Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

[Swingset]

Look forward to hearing the report!!!!

I violated my one change at a time rule. I stroked both ends and changed to a Oneup bar and Ergon G2 Fat grips all at the same time. I can tell you those grips are cheapest suspension on the planet though. Bike feels different but I don't know what's contributing what.

I have not warmed up to the Fox 36 fork. I am way under on recommended pressure and still only getting about 130mm. Have to get a wrench to take the air cap off and see what sort of volume spacers are in there. Its way to progressive right now for my riding.

The rear Fox Float I like a bunch through.

 

[Endoguru]

I violated my one change at a time rule. I stroked both ends and changed to a Oneup bar and Ergon G2 Fat grips all at the same time. I can tell you those grips are cheapest suspension on the planet though. Bike feels different but I don't know what's contributing what.

I have not warmed up to the Fox 36 fork. I am way under on recommended pressure and still only getting about 130mm. Have to get a wrench to take the air cap off and see what sort of volume spacers are in there. Its way to progressive right now for my riding.

The rear Fox Float I like a bunch through.

I find this to be true of all Fox forks. Their recommended presures are for very aggresive riders. I set air pressure based on sag and ignore their recommendations. I’m usually at least 10 lbs less. On my Fox 38 it’s more like 15lbs less. I do find their recommended rebound/compression settings to be fairly close, though.

 

[wizard604]

I just picked up a 9.7 and am having trouble finding a chainring bashguard that is compatible with the mounting points. E13 make the chain guide special for this bike but not a compatible bash guard.
Anyone found anything that will work?

Let me know if you find something... I want to install one too... Just wish that they would had the foresight to put iscg mounts on the frame

 

[Bjeast]

I violated my one change at a time rule. I stroked both ends and changed to a Oneup bar and Ergon G2 Fat grips all at the same time. I can tell you those grips are cheapest suspension on the planet though. Bike feels different but I don't know what's contributing what.

I have not warmed up to the Fox 36 fork. I am way under on recommended pressure and still only getting about 130mm. Have to get a wrench to take the air cap off and see what sort of volume spacers are in there. Its way to progressive right now for my riding.

The rear Fox Float I like a bunch through.

Thanks for the report! I am really looking forward to getting my bike in a week and a half. I’ve already ordered the required part for getting the Lyrik to 160 and somehow I would like to get a little more travel on the rear shock, but I’ll have to see what the best way to do that is.

 

[ZillaG]

I want to change the 9.7 drive train to an SRAM AXS Eagle. I know to change to the XD driver for the cassette, but will the cranks take a direct-mount 32T oval chainring? If not, what will I need? TIA

 

[Mteam]

I want to change the 9.7 drive train to an SRAM AXS Eagle. I know to change to the XD driver for the cassette, but will the cranks take a SRAM X-Sync chainring? If not, what will I need?

you dont need to change the chain ring, cassette, or chain to use AXS. The AXS derailler works just fine with shimano (or pretty much any other for that matter) cassette, chain &chain ring as long as they are 12 speed to start with, which they are on the fuel.

So all you need is an AXS derailleur upgrade kit.

 

[ZillaG]

you dont need to change the chain ring, cassette, or chain to use AXS. The AXS derailler works just fine with shimano (or pretty much any other for that matter) cassette, chain &chain ring as long as they are 12 speed to start with, which they are on the fuel.

So all you need is an AXS derailleur upgrade kitBut I want to use a 10-52 SRAM cassette and, as I mentioned, an oval chainring

Thanks, but I want to put a 10-52 cassette and, as I mentioned, an oval chainring.

 

[Mteam]

Thanks, but I want to put a 10-52 cassette and, as I mentioned, an oval chainring.

Theres no point in an oval chainring on an ebike, because the chain ring moves independantly of the cranks, so the position of the ovality is constantly moving relative to crank arm position, there is literally no benefit, and actually makes things worse.

An oval chain ring works by smoothing out your pedal stroke when the cranks are at the position where you can generate least (and most) power, but if the chain ring is not fixed in position relative to the cranks (which its not on an ebike - because the motor spins the chain ring, your legs spin the cranks), the position of the ovality moves separately to the cranks.

