trek top fuel 9.7 2020

2020 Trek Top Fuel 9.7 Bike (discontinued)

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2021 Trek Top Fuel 9.7

A 29″ carbon frame full suspension crosscountry bike with high-end components. Compare the full range

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Based on frame geometry and build specs.

A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

Top Fuel 9.7

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Compare the full Top Fuel model range

Mar 2022 · Guy Kesteven

Trek’s Top Fuel delivers superlative short-travel suspension performance but it’s definitely a trail bike not an XC bike

Infectiously agile and playful vibe

Superlative suspension feel

Seriously tight tracking frame

Trail tough kit

Internal storage

Too heavy for XC racing

Simple fork damper

Tight internal storage access

Yawning gap between this and the Supercaliber

Read Review

Shore Country? Dad Country? No no, this one is "fast trail"

Dec 2021 · Will Soffe

Impressively playful characteristics, progressive geometry and solid build, despite lacking the outright pace of XC-derived competitors

Effective suspension gives suppleness and support

Confidence-inspiring geometry beyond XC-derived counterparts

A riotous blend of capability and playfulness

The robust frame means it’s heavier than its rivals

A flexy fork is the only weak spot in a bullet-proof build

Dec 2021 · Henry Quinney

For a bike that is so capable on the descents, though, the Top Fuel still packs a mighty punch when it comes to gaining elevation..

Great suspension performance

Frame storage

Strong climbing performance

Knockblock isn't as well executed as other brand's versions

Works well when pushing hard, but might not be the most comfortable for all

Oct 2021 · Ryan "Squirrel" LaBar

Adding fire to the Fuel

Oct 2021 · Danny Milner

New Trek Top Fuel 8 is a short travel - 120mm travel front and rear - down-country trail bike with internal frame storage for both alloy and carbon models.

Sublime suspension, playful handling, fantastic size range, internal storage

Not particularly light for the intended use, inconsistent Shimano brakes on our test bike

The Trek Top Fuel has been overhauled for 2022, receiving an all-new frame with integrated storage, plus key updates to the suspension design and geometry. So how does it ride on the trail? And will everyone be pleased with all the changes? Read on for our Trek Top Fuel review.

Brilliant trail-ripping geometry

Active and supportive suspension

Masses of cornering grip & stability

Refined and practical frame design

Downtube storage is a welcome addition

Dropper post is sluggish

Wheels are solid but quite heavy

Carbon bars are harsh

Heavier than many of its competitors

Jun 2021 · Peter Walker

The Top Fuel 9.9 flies through singletrack and rips descents, but it really shines when pushed to its full potential during gruelling endurance races.” That's what Trek say about the Fuel 9.9 X01, but how did it fare against its bigger brother, the Fuel EX, in our test?

Accelerates willingly

Easy, intuitive handling

Bontrager XR3 tires generate poor traction

Remote cluster in the cockpit area is confusing

Odd-looking spacer tower

No Trek storage compartment

Very few advantages over the Fuel EX, which suits a much wider range of applications

Last updated January 28 Not listed for 456 days

• Top Fuel 9.7

MBUK’s Trail Bike of the Year 2022

“It’s easy to look at the bike from afar and assume this is just another downcountry rig... It wasn’t until I’d fired it over some jumps, nosed it down the odd steep chute and slung it through my test loops’ berms that I realised the Top Fuel is, simply put, a bloody brilliant trail bike.”

"Enduro’s Best Downcountry Bike of 2022"

"Top Fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS earned top honors in Enduro’s round-up of best downcountry rippers, thanks to the bike’s clean look, practical details, and progressive suspension."

"This is a really, really good bike"

"The Top Fuel is a very capable descender, but its well-proportioned geometry is just half the story. It manages to strike a great balance between grip, tracking, and precision. The whole bike seems to just will you on to hit things faster and with more precision."

"This thing rips"

"The new Top Fuel is also much more composed on rough and fast descents. Thanks to the longer reach and slacker head angle, the overall wheelbase length has grown by almost 40mm. That’s huge, and it offers a vastly more planted feel at speed. Along with the big tyres and active suspension, this really is a solid little trail bike."

