Ever-popular trail bike gets bigger wheels for 2014
Trek’s
full-suspension range has been given a bit of a rejig for 2014, with a
long-awaited 29er version of the ever-popular Fuel EX taking the place of the Rumblefish
that was inherited when Trek took over the old Gary Fisher line-up. It’s worth
noting that the Fuel EX is still available with good old 26in wheels too –
something that’s suddenly not very common any more.
The frame
Despite its freshly-enlarged wheels, the Trek is still
recognisably a Fuel EX, sharing the general layout and tube shapes of the
26in-wheeled bike. Trek have put a lot of time into refining the Fuel over the
years, and you can see it in the frame details. There’s very little gratuitous
tube shaping here. The down tube has a hefty double curve in it, but that’s to
give clearance for the bottom of the rear shock at one end and the top of the
fork legs at the other.
The Fuel’s the only bike here not to have a hole in
the seat tube ready for an internally routed dropper seatpost cable. It takes a
31.6mm post though, so it’s dropper-ready to that extent. It’s also the only
one not to use a 12mm through-axle at the back as standard, although Trek’s ABP
Convert rear pivot/axle can be switched to the bigger set-up in the future.
The kit
The Fuel is the cheapest bike here, so it’s not
surprising to see lots of Shimano Deore parts. There’s no escaping the fact
that the other bikes here manage to muster components from a few rungs up the
ladder for not very much more money, but Deore is solid, reliable stuff. We’d
like to see smaller chainrings than the standard 42/32/24t setup on a
29in-wheeled bike, and a clutch-equipped rear mech is notable by its absence,
but everything here works fine and won’t let you down.
The ride
Trek are notable for offering more size options than
most manufacturers. They don’t stop at S, M or L, with the Fuel EX 6 29 being
available in a remarkable six sizes from a bijou 15.5in to a kaiju 23in. We
really like the fact that there’s an 18.5in option nestling between the usual
17.5in and 19.5in sizes. It’s spot on for riders who – like some of our testers
– usually find themselves on the cusp of M or L in most ranges.
That big size range, and the accompanying fitting
expertise of the dealer, is part of what you’re paying for with a big,
mainstream brand like Trek. Obviously if you don’t need one of the “extra”
sizes then you don’t get the benefit, but it’s a boon for those who do – most
direct-sales brands can only manage three, or at most four, sizes.
The Fuel EX is a highly-developed bike. Even though
the 29in version is new, there are many years of tweaks and refinements behind
it. With an extra-long fork offset, the Trek strikes a great balance between
agility and stability. The front-end geometry gives the steering an almost
uncannily light feel, which takes a little getting used to, but once you’re
into it it’s extremely effective. There are few bikes (with any wheel size)
that handle uphill switchbacks quite as well as this – the Fuel is great in the
twisties.
With a regular RockShox Monarch shock out back, rather
than one of the proprietary twin-chamber Fox/Trek DRCV units found on the more expensive
Fuels, the EX 6 doesn’t have the simultaneously supple yet bottomless suspension
feel for which the Fuel is renowned. It’s less noticeable on this 29in version
though, with the easy-rolling big wheels doing more of the work over small
bumps than on the 26in bike.
What’s immediately noticeable, though, is that the
Trek takes more effort to wind up to speed than the other bikes here, largely
due to a significant weight penalty. The main culprits are the wheels. Between
them, the Fuel’s front and rear wheels come in at a substantial 5.9kg. You’d
expect a 29er to have heavier wheels than a similarly-priced 650b or 26in bike,
but the Trek’s hoops are disproportionately portly. While 29in wheels are about
six per cent bigger than 650b wheels, the Fuel’s weigh 20 per cent more than those
on the next heaviest bike here, despite only having 28 spokes.
That extra rotating mass does hinder the Fuel under
certain conditions. On twisty trails with lots of braking and accelerating, the
Trek can’t stay with the lighter bikes, losing ground out of every corner
despite its excellent handling. Things even out when the trails open up a
little – the Fuel’s very good at carrying speed through corners, and if there’s
room to really let rip then it’ll charge through everything in its path.
It’s a little heavy and basically equipped, but the
Fuel EX is fundamentally well sorted and a real trail-muncher
SO GOOD
Lots of sizes means a spot-on fit Sorted angles give a
rewarding, agile ride Solid, reliable spec
NO GOOD
Doesn’t have the DRCV edge of pricier Fuels Overall
weight dulls performance Rivals offer better spec for the money
Fork offset
How far the front axle sits ahead of the steering
axis. Along with head angle and wheel size, this gives the ‘trail’ figure,
which plays a large part in how a bike steers
Clutch rear mech
Called Shadow+ by Shimano and Type Two by SRAM, these derailleurs
have a mechanism that keeps the chain taut over rough ground.
WEIGHT 14.8kg
(32.6lb)
FRAME Alpha Platinum aluminium, 120mm (4.7in) travel
SIZES
15.5,
17.5, 18.5*, 19.5, 21.5, 23in
FORK RockShox Recon Gold Solo Air, 120mm (4.7in) travel
SHOCK RockShox Monarch RL
HEADSET FSA IS-2
WHEELS
Hubs: Bontrager F, Formula
DC-22 R
Rims: Bontrager XR850
Spokes: Stainless
Wheel weight: 2.54kg F,
3.26kg R
TYRES Bontrager
XR3, 29x2.2in
CRANKSET/BOTTOM BRACKET Shimano M552, 42/32/24t / Shimano
DERAILLEURS Shimano Deore F, Shimano SLX R
SHIFTERS Shimano
Deore
CASSETTE/CHAIN Shimano HG62, 11-36t, 10-speed / Shimano HG
BRAKES
Shimano
M445, 160/160mm
BAR/STEM/GRIPS Bontrager low-riser / Bontrager Race Lite / Bontrager Race
SADDLE/ SEATPOST Bontrager Evoke 1.5 / Bontrager SSR
PRICE: 2645$