Ride 60 motor (2.3kg), Shimano’s EP8 (2.6kg) and Bosch’s Performance CX (2.79kg).

To make the most of its weight advantage, the HPR50 motor is paired to a modest 360Wh battery. This is claimed to weigh 1.83kg, which is notably lighter than the 360Wh battery used in the Orbea Rise (2.2kg), and about the same weight as the Specialized Levo SL’s smaller 320Wh battery (1.8kg). The compact battery allows the downtube to be made much slimmer, which results in further weight savings.

Putting the motor and battery together, here’s how the total system weight compares between the new Fuel EXe and its two main competitors;

• Trek Fuel EXe (50Nm motor & 360Wh battery) – 3.68kg 
• Specialized Levo SL (35Nm motor & 320Wh battery) – 3.75kg
• Orbea Rise (60Nm motor & 360Wh battery) – 4.8kg

Unlike the Levo SL and the Rise, the Fuel EXe’s battery can be easily removed from the frame without having to drop out the motor. This means you can charge it in the bike, or separately if you don’t have a power point in your shed. Trek claims you can fully charge the battery in just two hours with a fast charger.

Trek will also be offering a 160Wh Range Extender battery that customers can purchase separately for $1,199 AUD. Boosting range by a claimed 40%, the piggyback battery is designed to fit into a standard water bottle cage with the addition of a built-in retention strap for security. Unfortunately the Range Extender battery won’t be available in Australia until late 2022 however.

Tidy, integrated display

Just like the Specialized Levo and Rocky Mountain Altitude Powerplay , the Trek Fuel EXe features a display that’s integrated directly into the top tube. This 2in O-LED screen forms the control hub for the bike, with a single button that turns the system on and off. This same button is then used to cycle through four pages that display key metrics including battery status, riding speed, average speed, rider power, motor power, and estimated range. Because of its integrated display, the Fuel EXe doesn’t have room for the Knock Block steering limiter, and so omits it entirely.

A discreet two button controller sits next to the left-hand grip, allowing you to toggle between the Eco, Mid and High assist settings. Holding the top button also engages the Walk mode, which delivers power to the rear wheel when you’re off the bike and pushing uphill.

Bluetooth and ANT+ capability allows the TQ system to pair with your GPS head unit and mobile phone. Further functions can be unlocked via the Trek Central app, which offers navigation and integration with third party apps. You can use the app to tune the motor’s assistance levels, and it’ll also provide you with tyre and suspension pressure recommendations if you’re using a TireWiz and AirWiz.

Geometry & mullet capability

Without a bulky motor getting in the way, there are few compromises forced upon the suspension layout and geometry of the Trek Fuel EXe. For example, the chainstay length sits at an impressive 440mm, which is quite short given the 29in rear wheel and 2.5in tyre clearance. Trek has also chosen to stick with conventional Boost hub spacing and a 55mm chainline, so there’s nothing funky in terms of standards.

With the Mino Link flip chip set in the Low position, the Fuel EXe features a 64.7° head angle, a 76.7° seat angle and a 38.5mm BB drop. In the High position those angles steepen by 0.5° and the BB lifts by almost 7mm.

In that same High setting, Trek also states that the Fuel EXe can be run as a mullet with a 27.5in rear wheel. This will affect the motor’s output and 25km/h cutoff point however, as there’s currently no way for users to adjust the rear wheel circumference in the TQ system.

Trek Fuel EXe price & specs

Globally, there will be six Trek Fuel EXe models offered for 2023. Only three of those models will be available in Australia, with prices starting at $9,499 AUD for the Fuel EXe 9.5, and maxing out at $12,999 AUD for the Fuel EXe 9.8 XT.

All Fuel EXe models make use of the same TQ-HPR50 motor, 360Wh battery and OCLV carbon frame. There will be no alloy models for the foreseeable future.

The bike we’ve been testing is the top-end Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS, which in the States will come with a staggering retail price of $13,999 USD (that’s approximately $20,000 AUD!). It features RockShox Ultimate-level suspension, Bontrager Line Pro carbon wheels, a one-piece RSL carbon bar and stem, a SRAM XX1 AXS drivetrain, Code RSC brakes and a Reverb AXS dropper post. While this model won’t be available in Australia, aside from the wireless bits the spec isn’t drastically different from the 9.8 XT. As usual though, our review won’t be focussing a whole lot on the individual components, but rather the important stuff that’s shared throughout the range; the frame, handling, suspension and drive system.

2023 Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 XT

• Frame | OCLV Mountain Carbon Fibre, ABP Suspension Design, 140mm Travel
• Fork | RockShox Lyrik Select+, Charger 3 Damper, 44mm Offset, 150mm Travel
• Shock | RockShox Super Deluxe Select+, RT Damper, 205x60mm
• Drive Unit | TQ-HPR50, 50Nm Peak Torque
• Battery | TQ 360Wh
• Wheels | Bontrager Line Elite 30, OCLV Carbon Rims, 29mm Inner Width
• Tyres | Bontrager SE5 Team Issue 2.5in Front & Rear
• Drivetrain | Shimano XT 1×12 w/e*thirteen E*spec Race Carbon 34T Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
• Brakes | Shimano XT 4-Piston
• Bar |  Bontrager RSL Integrated, OCLV Carbon, 27.5mm Rise, 820mm Width
• Stem | Bontrager RSL Integrated, OCLV Carbon, 45mm Length
• Seatpost | Bontrager Line Elite, 34.9mm Diameter, Travel: 100mm (S), 150mm (M), 170mm (L), 200mm (XL)
• Saddle | Bontrager Arvada, Austentite Rails
• Claimed Weight | 18.1kg
• RRP | $12,999 AUD

2023 Trek Fuel EXe 9.7

• Fork | Fox Rhythm 36, GRIP Damper, 44mm Offset, 150mm Travel
• Shock | Fox Float X, Performance Series, 2-Position Damper, 205x60mm
• Wheels | Bontrager Line Comp 30, Alloy Rims, 29mm Inner Width
• Tyres | Bontrager XR5 Team Issue 2.5in Front & Rear
• Drivetrain | Shimano SLX 1×12 w/e*thirteen E*spec Race Alloy 34T Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
• Brakes | Shimano Deore 4-Piston
• Bar | Bontrager Line, Alloy, 27.5mm Rise, 780mm Width
• Stem | Bontrager Elite, 45mm Length
• Seatpost | TranzX Dropper, 34.9mm Diameter, Travel: 100mm (S), 150mm (M), 170mm (L-XL)
• Claimed Weight | 19.05kg
• RRP | $10,999 AUD

2023 Trek Fuel EXe 9.5

• Fork | RockShox 35 Gold RL, Motion Control Damper, 44mm Offset, 150mm Travel
• Shock | RockShox Deluxe Select+, RT Damper, 205x60mm
• Wheels | Bontrager Sealed Bearing Hubs & Alex MD35 Alloy Rims, 34mm Inner Width
• Drivetrain | Shimano Deore 1×12 w/e*thirteen E*spec Plus 34T Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
• Brakes | Shimano MT420 4-Piston
• Bar | Bontrager Rhythm Comp, Alloy, 15mm Rise, 750mm Width
• Stem | Bontrager Alloy, 50mm Length
• Claimed Weight | 19.93kg
• RRP | $9,499 AUD

Noise isn’t everything, but geez it’s nice when you’re on a quiet bike. And in this regard, the Fuel EXe sets a whole new benchmark that we expect other brands will attempt to follow over the coming few years.

Trek Fuel EXe sizing & fit

Deviating from the regular Fuel EX, which comes in six sizes, the Trek Fuel EXe will only be available in four. To suit our 175-178cm testers we chose the Medium, which features a 452mm reach.

We had few complaints with sizing, though the stock handlebars are comically wide at 820mm. Those were promptly chopped down to a more conventional 780mm width, which proved to be a better fit with the 45mm ‘virtual’ stem length.

While the big diameter seat tube is nice and short, the 150mm dropper post limited our freedom of movement when riding down steep descents and along jump trails. We’d prefer to see a 170-180mm dropper on a bike that’s as capable as this.

Otherwise the Fuel EXe cockpit is a comfortable place to be thanks to the agreeable Bontrager saddle and lock-on grips. The seat tube angle isn’t too steep, with neutral weight distribution that doesn’t put a load of pressure on your hands. There’s plenty of adjustability thanks to the long saddle rails for those who do want to shunt it forward for a more aggressive climbing position.

Where the Fuel EXe definitely feels like an e-MTB is in its Q-Factor. Although the TQ-HPR50 motor is very compact, the fat e*13 carbon crank arms see the pedalling width blow out considerably. We measured the Q-Factor at 195mm, which is wider than any other e-MTB we’ve tested, and around 20mm wider than a regular mountain bike. Many riders will be unfazed by the difference, and indeed the wider stance can improve your overall stability on the bike. However, flat pedal riders will need to be wary when riding through deep ruts, and those with sensitive knees may simply find the Q-Factor to be too wide for comfort.

Suspension setup

The rear shock on the Trek Fuel EXe is designed to be run with 30% sag, a process that’s made easy thanks to the anodised gradients on the RockShox Super Deluxe.

Jose Gonzalez of Trek’s Suspension Lab explained to us that the Fuel EXe does have a slightly lower leverage rate compared to the regular Fuel EX, and the rear shock has been valved with a medium compression tune. The aim here is to provide more support to handle the additional weight of the battery and motor. Because of the greater damping forces generated by the shock, we trended towards having the compression adjusters backed off from the neutral setting. High-speed was set at minus two clicks (fully open) and the low-speed dial was set at minus one click. Rebound was set a couple of clicks faster than halfway to suit our 68-75kg testers.

Up front is the new 2023 RockShox Lyrik that features the new DebonAir+ spring and Charger 3 damper. RockShox recommends an extra 10psi for this fork when it’s fitted to an e-MTB, but we found this pressure to be too high when paired with the highly supportive Charger 3 damper. We ended up running 10psi less than recommended on the chart, set the rebound on the faster side, ran the high-speed compression at minus one click, and set the low-speed adjuster a few clicks lighter than neutral.

Trek Fuel EXe weight

Confirmed weight for our Trek Fuel EXe XX1 AXS test bike is 18.6kg, weighed without pedals and with the tyres set up tubeless.

That’s an impressive weight for a full suspension e-MTB, especially when you factor in the aggressive Bontrager tyres, powerful brakes and piggyback shock. Still, it’s not quite as light as some of its competitors;

• Specialized Levo SL Expert – 17.84kg
• Orbea Rise M10 – 18.38kg
• Trek Fuel EXe XX1 AXS – 18.6kg
• Specialized Kenevo SL Expert – 19.12kg

When you consider that the Fuel EXe is the only bike in that list with carbon wheels and crank arms, as well as a one-piece cockpit, its weight becomes a little less impressive. Given that the Fuel EXe supposedly has the lightest drive system out of the lot, we suspect some of the additional weight is found in the frame itself. That’s no bad thing, especially if it equates to having a stiffer and more robust chassis.

What does the Trek Fuel EXe do well?

When riding the Trek Fuel EXe the first thing you notice, or more accurately don’t notice, is just how quiet the TQ-HPR50 motor is. No doubt about it, this is easily the quietest e-MTB we’ve ever ridden.

The overall decibel output is low, and the motor’s pitch is significantly less prominent than other motors we’ve ridden. Rather than droning or whining, the TQ-HPR50 motor emits a more discreet sound that’s a bit like a gentle breeze whistling through the trees. Furthermore, there’s no annoying clacking noise on the descents like you’ll find with the latest Shimano and Bosch drive units. The TQ motor does feature an integrated freewheel that allows the drive wheel to disengage from the cranks to minimise drag, but despite this we couldn’t detect any obvious noise when descending on rocky trails.

Indeed the motor and chassis are well damped, with very little vibration or rattling present. While riding back-to-back with our Canyon Spectral:ON test bike, which features a cavernous downtube and a Shimano EP8 motor, the difference in trail noise was stark. Noise isn’t everything, but geez it’s nice when you’re on a quiet bike. And in this regard, the Fuel EXe sets a whole new benchmark that we expect other brands will attempt to follow over the coming few years.

Initially the muted motor gave the illusion of providing us with less assistance. This is because the power delivery is less obvious than a louder, whinier motor. However, a glance at our average riding speeds had us soon correcting that illusion.

Of course there’s not as much punch compared to the bigger 85-90Nm motors on the market, which is to be expected. During our standardised range test (more on that below), climbing speeds aboard the Fuel EXe hovered around 14km/h, compared to 18km/h on an EP8-equipped bike. This means you’ll be working harder on the Fuel EXe if all your pals are riding on full-powered e-MTBs.

Still, if you only ever ride singletrack aboard your e-MTB in the Eco or Trail assist settings, the TQ motor is likely to meet your needs. This will especially be the case for lighter and fitter riders, who will find the 50Nm output to be just about perfect for trail riding.

Well-damped suspension & no-fuss handling

It isn’t just the motor that’s quiet either, with the Trek Fuel EXe delivering a nicely damped ride quality that’s complemented by the distinct lack of any slurping noises from the fork’s new Charger 3 damper.

The carbon chassis feels stout and reliable, with no hint of twisting or excessive flex under load. It somehow manages to achieve this sensation without feeling harsh or pingy, and instead offers an accommodating platform that allows you to push it quite hard without fear of being punished for less calculated line choices.

The top-notch suspension plays into this beautifully when you’re smashing down rowdy descents. The Lyrik’s mid-stroke is particularly good, offering a heap of support with plenty of big hit damping control that encourages you to let off the brakes when gravity takes over.