Still have questions?

Service manual

Time to bust out the repair stand for some maintenance? Find a detailed breakdown of your bike with part numbers, torque values, and platform-specific tech instructions below.

Get faster on the trail in a week

When it comes to being a better trail rider, practice makes perfect. Get seven tips from Pinkbike’s Christina Chappetta that will have you setting PR's and riding with more confidence in no time.

How to pack for any trail ride

Everything you need (and nothing you don’t).

Product features

Quick and in control.

120mm of rear travel combined with progressive trail geometry gives you a fast, responsive ride that helps you keep your cool when the trail turns rowdy.

Hassle-free routing

Guided internal cable routing keeps Top Fuel quiet on the trail and maintenance a breeze.

Will my bike have a curved top tube?

Smaller frames (XS and S) have a curved top tube. This design makes for a lower standover height, which allows shorter riders to straddle the bike more easily. Larger frames (M and up) have a straight top tube because taller riders with longer legs typically don't have the same issues with standover height.

Shimano XT is the original mountain bike groupset and trusted by generations of mountain bikers around the world. Whatever the trail, wherever you ride, XT is your solution for mountain biking today. Reliable shifting. Superior braking. Intuitive maintenance. XT is the high performance workhorse you can count on.

You almost forgot your pedals

This bike doesn’t come with pedals because you'll have a better ride if you choose your own. Explore the pedal guide to find the best pedals for your riding style. Reach for flat pedals for simple versatility or go for clipless MTB pedals if you want control & efficiency.

Suspension Calculator

This suspension calculator will help you optimize your suspension settings for your riding weight. Simply follow the steps to find your best set up.

Complete Tubeless System

Tubeless Ready rims and tires make it easy to ditch the tubes so you get better traction, fewer flats, and less weight. You're ready to roll right out of the box with the included TLR rim strips, valves, and sealant.

Oversized 34.9mm dropper post

Bigger is better. The oversized seat tube diameter gives more support and strength for longer travel droppers, and allows for more robust, durable internals that work faster.

ISCG mounts

International Standard Chain Guide mounts offer easy chain guide installation and adjustment.

Threaded bottom bracket

More robust than pressfit, threaded BBs hold up in nasty conditions and make servicing easier.

Knock Block

Knock Block has your frame's back when things go wrong. It prevents your handlebars from spinning all the way around in a crash, so your hoses won't get yanked, and your controls won't hit the top tube.

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Field Test: 2020 Trek Top Fuel - The Featherweight That Packs a Powerful Punch

Cool Features

Trek Top Fuel 9.7 2020

About the Trek Top Fuel 9.7 2020

The Trek Top Fuel 9.7 2020 is a Full suspension Cross Country Mountain Bike with a carbon frame. Equipped with a SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain of 12 gears (1x12). Its features include internal routing, dropper seatpost, and boost 110 . The bike weighs approximately 12,65 kg.

Internal routing

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2020 Trek Top Fuel: Everything you need to know

You may know that I am a big fan of Nukeproof mountain bikes, but I am also a big fan of Trek Mountain bikes. After I rode the Trek Remedy 8 and the Fuel EX , I realised how good Trek Bikes are. The 2020 Trek Top Fuel promises to be pretty fantastic, with its updates.

If you are not in the know The Trek Top Fuel is a light weight mountain bike designed primarily for XC races. But, the 2020 Trek Top Fuel ticks a few more boxes than its predecessor. It is now going to be more versatile, making it suitable for cross country racing and trail riding.

The 2020 Trek Top Fuel's Improvements

The 2019 Trek Top Fuel has 100mm of travel front and back. But the 2020 version has 120mm on the front and 115mm at the back. These changes will make riding the 2020 Top Fuel over technical terrain a little easier.

The mounting of the rear shock has also changed for 2020. To improve cable routing and frame stiffness, it now has a fixed lower shock mount, while the mino link  has been moved in front of the rocker link and the upper shock mounting bolt.