 

[ZillaG]

Theres no point in an oval chainring on an ebike, because the chain ring moves independantly of the cranks, so the position of the ovality is constantly moving relative to crank arm position, there is literally no benefit, and actually makes things worse.

An oval chain ring works by smoothing out your pedal stroke when the cranks are at the position where you can generate least (and most) power, but if the chain ring is not fixed in position relative to the cranks (which its not on an ebike - because the motor spins the chain ring, your legs spin the cranks), the position of the ovality moves separately to the cranks.

Ah, yes. You just saved me $$$. Thanks.

 

[Cell4soul]

Let me know if you find something... I want to install one too... Just wish that they would had the foresight to put iscg mounts on the frame

My LBS ordered and installed an E13, but not sure where the purchased it. They initially ordered the wrong chain guide, but were able to reorder.

 

[Cell4soul]

Picked up a 9.7 a month ago from my local shop. I liked all the colors but this one caught my eye most. I've since upgraded the following permanently - stem, bars, X01 AXS, BikeYoke dropper, Dominion A4 Brakes/Rotors and i9 Carbon 31.5 hoops. Temporarily, I moved my Zeb over from my EVO to see what the 160 travel felt like.

My initial take on the bike stock - poppy and super fun on medium/groomed trails with the ability to do many more miles, of course. Stack height is lacking quite a bit.. added a riser bar and i9 stem flipped to get a more comfy riding position. SLX brakes lack in the heavy hitter category where I like to be so they were the first to go. I lean more towards gravity fed trails/extended downhills with random drops and rock gardens. The fork changed everything. Running low BB with dual 29 and a 160 fork really helped keep the front end up. The Zeb is burly anyway as well as weighing in the same as the Rythm so I though I would need to upgrade to a Zeb as well after testing it for a few weeks. Instead I spent the 75$ on a 160 airshaft from Fox for the Rythm and I have to say I'm very impressed. At 170lbs I pulled one token leaving a total of 2 and cleaned out the excess fox grease and it's pretty butter. If I every feel I need to drop a half pound or gain more rigidity in the future I'll upgrade but for now I'm liking the Rythm. Moving to X01 AXS allows me to keep all of my bikes maintenance the same and share parts if I'm in a pinch. Swapping that from the SLX/XT group shaved some weight as well as the carbon wheelset but EXO+ casing Assegai and DHRII added all of that weight back on. It's sitting at 41lbs as pictured and is riding great. It's not as much of a basher as my EVO, which I've kept, but it get a lot done well and I can still scandi-flick it around a corner with some extra umph on the way out. I'm getting close to the 3k' as advertised for range +/- depending on the terrain.. super technical climbs take more juice, extra boosted steep gravel road climbs do the same whereas if I have extra time I can same much more energy.

Items that popped up since picking this up - crank needed the 50nm treatment to get rid of the creak that started day 2. Lower shock bolt has now been torqued to 15nm after rattling for a while - keeping an eye on this per the forum. Finally; I've noticed the dreaded motor noise between pressure and coast coming from the TQ. If y'all hadn't said anything I probably wouldn't have heard it over the Hydra hubs screaming. It seems to come and go or my style of riding doesn't get to the point of noticing it as much as others but I'm keeping an eye on it and notified the dealer as well. For the future - I was thinking of a coil shock to soften the rear up a little.. it's a XCish trail bike after all but the Float X has really impressed me. I'll leave that alone for now. I'm not on forums much nor monitor but there was some really great info here so I though to share my experience. Hope this helps others!

View attachment 101460

Great review, thank you. I raised my stem and went with up and back sweep bars, plus riser bars and stem To raise the stack height. I’m riding on this change tonight to see how it does. I am hoping to liven up the bike and lessen the reach. I sized up and the reach has me going OTB more so than any other bike I’ve owned. The bike is bad A$$!

 

[ZillaG]

With all the TQ motor issues I'm reading in this thread, I wonder if other TQ-based bikes like the BMC Fourstroke and Simplon Rapcon have similar issues?

 

[Mteam]

With all the TQ motor issues I'm reading in this thread, I wonder if other TQ-based bikes like the BMC Fourstroke and Simplon Rapcon have similar issues?