While the suspension is good, it’s worth acknowledging that the Fuel EXe is not as plush as the Rail. Along with its lower overall weight, it can’t monster-truck down wide-open terrain like the Rail can.

The Fuel EXe takes the upper hand as the trail gets squigglier though, with less exaggeration required from your handling inputs. The smaller and shorter battery puts less weight up towards the head tube, helping to centralise and lower the bike’s centre of mass. Combined with the stout frame, there’s very little understeer present with the Fuel EXe. Compared to bigger and heavier e-MTBs, it never feels like it’s trying to push wide or ride away from you.

The excellent handling and weight distribution makes the Fuel EXe an easier bike to ride for less experienced riders. For more advanced pilots, the Fuel EXe delivers a thoroughly involving ride quality. Yes it’s still an 18kg bike, but it’s far more playful than the heavier Rail, with the shorter chainstays helping to encourage front wheel popping shenanigans.

It dips into corners without requiring constant persuasion, and it takes to the air well too, maintaining a steady trajectory without making you feel like you’re an unwilling passenger. There’s a heap of support from the suspension for soaking up ill-timed landings when things do go awry, with the shock’s Hydraulic Bottom Out ramping up the travel in the final 20% of the stroke. While the O-ring indicated we’d used full travel on many occasions, not once were we able to detect it while riding.

What does it struggle with?

Though the progressive RockShox suspension on the Trek Fuel EXe offers bucketloads of high-speed control, it does feel quite aggressively damped on smaller chatter. This is more so the case with the new Lyrik, which hasn’t amazed us with its small-bump compliance, transmitting more feedback through to our hands.

The fork on our test bike has improved noticeably over the first dozen rides as the seals and bushings have bedded in, and there’s no denying the incredible support and control that the Charger 3 damper brings. However, the Fuel EXe hasn’t exactly delivered a cloud-like ride quality, certainly not compared to the floaty Spectral:ON we’ve been testing alongside it. For this reason, we’d be curious to try out the Fuel EXe 9.7 to see whether its Fox suspension package brings about a more supple ride.

We’ll point out that heavier and more aggressive riders may not encounter the same experience as us. And it has to be said that the damping support does make the Fuel EXe a highly responsive and rewarding bike to ride. Still, those eager for the cushiest ride on the chunkiest of terrain will likely be better served by the Rail.

Overall we’ve been impressed by the usable and natural-feeling support from the TQ-HPR50 motor. It doesn’t spike or surge, offering a nicely progressive power band that makes it predictable and easy to modulate on tricky climbs. The 25km/h cutoff point is about as seamless it gets, and because the motor is so quiet, it’s difficult to tell when the motor has disengaged from the cranks.

It took us a few rides to get used to though, as it can occasionally lag before the power starts to come on. Spinning a lower gear at a slightly higher cadence seems to be its preferred input, though we’ve not found it to be as adept at responding to rapid changes in RPM compared to some other e-MTB motors.

There are options to tune the TQ motor via the Trek Central app, which allows you to tweak the pedal response, assist factor and the maximum power of each of the three settings. Unfortunately the app hasn’t been available prior to the Fuel EXe’s public launch, so we’re yet to play around with those tuning options. We’ll be exploring more of that functionality over the coming weeks of riding.

What range can you get with the Trek Fuel EXe?

Depending on the terrain, most of our rides on the Trek Fuel EXe have typically racked up 1,000-1,300m of elevation gain over a distance of 30-38km. We’ve mostly utilised the Mid power setting, which strikes a nice balance for general trail riding.

It’s been mighty helpful having the battery status displayed as a percentage, and the remaining ride time and range estimations have proven to be surprisingly accurate. When you do get down to the final 10% on the battery, the motor’s power output automatically lowers a few notches to help conserve what’s left. It doesn’t totally limp home though, retaining a usable level of support all the way down to 0%. When you have finally cooked the goose, the lack of drag through the TQ motor means it’s not an awful experience to ride the Fuel EXe on human power alone.

To see how the Fuel EXe’s efficiency compares directly to some of the other e-MTBs we’ve reviewed, we subjected it to our standardised range test. This involves the same rider pedalling up a road climb with a 10% average grade, with the motor set to its most powerful setting, before bombing back down a singletrack descent. The idea is to see how much elevation, and how many laps each bike can rack up on a single charge, while keeping the variables as constant as possible.

Here’s how the Fuel EXe faired in our range test;

• Norco Sight VLT (Shimano EP8, 900Wh Battery) – 2,478m climbing (12.8 runs)
• Rocky Mountain Altitude Powerplay (Dyname 4.0, 720Wh Battery) – 2,108m climbing (10.9 runs)
• Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 (Bosch Gen 4, 625Wh Battery) – 1,800m climbing (9.3 runs)
• Canyon Spectral:ON (Shimano EP8, 630Wh Battery) – 1,570m climbing (8 runs)
• Orbea Rise (Shimano EP8-RS, 360Wh Battery) – 1,388m climbing (7.2 runs)
• Specialized Levo SL (SL 1.1, 320Wh Battery) – 1,377m climbing (7.1 runs)
• Trek Fuel EXe (TQ-HPR50, 360Wh Battery) – 1,312m climbing (6.8 runs)
• Specialized Kenevo SL (SL 1.1, 320Wh Battery) – 1,053m climbing (5.5 runs)

As you can tell by those figures, the Fuel EXe managed to achieve considerably more range than the Kenevo SL, and not just because it has a larger capacity battery. The Fuel EXe is also lighter, comes fitted with faster-rolling tyres and features a more efficient suspension platform.

It didn’t get quite as much as the Levo SL however, and there are reasons for that. The 35Nm output of the Levo SL’s motor is naturally less demanding in terms of its fuel requirements, since it delivers a slower average riding speed. This makes the Fuel EXe a noticeably quicker bike on the climbs, which isn’t accounted for in our range test data.

Given the Orbea Rise has the same capacity battery as the Fuel EXe and a more powerful motor on paper, how did it achieve more range? The simple explanation is the tyres. The Rise M10 we tested was fitted with a lighter and much faster rolling Maxxis Dissector and Rekon tyre combo, which likely accounts for the difference.

Of course it’d be possible to get more range out of the Fuel EXe by fitting lower profile tyres, and you can also utilise the lower assist settings to reduce power consumption. Once the Range Extender batteries are available, Fuel EXe owners will have the opportunity to boost range by up to 40%, which will see it get closer to some of those bigger capacity e-MTBs.

Component highs & lows

As mentioned earlier, we won’t be dwelling on the components of our Trek Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS test bike. And truth be told, there’s not a lot to be said about the ultra high-end build kit that we haven’t discussed before.

We’ve largely ignored the TireWiz and AirWiz gizmos to begin with, partly because we’ve been experimenting with tyre and suspension setup. However, we’ll be delving more into their functionality now that we have access to the Trek Central app that pairs with the sensors to provide live readings and recommendations.

It is worth touching on the new Bontrager SE5 tyres, which are spec’d on each Fuel EXe model. These 2.5in wide tyres feature a Minion DHR II-inspired tread pattern and a dual compound mix that combines a firmer 61a rubber in the centre tread, and softer 50a rubber for the cornering blocks. They’re built upon the Core Strength casing, which combines sidewall protection with a sub-tread reinforcement for puncture protection. The result is a solid, durable and well-damped tyre that isn’t overly stiff on the trail, while also feeling predictable across a broad range of surfaces. They’re decent all-rounders, though they aren’t as tacky as a Maxxis 3C compound or a Specialized T9 tyre. If this were our bike, we’d likely be fitting something softer up front for a little more bite.

There have been some mild annoyances on our test bike, like the rattling thru-axle lever at the rear dropout. Thankfully this lever can be removed, though you do lose its handy 6mm hex key. That didn’t matter too much as the fork’s steerer tube comes loaded with a Bontrager BITS multi-tool inside. The tool can be a bit tricky to remove, and we also found the bits have a habit of coming loose, allowing them to rattle around inside the steerer. Once tightened up, the Fuel EXe returned to its blissfully silent state.

We love how the TQ display sits flush with the top tube, though it’d be nice to see a clock offered on one of the data screens. The option to display cadence would also be useful, especially while getting accustomed to the TQ motor’s output. The controller offers a nice tactile platform with an audible, yet discreet ‘beep’ whenever you switch assist levels. However, accessing the Walk mode requires you to constantly press down the top button with your thumb, which is awkward when you’re holding onto the bars and pushing the bike up a steep and slippery incline.

Otherwise all the electrics on the Fuel EXe have proven to be totally functional. Being able to easily remove the battery will be a welcome feature for anyone who needs to charge it separately to where the bike is stored, and we like that the main charge port is located high up on the downtube where it’s protected by a thick rubber plug. Internally there’s also an automatic lock built into the main battery’s connector, basically eliminating any chance of the cable coming loose while bouncing down the trail. Sure they’re only small details, but they’re also clear signs of a well-considered design.

Trek Fuel EXe vs Specialized Levo SL vs Orbea Rise

Over the past year we’ve spent a load of time aboard two of the Trek Fuel EXe’s main rivals; the Specialized Levo SL and Orbea Rise. So how do these bikes compare?

Specialized Levo SL

Specialized launched the Levo SL at the start of 2020, which shows just how far behind Trek and most other brands have been. No, the Levo SL wasn’t the first lightweight e-MTB to hit the market, but it is the bike that has legitimised the category.

The Levo SL is built around the SL 1.1 motor, which you’ll also find in the Kenevo SL and the Creo e-Road bike. This motor dishes out 35Nm of peak torque, making it considerably less powerful compared to the TQ motor in the Fuel EXe. It’s also much noisier, emitting an annoyingly whiny pitch that takes a while for the rider to tune out. However, the SL 1.1 motor does offer more intuitive power delivery, and it’s also better at handling high-cadence pedalling spurts.

In terms of ride quality, the Levo SL delivers noticeably plusher and more active suspension performance, which makes it a comfortable bike to pedal over choppy terrain. It does have 10mm more travel at the rear, though the suspension kinematic and shock tune also feels lighter compared to the Fuel EXe. We have found it easier to bottom out the Levo SL, and the sensation is harsh with the Float DPX2 shock.

The Levo SL’s handling is nice and lively, though the front-end steering is a little light with the 51mm fork offset, resulting in some twitchiness at speed. In comparison the Fuel EXe feels better balanced across a range of riding speeds thanks to its solid chassis and well-damped suspension. It’s no doubt the more modern bike of the two, making the two year-old Levo SL feel a little outdated.

It also has to be said that the Fuel EXe kills it on value compared to the Levo SL. The Levo SL Expert we tested features a Fox 36 GRIP2 fork and Float DPX2 shock, alloy Roval wheels, a SRAM GX/X01 drivetrain and Code RS brakes. In comparison, the Fuel EXe 9.8 XT gets a similar level of suspension albeit with a Shimano XT groupset, carbon wheels, carbon cranks and a one-piece carbon cockpit. Despite featuring a higher-end spec, the Fuel EXe sells for $2,100 AUD less , making for a far more appealing package.

The Orbea Rise arrived not long after the Levo SL at the tail-end of 2020, though it took a slightly different tact by taking an off-the-shelf Shimano EP8 motor and de-tuning it to reduce the peak torque output to 60Nm. Orbea also developed its own ‘RS’ firmware for the Japanese motor, which aimed to provide a more natural feel to the power delivery while improving efficiency. This was then paired to a smaller 360Wh battery and a gorgeously svelte carbon frame to deliver complete bike weights from as low as 16.2kg.

The more sensibly-spec’d Rise M10 we tested came in at 18.38kg, though it was fitted with lightweight Maxxis tyres that felt somewhat out of place. With more appropriate rubber, the Rise would likely come in at a similar weight to the Fuel EXe.

While value for money from Orbea is better than Specialized, it’s still not as impressive as the Fuel EXe. The Rise M10 comes with blingy Factory Series Fox suspension, a Shimano SLX/XT drivetrain and alloy Race Face wheels, but sells for two grand more than the Fuel EXe 9.8 XT.

On the trail the Rise is a closer match to the Fuel EXe. The geometry is pretty similar, though the Rise chassis doesn’t feel quite as stout when being pushed hard. This also comes down to the steeper head angle (65.5° vs 64.7°), and it’s also due to the suspension, which is marginally more sensitive off-the-top. It delivers terrific traction and a comfortable ride quality, though it’s not as supportive as the Fuel EXe.

Speaking of suspension, we wouldn’t be opposed to seeing both the Rise and Fuel EXe equipped with 150mm of rear travel like the Levo SL. Sure these are lightweight e-MTBs, but travel is travel, and we’re still talking about 18+kg bikes that are capable of going very fast on rough terrain. That said, any increase might see them encroaching too far into the territory of their bigger travel, full-powered siblings (the Wild FS and Rail).

We found there to be terrific power on tap from the Rise’ EP8-RS motor, and the E-Tube app allows you to tweak the acceleration response and assistance character of each setting, depending on how you want the power to come on. The stock tune works mighty well though, with the Rise being an efficient performer that feels natural and intuitive on the trail, with just a fraction more punch available for scaling crux features on a technical climb.

As mentioned earlier, the Shimano EP8 drive unit is much noisier than the Fuel EXe’s TQ motor, which is basically silent in comparison – both on the climbs and on the descents. We also prefer the clean integration of the TQ system, with its bright and easy-to-read top tube display. The standard display on the Rise is a rather austere junction box that features a couple of tiny LEDs. You can upgrade this to the Shimano EM800 display for an additional fee, though it comes with additional wires that add clutter to the cockpit. It’s plenty functional, just not as tidy as the Fuel EXe.