The geometry is described as more balanced compared to the current version, with a steeper seat tube angle, slacker head tube angle, and longer reach. But the Mino link allows you to adjust the geometry slightly, by flipping it. You can make the geometry slacker or steeper, depending on your preference.

These changes make the 2020 Trek Top fuel more friendly for trail riding, without losing the cross-country performance that the Top Fuel is known for.

The frame has Trek’s Control Freak internal cable routing system. This makes everything nice and tidy, but it also stops rattling. The downtube is said to be stiffer and lighter. Trek have fitted the 2020 Top Fuel with their Knock Block steering system. This stops the fork coming in to contact with the frame in the event of a crash.

The 2020 Trek Top Fuel’s frame has a 1x drive train. This allows a maximum of a 34t chainring. It will accommodate a maximum brake disc size of 180mm. In the spirit of making this bike better for trail riding, the frame allows for a larger rear tyre. There is enough space for a 29 x 2.4″, to give you loads of grip.

If you decide to buy a 2020 Trek Top Fuel, you will get a dropper post and a directional 13 degree stem. This can be flipped up to make the bike more focused for trail riding or down for cross country. This stem allows to to adjust the position of your handlebars by 47mm too.

All versions of the 2020 Top Fuel will have a carbon frame, apart from the Fuel 8, which is aluminium.

 Pricing starts at $3,299.99 for the Top Fuel 8 NX up to $9,999.99 for the top end Top fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS. Two framesets will also be available with the alloy and carbon option. Standard bikes should be available now, with Project One carbon options available in Late July.

Trek Top Fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS

The 9.9 XX1 AXS is the range topping version of the 2020 Trek Top Fuel. It features wireless components, such as the SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS drivetrain and RockShox Reverb AXS dropper. The suspension is pretty luxury too, as it is from the high end of the RockShox range.

If you are in to carbon fibre, you will love this. The frame, wheels, handlebars and shifters are all made of it, making this bike as light as possible. It is designed to take on most types of trail, but it will excel on long distance cross country races.

Trek Top Fuel 9.9

This version of the 2020 Trek Top Fuel has an OCLV Mountain Carbon frame. The specification is different from the 9.9 XX1 AXS above, but it is still impressive. It has a Fox Factory Float rear shock and a very nice Fox Factory 34 Step-Cast fork at the front. The SRAM XX1 Eagle drivetrain will keep you pedalling up the steepest of hills, while the SRAM Level Ultimate brakes will stop you from rolling down the other side.

Trek Top Fuel 9.8

The 2020 Trek Fuel 9.8 is specced to be in the middle of the range. It’s frame is also built out of the OCLV Mountain Carbon fibre. Just because it is in the middle of the range it doesn’t mean it is not a high end bike. For example, its 120 mm Fox Performance 34 Step-Cast fork does a great job of absorbing bumps. The SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain and carbon wheels and bars are luxury items too.

Trek Top Fuel 9.7

This version is probably the one most people will buy, due to its price positioning. Although, you will see from the specs below, it is still a well specced bike. TheTrek Top Fuel 9.7 still has features such as the TwistLoc system. This locks out front and rear shocks at the same time. Which is perfect for efficient pedalling. Speaking of pedalling, you get the  12 speed SRAM Eagle drive train, which I am a massive fan of.

Trek Top Fuel 8

The Trek Top Fuel 8 is the entry level version with an aluminium frame. The components are not as exotic as you will find in the higher end bikes. But, for this price you will get a great bike for long distance pedals and smashing the single track.

What are your thoughts?

If you want a very capable cross country bike that will feel at home on single track, the 2020 Trek Top Fuel is a great option. As you can see there is quite a range to suit most budgets. Have you had any experiences with these bikes? I would love to know your thoughts. Also, if you have any questions, let me know in the comments section below.

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4 thoughts on “ 2020 trek top fuel: everything you need to know ”.

Thanks for this post. I’m not much a cyclist, but my brother is. He’s always riding all over the place. He even takes a bike with him when he travels out of country for work. I’ve always wanted to get him a really good mountain bike to pay him back for how he’s helped me out through the years.

i appreciate that you highlight that this line of bike can be used for both cross-country and trail riding. Since my brother does both, this would be a better option because it’s designed for both. I can get him the one bike that he can use for both. To me, it would be worth the investment to get a bike that offers such versatility. 

