Having owned this bike since before its official release in July, I can say pedal bob is not an issue for me whatsoever with no real bias. I race XC, and have recently gotten interested in enduro. As the review gets at, it it VERY adaptable which is why I chose it. I will say that the wheels slow it down because they are very heavy (2200g). I'm doing a sub-1700g 28h Nextie, I9 build, DT comp race wheel build soon which should really speed up handling and make it feel even more stiff. Also, stock tires aren't grippy enough for the trails I ride imo, so I upgraded to Nobby Nic 29x2.6 (which are slightly heavier). I'll get the weight in the mid 29s with pedals after the wheel upgrade (among some other upgrades I have done), so this bike isn't THAT heavy. Also don't like the brakes much personally because they use dot fluid and haven't been too reliable for me. I am extending fork travel to 140mm also. Anyways, I could write much more about this bike, but I just wanted to let everyone know that it won't disappoint.
similar in most ways to my Transition Smuggler, this is a bike that seems to have a 'broad sweet spot', making it an excellent all round trail bike, marathon bike, or 'mountain bike'.
Great review. I normally ride a medium size frame, but the "new" geometry these days has a large feeling better to me. I'm 5'9" and a 32" inseam. Do you think a large would fit ok?
I was just going to say 'Ah ha!', but then I realised this is an old video, so it stands to reason that some of the info is a touch out of date. Just as a side note though, the stem can be replaced with any brand, as long as you get the replacement headset spacer from Trek. Nice video. Have a like.
Please review the Remedy. I can't find a single review of the 9.8 anywhere, save for one written review that was mostly a simple cut and paste about the new thru-shaft.
a little bit out of my budget. I have 8 year old 26er mtb. It did cost 699 euros back then. Last year I upgraded my suntour fork to rockshox 30 gold...
thanks for the honest review. I own one of these bikes and love it! But am thinking about upgrading some components. If you were able too, which components would you upgrade to and why? Cheers!
Seb, I know this is an old review, but I hope you keep reading comments. What's your comment about Fox Fork Performance? Did you notice any difference comparing it to Factory model? Thanks!
I can't decide between this bike and remedy, but I think this bike is more for cross country, there’s so much different between the 130 of this and 150 mm of remedy? Thanks
Saúl Goyas i own the fuel ex. I think if you want to go to bikeparks very often go for the remedy because of the travel. For anything else the fuel ex is the bike 2 go for. I ride very hard trails with this bike, it works very well. For bikeparks a little more suspension travel would be fine.
01phantomx I used them on the Tour Divide. Approx. 2000 miles before my rear tyre tread wore out due to weight I was carrying on my hardtail. I could have finished the race with them, but it was my first time doing the race and didn't know what the last part of the terrain would be like, so I switched to Continental Trail Kings in Colorado. I actually like them more than the Continentals; drift was more predictable. But, over a year later, I still have tread on the Trail Kings.
I bought the bike and swap the wheels for 650b remedy rims with 3.0 tires and it's a whole different animal. the bike is faster and more agile. it is oustanding. I recommend that change
Great review Seb, thanks. I've just bought a Fuel EX 8, mainly as a trail bike but I'll also be using it for some bikepacking in Italy this summer. I'd be really keen to to know what bike packing bags you used on it on your bike packing trip. Thanks!
@Alicia Thompson Thanks! I used an Alpkit Koala seat pack, an EVOC FR 18l rucksack, and an old dry bag on the bars. The seat pack limits how far you can drop your dropper to about 2 inches and may rub on your tyre under heavy landings, so if you can, i'd recommend trying to avoid one for gnarly descents. If it's less technical, try and get as much weight as possible off your back and on the bike.
It'd be cool if you compared the bike to its previous installation. It should obviously be more capable downhill, but reading between the lines it lost considerably in terms of quickness and efficiency.
I used to own a 27.5 Trek Fuel ex7 and loved it, but it was a pig. Just too heavy to climb effectively. Sold it, bought a used 07 Top Fuel frame from Ebay and built it with all modern goodies. It weighs 23.5 lbs and rocks. Modern bikes are amazing, but every year they get fatter and heavier with more and more crap attached, its like Homer Simpson is designing these things.