Flow’s Verdict

The Trek Fuel EXe is a terrific example of just how far e-MTB technology has come. Not only is it a fantastic looking bike that’s low on bulk, it also manages to deliver a load of performance out of an impressively lightweight package.

The unique TQ motor is stunningly quiet, and for many riders its 50Nm output will be ideal. Heavier folks and those chasing maximum power with maximum range will still be better served by the Rail and is full-powered Bosch motor. The Rail also features a plusher ride quality that suits brainless bombing down the roughest descents.

In comparison the Fuel EXe is a more involving bike to ride, and it rewards an active pilot that seeks to work and play with the terrain. It’s responsive and fun to ride on twisty singletrack, with the sort of on-point handling and geometry that we expect we’ll be seeing in the next generation Fuel EX.

While the suspension isn’t buttery smooth over smaller chatter, it does produce a heap of support and incredible control at higher speeds. Along with the stout chassis, the Fuel EXe exhibits a well-damped ride quality that shrugs off the big hits and awkward landings despite not having a tonne of travel.

Indeed for those riders who are looking for that hallowed middle-ground between a regular mountain bike and an e-MTB, the Fuel EXe presents one of the most compelling options to date.

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• Trek Fuel EXe reviewed (finally)

by Ben Haworth November 6, 2022 56

The new Trek Fuel EXe is an important bike. It’s attracting a lot of attention from the e-curious who don’t think much of the current e-bike offering from elsewhere.

NB: Ignore the price tag of this model. Let’s talk about the bike behind the bling.

• Brand:  Trek
• Product:  Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS
• Price:   £13.250.00 £14,350
• From: Trek Bikes
• Review by:  Benji for three months

Three things I loved

• Looks great
• Less scary on technical terrain than heavier e-bikes
• Rides like a normal bike

Three things I’d change

• Range anxiety
• Wish we’d tested a more affordable version

A warning. I’m not going to go into great detail about the nuts and bolts of this bike. You can read our ‘ 5 reasons the Trek Fuel EXe is most important bike of the decade ‘ from when the Trek Fuel EXe was announced for that stuff.

Another warning. Nor am I going to talk much about this particular £14,350 showpiece model. It’s a distraction. It actually gets people’s backs up (mine included to be honest). It doesn’t give the Trek Fuel EXe concept a fair chance.

I’m going to focus on the frame, the motor, the battery and the controls. The stuff that’s exactly the same on the £6,400 Trek Fuel EXe 9.5 .

In this review I’m going to focus purely on how a Trek Fuel EXe bike rides.

For those who do need a quick refresher, or understandably don’t want to click open another browser window for a reminder, the Fuel EXe is Trek’s mid-power e-bike. 50Nm of torque, compared to the 85Nm of full-power e-bikes and the 35Nm of Specialized’s SL low-power e-bikes.

The ostensibly similar – and surely the current main rival – Orbea Rise has 60Nm of torque by the way. And there’s also the new Fazua Ride60 equipped e-bikes with 60Nm too (check out the Pivot Shuttle SL as an example).

The battery is a 360Wh capacity one (same capacity as Orbea Rise). Some full-on ebikes have 700Wh+. A common capacity is 500-600Wh. Specialized SL e-bikes have 325Wh batteries.

There is also a range extender battery available for the Trek Fuel EXe which gives a further 160Wh, for £450. I would have really liked to have had one of these for this test period but they have yet to land in the UK in large enough numbers to get hold of one. Believe me, I tried.

Perhaps the two main USPs of this bike are its weight and its appearance. It weighs around 40lbs. And it looks like a normal mountain bike. Both of these factors cannot be understated as to their importance with the mountain bike market.

There is a third USP too but it’s only once you’re on the bike and riding that it appears: it is pretty much silent. Honestly, once off-road you can’t hear it. You can only just hear it when riding on the road but even then you have to be going pretty slow for the wind noise not to drown it out.

The Trek Fuel EXe can pass for a regular mountain bike. And while this might partially be about hiding the ‘shame’ of riding a pedal assist bike, I actually think it’s more to do with people’s existing fondness for their current mountain bike.

Existing experienced mountain bikers like how their mountain bike looks and sounds. The Trek Fuel EXe totally nails the remit of looking and sounding like a normal mountain bike. Massive kudo to Trek for that alone.

Trek Fuel EXe review

I’ll come out and say it. I still don’t really know how I feel about this bike. I’ve been dithering and delaying writing this review for quite some time. The only thing I am sure about is that the Trek Fuel EXe is not for me.

The thing is, I also think it is brilliant. And it will be perfect for loads and loads of riders out there.

In a nutshell, after passing it round as many other riders as I can convince to get on it, everyone says the same thing: “it’s just like a normal bike”. That is exactly what I say too, although I mean it in a confused head-scratching way. Everyone is saying it in a giddy enthused way.

Despite everything, the overarching experience of the Trek Fuel EXe is one of subtlety. It does not blow your mind upon first pedal stroke. Indeed because of the silence and the instant and super natural way the motor assist comes in, a lot of the time you can’t tell you’re getting any assistance at all. There isn’t a visual display confirmation of the assistance level you’re getting either (a la Shimano or Bosch displays).

It feels like not a lot is happening. But it is.

Finish a ride on the Trek Fuel EXe and then instantly hop on a normal mountain bike and the assistance is instantly noticeable by its absence. The Trek Fuel EXe is like riding with a massive tailwind. Or on ascents that have had a few degrees of gradient removed from them. Or you’ve suddenly become twenty years younger. It’s not that climbing becomes whistle-while-you-work easy (which it can do on full-power e-bikes), it’s still pretty strenuous activity on the Trek Fuel EXe.

I’d go as far to say that, unlike full-power e-bikes, the Trek Fuel EXe cannot do things that normal mountain bikes (and/or mountain bikers) can’t do. You won’t be scrabbling up preposterous trials-y techno climb challenges on the Fuel EXe. You won’t be trebling your usual altitude gain. What you will be doing is riding for that extra hour, and doing that extra hill.

What about descending then? Despite ‘only’ weighing 40lbs or so, the Fuel EXe does definitely exhibit some of the suspension flattery that you get with the extra weight of e-bikes. The Fuel EXe is an excellent descender. It’s pretty long and acceptably slack, which helps, but it’s the weight that is the most significant thing at play here.

The suspension on this bike works excellently. So calm. Very supportive. Very grippy. Sure, some of that may be due to the fancier dampers in the top-end suspension parts specced, but my gut feeling is that it’s to do with the sprung/unsprung help that comes when the frame is heavy, particularly the placement of that weight (central and relatively low down).

Compared to full-power (heavier) e-bikes on descents, the Trek Fuel EXe wins some and loses some. It does lose out on some of the super stability and speed-holding of heavier e-bikes. But on the whole, I think I prefer the nimbler handling of the Fuel EXe. Particularly when things are loose. It feels much less scary. Less like the bike is careering away out of control. More confidence inspiring.

Which brings us to the real surprise arena. Flat stuff.

The Trek Fuel EXe feels most at home on contouring terrain. Or rather, its assistance is more overly felt and appreciated on flatter trails. It’s when you’re not fighting gravity, or using gravity, that the Fuel EXe feels like a rocketship. It feels amazing. It makes you feel like a World Cup XC bod.

It’s also really good fun and capable on technical traverses. Off-cambers. Teetery stuff. Gamble do-you-don’t-you decisions. Ledges, Stream crossings. I felt much less fearful of stumbling and ending up being trapped under a bike, compared to the experience of full-power big-battery e-bikes.

A word here about the motor. They lack of delay is really, really impressive. There’s none of the fear of stopping pedalling (and the subsequent stall/dabbing) as there is with other e-bikes.

There’s also no detectable overrun either (where the motor is still assisting for a brief time even though you’ve stopped pedalling). Whilst some experienced e-bikers will miss the overrun (I did), there is no denying that the combination of instant engagement and instant disengagement really helps make the bike feel incredibly normal.

The controls and the display are fine. Totally intuitive and clear. Again, as an experienced e-biker I did miss the extra info of Shimano and Bosch (even Specialized) displays. But if you’ve never had the info, you’ll not miss it. Again, the Fuel EXe is not for experienced e-bikers. It’s very much a My First E-Bike.

Which bring us to the battery. And here I think there is a bit of an issue. Fundamentally I don’t think the battery is big enough to play to this bike’s strengths. Namely, big days out doing normal mountain biking. I’m not even that sure the aforementioned range extender battery will add enough extra range (for what and where I’d like to go anyway).

On one hand, the Trek Fuel EXe feels very much like a step into the future in terms of aesthetics and acoustics. On another hand, the return of range anxiety feels rather retro.

I appreciate that the whole battery capacity versus system weight is something of a vicious circle. Would adding one or two kilograms to the bike’s weight significantly impair the bike’s handling? Maybe it would. You do have to draw the line somewhere and it can’t have been an easy or quick decision made by the Trek team.

I think personal preferences come into play a great deal here too. I am a bit of a Boost* fan. I can’t help it. I don’t have the discipline to stay in Eco or Trail modes. With a different rider on board, one who switches to Eco for flat road linking sections, and keeps it in Trail for pretty much everything else.

(*Trek don’t actually give their three different power levels names, so I’m using the common e-bike parlance of Eco, Trail and Boost.)

The top power mode certainly does seem to really rinse the battery significantly more than you’d think. It doesn’t feel (there’s that word again) like it’s giving you that much more assistance, yet it certainly gets the battery bars dropping faster.

Ultimately, I did eventually end up doing rides pretty much keeping it in middle/Trail mode and just leaving Boost well alone. But is that like buying something and then putting it away and never using it? You’ve paid for a bit with 50Nm/300W of assist. Surely you should be able to use it?

Again, I’d like to point out that I haven’t had a range extender battery to test out to see what difference that makes to the Fuel EXe’s MPG.

I did use the top/Boost setting under certain circumstances. Those circumstances being going for a ‘Power Hour’. Those sort of sub-20km lunchtime blasts. Stick the bike in Boost and leave it there until you’re on fumes and need to Eco back home. That felt like a good use for Boost. And certainly opens up that short-but-intense type of ride that is pretty unique to e-bikes. Similarly, Boost was great for de-harshing and funning-up night rides (my night rides are always on the short side).

This may sound stupid obvious but if you only want a bit of help, that’s what this bike is for. It’s for normal rides. Normal riders. It is a very subtle bike. That subtlety is easily mistaken for being underwhelming. It’s arguably a waste of time to compare the Fuel EXe to full-power e-bikes. Trek do a full-power e-bike (a really ace one called the Trek Rail). Full-power e-bikes are like a new type of vehicle. The Fuel EXe is much closer to a regular unassisted mountain bike.

Fundamentally the Trek Fuel EXe is a beautifully executed machine that is going to be exactly what a great swath of experienced mtbers are looking for. Folk who are just finding mtbing too hard, but still want it to be strenuous. Something that takes the unpleasant edge off but doesn’t remove the ‘joys’ of Type 2 fun altogether.

Ignoring the motor aspect of it altogether, the ride and handling of the Trek Fuel EXe is brilliant. It’s a fantastic trail bike. Nimble and fun but with great stability and planted-ness.

Right. That’s my review finally done. Although I’d quite like this to be the start of an ongoing conversation about this bike. ‘Cos it’s interesting and I’m sure there are things I’ve not covered here.

Questions please! Comment below.

Specification

• Frame //  OCLV Mountain Carbon 140mm
• Motor //  TQ-HPR50, 50Nm, 300 watt peak power
• Battery //  TQ 360Wh
• Head unit //  TQ handlebar-mounted, TQ LED Display
• Shock //  RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate AirWiz RCT2, 205 x 60mm
• Fork //  RockShox Lyrik Ultimate AirWiz Charger 3 RC2 150mm
• Wheels //  Bontrager Pro Line 30 OCLV Mountain Carbon
• Front Tyre //  Bontrager SE5 Team Issue 29 x 2.5in
• Rear Tyre //  Bontrager SE5 Team Issue 29 x 2.5in
• Chainset //  E*Thirteen E*Spec Race Carbon 34T 165mm
• Shifter //  SRAM Eagle AXS 12-speed
• Rear Mech //  SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS 12-speed
• Cassette //  SRAM Eagle XG-1299 10-52T
• Brakes //  SRAM Code RSC 200/200mm
• Stem //  Bontrager RSL Integrated bar/stem 45mm
• Bars //  Bontrager RSL Integrated bar/stem 820 x 27.5mm
• Grips //  Bontrager XR Trail Elite lock-on
• Seatpost //  RockShox Reverb AXS 170mm 34.9mm
• Size Tested //  L
• Sizes Available //  S, M, L, XL
• Weight //  19.3kg

Geometry of our size L test bike

• Head angle //  65º
• Effective seat angle //  77º
• Seat tube length //  435mm
• Head tube length //  110mm
• Chainstay //  440mm
• Wheelbase //  1,245mm
• Effective top tube //  630mm
• BB height //  343mm
• Reach //  485mm

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Orbea Rise M10 review: just happens to have a motor

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• This topic has 56 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by julians .

Great technical summary and introduction – but should I buy one. Or rather what rider / riding would I be to go for a great half day ride?

Soz, that was supposed to say half fat ride….thanks again 👍

I bought the 9.5 version (and upgraded a few bits) , and posted some thoughts here

New (e)bike day – Trek fuel exe 9.5

Not quite sure what you mean by this bit

There isn’t a visual display confirmation of the assistance level you’re getting either (a la Shimano or Bosch displays).

