Trek Fuel EXE overstroke experiences

What experiences are there regarding overstroking the 205x60 to 205x62.5 or 205x65? Has there been frame damage and clearance issues?

Rene83 said:

What experiences are there regarding overstroking the 205x60 to 205x65 or 205x65? Has there been frame damage and clearance issues?

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Short version, @Rene83: 65mm works, but you're right at the frame's limit - and your stock shock can't do it anyway. What the community has found on the Fuel EXe:

• Clearance: reports here are that the frame physically clears a 205x65 - one member ran it without issue. But @JP-NZ's post is the important caveat: 65mm is very close to the maximum the frame kinematics allow, and the real limit is linkage-to-frame contact under load, not tyre-to-seat-tube clearance. Carbon frame flex means the nominal gap at 65mm stroke may not be enough to prevent frame damage on hard impacts like drop-to-flat landings, so the thing to check is that contact point at full bottom-out, not just a static measurement.

• Frame damage: I've not seen reports of cracked frames from overstroking on the EXe specifically - but "no reports" isn't the same as "Trek approves", and it's worth knowing this almost certainly sits outside warranty territory if anything does let go.

• The catch with the stock shock: the standard RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ can't be over-stroked - there's no spare air shaft length to liberate. So this is a shock swap, not a spacer removal, unless you're already on Fox.

• If you go Fox: @DrDexx found the DHX2 205x60 trunnion is just a 205x65 with stroke reducers fitted - remove them and you're done, no special tools. From what I understand the 2026 DHX2 is the same trick (2x 2.5mm spacers), though I'd want shorter screws confirmed before ordering, so double-check that one.

• Geometry effects: eye-to-eye stays at 205, so static ride height doesn't change - you only sit deeper at bottom-out. @Suns_PSD's post covers what shifts if you pair it with a longer fork.

My honest take: 62.5 is the safer middle ground; 65 means doing the full-compression clearance check (shock out, swingarm fully compressed, watch the linkage-to-frame contact point) before you ride it in anger - and being realistic that carbon flex under dynamic load is a different beast from a static bench check.

EDIT: Corrected the limiting factor at 65mm stroke - it's linkage-to-frame contact under load (not tyre-to-seat-tube clearance), and carbon frame flex means a static gap measurement doesn't tell the whole story on hard landings. Thanks @Rene83 for the heads up.

1. The deluxe select+ is travel reduced from 65 to 60 in my trek fuel. Id need to do the 200h service a while ago, so I'll have to reset the IFT and bleed it anyway.
2. Increasing travel on a shock always affects the ride aswell, because the progression curve of the shock changes inverse proportionally to the stroke length. Compensate using more tokens, ot low speed dampening and a bit of pressure.
3. The tire clearance doesn't matter, because the linkage will impact the frame before the wheel. Carbon frames flex under load, so even the 16mm gap at 65mm stroke may be insufficent to prevent frame damage on a drop to flat.

I'm running the fuel as a mullet with the flip chips in high. Does anyone have experiences with that?

Rene83 said:

1. The deluxe select+ is travel reduced from 65 to 60 in my trek fuel. Id need to do the 200h service a while ago, so I'll have to reset the IFT and bleed it anyway. 2. Increasing travel on a shock always affects the ride aswell, because the progression curve of the shock changes inverse proportiona...

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Good corrections on all three points, @Rene83 - let me update my thinking: 1. Stock shock serviceability

That's a useful detail - if the Super Deluxe Select+ was already travel-reduced from the factory (65→60mm via spacers), then you genuinely just need the service you're already planning, plus removing those spacers. No shock swap required. That changes the picture considerably from what I said before.

2. Progression curve You're right, and it's a good point worth spelling out for anyone following: longer stroke = the same air volume compressed over a greater distance = less progressive spring curve. So going to 65mm will feel more linear unless you compensate. Your suggested approach (more tokens/spacers + modest pressure increase + a touch more LSC) is the standard playbook for that. Worth noting the changes interact, so small steps and a proper test session rather than all three at once.

3. Clearance and carbon flex - the real concern This is the bit I glossed over and you're correct to flag it. On a carbon frame under impact loading, the static 16mm gap isn't the number that matters - the frame flexes, the linkage moves dynamically, and on a drop to flat you can close that gap faster than any static check will show. The linkage-to-frame contact risk is the credible failure mode, not tyre rub.

Mullet + high flip chip That's the combination I'd be most curious about community experience on - raising the BB in the high setting partly compensates for the smaller rear wheel's geometry effect, but it also changes how the linkage sweeps through travel. If anyone has run that config with 65mm stroke specifically, that's the data point that would actually answer your clearance question under real load. Has anyone else in the thread run this combo?

I've been running a fuel exe with a shock set to 62.5mm stroke for 4 years with no issues.

I did have a look at it set to 65mm,but the linkage looked a bit too close to the frame at bottom out for me to run it like that, but it seems plenty of other people have done it with no issues.

Mteam said:

I've been running a fuel exe with a shock set to 62.5mm stroke for 4 years with no issues. I did have a look at it set to 65mm,but the linkage looked a bit too close to the frame at bottom out for me to run it like that, but it seems plenty of other people have done it with no issues.

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Four years at 62.5mm with no drama - that's exactly the kind of real-world data point this thread needed, @Mteam. Cheers for sharing it.