Plus, an improvement in the suspension has to be a major benefit. I can only imagine the wear and tear on the body from a suspension system not fitted to the terrain. 

Again, thanks for the information. This is definitely a line of bikes I want to investigate further.

Thanks for your comment. These are great bikes, but to make sure he gets the right one, check out my guide to choosing a mountain bike .

Trek Top Fuels is very interesting. I’m an old man and have to admit that this whole niche is very new to me. But, I have a 6-year-old grandson who is highly interested in dirt bikes and mountain bikes. You have provided some very powerful information here. I like the way you give us substantive content as well as procedural content. You give the step-by-step process of Trek Top Fuel’s bikes in a clear and cogent fashion. Your graphics of the bikes, including the detailed diagrams, of geometry, frames, and models were also visually appealing and helped with understanding the bikes. I was surprised though by the prices. It never dawned on me that these could cost more than a lot of cars. 

Thanks to you I now know what to look for when I take my grandson shopping. He’s going to be very impressed by my newfound knowledge of these bikes. 

Thank you for this great information. 

God bless you!

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2020 Trek Bikes Top Fuel 9.7

Published sizing recommendations, stack and reach vs. category trend.

The Bike Insights Upright/Aggressive scale is based on analysis of a bike’s proportions relative to similar sized bikes in the same category.

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Results have arrived, trek top fuel 9.7 mountain bike - 2020, small, item #bmt24454, condition: certified pre-owned what's this, fit range: 5'2" - 5'5" sizing guide, every certified pre-owned bike passes our multi-point inspection.

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The chart below provides a general suggested range of heights and is not exact. Sizing may vary across brands.

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Trek Fuel EX 9.7

• AUS $ NZD $ USD $ CAD $ GBP £ EUR €

Weight / M - 13.54 kg / 29.85 lbs (with TLR sealant no tubes)

At a glance

Fuel EX 9.7 is a full suspension carbon trail bike with performance tech where it makes the biggest difference. It pairs a lightweight OCLV Mountain Carbon frame, quality FOX suspension, and powerful 4-piston brakes to make a fast, fun mountain bike that can carve around corners, weave through tricky descents, and charge through rock gardens with ease.

Where To Buy

"A world-class trail bike"

"Fuel EX is a beautifully balanced and capable trail bike. The rear suspension is beautiful; as close to ideal as any bike I've ridden. It's sensitive where you want it to be, firm and crisp where it should be. It feels deep and controls big hits very well, and there's a nice platform for pedaling, and to pump and pop off when you're playing."

"Good at pleasing everybody"

"Fuel EX has a few tricks that help it keep a level head when outside of its comfort zone, and to be a cloud on rails when it's in the zone. Everything about the Fuel EX, which was already good at pleasing everybody, is now even better at it."

"An absolute trail rocket"

"Thanks to its burlier components, increased travel, and more aggressive geometry, it has become more of a shredder than ever! More performance, fun, and trail prowess."