That KnockBlock thingie is a serious issue for someone who wants to run one of the best stems out there, and not Trek's stuff. I hate proprietary stuff
Sensors on brakes and pedals, magnetorheological rear shock, then design out bob via a small computer controlling the shock. Bike mfgs get on that please and try to keep the cost below a NASA mission.
I just orderd my 9.7 which i think is the same as the "EX 9" The spec (and price) look the same or close. *Disclaimer I did not go through the comparison in detail. www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/fuel-ex/fuel-ex-9-29/p/2141600-2017/
yours has a carbon main frame, but you give up in wheels, dropper, brakes and drivetrain, which are all lower spec than the 9. it's a give and a take. but still a great bike!
I went for the ex 9 as the finishing kit is much better, wheels, groupset, brakes, forks. The carbon bike didn't feel end diffrent when I tested it. The kit sold it for me. There is nearly no difference in weight as well.
Not so long ago, everyone would have laugh at a nearly 14kg bike for only 130mm travel. Funny how the industry made some thinking that weight isn't important anymore :-)
The frames are actually getting lighter. It's all the extra crap that people want these days. Dropper posts, bigger, wider tyres, huge suspension. Its all this stuff that adds up.
5 ปีที่แล้ว
Only 130mm of travel? Its more than enough and 14kg is not even that heavy lol
140mm seems to be about right for enduro 29er frames: Tracy Moseley won the EWS on a 140mm Trek Remedy and the rest of Trek's enduro team are riding them now too; Jared Graves is riding a 135-150mm Specialized Stumpjumper 29er with 170mm forks; Cody Kelley is riding for Yeti on their 130mm 19er SB5c with 160mm forks and Greg Callaghan won last year's Irish EWS on a 140mm 29er Cube. Looks like Damien Oton will be riding his Devinci 29er in the EWS this year as well. Aggressive 29ers are becoming a thing again - there are even rumours of 29er DH bikes now.
I got 140 front and rear on my 29er, descends very well and climbs well, sometimes gets a little twitchy on really steep terrain but that mostly due to a 35mm stem, with all the spacers under the stem.
Yes, i said the wrong name. My bad. Feel free to mistrust anything i ever say. But just try running the saddle with the nose like that. You might just prefer it. Many people find it makes climbing far more comfortable and efficient. ;)
You don´t have to run a Trek/Bontrager stem, you just purchase a keyed lock ring spacer from a Trek dealer and you can run any stem you want. Also, bike is a 9 not 9.8, get your facts straight. You really cobbled this one together in no time, didn´t you?
thank God a bike review that isn't afraid to say how a bike climbs and add criticism where it's due
@mtbfitz Thanks for this. Glad you liked it!
mtbfitz i
Having owned this bike since before its official release in July, I can say pedal bob is not an issue for me whatsoever with no real bias. I race XC, and have recently gotten interested in enduro. As the review gets at, it it VERY adaptable which is why I chose it. I will say that the wheels slow it down because they are very heavy (2200g). I'm doing a sub-1700g 28h Nextie, I9 build, DT comp race wheel build soon which should really speed up handling and make it feel even more stiff. Also, stock tires aren't grippy enough for the trails I ride imo, so I upgraded to Nobby Nic 29x2.6 (which are slightly heavier). I'll get the weight in the mid 29s with pedals after the wheel upgrade (among some other upgrades I have done), so this bike isn't THAT heavy. Also don't like the brakes much personally because they use dot fluid and haven't been too reliable for me. I am extending fork travel to 140mm also. Anyways, I could write much more about this bike, but I just wanted to let everyone know that it won't disappoint.
Justin Nardella I was going to read but after pressing read more, I really couldn't be arsed (because I'm tired)
Great review, very well done in all aspects. I wish more were done this well.
awesome bike, i bought it a few months ago ,been on some very long rides never missed a beat, great on the technical climbs too.
similar in most ways to my Transition Smuggler, this is a bike that seems to have a 'broad sweet spot', making it an excellent all round trail bike, marathon bike, or 'mountain bike'.
Trek makes an adapter for the headset, so you can run other stems with the knock block headset not just Trek stems, as was indicated in this review.
Thanks for the review
I just got the fuel Ex5 and like it so far. Good review
2018 model? I have the 2017 and I absolutely love it! Just replaced the brake levers with shorter 1 finger ones, and it is awesome.
Yeah I've got the ex 7 2018. Excellent bike to start off riding again.