There is a permanent part of the display showing what assistance mode you are in , plus you can switch to a screen that shows what power you are generating and what power the motor is generating.

Or rather what rider / riding would I be to go for a great half day ride?

I would say that if you find on a full fat ebike you’re usually coming back from a ride with 25-50% battery remaining , or you think that you dont get enough of a workout on a full fat bike, then something like this bike could be for you.

or if you do quite a lot of lifting the bike over stiles & gates, or possibly a lot of hike a bike , or you prioritise downhill handling and playfullness over the ability to fly uphill – but not so much of a priority that you’ll stick with a bike with no motor…

I get that some of the above is quite hard to determine, if you havent actually ridden a full fat bike for a while in the first place.

I think a full fat bike will please more people more of the time, but in an ideal world you’d have a full fat and a lightweight ebike (along with a normal bike or two;-) )

but it’s the weight that is the

Birrova typo?

Thanks for that – helpful 😊

I had a think about this in it’s cheapest spec, but in the end went for the alloy Rise- it’s 540Wh battery, coupled with the Trek price increase, simply made the Trek less attractive.

Further to that, I like my bikes to feel individual- my uplift bike doesn’t have much overlap with my 29+ which is substantially different to the gravel bike. I’d like my e-bike to still feel like an e-bike.

Maybe one day I’ll read a review on a bike with a new motor where somebody provides info about out of warranty motor support, clarifies if the motor is rebuildable, if motor spares are available, if there is a uk motor repair centre, if they’re going to partner with an existing uk repairer etc etc, even how much a new motor costs, and how (*if required) any manufacturer/bike model specific settings get applied to the motor.

As an xc map explorer who prefers long term ownership I was really interested in this bike – lighter (so easier over fences/stiles etc), removable battery (charging at hotel/b&b), large brand so hopefully spares available but I’ve not managed to get any info on how out of warranty support will go so going to sit on the fence till that gets clarified or something else similar comes along.

Similar to Vinnyeh, I looked at these Treks but decided to go with a base model Hydro Rise (540wh battery and under £4k). I was put off by reports of early motor failures on the Trek, but also by the smaller battery (That put me off the carbon Rises too). I don’t want a lot of assistance, but I do want to ride a long way.

Lighter is always nicer imho, but the Trek is really only slightly lighter because of that new (and unproved) motor. And if you are going to save a bit of weight, the bottom bracket area is the last place to save it from: weight here doesn’t make much difference, and it’s where durability is needed most. The Trek keeps the rest of the weight down through having a small battery and a £14k price tag!

Sounds like it pedals nicely, but so does the RS motor. A £5k Trek EXe with a 500+Wh battery, option of range extender and solid warranty support would be more attractive :-)

Those are really good points and ones which I intend to address in a series of online articles in this fine publication when I do a long term test on the Pivot Shuttle SL. Range, repairability, support post warranty, cost to fix, suitability for big mountain adventures, how it handles, fun – all matter to me. I’ve held off on buying one as the technology is advancing so quickly. I suspect that the technology from bikes like the Trek will filter down to a much more affordable price level. For me, full fat e bikes are generally just too darn heavy for the riding I do.

There is also a feature in the next issue where Mark, Nick Craig and I rode High Street and Skiddaw as a day ride where Nick and I were on normal bikes and Mark on a Levo SL.

^^^ that will be an interesting read Sanny 👍. I love my Levo SL but reckon if I tried the Trek I’d be hankering after one !

£14k…ha, ha, ha. Perfectly suited to the new economic climate. How many 1%ers are keen mtb’ers I wonder. Plus that guy up thread with half my username, are you my brother from another mother?

Ianc and Sanny, we’ll anybody really

See also the haibike Lyke – lower weight e, with removable battery – fazua 60, more power and battery – *seems** to have better range – seems to be cheaper – probs? Well motor as my post above Cables thru headset, but this seems to be getting more common Frame Plug hole appears to be in a ‘well’ at the bottom of the frame – ? Water ingress Weird air hole above motor on frame tube up to seatpost – ? Mud/water ingress onto motor

Those haibike Lykes are a bit 2018 in their geo, long seat tube for any given size,relatively short reach,longish chainstay, but they look decent value if the geo suits what you want.

They’re also using very lightweight tyres on them to hit those headline weight numbers.

The focus jam2 sl looks really good though, fazua 60 motor, decent geo, decent value etc. But they have takenthe bizarre decision to not put a charging port in the frame , meaning that you have to remove the battery from the frame in order to charge it.

Maybe one day I’ll read a review on a bike with a new motor where somebody provides info about out of warranty motor support

It’s brand new so far too soon to know anything about out of warranty support. I also think it’s unreasonable to be quizzing a magazine that gets or loses the chance to test new bikes on the whim of the manufacturers.

I know it’s “not about the price” but honestly, how is that bike £14 grand, really?

There’s more than a few bikes out there that don’t have motors, or even suspension in some cases, that cost the same. It’s absolutely ridiculous, regardless of the economic climate, but as long as the bikes sell the manufacturers will keep on making them.

It is crazy pricey though. I have a 2020 Levo SL carbon expert. It now has XT four pots, a Fox 36, AXS shifting and dropper and all in, allowing for selling the bits I upgraded, was around 10k…

Yeah, it is a daft price but you aren’t supposed to buy it. It’s like an S Works Levo. Twice the price of a normal one just to act as a halo and attract attention.

Tell that to what must be dozens of folk I’ve seen riding sworks and plenty other 5 figure ebikes in the wild. Not just ‘1%ers’ buying them either.

Can’t wait for a year or two when all these pop up on the second hand market so I might have a chance of actually affording one :)

Crazy how many <1 year old e-bikes on pinkbike and other FB sites etc. With very few miles are popping up now (mind you might be out of the lockdown impulse purchase period so maybe not)

Trek have opened a store really near me and they offer transferable warranty to subsequent owners (as long as bike is registered) and I also have a spesh turbo store also local so for me I would only consider either of these two brands currently as for such an expensive purchase I would want to be able to take it back to a real shop.

Oh well, in that case the price still isn’t crazy then as they seem to fly off the shelf into normal punter’s hands.

Interest free credit,init

I think an article on warranties and future support is vital.

I’ll be on an e-bike at some point. I don’t need something for nothing or a warranty that covers crashes. But I’ll need to know I can keep the thing running. A fixed cost motor exchange program. Send in you motor and get back a used rebuild for £500 available for say 8 years from purchase

Without wishing to be rude, just because you can’t afford it or, rather, you have other things you’d rather spend your money on, doesn’t make a price crazy. The average price of a new car in the UK is £42k. I would never spend that on a car (well, I would, but I can’t afford it now and am unlikely every to be able to. Plus I can’t drive.), but I’m not gonna call anyone that would crazy.

Without wishing to be rude, just because you can’t afford it or, rather, you have other things you’d rather spend your money on, doesn’t make a price crazy. The average price of a new car in the UK is £42k. I would never spend that on a car (well, I would, but I can’t afford it now and am unlikely every to be able to), but I’m not gonna call anyone that would crazy.

+1 and have you seen how much ordinary folk spend on phones/contracts, watches, holiday to Disney etc etc

The prices are a bit crazy though,when you can buy the bottom of the range version of the bike, then buy all the other bits at full RRP, fit them to the bottom of the range version that you just bought and have the exact same bike for several grand less than buying the ‘official’ version

Without wishing to be rude, just because you can’t afford it or, rather, you have other things you’d rather spend your money on, doesn’t make a price crazy.

Agreed, however the price is crazy. Objectively speaking it is nuts.

The average price of a new car in the UK is £42k

Wow! That’s proper bonkers

that was the figure quoted on top gear last week, so as sure as that.

Is that from the same shop, or does that take some savvy shopping around, finding stock, navigating possible compatibility pitfalls etc. not everyone has the time for that. Hell, my last couple of bike builds took between 6 & 12 months just assembling the parts, two year wait for brakes not included so if I were as minted as some of you think I am, an extra few quid just to have everything I ultimately want, right from the off would be a price worth paying. But I’m not, so it isn’t. It may be to others.

Pricing it so not enough folk would buy it is crazy.

I don’t know… When you can get one of these for the same price… Seems crazy to me!

https://www.ducati.com/gb/en/bikes/monster/monster-sp

Or a Rolex with the Dominos pizza logo on it.

Different people have different priorities.

Very true Tom. That watch is hideous! Preowned too. Different strokes for different folks.

Is that from the same shop, or does that take some savvy shopping around

No need to seek bargains,just pay full retail pricing and you still save a truckload over buying the top end bike.

Each to their own though, they obviously do sell the top end versions or they wouldn’t make them.

I did edit to say just finding stock, which has been a challenge of the past few years. So a whole top end bike with top end parts (not just what you can get hold of) is more of a commodity.

Reading my post back again I can see that my wording comes across as being sarcastic when that wasn’t what I intended.

If indeed every other bike out there is a range topper then I’m wrong and so is anyone who says it’s crazy because people are buying them!

I appreciate that the whole battery capacity versus system weight is something of a vicious circle. Would adding one or two kilograms to the bike’s weight significantly impair the bike’s handling? Maybe it would. You do have to draw the line somewhere and it can’t have been an easy or quick decision made by the Trek team. I think personal preferences come into play a great deal here too. I am a bit of a Boost* fan. I can’t help it. I don’t have the discipline to stay in Eco or Trail modes. With a different rider on board, one who switches to Eco for flat road linking sections, and keeps it in Trail for pretty much everything else

I think a lot of people reviewing bikes like this or the Rise, coming from full power e-bikes, kind of miss the point. I’m guessing it probably gets a very similar range to an Orbea Rise if you don’t thrash it in Boost. That equates to about 1400m climbing (+/- 200m) which is a good chunk more than most people would ride on an unpowered bike on a full day out. For really big days add the 252wh range extender and you’re well over 2000m at which point you’re going to be exhausted anyway. (This might be where Trek *have* missed a trick – their range extender looks expensive and undersized at 150wh). So you only carry the extra weight when you plan to use it.

What these bikes are *less* suited for is shuttling up a fire road to ride downhill runs or chasing people on full-fat e-bikes. That’s when the temptation comes to whack it in boost to keep up and you rinse the battery. But I think they’re a lot more ‘bike like’ and a lot more fun to ride the rest of the time.

This might be where Trek *have* missed a trick – their range extender looks expensive and undersized at 150wh

its actually 160wh, but your point still stands. I suspect there will be a larger range extender in the works. The Trek rationale for this says that the range extender has been sized at 160wh because that is the max size that is allowed in aeroplanes, so you can take your bike abroad, leaving the main battery at home of course, and still get some assisted riding in.

a modular battery would be a great idea- 2, even 3 160wh batteries that could be connected in parallel, clipped together like lego, and separated for air flight

and separated for air flight

you’re only allowed a total of 160wh per person, so you’d need to get someone else in your party to carry any additional batteries

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• Cycling Magazine

Long-term review: Trek Fuel EXe shifts the standard for eMTB

Nearly silent and so fun to ride.

Electric mountain bikes are rapidly maturing, in design and technology. When Trek launched the EXe, the lightweight eMTB with its TQ motor represented a big step forward in what was possible for the electric category.

I was really impressed with the EXe out of the gates. After spending several months on Trek’s new bike, that hasn’t faded in the slightest. Here’s what makes the EXe so great, where it could improve as well as what to expect – and what not to expect – from this lightweight eMTB.

We covered a lot of details about what set this eMTB apart when the EXe launched and there is a lot to cover in the review. So for details on the bike, hit the launch . For details on how it rides – which, really, is the important part – read on.

Review: Trek Fuel EXe

The EXe follows the design of Trek’s new Fuel EX closely. Very closely. Or, rather, leads that design, since it was released first. Both bikes feature 140mm of rear wheel travel with 150mm front suspension, modern (slack, low, long reach) geometry, but with efficient suspension that keeps the bikes quick and snappy on the trail. The ability to run a 27.5″ rear wheel with the 29″ front gives the option to make the bikes even more playful in corners and controlled on steeps. The main difference, other than a drive unit, is that the EXe only has a Mino-Link while the EX has several other geometry adjustments.

Honestly, the EXe is really fun to ride. It’s quicker and nimbler than any other eMTB I’ve ridden. It is way closer to the easy movement and balanced weight of a full-powered mountain bike than any electric bike on the market right now. You don’t have to hit the gym before you ride if you want to pull the front end up for mid-trail manuals. You can actually move the back end around with ease, instead of forethought and effort. Basically, all the skills you have on a normal mountain bike transfer over with little to minimal adjustments. You just also get a motor. One that is so small, it sometimes took people a while to realize I was on an eMTB.

There's a motor hiding behine that drivetrain.

A slightly wider downtube isthe only other hint that the EXe is hiding a drive system

Trek also launched an updated Central app to customize the TQ system. . Photo: Sterling Lorence

TQ HPR50: The little motor that could

The heart of Trek’s EXe is TQ’s HRP50 system. The German brand takes a completely different approach to motor design for bikes and it changes the game. It doesn’t render larger motors irrelevant, but it makes a different kind of bike possible. To start with, the harmonic pin ring transmission is light. The motor weighs just 1.85kg and, with a 360Wh battery and controls, the entire system weighs just 3.9kg.

TQ’s HRP50 is also much smaller. Small enough that, when I ran into other riders in the woods, it often took them a while to notice I was on an electric bike. The wider downtube on the EXe is more of a giveaway, really, than the diminutive HRP50.

