Best rear shock for Trek Fuel EXE trail riding?

[forestbiker]

Hey everyone, best rear shock for relaxed but comfortable trail riding

My bike's a trek fuel exe.

 

[Greg Watts]

Hey everyone, best rear shock for relaxed but comfortable trail riding My bike's a trek fuel exe.

The Fuel EXe is a lovely platform for trail riding, and the good news is there's a fair bit of community experience to draw on here. The answer depends a bit on which spec you've got and what you mean by "comfortable," so let me lay out the options.

The stock shock on most Fuel EXe models is a RockShox Deluxe Select+ in 230x60mm, which is perfectly adequate but fairly basic. @gmoss found that the stock shock on the 9.8 XT had no adjustability beyond rebound, making it struggle with bigger hits and g-outs, and that upgrading to a Fox Float X2 completely transformed the bike. That's probably the most popular aftermarket upgrade for the Fuel EXe if you want plush, adjustable rear suspension. The X2 gives you both high and low speed compression and rebound, so you can really dial in that comfortable, planted feel for trail riding without sacrificing support.

If you want to keep things simpler (and lighter on the wallet), a RockShox Deluxe Ultimate or Super Deluxe Ultimate would be a step up from the stock Select+ while staying in the RockShox ecosystem. You get proper compression damping adjustment, which makes a real difference for tuning comfort. @Jujujuice rated the Fuel EXe's small bump sensitivity as top notch even with the stock setup, so a damper upgrade builds on an already good foundation.

One thing worth knowing: the Fuel EXe's frame kinematics allow up to about 65mm of shock stroke. Several owners have gone to a 230x65mm or 205x65mm shock to squeeze out a few extra millimetres of rear travel (up to around 150-152mm). @levity confirmed the 230x65mm shock fits while maintaining the Low position, and @Rob Rides EMTB found plenty of clearance on an XL with a 205x65mm at full compression. That extra stroke makes a noticeable difference to comfort on chunkier trails, though it's worth noting @Rubble had a derailleur snap after the 65mm upgrade, possibly due to chain length needing extending.

For relaxed trail riding where comfort is the priority, I'd point you towards a Fox Float X or X2 in 230x60mm (stock length) as the sweet spot of plushness versus cost. If you're feeling adventurous, the 65mm stroke upgrade adds a bit more cushion but check your chain length and clearances. What size frame and spec level have you got? That'll help narrow it down further.

 

[Twisted Fork]

Hey everyone, best rear shock for relaxed but comfortable trail riding

My bike's a trek fuel exe.

Note that Greg was off on a bit of a peyote trip with some of his shock length specs there. The ex-e takes a 205mm trunion mount only. Do not attempt to mount a 230mm long shock.

205 x 60mm gives you 140mm of travel. 205 x 62.5mm gives you 146mm of travel. And 205 x 65mn gives 152mm. The additional travel will all occur at the compressed end of the travel, so the bottom bracket clearance will be lower at bottom out with the longer travel options. The unweighted bb height will not change. Remember that more travel is not necessarily better in all applications. Lower travel will feel more supportive and livelier in general for trail riding. Only go for more travel if you’re using up all your travel while riding fast through heavy chunk or bottoming out on larger jumps and drops (some of which can also be compensated for with additional volume tokens or higher air pressure). More travel could actually feel a bit wallowy in turns if not adjusted properly.

Honestly, for relaxed to moderate trail riding, a shock like the Rockshox Deluxe Select+ or Fox DPS in 205 x 60 is plenty comfortable and capable. Just play around with the air pressure, rebound settings and adding or removing volume tokens until you find something that suits you. The Rockshox Deluxe Ultimate adds a low speed compression adjustment for a bit more adjustability. I’d suggest if you’re looking for more comfort on the initial and mid stroke, lower the air pressure to get 32-35% sag. If at that lower pressure, you find you’re running through all your travel and bottoming out, add one or two volume reduction tokens to firm up the compression at the bottom of the stroke.

If you find you’re needing more compression damping adjustability and support, the Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate or Fox Float X in a 62.5mm or 65mm stroke are the next step in progression for heavier hitting trail/light enduro riding. Be sure to get one with the progressive air can as opposed to the linear air can to compensate for the ex-e’s linear suspension kinematics.

A Fox X2 or Rockshox Vivid are generally pretty overkill for trail focused riding and are most suited for heavy enduro and downhill applications.

 

[forestbiker]

Note that Greg was off on a bit of a peyote trip with some of his shock length specs there. The ex-e takes a 205mm trunion mount only. Do not attempt to mount a 230mm long shock.

205 x 60mm gives you 140mm of travel. 205 x 62.5mm gives you 146mm of travel. And 205 x 65mn gives 152mm. The additional travel will all occur at the compressed end of the travel, so the bottom bracket clearance will be lower at bottom out with the longer travel options. The unweighted bb height will not change. Remember that more travel is not necessarily better in all applications. Lower travel will feel more supportive and livelier in general for trail riding. Only go for more travel if you’re using up all your travel while riding fast through heavy chunk or bottoming out on larger jumps and drops (some of which can also be compensated for with additional volume tokens or higher air pressure). More travel could actually feel a bit wallowy in turns if not adjusted properly.

Honestly, for relaxed to moderate trail riding, a shock like the Rockshox Deluxe Select+ or Fox DPS in 205 x 60 is plenty comfortable and capable. Just play around with the air pressure, rebound settings and adding or removing volume tokens until you find something that suits you. The Rockshox Deluxe Ultimate adds a low speed compression adjustment for a bit more adjustability. I’d suggest if you’re looking for more comfort on the initial and mid stroke, lower the air pressure to get 32-35% sag. If at that lower pressure, you find you’re running through all your travel and bottoming out, add one or two volume reduction tokens to firm up the compression at the bottom of the stroke.

If you find you’re needing more compression damping adjustability and support, the Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate or Fox Float X in a 62.5mm or 65mm stroke are the next step in progression for heavier hitting trail/light enduro riding. Be sure to get one with the progressive air can as opposed to the linear air can to compensate for the ex-e’s linear suspension kinematics.

A Fox X2 or Rockshox Vivid are generally pretty overkill for trail focused riding and are most suited for heavy enduro and downhill applications.

Thanks, this is a great answer.

I will keep fiddling with the current Deluxe Select+ RT then. It has been performing well, I just wanted to check if there was some obvious upgrade.

Initially I just wanted to test the AI, and was a bit surprised to see that a post was actually created for everyone to read and comment I guess I would have worded it differently had I realized that. However, the outcome was a lot better than expected

 

[Twisted Fork]

Thanks, this is a great answer.

I will keep fiddling with the current Deluxe Select+ RT then. It has been performing well, I just wanted to check if there was some obvious upgrade.

Initially I just wanted to test the AI, and was a bit surprised to see that a post was actually created for everyone to read and comment I guess I would have worded it differently had I realized that. However, the outcome was a lot better than expected

I rode on the Deluxe Select+ on my ex-e for two years before deciding I needed a bit more travel to soak up the 1.5m drop to flat a bit better on my local after work loop. I was really quite impressed with it overall, even in heavy, chonky terrain. In very long sustained technical downhills (like over 700m vertical), it would start to get pretty hot and lose some of its sensitivity and support. But for 90+% of the time it was totally up to the task.

I ended up going with a 65mm stroke Super Deluxe Ultimate. I’m still trying to dial it in to get it feeling as poppy and playful as the OEM shock. Getting close, but still not quite there yet.