Great analysis
Great review. I normally ride a medium size frame, but the "new" geometry these days has a large feeling better to me. I'm 5'9" and a 32" inseam. Do you think a large would fit ok?
I was just going to say 'Ah ha!', but then I realised this is an old video, so it stands to reason that some of the info is a touch out of date. Just as a side note though, the stem can be replaced with any brand, as long as you get the replacement headset spacer from Trek. Nice video. Have a like.
Please review the Remedy. I can't find a single review of the 9.8 anywhere, save for one written review that was mostly a simple cut and paste about the new thru-shaft.
If you want a steeper seat angle just slide the saddle forward in the rails
True, but it's already all the way forwards.
solid review!
True. They don't even know what bike they are reviewed... ;D
a little bit out of my budget. I have 8 year old 26er mtb. It did cost 699 euros back then. Last year I upgraded my suntour fork to rockshox 30 gold...
You can also run 27.5 plus wheels on this bike. Nice review, thanks
the steering knock block was borrowed from pinarello.
Finally an honest review. Well done.
"It's on the descent where the bike really excels" No shit! Never heard that before. Just joking, the review is good. Honest enough.
Great review!
thanks for the honest review. I own one of these bikes and love it! But am thinking about upgrading some components. If you were able too, which components would you upgrade to and why? Cheers!
Seb, I know this is an old review, but I hope you keep reading comments. What's your comment about Fox Fork Performance? Did you notice any difference comparing it to Factory model? Thanks!
I can't decide between this bike and remedy, but I think this bike is more for cross country, there’s so much different between the 130 of this and 150 mm of remedy? Thanks
Saúl Goyas i own the fuel ex. I think if you want to go to bikeparks very often go for the remedy because of the travel. For anything else the fuel ex is the bike 2 go for. I ride very hard trails with this bike, it works very well. For bikeparks a little more suspension travel would be fine.
Owners of this bike how do the xr3 tyres hold up? Thinking of swapping them for a pair of hans dampfs
01phantomx I used them on the Tour Divide. Approx. 2000 miles before my rear tyre tread wore out due to weight I was carrying on my hardtail. I could have finished the race with them, but it was my first time doing the race and didn't know what the last part of the terrain would be like, so I switched to Continental Trail Kings in Colorado. I actually like them more than the Continentals; drift was more predictable. But, over a year later, I still have tread on the Trail Kings.
all I wanna know is what is the fastest accelerating double suspension?
how tall is the reviewer and what frame size was ridden?
Hi, i'm 192cm and it's the 21.5" size. I'd have preferred the 23", but they're very hard to get hold of.
Nice, i'm waiting for my 21.5" Fuel EX 9. Is the 13.9 kg with inner tubes or tubeless? I've read the inner tubes are around 350 grams each.
I got mine - love it
I thought the Fuel EX 9.8 is a carbon bike. This appears to be as aluminum frame
Michael Miller that's exactly right
The Fuel EX 9 and 9.8 are different models
You are the best reviewer!
I bought the bike and swap the wheels for 650b remedy rims with 3.0 tires and it's a whole different animal. the bike is faster and more agile. it is oustanding. I recommend that change
jorge g I have the EX 8, definitely changing to a Carbon wheelset, might do the 27 plus
Casey Grant definitely.
jorge g why didn't u buy a remedy!
hey guys am looking for bike but i wight around 280lbs witch bike you think it will be good for me
Mayby a e-bike. Makes it a bit easier to get excersising and perhaps from there move to a "heavy duty" enduro.
Great review Seb, thanks. I've just bought a Fuel EX 8, mainly as a trail bike but I'll also be using it for some bikepacking in Italy this summer. I'd be really keen to to know what bike packing bags you used on it on your bike packing trip. Thanks!
@Alicia Thompson Thanks! I used an Alpkit Koala seat pack, an EVOC FR 18l rucksack, and an old dry bag on the bars. The seat pack limits how far you can drop your dropper to about 2 inches and may rub on your tyre under heavy landings, so if you can, i'd recommend trying to avoid one for gnarly descents. If it's less technical, try and get as much weight as possible off your back and on the bike.
It'd be cool if you compared the bike to its previous installation. It should obviously be more capable downhill, but reading between the lines it lost considerably in terms of quickness and efficiency.