Finally, the harmonic pin ring transmission design is quiet and smooth. Really, the only downside, compared to traditional eMTB at least, is that it only carries 50Nm of torque. For many, though, that will be all the support you need, or want, from a mountain bike.

Sound of silence

I don’t need a fancy graph or sciencey words like “tonality” to tell you that the EXe is quiet. It’s barely perceptible unless you’re in the highest support mode. Even then, it’s quiet. That’s when I was riding the bike for review purposes, so I was intently focusing trying to hear the bike. I verified that it was actually quiet by riding with a few analog friends. They confirmed they rarely noticed any noise coming from the motor.

Sounds that are louder than the motor include, but are not limited to: the tires, when rolling on basically any surface; the Line Pro 30 hubs freewheeling; the AXS shifting; the sound of wind in your helmet; casual conversation. Bottom line, the TQ HRP50 does make a noise, but you have to be paying attention to notice it.

Power and poise

The TQ doesn’t just sound good, though. It feels good to ride. Every rider will have a different idea of what a “natural” assist feels like, but the TQ tops the ranks in my books. It’s far and away better than any other drive unit when pedalling out of the saddle, delivering smooth and consistent power without surges. That’s the same for pedalling seated. The HRP50 comes on smooth and tapers off in a way that feels similar to how you would lose speed on a normal bike. The power engages quickly, but without any of the jolt or kick of some higher-powered motors. With 50Nm of torque, you’ll still have to put in some effort to get the EXe up steeper grades, of course. But on all but the steepest trails, its an impressively smooth support that makes you feel like a fitter rider, not feel like you’re riding a mini-moto.

The only minor issue I had with the motor’s performance came when, during the odd time spinning the cranks through tight corners but not actually putting power down, it would stutter as it re-engaged. It would still engage just fine, but a half-second later than expected. This wasn’t every time, and it didn’t happen when I coasted or when I kept power on through the corner, but something about spinning the cranks seemed to confuse the system slightly.

All in all, the way TQ’s drive unit works doesn’t just feel better, it makes technical riding easier. You don’t have to factor in when and how the motor will engage as  you approach a root or rock move.

Hardwired wireless AXS shifting.

Rock Shox Super Deluxe Ultimate AirWiz shock keeps the EXe tracking smooth.

Bontrager Line Pro 30 carbon fibre wheels with built-in TireWiz pressure gauges

Rock Shox Lyric Ultimate with AirWiz

Bontrager RSL integrated carbon fibre bar-stem looks sharp, especially with the wireless set-up.

Trek EXe 9.9 AXS

Trek pulls no punches for the top-end EXe. There’s a few curiosities and fancy features exclusive to the 9.9 AXS. Most notably, the wired SRAM AXS rear derailleur. While there’s something ironic about adding a wire to a wireless derailleur, I’ll admit I loved having it automatically charge when I charged the main battery. The trade-off is that the bike needs to be turned on to shift at all. So if you run out of juice, or just want to shift down the cassette to take a wheel off, you need some power. The Rock Shox Reverb AXS, though, still uses its own battery.

Trek equips the 9.9 AXS with its carbon fibre RSL bar-stem combo and the carbon fiber Line Pro 30 wheels. In combination with the stout EXe frame, it is a very rigid build. This is great when you’re carving manicured berms. But I found it overly harsh, to the point of being tiring, on any sort of sustained rough trails. Switching out the bars or the wheels to more forgiving options helped take just enough of the edge off (I tried both, in various combinations. We Are One’s Convert wheels were just forgiving enough to balance out the EXe for my personal preferences) making the 9.9 a rocket ship, but one that I could control.

There are also TireWiz and ShockWiz gadgets built into the Line Pro 30 rims and the RockShox suspension. I’m neither here nor there on that feature. If you like it and use it, great. I’m not that particular, or that irregular with checking pressures, that I ever found it useful. But the Wiz’s didn’t cause any problems during the test period, either.

The only difficulty I had with the EXe was that, eventually, some bolts holding the TQ motor did eventually loosen off. That is with a complete lack of service or maintenance over weeks of hard riding, though. So the minimum of regular maintenance should prevent that from becoming an issue at all.

All this comes in for a shocking $18,300. That is comparable to what other top-end eMTB are going for but still a lot of money. If you don’t have that kind of scratch kicking around, the EXe 9.5, at $8,400, still features a carbon fibre frame and TQ’s mini motor.

Lightweight eMTBs – Battery life, power, weight: choose two

There’s an old saying in mountain biking: “Light weight, durable, inexpensive: choose two.” The idea is that you can’t have everything you want, for free. A modified version for lightweight eMTB would be “Range, power, weight: choose two.” (Because, well, there’s no lightweight eMTB’s that could be reasonably described as “inexpensive,” yet). With the EXe, Trek deliver’s on weight and sacrifices a little on power and weight. Depending on how you like to ride, this bike either hits the sweet spot or leaves something to be desired.

Personally, I really like where Trek landed. It gets you enough support for a reasonably big ride – more than I’d do every day. It has enough power that  you can get a lot more out of your ride, without feeling like it does everything for you. And, most importantly, it feels more like a mountain bike than an electric bike than any other eMTB I’ve ridden at this point.

Range anxiety and riding with friends: where does a lightweight eMTB fit in?

To stick with the dime store philosophy, my family has a saying passed down (repeatedly) by one uncle in particular: “You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” What does that have to do with mountain bikes? Well, the mid-power, mid-range of the EXe might, depending on your friends, change group ride dynamics. Because you can pick your friends and how you ride, but you can’t pick how they ride. And you definitely can’t stop a friend on a full-power eMTB from hitting turbo mode and dropping you on a climb.

The problem is similar to the problem with all ebikes: one of power differences. Since lightweight eMTB’s are still relatively new, they’re also sort of exclusive. Can you ride with full-power e-friends? Or analog buddies? The answer to both is “it depends.”

Trek’s EXe is the first eMTB that is still exciting to ride with unassisted friends. Turn down the power to match the unassisted pace of your buddy and it isn’t quite like riding without a motor, but the feeling is actually really close. Just a bit easier. And, of course, it’s really quiet. Point downhill, and the sensations are, again, really close to what your freind is riding. That, on its own, will be exciting to any eMTB converts that have struggled riding with analog friends.

Riding with full-power eMTB is a different beast. If your friends are nice, you can keep up fine, but just won’t be able to cover the same distance. If your friends are a bunch of bros that just want to blast up the fireroad or steepest trail around to get to the top as fast as possible, you’re going to struggle to keep up. Either way, you’re going to be experiencing some “range anxiety” as you watch the EXe’s power bar deplete before full-battery friends even start thinking about conserving fuel. So, pick your friends wisely, because you can’t pick how they’ll ride.

That’s not to say the EXe doesn’t have enough range. It just doesn’t have the over-the-top range of some modern eMTB. With a 360Wh battery, Trek supplies enough juice to get through rides that would be big efforts without the assist. Exact range will vary by terrain and rider, of course. But, at roughly 80kg, I’d get over 1,000m out of a charge, regularly using full-power. After learning to work with the TQ a bit better, I could regularly get more.

That is a long-winded answer, admittedly, but it’s a question I think a lot of riders will be asking before pulling the trigger on a newer line of eMTB.

Conclusions: Trek EXe and TQ shift the standard for lightweight eMTB

Trek has done an excellent job with the EXe, designing a mid-travel trail bike that fully takes advantage of the opportunities TQ’s small-but-powerful HPR50 creates. The EXe is capable of taking on all kinds of challenging trails, but its also light and snappy enough, for an eMTB, to be fun on a really wide range of trails.

I rode this bike a lot, over a long period and in a wide range of different places. And certainly a wider range of trail types than I’d usually take a full power eMTB on. That is, in part, because it made a wider range of trails fun. Since it is lighter, more maneuverable and more playful, the EXe is more fun on lower-angle, tighter trails than heavier bikes.

Trek’s also made it durable. This bike went through a week straight of big days in the Okanagan and, other than needing to tighten down a few bolts and a scratch to the paint, it came away clean.

The result was that it made the choice between pedaling and taking the assist a lot harder because, well, I knew it would feel more like a mountain bike when I wanted it to. Sure, I had to learn to live with a little range anxiety. Easily worth the trade-off for the performance of the EXe and TQ combo.

Trek EXe 9.9 AXS retails for $18,300 at Trek stores and online through Trekbikes.com .

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Trek’s Fuel EXe Is the Best e-Mountain Bike You Can Buy Right Now

Light, discrete, and quiet with a great chassis, the new EXe proves that more doesn’t make e-bikes better.

TQ HPR50 Motor

Motor noise, battery and range, display, remote, and apps, frame details, models and prices.

The Takeaway: Motor or no motor, the Fuel EXe is one of the best mountain bikes on the market right now.

• All new EX carbon frame with 140mm rear travel and 150mm fork
• Small and light (1850 grams) TQ HPR50 with maximum 50Nm torque
• 360Wh in-frame battery. Optional piggyback 160Wh range extender
• 2-5 hour claimed ride range from in-frame battery
• Six models priced $6,500 to $14,000

Weight: 40.9 lbs. (medium, 9.9 XX1 AXS)

Price: $14,000 (9.9 XX1 AXS)

Trek kicks off a big week of mountain bike launches here at Bicycling with the introduction of their latest e-mountain bike: The Fuel EXe. While the usual e-bike story is about more power, battery, and range, the EXe falls into the intriguing e-light category where the story is less.

The EXe is lighter, a lot lighter—10 or so pounds lighter—than a full-power e-bike because it uses a less powerful motor requiring a smaller battery. That makes it appealing to riders who want an e-bike but also want the feel and handling of an unpowered e-bike. It should also interest lighter and less powerful riders put off by riding a 50-pound eMTB. As I found out, being less powerful doesn’t mean less fun. The EXe proves that the old Less Is More axiom works for e-bikes too.

The Fuel EXe arrives in shops worldwide, in limited numbers, today.

Ride Impressions

Most of the e-bikes I ride are motorized versions of a brand’s existing unpowered frame platform, which there’s a better-than-good chance I’ve already ridden. However, with this new Fuel EXe, Trek flipped the script on me because the powered version came first.

My test bike was the most expensive model: The $14,000 9.9 XX1 AXS in Baja Yellow. The parts were, as you would hope for a bike this expensive, flawless. I did notice the RockShox Reverb AXS dropper on this post seemed smoother and less sticky than other examples of this post I’ve tried, perhaps due to some running changes on the assembly line. The Bontrager SE5 Team Issue tires are the best Bontrager trail tires I’ve ever ridden, and I feel like the company has a rubber compound that lets them compete with the best on the market. Also impressive were the 2023 RockShox parts which are a step forward in smoothness for the brand, and operate silently.

One thing not present on my bike was Trek’s AirWiz suspension pressure sensors on the fork and shock, or the Quarq TyreWiz tire pressure sensors on the wheels. These are a stock feature on the model I tested, but Trek’s PR team decided to remove them from my review bike after the issues I had with the sensors on the Rail test bike in October . Riders who order the new EXe through Trek’s Project One customization program have the option to remove the sensors.

While much of this bike is new to me, the Fuel EXe is such a harmonious package that I got comfortable with it very quickly, and it wasn’t much longer before I was in love with this bike. In fact, I’m going to declare that this is one of the best mountain bikes—powered or unpowered—I’ve recently ridden. I can’t wait until the unpowered version of this frame lands because I think it will kick ass.

Everything makes this bike good, but I’ll start with the frame. The chassis has a modern fit and balanced handling that lets the rider climb comfortably and let it run on the descents, yet it’s still agreeable on mid-speed and flatter trails. There’s nothing particularly unique or different about the EXe’s geometry numbers, which I think is the point: It finds an equilibrium that works well on many kinds of climbs and flavors of descent without neglecting that some trails are flatter. If anything, it’s snappier and livelier—things I don’t think I’ve ever said about an e-mountain bike—than the average 140/150mm bike, and enough that I legitimately forgot that I was on an e-bike at times.

I sometimes forget I was on an e-bike because the motor is so quiet and well-mannered. I couldn’t hear it over my breathing on climbs, and it’s so smooth that there are almost no vibrations or buzzing to feel in the frame. Plus, it is entirely free of clunking and lash.

It’s the most natural feeling motor I’ve yet ridden, by which I mean it doles out the power in an approximately human way. It is also so quick that there’s almost no lag between when you start and stop pedaling; the motor power flows in and out. It legitimately feels like you’re just having a really great day when you pedal this bike. I felt less surging and pushing from this motor, even in the highest assist mode, than I’ve experienced from any other e-bike motor system.

The EXe’s motor feels exceptionally well-tuned, and the experience is refined, eclipsing even Specialized’s excellent motors. Some of this smoothness likely results from the TQ’s lower torque. By keeping the system quiet, the bike tricks the brain a bit—quieter is perceived as smoother. But riding the EX- was such a pleasant experience that I never missed the extra boost of a “full power” e-bike.

I feel like this e-lite mountain bike might provide a superior experience for many riders, even committed e-bike riders. Yeah, it’s not going to hurl you up the climbs the way a full-power e-bike will. Yes, I did wish for more range—if only because riding the EXe is so damn fun—but there’s enough power and range here to offer some substantial assist, yet the bike remains agile and doesn’t punish the upper body on the descents. It is an e-bike experience that doesn’t overwhelm the mountain bike experience. The experience of transitioning from a mountain bike to a full-power e-bike is pretty extreme and can be jarring.

Full-power e-bikes are a lot: A lot of power and a lot of weight. Many riders adapt and are completely happy with their full-power e-bikes. But if you’ve tried a full-power e-bike and thought it was a bit much, the EXe will be a revelation.