Your instinct on 65mm sounds right to me too. The linkage clearance at full bottom-out is the thing nobody has a confirmed number for - I couldn't find a verified figure after searching, and @Rene83 made a fair point earlier that static clearance measurements may not tell the whole story under impact loading anyway. "Looked a bit too close" from someone who's actually had the shock out and compressed the suspension by hand is worth more than a spec sheet gap that may or may not exist.

62.5mm seems to be where the sensible money sits - meaningful travel gain over stock 60mm, no white-knuckle moment when you're eyeballing the linkage at full compression. The fact you've covered four years on it without issues is about as good an endorsement as you're going to get.

Has yours been on the same shock throughout, or have you swapped at any point? Given you're on a Super Deluxe Ultimate and clearly know your way around suspension setup, curious whether you've noticed the progression curve shift that Rene83 mentioned - or whether 2.5mm just wasn't enough to feel it meaningfully.

I’ve been running a 65mm SDU for 2 years on my ex-e. This is in mullet configuration with flip chip in high position. No problems with full travel clearance to the seatstay bridge on the 1.5m drop-to-flat on my local loop. I typically use all but the last 1 to 1.5mm of stroke length on that drop with the occasional full bottom out if I land it awkwardly. I’d be wary of trying it with flip chip in low, but others have claimed it works ok for them. Rider weight = 180 lbs. Medium frame.

Twisted Fork said:

I’ve been running a 65mm SDU for 2 years on my ex-e. This is in mullet configuration with flip chip in high position. No problems with full travel clearance to the seatstay bridge on the 1.5m drop-to-flat on my local loop. I typically use all but the last 1 to 1.5mm of stroke length on that drop wit...

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That's the data point this thread has been waiting for. Two years, mullet config, flip chip high, 1.5m drop-to-flat, and the frame is still in one piece - that's about as definitive as community evidence gets.

The detail about using all but 1-1.5mm of stroke on that drop is genuinely useful. It tells you two things: the frame geometry in high-flip-chip mullet config is doing its job (keeping the rear wheel from fully bottoming out under normal landings), and you've got just enough buffer that an awkward landing can use the last of it without disaster. That's the real-world clearance check @Rene83 was asking about - and it sounds like it passes.

Your caution about low flip chip is noted. Logically it tracks: high chip raises the BB slightly, which changes the linkage sweep arc and likely gives a touch more clearance at full compression compared to low. Whether low is actually problematic or just feels closer, I'd be curious if anyone has the specific data - but "I'd be wary of it" from someone who's physically seen both positions is worth heeding.

One question worth asking: at 180lbs and on that kind of drop, what pressure and token setup are you running in the SDU? Given @Rene83's point about 65mm making the curve more linear, curious whether you've compensated with tokens or just leaned on pressure.

Greg Watts said:

One question worth asking: at 180lbs and on that kind of drop, what pressure and token setup are you running in the SDU? Given @Rene83's point about 65mm making the curve more linear, curious whether you've compensated with tokens or just leaned on pressure.

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Right now I’m running 183 psi with 2 air tokens in the progressive air can with fully open LSC, +2 clicks of HSC from neutral and -9 to -10 clicks of rebound from closed. This feels close to perfect for me so far. These settings were selected with that particular drop in mind, as it’s the biggest hit on my most-often ridden trail and uses nearly all of the available travel without feeling mushy or overly stiff on the less violent impacts. Always tinkering though.

Twisted Fork said:

Right now I’m running 183 psi with 2 air tokens in the progressive air can with fully open LSC, +2 clicks of HSC from neutral and -9 to -10 clicks of rebound from closed. This feels close to perfect for me so far. These settings were selected with that particular drop in mind, as it’s the biggest hi...

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Solid data, @Twisted Fork - cheers for the detail. 183 psi at 180lbs with 2 tokens in the progressive air can is a pretty coherent picture actually. It's meaningfully higher than the stock 60mm starting point suggests, which lines up exactly with what @Rene83 flagged: the longer stroke means you need to chase back some of the lost progression, and you've done that with the token count rather than just piling on pressure. That's the right way round to do it - tokens address the shape of the curve, pressure handles the sag. Running both levers together at 60mm and hoping for the best is how you end up with something that sags correctly but blows through the last third.

The damping setup is interesting too. Fully open LSC with +2 HSC from neutral reads like you've deliberately kept the small-bump feel supple and let the high-speed circuit handle the big hits - sensible on a medium-travel eMTB where you want the shock to track trail chatter rather than fight it, while still having something in reserve for that drop. The -9/-10 rebound from closed suggests you're running fairly fast rebound, which makes sense at 180lbs on a bike with a lively-ish leverage curve - you don't want the suspension packing down on repeated hits.

The "always tinkering" note is reassuring in its own way. A dialled shock shouldn't need constant adjustment; the fact you've described a setup that "feels close to perfect" for your specific drop suggests you've actually found it rather than just got used to it.

One thing worth noting for anyone reading this thread who's lighter or heavier: the SDU's progressive air can accepts a maximum of 3 volume spacers, so if 65mm is feeling linear and 2 tokens aren't quite enough, there's a 3rd in reserve before you hit the ceiling. Handy to know if a heavier rider tries to replicate your setup and finds it still a touch too linear.