I used to own a 27.5 Trek Fuel ex7 and loved it, but it was a pig. Just too heavy to climb effectively. Sold it, bought a used 07 Top Fuel frame from Ebay and built it with all modern goodies. It weighs 23.5 lbs and rocks. Modern bikes are amazing, but every year they get fatter and heavier with more and more crap attached, its like Homer Simpson is designing these things.
Seb makes this bike look like it's 650b!
9.9 seems like a real budget bike... ;D
cummon! orange alpine 6 review please
That's the trek 9 not 9.8 get it right!
Can we have a full review of this trail dog too please!? 👍🏽
That KnockBlock thingie is a serious issue for someone who wants to run one of the best stems out there, and not Trek's stuff. I hate proprietary stuff
So much want!
Sensors on brakes and pedals, magnetorheological rear shock, then design out bob via a small computer controlling the shock. Bike mfgs get on that please and try to keep the cost below a NASA mission.
I just orderd my 9.7 which i think is the same as the "EX 9" The spec (and price) look the same or close. *Disclaimer I did not go through the comparison in detail.
www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/fuel-ex/fuel-ex-9-29/p/2141600-2017/
yours has a carbon main frame, but you give up in wheels, dropper, brakes and drivetrain, which are all lower spec than the 9. it's a give and a take. but still a great bike!
Hey..Thanks for replying. :)
I have had it for 2 weeks love it but still dialing it in
nice! I just got mine last Tuesday, although I did get the EX9. only 1 ride on it, but loving it so far!
I went for the ex 9 as the finishing kit is much better, wheels, groupset, brakes, forks. The carbon bike didn't feel end diffrent when I tested it. The kit sold it for me. There is nearly no difference in weight as well.
Now to fix the voice over. 👍🏻
Not so long ago, everyone would have laugh at a nearly 14kg bike for only 130mm travel. Funny how the industry made some thinking that weight isn't important anymore :-)
The frames are actually getting lighter. It's all the extra crap that people want these days. Dropper posts, bigger, wider tyres, huge suspension. Its all this stuff that adds up.
Only 130mm of travel? Its more than enough and 14kg is not even that heavy lol
A lot of travel for 29er.
Tommi Kivimäki I have the 9.9..The bike shreds
140mm seems to be about right for enduro 29er frames: Tracy Moseley won the EWS on a 140mm Trek Remedy and the rest of Trek's enduro team are riding them now too; Jared Graves is riding a 135-150mm Specialized Stumpjumper 29er with 170mm forks; Cody Kelley is riding for Yeti on their 130mm 19er SB5c with 160mm forks and Greg Callaghan won last year's Irish EWS on a 140mm 29er Cube. Looks like Damien Oton will be riding his Devinci 29er in the EWS this year as well.
Aggressive 29ers are becoming a thing again - there are even rumours of 29er DH bikes now.
Tommi Kivimäki check out the slash 29
I got 140 front and rear on my 29er, descends very well and climbs well, sometimes gets a little twitchy on really steep terrain but that mostly due to a 35mm stem, with all the spacers under the stem.
Just review Fat Bikes!!!
Algun dia tendre esa bici xddd
anything pressfit is a dealbreaker for me
avocette why I’ve never had any problems with my press fit bb
I don't know know if I can trust someone with the nose of their saddle that low... proof? They got the model of bike wrong!
Yes, i said the wrong name. My bad. Feel free to mistrust anything i ever say. But just try running the saddle with the nose like that. You might just prefer it. Many people find it makes climbing far more comfortable and efficient. ;)
Now I have to try this!
Haha I guess it does actually make sense, I just had to give you grief ;) I guess it's better than having it pointed up 😜
Biker dju So have you tried it?
Haha no! I'm happy with just putting it level! But I'll try pointing it down a bit more ;)
Bike Radar get with the program. This is a Fuel EX 9 (not a 9.8). Update your title!
håhåååååå
ja då
what's mental is buying this bike for $5000....
gamer1884 this bikes msrp is $4000...
gamer1884 I must be uber mental then, I bought the 9.9!Feels good to be mental! 👍 😎
You don´t have to run a Trek/Bontrager stem, you just purchase a keyed lock ring spacer from a Trek dealer and you can run any stem you want. Also, bike is a 9 not 9.8, get your facts straight. You really cobbled this one together in no time, didn´t you?