Based on Strava, even with the EXe’s assist, I was still slower on the climbs and descents than my town’s fastest pro riders. I wasn’t even as fast as my best unassisted times from when I was in my best riding shape. But I could ride quicker and with less effort than I can (at my current weight and fitness) compared to an unassisted bike. It lessened—but did not eliminate—the pain and significantly increased the fun in a quiet, sleek, and easy-to-ride package. Which, to me, are the hallmark of an extraordinary bike.

For the new EXe motor, Trek turned to a new supplier: TQ Group. Like Bosch, Brose, and Mahale, TQ’s e-bike division is a small part of a large and diverse company with extensive knowledge in electronics. Though they may not have the recognition of its competitors, this isn’t TQ’s first foray into e-bike motors: The Flyon motor used for some Haibike models was a TQ product. But while the Flyon was noteworthy for its massive 120Nm of torque, the HPR50 maxes out at 50Nm (300 watts maximum assist), putting the Fuel EXe into the growing e-light category of mountain bikes. Other e-light trail bikes include Specialized’s Levo SL and Orbea’s Rise.

With nearly half the maximum torque, these e-light bikes don’t have the sheer thrust of a full-power e-MTB. But less powerful motors are smaller and lighter, and they draw less juice so that the bikes can use smaller and lighter batteries. And that’s why this EXe is easily 10 pounds lighter than a comparable full-power e-bike. For example, the full-power Trek Rail I reviewed last October weighed 51.3lb. This EXe with a similar build weighs 40.9 pounds.

The HPR50 is a light (1830 grams) and small e-bike motor because of its architecture. The “harmonic pin ring” system allows a concentric profile without belts and with fewer gears, packaging the entire unit into a shell that looks more like an oversized standard bottom bracket than the typical e-bike motor. Rather than explaining the design, the hypnotic animation provided by TQ below illustrates it nicely.

One more stat I want to highlight is TQ’s claimed “135mm Q-Factor.” While this is true, it’s the Q-factor of the motor without cranks which, last I checked, is hard to pedal. With my test bike’s e*thirteen e*spec Race Carbon cranks installed, I measured an approximate 195mm Q-Factor, which is quite a bit wider than a Shimano EP8 motor’s 177mm.

According to Trek’s launch materials, they spent a lot of time analyzing and quantifying e-bike motor noise. And while I don’t consider any of the current mid-drive e-bike motors loud, they all make noticeable—and not particularly pleasant—noise. Trek claims that when measured in an anechoic chamber, their motor’s tonality across a range of cadence speeds is four to five times lower than other e-bikes, registering as “barely perceivable.”

After many hours of riding the EXe, I agree that barely perceivable is an apt way to describe the motor’s noise. It’s so quiet that it barely registers above (and most of the time is masked by) tire noise and breathing. And not only is it hushed, but the noise you can hear is a much lower pitch—almost like a cat’s happy purr—than the high-pitched whine of most e-bike motors.

So quiet is the HPR50 motor that I could ride the EXe in a group without others knowing I was on an e-bike. Unless they got a good look at the bike from the non-drive side or happened to see the discrete handlebar remote (which I tried to cover with my hand as much as possible), they assumed it to be a non-assist bike. To make it even stealthier, I covered the top tube display with electrical tape to hide it, covered the top tube logo with stickers, and rode trails that are closed to e-bikes. Of course, I can’t suggest you do the same, but no one I rode by gave me or the bike a second look.

The EXe has a 360 Wh internal battery, which is enough for “two to five hours” of riding, according to Trek. While frustratingly vague, it’s accurate as many factors influence battery range. Riding in the “mid” assist mode, I did a 25-mile ride with almost 2500 feet of climbing. The ride took two hours and 40 minutes and finished with under 30 percent battery remaining, so I think the two-to-five hour estimate is accurate.

If you want more range (or less range anxiety), the EXe offers a couple of options. One is a 160Wh piggyback battery ($660, 900 gram claimed weight) that fits into the bottle cage. You’ll lose the ability to put a water bottle on the bike, but it provides 40 percent more range. One clever thing about this range extender is you can charge both it and the bike’s in-frame battery through a charge port in the extender. The other option is to buy a second in-frame battery ($750). You can easily remove the in-frame battery from the frame, so hot swaps on the trail are possible if you’re willing to carry a spare 1835g battery in your pack.

Claimed charge time for the 360Wh battery is a relatively short two hours, while the 160Wh piggyback charges in an hour.

The EXe has a two-inch OLED flush-mounted in the top tube with four data lines and the system’s on/off switch. A remaining charge graphic and assist mode indicator always show, and you can scroll through four data screens. The most helpful are the ones that display the remaining battery charge as a percentage and estimated ride time remaining, and remaining range in miles and estimated ride time remaining. The other data screens show rider and bike power and speed. In addition, the TQ system broadcasts information on an ANT+ channel, so you can also see information on compatible GPS cycling computers.

The TQ handlebar remote is very discrete. Use it to select one of three assist modes (Eco, Mid, High), to shut off all assistance, or activate walk mode.

Riders may access further information and settings through the new Trek Central app for iOS and Android. The app can customize all three assist modes. However, assist-system firmware updates must be done by a Trek dealer.

The Central app also offers ride tracking/recording (with automatic export to Strava and Komoot) and navigation with battery charge remaining at the end of the trip. It also has a range cloud that shows how far you can ride if you want to make a round trip and how far you can ride one way with a full charge.

The Central app also provides suspension and tire pressure setup information based on rider weight and recommended suspension damping settings. If your bike has Trek’s TireWiz or AirWiz electronic pressure sensors, the app also connects to those devices.

The EXe is the debut of Trek’s all-new carbon frame platform. Though the e-bike version is the first to launch, I’d bet there’s an unassisted version of this same frame coming soon. It is a mid-travel trail frame with 140mm of rear travel and complete models equipped with 150mm forks (it can take up to a 160mm fork). In addition, Trek seems to be heading in a new styling direction with the EXe, as the frame shapes and graphics seem crisper yet more subtle than previous mountain bikes.

The rear suspension is Trek’s familiar ABP (Active Braking Pivot) design. ABP is a single pivot system with a floating brake arm, allowing the nerds to fine-tune the bike’s anti-squat (pedaling) and anti-rise (braking) characteristics more than they could by using a more traditional single-pivot design. Trek says the kinematics work with either air or coil shocks and states that all coil shocks from Fox and RockShox are compatible with the EXe.

All frame sizes fit a 20-ounce water bottle inside the front triangle, and there’s a cargo mount under the top tube, too. Hoses and housing run internally (of course), but this frame does not use Trek’s Knock Block system to limit bar rotation. It got sacrificed to make room for the in-frame display.

The EXe’s geometry is pretty average for a modern 140/150mm travel trail bike. The highlights are two geometry positions (via a chip in the rocker link yielding a 64.7- or 65.2-degree head angle/76.7- or 77.2-degree effective seat tube angle) and chainstays that measure about 440mm.

While complete bikes come with 29-inch wheels, Trek says the bike is compatible with a 27.5” rear wheel.

Trek recommends using the high geometry position with the smaller-sized wheel fitted. However, it cautions that “the smaller wheel circumference will affect the accuracy of the speed reading and cannot be adjusted.”

Trek Fuel EXe 9.5

There are six EXe models—starting with the $6,500 Fuel EXe 9.5 and topping out with the $14,000 EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS. All use the same carbon frame, TQ motor, and 360Wh battery, but the rest of the build changes accordingly to price. Trek provided complete bike weights for the line, which I’ve pasted below, and you’ll also find build highlights. Full component package details are available on Trek’s website.

Notably, the most expensive EXe is not the lightest bike in the lineup. The $13,000 Shimano XTR build and the $8,700 and $9,200 Shimano XT bikes are lighter weight than the range-topping $14,000 SRAM XX1 AXS-equipped model. Also, the least expensive 9.5 model (remember: same frame, motor, and battery for all models) costs $7,500 less than the 9.9 XX1 AXS build but only weighs 3.3(ish) pounds heavier. To put it another way, the 9.5 is 53.6 percent cheaper than the 9.9 XX1, yet only eight percent heavier.

Personally, the best build in the line is the XT model. It’s under 40 pounds (claimed), has the carbon rims, comes with tough and sticky SE tires, and has the fancy one-piece carbon bar/stem of the most expensive builds. It has all of this while carrying a sub-five figure price tag.

Lastly, on the SRAM AXS -equipped bikes (like my review sample), the rear derailleur gets power from the bike’s battery via an “extension cord” pack. This pack clips on in place of the standard AXS battery and connects to the bike’s wiring harness. If you completely drain the e-bike battery, there is still enough juice left for about 200 shifts. Riders can bring along a spare AXS battery as an extra precaution.

Model | Weight in Pounds | Price

Fuel EXe 9.5 | 43.94 | $6,500

Fuel EXe 9.7 | 41.99 | $7,600

Fuel EXe 9.7 P1 Now* | 41.99 | $8,100

Fuel EXe 9.8 XT | 39.9 | $8,700

Fuel EXe 9.8 XT P1 Now* | 39.9 | $9,200

Fuel EXe 9.8 GX AXS | 40.06 | $11,000

Fuel EXe 9.9 XTR | 38.51 | $13,000

Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS | 40.67 | $14,000

* “P1 Now” models have a “premium” finish and are painted and assembled at Trek’s headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The weight and build kit are the same as standard models.

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling , Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race. 

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Trek Fuel EX 9.7 review | Trail Bike of the Year contender

Trek’s hyper-adjustable trail bike is built to do it all

Excellent chassis; spot-on geometry; great suspension; lovely ride feel; super-capable and adjustable

Poor brakes; tyres can’t compete with the competition

The Trek Fuel EX 9.7 Gen 6 sits around the middle of Trek’s aggro trail bike range, with this version sporting a carbon frame.

It is, as far as I can tell, one of the most adjustable mainstream trail bikes on the market, with a plethora of geometry-adjustment capabilities, as well as the ability to tune the suspension further than the shock alone allows.

Add in a couple of wheel-size options on the smaller-sized bikes and it's hard to think up a rider profile who wouldn’t get on with the bike.

That’s all based on the tech specs, though, and what’s important is how this 140mm-travel rig rides.

As I found when I tested the alloy Fuel EX last year, it’s a solid platform, with excellent ride characteristics and plenty of positives.

It’s highly maneuverable and easy to ride without any odd quirks, while the suspension works well on hits small and large.

However, at RRP, the value isn’t amazing, and Bontrager’s tyres struggle against competition from Maxxis , lacking their grip and feel.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 frame and suspension

Trek’s nomenclature dictates that a 9.something-named bike has a carbon frame . Here, you get the brand's OCLV Mountain Carbon throughout, save for the magnesium rocker link.

The frame features are well thought-out, with plenty of protection from rock strikes, as well as internal storage, neatly wrapped up in the supplied bag. This sits in a lever-locked door under the frame’s bottle cage in the down tube.

Cables are guided through the frame in sleeves from the head tube, while the use of a 34.9mm seat tube means broad-diameter droppers can be used for, theoretically, increased durability.

ISCG mounts surround a threaded bottom bracket.

Specific suspension

Trek builds the frame around its ABP (Active Braking Pivot) linkage. This features a rear pivot concentric to the rear axle, marking it out from the usual four-bar or faux-bar linkages, whereby the rear pivot sits in the chainstay or seatstay respectively.

Trek claims this better separates forces from braking and pedalling from the suspension.

While most riders will likely stick with the air shock supplied, the frame is compatible with coil shocks . This is partly thanks to the More/Less chip that lives at the bottom of the shock.

This adds (More) or reduces (Less) the progressivity of the leverage curve, making it more or less progressive.

This can be flipped with the stock shock in place, but the Less position is most suited to air shocks, which naturally have more ‘ramp-up’ later in their stroke. The More position is suited to coil shocks, which are linear throughout their stroke (unless you have a fancy progressive spring or shock).

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 geometry

Much like the suspension, there’s plenty of adjustability on offer when it comes to the geometry of the Fuel EX.

There is a Mino Link chip at the top of the seatstays, which is pretty traditional in nature. This alters the head and seat angles by 0.5 degrees, as well as the BB height by 8mm.

There’s also the ability to swap the headset cups. These are available aftermarket and allow for a range of 2 degrees of head-angle change – one degree either side of the ‘Neutral’ setting the bike comes with as stock.

Though there will be slight changes in BB height and seat tube angle, it’s effectively pretty independent of these.

Then, there are wheel sizes to consider.

The XS comes with 27.5in wheels, S-sized bikes can be purchased with either 27.5in or 29in wheels, while M, ML, L, XL and XXL come with 29in wheels, but can also be run as mullet setups . Phew.

With such an extensive set of options, the below geometry chart is representative of how I ran the bike the bulk of the time – Neutral headset cup, Low Mino Link, 29in hoops.

Here, a Large has a long 485mm reach, short 435mm seat tube, steep 77-degree seat tube angle (though I measured mine at 78 degrees, with a 750mm saddle height) and slack 64.5-degree head angle.

The chainstays are 440mm on a Large, but are size-specific, ranging from 435mm to 450mm.

Clearly, Trek’s engineers have been busy.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 specifications

With the carbon construction accounting for much of the £4,175 price, the spec list isn’t necessarily as flashy as some in the 2024 Trail Bike of the Year list. However, it’s all solid kit and doesn’t, on paper, give anything to be concerned about.