Are you referring to the motor noise that some people notice when pedalling at really light load?

If so, tq have responded on that one and have said it's not harmful and is a side effect of very light pedalling load,that said they have said they will investigate and see it it can be tuned out in a future update

The other issue is that the display seems a bit susceptible to water ingres.

 

[Bjeast]

My LBS ordered and installed an E13, but not sure where the purchased it. They initially ordered the wrong chain guide, but were able to reorder.

Just so I understand, you're talking about a chain guide, not a bash guard right?

 

[ZillaG]

Are you referring to the motor noise that some people notice when pedalling at really light load?

If so, tq have responded on that one and have said it's not harmful and is a side effect of very light pedalling load,that said they have said they will investigate and see it it can be tuned out in a future update

The other issue is that the display seems a bit susceptible to water ingres.

I think it's more than just motor noise. User @Jujujuice had to return his and his wife's bike several times because of motor issues? I haven't read the whole thread yet, on page 16 so far. LOL.

 

[Swingset]

The really tricky part of bashing into things at the BB is how the load gets distributed into the bike. The frame is just an open shell on E bikes and the motor (and plastic cover) forming a stressed member into the frame. Its ugly and a distinct possibility of damage should you do it. I don't think there are any aftermarket solutions that would help looking at the hard points on the frame.

I guess if the chainring were the fuse that would be the best possible thing to have to replace.

 

[Bjeast]

The really tricky part of bashing into things at the BB is how the load gets distributed into the bike. The frame is just an open shell on E bikes and the motor (and plastic cover) forming a stressed member into the frame. Its ugly and a distinct possibility of damage should you do it. I don't think there are any aftermarket solutions that would help looking at the hard points on the frame.

I guess if the chainring were the fuse that would be the best possible thing to have to replace.

I'd better stock up on chain rings!
Edit: And have a spare chain on hand!

 

[Emailsucks98]

I think it's more than just motor noise. User @Jujujuice had to return his and his wife's bike several times because of motor issues? I haven't read the whole thread yet, on page 16 so far. LOL.

Search away. My take on it is that you have to carefully qualify what an issue means to you. I have not heard of anything like a "failure", only bikes that were returned because they sounded/felt odd in certain circumstances. Which is a standard feature for Bosch/Shimano motors....

 

[Swingset]

Search away. My take on it is that you have to carefully qualify what an issue means to you. I have not heard of anything like a "failure", only bikes that were returned because they sounded/felt odd in certain circumstances. Which is a standard feature for Bosch/Shimano motors....

Agree 100%. Once the lock ring is secure the only thing I am able to replicate is the low power ~20 watt, very muted, 'flutter'. I think this was wrongly termed 'grinding' which is red flag word that I don't think is what's going on at all. Seems like the internal clutch needs a certain amount of load to fully engage.

The motor is so quiet that anything makes your ears perk up.

 

[ZillaG]

Search away. My take on it is that you have to carefully qualify what an issue means to you. I have not heard of anything like a "failure", only bikes that were returned because they sounded/felt odd in certain circumstances. Which is a standard feature for Bosch/Shimano motors....

"Unrideable" is the key issue for me. Yes I'll keep reading, page 17 now.

 

[ZillaG]

Who ditched the integrated bar and stem that comes with the 9.8 and higher and why?
Thinking of getting one for my 9.7.

I would say "fit" is the answer to "why." If the integrated bar/stem is the correct bar/stem rise, and effective stem length for you, no need to change it.

 

[ZillaG]

Hi guys,

A new video of Sam’s bikes YouTube channel is going to be released in 3 hours reviewing the range of the EXe,

Let’s check it out!!

That video talked about 1000 topics other than what the title suggests!

 

[XrayZulu]

I would suggest that, when you get a minute, you all slide your battery out of the frame and check its orientation.
If the orientation is such that the LEDs are on the non-drive side of the bike then that is wrong (as was my wife's) and you will not be able to charge the battery out of the bike as is.