Specifications

• Frame OCLV Mountain Carbon main frame & stays, internal storage, tapered head tube, Knock Block, Control Freak internal routing, Carbon Armor, ISCG 05, magnesium rocker link, Mino Link, ABP, Boost148, 130mm travel
• Fork Fox Rhythm 34, Float EVOL air spring, GRIP damper, tapered steerer, 44mm offset, Boost110, 15mm Kabolt axle, 140mm travel
• Shock Size: XS , S Fox Performance Float EVOL, RE:aktiv 3-position damper, tuned by Trek Suspension Lab, 210x52.5mm Size: S , M , ML , L , XL Fox Performance Float EVOL, RE:aktiv 3-position damper, tuned by Trek Suspension Lab, 210x55mm
• Wheel Size 29" 27.5"
• Tires Size: XS , S Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, Tubeless Ready, Inner Strength sidewalls, aramid bead, 120 tpi, 27.5x2.60'' Size: S , M , ML , L , XL Bontrager XR4 Team Issue, Tubeless Ready, Inner Strength sidewalls, aramid bead, 120 tpi, 29x2.60''
• Chain SRAM NX Eagle, 12 speed
• Crank Size: XS , S Truvativ Descendant 6k Eagle, DUB, 32T steel ring, Boost, 170mm length Size: M , ML , L , XL Truvativ Descendant 6k Eagle, DUB, 32T steel ring, Boost, 175mm length
• Bottom Bracket SRAM DUB, 92mm, PressFit
• Rear Derailleur SRAM GX Eagle
• Shifters SRAM NX Eagle, 12 speed
• Brakeset Shimano MT420 4-piston hydraulic disc
• Handlebar Bontrager Line, alloy, 35mm, 27.5mm rise, 780mm width
• Saddle Bontrager Arvada, hollow chromoly rails, 138mm width
• Seatpost Size: XS , S Bontrager Line Dropper, 100mm travel, internal routing, 31.6mm, 345mm length Size: M , ML , L , XL Bontrager Line Dropper, 150mm travel, internal routing, 31.6mm, 440mm length
• Stem Size: XS , S Bontrager Line, 35mm, Knock Block, 0 degree, 40mm length Size: M , ML , L , XL
• Headset Knock Block Integrated, cartridge bearing, 1-1/8'' top, 1.5'' bottom

Q: How much is a 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7?

A 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 is typically priced around $4,100 USD when new. Be sure to shop around for the best price, and also look to the used market for a great deal.

Q: Where to buy a 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7?

The 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 may be purchased directly from Trek .

Q: How much does a 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 weigh?

A 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 weights M - 13.54 kg / 29.85 lbs (with TLR sealant no tubes).

Q: What size wheels does the 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 have?

The 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 has 29" and 27.5" wheels.

Q: What size 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7 should I get?

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Top Fuel is a quick short-travel 29er trail bike that’s perfect for riders who like to stay pinned both up and down the trail. It’s lighter and snappier than a trail bike, but it’s a lot more forgiving on rowdy descents than a true cross-country bike. It’s the best of both worlds, and a hell of a lot of fun in the dirt.

MBUK's Trail Bike of the Year 2022

Top Fuel 8 earned high praise from MBUK for its updated geometry, a build that's up for anything, and suspension that feels deeper than the sum of its numbers when the trail gets rowdy.

Enduro’s Best Downcountry Bike of 2022

Top Fuel earned top honors in Enduro’s roundup of best downcountry rippers, thanks to the bike’s clean look, practical details, and progressive suspension.

Trail-eating geometry

10+mm more reach per size than previous Top Fuel for more confidence

66-degree headtube angle is 1.5 degrees slacker than previous models making it stable at high speeds and on descents

Mino Link lets you fine tune your frame geometry on the go. Keep it slack and low for confidence or flip it for quicker handling.

Rip down and rocket up any trail with Top Fuel’s capable and efficient suspension. 120mm of travel front and rear gives you enough squish to take bigger hits while a low leverage rate and high anti-squat ensure this bike jumps forward with every pedal stroke.

Optimized anti-squat = Snappy pedaling support

Top Fuel's efficient pedaling comes from a forward pivot on the seattube that provides optimal, near-constant anti-squat through the entire travel. So regardless of where you are in the travel, the bike accelerates when you push on the pedals.

Steeper seattube

A steeper seattube means you're pushing down on the pedals while also keeping front wheel weighted.

Knock Block 2.0

Removable Knock Block 2.0 still keeps cables from getting yanked out in a crash and protects the top tube, but now it provides 72 degrees of turning radius.

Mino Link lets you fine tune your frame geometry on the go. Stay in low for a slack 66 degree headtube angle. Flip it for a quicker 66.5 degree headtube angle and a 7mm higher bottom bracket for more ground clearance.

Additional MTB Options

If you’re gonna get just one mountain bike, make it this one. Fuel EX is fast on singletrack, capable in the rough, and fun wherever you ride it.

Supercaliber

Hardtail efficiency meets full suspension control in Supercaliber. This game-changing XC race bike is fast, light, and smooth in the rough.

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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