The suspension is provided by Fox, with a 150mm 36 Rhythm featuring a basic GRIP damper. At the back, a Performance-level Float X shock has a piggy-back construction, boosting oil volumes, which should help with consistency on long descents. It has a two-position lockout lever.

Shimano supplies Deore, SLX and XT running gear, while SRAM’s DB8 brakes haul on 200mm/180mm rotors.

Trek’s Bontrager brand supplies the alloy Line Comp wheels and XR5 Team Issue tyres, as well as most of the finishing kit. Droppers come from TranzX, in 100-170mm lengths, depending on frame size.

All combined, this trail-ready bike comes in at a shade under 15.4kg.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 ride impressions

With relatively little adjustability, setting up the fork and shock is easy. It's nominally a case of setting sag and adding the required rebound clicks – in my case two from fully open in the fork and three from fully open in the shock.

My tyre pressures depend on the conditions I’m riding in, but my baseline is 22psi in the rear and 21psi in the front, from which I then experiment.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 climbing performance

The Fuel EX offers few excuses on the climbs.

The suspension is stable, rarely bobbing in its travel as you pedal, ensuring the majority of your effort is channelled into getting you to the top of the hill.

On lumpier climbs, this means a few more of those bumps and edges are fed through to you, but the stability is much appreciated on steep climbs and long drags alike.

Don’t equate stability with a lack of suppleness, though, because there’s still enough freedom of movement to enable the tyres to find grip.

On tarmac sections, the shock’s lockout lever is within easy reach, for even perkier climbing, and you can easily twist the dial on top of the 36 Rhythm fork to lock that out, too.

The climbing performance is boosted by the geometry. The seat angle is steep, putting your hips in an efficient position over the cranks, while the 440mm chainstays (Large) balance the lengthy front end nicely, ensuring your weight is distributed well between the axles.

When things get steep, it doesn’t settle deep into its travel, maintaining those angles nicely.

Bontrager’s hubs have a very low engagement angle of just over 3 degrees, which makes ratcheting up and through techy lines much easier than a gappier freehub .

The tyres also contribute. Their low block height reduces rolling resistance, speeding up your ascent.

On loose, muddy climbs, though, the tread blocks don’t dig in as well as chunkier rubber. Their relatively hard compound also doesn’t ‘stick’ to rocks and roots as well as the best compounds from other tyre brands.

If steep, techy climbs are your thing and you want a more upright bike, the geometry adjust settings will help you get a more perky feel that's even better suited to navigating complicated terrain.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 descending performance

The overriding feeling from the Fuel EX is one of composed calmness.

The chassis is robust and largely unshakeable on all grades of trail, whether you’re pummelling through rocks or loading it up through berms.

The rear shock smooths the way effectively, keeping the rear wheel locked to the ground, even when you’re on the brakes.

The damping in the shock mirrors the calmness of the bike. It has a steadfast calmness, rather than a hyperactive feel.

It does a good job of dealing with mid-sized impacts, although there are bikes out there that will offer an even smoother ride – there’s still a communicative feel as you traverse technical tracks.

Hit something big and the bike transitions to the depths of its suspension in a controlled manner, avoiding any harsh bottom-outs and ensuring you remain nicely in control.

The Fuel EX is happy being pumped through rollers, or pushed into the face of a jump, thanks to good mid-stroke support.

This gives it a more urgent feeling than some on more mellow terrain – only boosted by those faster-rolling tyres.

With excellent geometry and a stout frameset, the Fuel EX excels when weighted up through corners. While the shape is pretty long and slack, there’s still an agility that means you can make the most of tight and twisty tracks, thanks to the stubby stem, balanced shape and supportive suspension.

Pitch into a steeper section and the relatively low BB and generous length help give the Fuel EX an unshakeable feeling.

The 36 Rhythm is a fine fork, with the simple GRIP damper offering smooth and comfortable performance that aids the front wheels’s tracking of the ground and helps insulate you from the rough and tumble.

The chassis is sturdy, so it doesn’t choke when you’re battering it through rocks.

The most aggressive riders, though, will start to push its limits. The slight lack of mid-stroke support becomes noticeable, and the fork starts to use more of its travel than is necessary.

That said, you have to be really going some to get to that point.

By then, you’ll have noticed that Bontrager’s tyres don’t perform as well as the best mountain bike tyres .

Their rubber compound is less grippy, leading to a nervous feel on rocks and roots. This is exacerbated by a pingy carcass that skitters away from, rather than shrugs off, glancing blows.

Fortunately, The Line 30 alloy wheels the tyres are wrapped around are good.

They blend decent stiffness with comfort, while the fast pick-up of the rear hub makes accelerating out of corners a joy. As soon as you put some cranks in, the bike drives forward.

I tested the Fuel EX with wheels from another test bike, to see how it would perform with better rubber.

The improvement in grip from the Maxxis tyres was noticeable, enabling you to push the frame and fork further towards their limits, squeezing every drop of available performance out of them.

A more prominent shoulder tread, rather than the rounded profile of the SE5, improves cornering grip, while changing up the compound improves grip in marginal conditions.

I’d happily have this bike in my garage, though the tyres would be an early upgrade to help make the most of it.

I’d also make some alterations to the braking because the organic pads on the SRAM DB8s aren’t as good as the sintered options. My experience of the Marin Rift Zone 29 XR’s DB8 brakes with their HS2 rotors would inspire me to switch up the rotors on the Trek, too – the difference is palpable.

With better tyres and brakes from the off, the score would be higher, but you also have to take price into account. Though it has a carbon frame, the value for money at RRP isn’t great.

How does the Trek Fuel EX 9.7 compare to the Canyon Spectral CF7?

The Trek’s chassis is one of the best, offering tons of adjustment, a fantastic shape and a sturdy ride feel.

It is, however, considerably more expensive, at RRP, than the Canyon Spectral CF 7 (£3,299), which also has a carbon frame and a very similar spec list.

Both have fantastic geometry, and while the Canyon offers a smoother ride feel, the Fuel EX climbs better and has more urgency when generating speed.

The Canyon’s brakes and tyres are better – Shimano SLX and Maxxis Minions respectively – however, the Trek’s SRAM drivetrain is smoother if you’re maintenance-phobic.

Canyon has the advantage of a direct-sales model, which helps cut costs, although many will appreciate the access to test riding and servicing from a local shop with the Trek.

Trail Bike of the Year 2024 | How we tested

This bike was tested as part of my 2024 Trail Bike of the Year test. Around 20 bikes were long-listed, with eight models, ranging from £2,999 to £4,199, making it into the test.

The bikes were all tested over a period of three months, on a wide range of trails in the South West of the UK, ranging from trail centre pedals to bike park laps and woodland rallies.

The bikes were also all put through our workshop to measure angles, dig into frame details and make sure everything was running smoothly.

All bikes were base-line set up with 28 per cent sag at the rear, and 21psi in the front and 22psi in the rear tyre. The testing process helped fine-tune their setups to get the most out of the bikes, wherever they were being ridden.

Our Trail Bike of the Year contenders

• Whyte T-160 RS
• Canyon Spectral CF7
• Marin Rift Zone XR
• YT Jeffsy Core 3
• GT Sensor Carbon Pro
• Cannondale Habit LT 2
• Trek Fuel EX 9.7
• Scott Genius 940

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 bottom line

Trek’s carbon Fuel EX chassis is solid, adaptable and high-performing.

The blend of excellent geometry with sorted suspension makes it, in my eyes, one of the most desirable framesets on the market.

This model doesn’t represent the best value for money around, though, with the brakes and tyres in particular holding it back. Upgrade those and the Fuel EX 9.7 will be an absolute shredder.

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Trek Fuel EX-e Review

• New, nearly-silent TQ HPR50 motor
• 360-watt hour battery with optional 160-watt hour range extender
• 2-5 hour range
• 29-inch wheels
• 150mm front / 140mm rear travel
• Adjustable geometry via Trek's Mino Link
• 64.7º head angle / 76.7° seat tube angle in the low setting
• The lightest XTR build has a claimed weight of 38.51 lbs (41.2 lbs as tested)
• Price range: $6,499.99 - $13,999.99
• Available now

Impressive sounding bike. Thanks for the review.  

Oh wow, this does not look like a e-bike at all...like that new Pivot e-bike. I like it. Plus, extenders seal the deal.  

Not really into e-bikes myself, but I also know eventually I’ll end up on one. It’s nice to see them getting lighter, less e-bike looking and offering less assistance for people that may want to just take some of the sting off for various reasons.  

I use mine mainly for recovery rides or easy rides where I would normally not ride. I am usually on a Ripley or Ripmo. We climb a lot so it keeps my HR much lower (instead of 160-180 on a climb) and may just save me from getting a heart attack at 53 with a 3-year-old.  

Any word for immediate availability across the model lines?  

Josh Patterson

Loll said: Any word for immediate availability across the model lines? Click to expand...

$14k bikes with batteries.... This world has gone mad.  

I still don't fully (or partially) understand why these things have to cost so much.  

FrankS29 said: Not really into e-bikes myself, but I also know eventually I’ll end up on one. It’s nice to see them getting lighter, less e-bike looking and offering less assistance for people that may want to just take some of the sting off for various reasons. Click to expand...

Attachments

Nice bike but it would be nice if the manufacturers would price them for mere mortals. The markup is ridiculous considering they cost as much as or more than a motorcycle.  

NC_Foothills_Rider

Very nice review of what looks like a great bike. I'm in the 'wait for the prices to drop and tech to improve' camp. I think they're a real blast to ride and I can see myself wanting one more the older I get. I hope one day I can score a new one with AL frame and low-mid range components for $3500, rather than $5500 and up. And I think the motor and battery tech keeps improving so I would expect that eventually the full powered types should be around 45 lbs and the lightweights down to sub 35. My pedal bike weighs 34.5 and I've gotten used to it. The Rise, Levo SL and this bike are heading in the right direction IMO.  

jiw71 said: "less ebike looking" is nothing more than trying to perpetuate the "not an e-bike" look. Click to expand...

The Squeaky Wheel

jiw71 said: "less ebike looking" is nothing more than trying to perpetuate the "not an e-bike" look. There are e-mtb's on the market for 25% of the cost with similar components..........but they look like e-bikes...........and should........because they are. Having ridden close to 10,000 miles on my e-mtb (2019 purchase price of $3500.00) I can say that the weight (50 lb) is a non-issue. The software app allows for tweaking of assistance. (and I haven't stopped riding my fat bike and my 29+ bike) Click to expand...

smoothmoose

Full power eBikes gets new riders into the sport. Lightweight eBikes gets experienced riders and excuse for N+1.  

The Squeaky Wheel said: Budget aside, I'd be hard pressed to recommend the 50lb style of e-bike over the 40 lb style to friends Click to expand...

That's exactly me. I love my Ripmo and I love my Levo SL. It is the fountain of youth or as close as I can get now. Mountain biking since 1998, new dad at 53, and trying to keep it all together!!  

I'll like to figure out if this bike can be properly setup mullet. Based on the geo charts switching to mullet will drop the BB 333mm in the HI positioning which is pretty low. I think I rather long stroke the shock to 205 x 65mm get this up to ~155mm travel and raise the rear axle around 15mm which will offset most of the 19mm lost at the rear axle going with 27.5 and throw a 160mm fork up front. Now that will be a real trail slaying bike.  

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FIRST RIDE IMPRESSIONS: TREK FUEL EX-E ELECTRIC MOUNTAIN BIKE

Exceeding expectations.

Trek’s new Fuel EXe mid-level-assist lightweight electric bike is as innovative, progressive, and futuristic as they come. There are two types of electric mountain bike riders: one is power-hungry, running boost everywhere they go, and the other rides in lower-assist modes, often returning from rides with half the battery capacity—the Fuel EX-e was made for the latter of the two. Trek claims that it removes the divide between MTB and eMTB.

THE NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

German robotics manufacturer TQ and Trek have partnered to develop the Fuel EX-e’s motor. This new motor system features a unique way to transfer its 50 Nm of torque and 300 watts of peak power to the drivetrain: a harmonic pin ring transmission. Other brand motors use gears, belts, or chains for gear reduction and power transfer. Trek claims that those transmission systems can fail and create noise, making the pin ring design superior. This motor and transmission are smaller too, allowing for the battery to be positioned further down in the frame for a lower center of gravity. The HPR50v drive unit is completely designed and assembled in Germany, while the rest is made elsewhere in Europe.

Trek’s engineers spent a lot of time testing for noise output. Trek measured what it calls “tonality” or sound quality, not just total decibels. Some noises are more offensive than others. Trek claims that the Fuel EX-e tests closer to a traditional MTB than the next quietest electric bike they tested. Trek says that the pin ring design equals fewer moving parts and a much quieter ride.

Four total modes can be adjusted via the small handlebar remote: Eco, Mid, High, and Walk. The three ride modes are tunable in Trek’s Central app. In the app, you can tune max power, assist level, and pedal response. The app can also track activity, map rides, suggest or monitor tire and suspension pressure as well as get real-time range calculations.

A two-inch display screen located at the top of the top tube shows mode, battery life, and other ride metrics at a glance. Trek says the remote and display weigh just 60 grams. The system is also compatible with most Bluetooth or ANT+ cycling computers like a Garmin in case you want to tie that in as well. Headlights can also be powered off the main battery via a power splitter that resides in the top tube.

The removable 360 Wh battery allows for what Trek claims is 2-5 hours of real singletrack riding. A 160 Wh extender pack that goes in the bottle cage is available as an accessory and offers an additional 1-2 hr riding.

It is also worth noting that since the battery is removable you can fly with it, and because the range extender is below some airlines’ thresholds of banned capacity, you might be able to fly with the extender in your carry-on, and yes, the bike can be powered with just the extender pack.