The end caps were incorrectly connected by 180deg at both ends and, with the pull handle positioned as it is, it is not possible to connect the charger cable into the port as the 90deg bend on the cable cannector is hard up against the plastic handle.
Page 15 of the service manual specifies that it should be done in the correct manner - but unfortunately Trek have assembled some battery packs incorrectly, slid them into the downtube and delivered them to bike shops around the world. I needed to check that I could charge the battery outside the frame and I'm so glad I did.
It didn't help my understanding of the issue that the separate schematic of the relationship of the orientation of the charge port vs the LEDs was also wrong in the manual with the port shown out by 180deg.
My wife's bike is the 9.9 AXS XX1 but this issue can affect each and every model in the entire Fuel EXe range - so be aware.
TQ knew of the problem and had had discussions with Trek Production about the issue but still some will doubtless be 'out in the wild'.....it's not a TQ error, it's a Trek assembly error.
My own 9.9 AXS XX1 is due the end of this month and this will certainly be an aspect for me to check - my bike shop are also now aware.

 

[DugT]

I would suggest that, when you get a minute, you all slide your battery out of the frame and check its orientation.
If the orientation is such that the LEDs are on the non-drive side of the bike then that is wrong (as was my wife's) and you will not be able to charge the battery out of the bike as is.
View attachment 101553
The end caps were incorrectly connected by 180deg at both ends and, with the pull handle positioned as it is, it is not possible to connect the charger cable into the port as the 90deg bend on the cable cannector is hard up against the plastic handle.
Page 15 of the service manual specifies that it should be done in the correct manner - but unfortunately Trek have assembled some battery packs incorrectly, slid them into the downtube and delivered them to bike shops around the world. I needed to check that I could charge the battery outside the frame and I'm so glad I did.
It didn't help my understanding of the issue that the separate schematic of the relationship of the orientation of the charge port vs the LEDs was also wrong in the manual with the port shown out by 180deg.
My wife's bike is the 9.9 AXS XX1 but this issue can affect each and every model in the entire Fuel EXe range - so be aware.
TQ knew of the problem and had had discussions with Trek Production about the issue but still some will doubtless be 'out in the wild'.....it's not a TQ error, it's a Trek assembly error.
My own 9.9 AXS XX1 is due the end of this month and this will certainly be an aspect for me to check - my bike shop are also now aware.

In the Service Manual, page 15, it looks like the end cap orientation can be easily corrected, if necessary. Only four screws hold on each end cap. If that's the case, this should be an easy problem to solve.

 

[XrayZulu]

In the Service Manual, page 15, it looks like the end cap orientation can be easily corrected, if necessary. Only four screws hold on each end cap. If that's the case, this should be an easy problem to solve.

That is how it is corrected, at both ends, so it is solvable but that wrong alignment allied to an incorrect illustration of the charge port vs LEDs arrangement gave a couple of confusing days.....

 

[DugT]

That is how it is corrected, at both ends, so it is solvable but that wrong alignment allied to an incorrect illustration of the charge port vs LEDs arrangement gave a couple of confusing days.....

Errors in manuals, like this, are especially annoying.

 

[XrayZulu]

Errors in manuals, like this, are especially annoying.

Couldn't agree more....

 

[ZillaG]

In the Service Manual, page 15, it looks like the end cap orientation can be easily corrected, if necessary. Only four screws hold on each end cap. If that's the case, this should be an easy problem to solve.

So you just re-orient the end caps 180 deg?

 

[ZillaG]

Just got my 9.7 in Matte PennyFlake over the weekend. Had to drive a little over an hour to pick it up (central San Diego to South Orange County with some traffic).

Just one ride so far, but completely blown away--mainly because it feels so natural with the light weight and power delivery.

This bike now sits next to my Santa Cruz Heckler 9 MX and Stumpy Evo. Unfortunately I can see my Evo getting a lot less ride time now.

Here are some pre-ride pics.

(Edit: the Trek bike shop could have done a better job setting it up, though. Among other things, the cockpit cable/hoses are a bit too long and need to be trimmed)
View attachment 100634 View attachment 100635

What make/model are those fenders?

 

[XrayZulu]

So you just re-orient the end caps 180 deg?

Yep, that's it - and ignore that incorrect battery schematic...