The result of this Drive unit system is a bike that is about ten pounds lighter than a comparable full-power electric mountain bike.

PROGRESSIVE TRAIL GEOMETRY

The downtube on the full carbon Fuel EX-e is 39% smaller than Trek’s Rail eMTB, making it only a little bit bigger than a Fuel EX’s downtube. At a casual glance, it looks like a normal mountain bike frame. Trek claims that the smaller motor allowed for no compromises in frame geometry. As a result, it has normal trail-bike-oriented 440mm chainstays, a 65-degree head angle, a 77-degree seat tube angle, and 485mm-long reach in a size large. It’s adjustable too via a flip-chip in the seat stays.

A full-size water bottle fits in all sizes except for size small that only fits a 20-ounce size. Because of the flip-chip, the Fuel EX-e is mullet convertible for anybody wanting a more agile bike or additional rear-wheel-to-body clearance.

Trek continues to utilize its excellent ABP rear suspension design to get 140mm of rear-wheel travel on the Fuel EX-e. This four-bar design puts the rear pivot concentric with the axle as opposed to just in front of it like a Horst -link FSR design. Our test bike comes with a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate with AirWiz. The fork is a 150mm travel RockShox Lyrik Ultimate that also features AirWiz. Utilizing SRAM’s AirWiz app, riders can easily set and monitor air pressures. According to Trek the Fuel EX-e is also coil shock compatible.

OPTIONS GALORE

There are eight Fuel EX-e builds available starting at $6,500 for the 9.5 with a Shimano Deore drivetrain. We tested the highest-end Fuel EX-e 9.9 XX1 AXS build that costs only $14,000. Yes, we are being sarcastic about the only part, but this bike comes with top-drawer components such as a SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS drivetrain, which is wired to the bike’s battery, and an AXS Reverb dropper post. Other highlights include E*thirteen E*spec Race carbon cranks, Bontrager Line Pro 30 carbon wheels with SRAM AirWiz for easy tire pressure setup or monitoring, and SRAM Code RSC brakes with thicker eMTB-friendly 200mm HS2 rotors. It’s also available in Project One for riders who want to customize their paint and parts.

FIRST RIDE IMPRESSIONS

Expectations were high after seeing Trek’s presentation, but everybody says their bike is better, lighter, faster and the most innovative, so there was a realistic pessimism to go with it. We had the bike for one week, and after passing it around among various wrecking crew riders, the first impression was a unanimous “wow.” This is one of the few times that a bike exceeded expectations.

The silence, ride feel and power delivery is all on point for what we want out of a mid-powered electric mountain bike. Its lack of noise is the biggest surprise. It’s so quiet that the noise of the tires on the ground drowns out any motor whine. The only time you can hear it is on pavement and smooth hardpacked surfaces, and even then it’s barely there. Time will tell if it’s like a freehub that gets louder as grease migrates, but so far we are extremely impressed.

Our size large test bike weighs just over 41-pounds which is roughly ten pounds less than many full-powered eMTBs, but it feels lighter than that. Perhaps there is something to Trek’s claims of the smaller motor allowing for a lower battery placement and resulting lower center of gravity?

The power is incredibly smooth yet strong. It might have a little less torque than other similar mid-powered drive units we have tested, but we have not been able to use Trek’s app to tune this system yet either, so we will see how things play out there. The two wrecking crew test riders who spent time on the bike so far have come away really impressed by this bike overall. Watch for a full long-term review in the pages of Mountain Bike Action, and be sure to check out our first-ride-impression video review to see it in action. For more information check out https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/

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eXTender Mod for Fuel EXe (Ego battery adapter, previously named eXTernal Mod)

• Thread starter shure2
• Start date Feb 8, 2023
• Feb 8, 2023

• Thread starter

Awesome day at Glendhu Bay and this is what is left in the battery vs a stock 9.7: eXTenderMod for Trek Fuel EXe crushes Glendhu Bay TLDR: Stock 9.7 ended on 8% (70% highest assistance, 30% middle assistance over the inclines) eXTenderMod 9.5 ended on 41% (100% highest assistance)  

placeholder  

E*POWAH Elite

The main benefit for me was being able to fly with the EXE and just take the extender. The fact that the bike cannot be ridden on the ego alone is a killer for me. I like your ideas though, if only the ego battery wasn't so dam bulky and large  

• Feb 9, 2023

JP-NZ said: The main benefit for me was being able to fly with the EXE and just take the extender. The fact that the bike cannot be ridden on the ego alone is a killer for me. I like your ideas though, if only the ego battery wasn't so dam bulky and large Click to expand...

• Feb 11, 2023

Sorry, but no. Imo it looks like a trek fuel exe electric tool. Hurts the eye much more than the extra energy thats pumped out of the legs without having this battery.  

mitea said: Sorry, but no. Imo it looks like a trek fuel exe electric tool. Hurts the eye much more than the extra energy thats pumped out of the legs without having this battery. Click to expand...

• Mar 18, 2023

shure2 said: The eXTender Mod is a robust, weather resistant and easy to use adapter that allows us to connect an off the shelf Ego 56v battery to our Fuel EXe. It extends the range of our TQ Fuel EXe by 30-35% using a 2.5Ah (140Wh) battery. It is completely removable and requires no modifications, bolting to the drinks bottle holder and plugging into the charging port. The bike learns that the Ego battery is connected and the percentage reports fairly accurately. The whole system is around HALF of the price of the TQ extended battery option (including if you need to buy an Ego 2.5Ah battery and charger). If you have a near new Ego 2.5Ah battery and charger already this will be an even cheaper solution. It will soon be up for pre-order, with shipping starting in March. History of the Ego 56v batteries: These have been used in eBike applications for many years and I have personally used them for 4 years in another PEV application (If you search for Ego eBike you will find many examples). They are extremely durable, water resistant, use Samsung cells and have their own battery management system. They are the correct voltage to match with the TQ Fuel EXe system (14s, or 50.4v nominal). Ego batteries are readily available at many hardware shops and are backed by a 3 year warranty in most cases. eXTender Mod design and manufacture: This is a 3d printed adapter plate, Ego adapter and plug that have been designed and customised specifically for the Fuel EXe. The design wraps around the frame and is made of a combination of materials for extreme durability. It has held up to all tests (hundred of KM, bike trails, jumps and static tests) and I believe it to be stronger mounting system than the TQ extended battery option. Once I have brushed my knee against it when falling forward, but otherwise you don't normally get close to it as there is plenty of clearance when you peddle. eXTender Mod use: REQUIREMENT: Both bike and Ego battery must be fully charged before connecting together. There are multiple fail safe systems to protect both Ego battery and the TQ system (inbuilt to all 3 systems), but connecting them at different charge states should never be attempted. How to use: 1. Charge both Ego battery and bike to full (separately) 2. Unplug the eXTender from the bike charge port (recommended) 3. Slide the Ego battery onto the eXTender Mod (it self locks into place) 4. Turn on the bike 5. Plug the eXTender into the charge port 6. Ride immediately (recommended) The whole process takes around 10 seconds. Installing the system the first time takes around 30 minutes. There are many reasons why the above procedure should be followed. More details will follow..... eXTender Mod results: I ride with another Fuel EXe rider who has 1kg weight difference to me and we generally ride at the same speed. Typically I end up having around 1 hour extra of riding time or 30-35% additional battery according to the TQ percentage. In other tests I have ridden the same 36km flat loop and ended on 4% battery without the eXTender Mod and 34% with it (using an Ego 2.5Ah battery). eXTender Mod limitations: Currently testing has only been done with an Ego 2.5Ah (140Wh) battery. Other Ego batteries are compatible but cannot fit on the 9.7 and above due to the piggback reservoir. The EXe 9.5 may allow for an Ego 5.0Ah battery but this hasn't been tested. The eXTender Mod also cannot be used on it's own, it need the main battery to be connected. There are a number of other advantages and disadvantages compared to the TQ extended battery option, including being a little heavier, which I will disclose in future posts, including more photos and details. Please ask any questions you have. View attachment 106328 View attachment 106329 View attachment 106330 View attachment 106331 View attachment 106658 View attachment 106659 Click to expand...

• Mar 19, 2023

Oldfella said: Hi Is this something you are selling? I am in Auckland and buying another battery or range extender is very expensive and hard to find. It would be great to have when you decide to do a long ride. Click to expand...

shure2 said: Yes I'll be selling it soon, I've been caught up with my regular job. I'll message you soon! Click to expand...

• Apr 11, 2023

Im keen also! Im in New Plymouth. Battery readily available so maybe just the mount/cable. Cheers  

Keeweeism said: Im keen also! Im in New Plymouth. Battery readily available so maybe just the mount/cable. Cheers Click to expand...

BTC-EHT400PW battery (4000 mAh 56 V, Black)

• Apr 23, 2023

Could something like the extender for Orbea rise be used?  

FWK said: Could something like the extender for Orbea rise be used? Click to expand...

shure2 said: The eXTender Mod is a robust, weather resistant and easy to use adapter that allows us to connect an off the shelf Ego 56v battery to our Fuel EXe. It can extend the range between 30-35%. $249 NZD (inc. GST and shipping). Approx $130 USD excluding tax $40 NZD / $25 USD international shipping It extends the range of our TQ Fuel EXe by 30-35% using a 2.5Ah (140Wh) battery. It is completely removable and requires no modifications, bolting to the drinks bottle holder and plugging into the charging port. The bike learns that the Ego battery is connected and the percentage reports fairly accurately. The whole system is available now at around 50% the price of the TQ extended battery option (including if you need to buy an Ego 2.5Ah battery and charger). If you have a near new Ego 2.5Ah battery and charger already this will be an even cheaper solution. Shipping now with a 1 week lead time. History of the Ego 56v batteries: These have been used in eBike applications for many years and I have personally used them for 4 years in another PEV application (If you search for Ego eBike you will find many examples). They are extremely durable, water resistant, use Samsung cells and have their own battery management system. They are the correct voltage to match with the TQ Fuel EXe system (14s, or 50.4v nominal). Ego batteries are readily available at many hardware shops and are backed by a 3 year warranty in most cases. eXTender Mod design and manufacture: This is a 3d printed adapter plate, Ego adapter and plug that have been designed specifically for the Fuel EXe. The design wraps around the frame and is made of a combination of materials for extreme durability. It has held up to all tests (hundred of KM, bike trails, jumps and static tests) and I believe it to be stronger mounting system than the TQ extended battery option. Once I have brushed my knee against it when falling forward, but otherwise you don't normally get close to it as there is plenty of clearance when you peddle. eXTender Mod use: REQUIREMENT: Both bike and Ego battery must be fully charged before connecting together. There are multiple fail safe systems to protect both Ego battery and the TQ system (inbuilt to all 3 systems), but connecting them at different charge states should never be attempted. How to use: 1. Charge both Ego battery and bike to full (separately) 2. Unplug the eXTender from the bike charge port (recommended) 3. Slide the Ego battery onto the eXTender Mod (it self locks into place) 4. Turn on the bike 5. Plug the eXTender into the charge port 6. Ride immediately (recommended) The whole process takes around 10 seconds. Installing the system the first time takes around 20 minutes. There are many reasons why the above procedure should be followed. More details will follow..... eXTender Mod results: I ride with another Fuel EXe rider who has 1kg weight difference to me and we generally ride at the same speed. Typically I end up having around 1 hour extra of riding time or 30-35% additional battery according to the TQ percentage. In other tests I have ridden the same 36km flat loop and ended on 4% battery without the eXTender Mod and 34% with it (using an Ego 2.5Ah battery). eXTender Mod limitations: Currently testing has only been done with an Ego 2.5Ah (140Wh) battery. Other Ego batteries are compatible but cannot fit on the 9.7 and above due to the piggback reservoir. The EXe 9.5 may allow for an Ego 5.0Ah battery but this hasn't been tested. The eXTender Mod also cannot be used on it's own, it needs the main TQ battery to be connected. There are a number of other advantages and disadvantages compared to the TQ extended battery option which I will disclose in future posts, including more photos and details. Please ask any questions you have. View attachment 106328 View attachment 106329 View attachment 106330 View attachment 106331 View attachment 106658 View attachment 106659 Click to expand...

shure2 said: Possibly, but it would need to be adapted for another battery as the Orbea Rise uses a 42v system (battery fully charged) rather than a 58v system. It would likely need a full redesign, that's if the bike even accepts an external battery. Click to expand...

Oldfella said: Just received the first one off the production line and it was easy to set up as is stated. A great idea and as it's have the price of the extender battery and a quarter the price of a second battery [ which you can't buy in NZ] it's a no brainer. Also don't even notice the extra weight. Very grateful. Click to expand...

FWK said: Ah right, gotcha. Be very cool if something could be done to package your setup a bit nicer, be keen. (Also in nz) Click to expand...

shure2 said: As in for your Orbea rise? Click to expand...

FWK said: No for exe, I was referencing Orbea rise as you can actually get their range extender battery unlike trek. Same goes for Levo sl, they are available, be good if they could be somehow plugged into a trek (they’re cheaper than the trek ones too(when they do finally arrive)) Click to expand...

• Aug 5, 2023

shure2 said: The eXTender Mod is a robust, weather resistant and easy to use adapter that allows us to connect an off the shelf Ego 56v battery to our Fuel EXe. It can extend the range between 30-35%. $249 NZD (inc. GST and shipping). Approx $130 USD excluding tax $40 NZD / $25 USD international shipping Click to expand...

• Aug 19, 2023

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