trek fuel exe

4 upgrades & 7 updates on our Fuel EXe long-term test bike | Trek Fuel EXe Review

The not-so-minor details.

2023 Trek Fuel EXe

https://www.trekbikes.com

$9,499 AUD - $12,999 AUD

The Trek Fuel EXe was launched just a few months ago, arriving to much fanfare thanks to its unique TQ-HPR50 motor and clean aesthetics. We were totally captivated by the smooth and quiet motor performance, while the low weight, balanced geometry and supportive suspension gave it an impressively playful and agile character on the trail.

We’ve since spent a load more time aboard our test bike, and have made a few key changes and upgrades along the way. For those who are curious about this lightweight e-MTB, or for those who already own one and are looking to delve a bit deeper into its capabilities, here’s a look at what we’ve learned from our long-term review of the Trek Fuel EXe.

There’s an app for that

The release of the Fuel EXe has been accompanied by a new app called Trek Central.

Designed specifically for the Fuel EXe, the app incorporates a number of features including ride tracking, navigation and range estimation. It allows you to tune the performance of the TQ HPR50 motor, and it provides recommendations on suspension and tyre setup. You can pair the app with a heart rate monitor, and it’ll even talk to SRAM TyreWiz and AirWiz modules to provide live pressure readouts.

It’s easy to tune the TQ-HPR50 motor

The most interesting component of the Trek Central app is the Perfect Tune function. This lets you adjust the motor’s power output and assistance behaviour across each of the Eco, Mid and High assist modes. Within each mode you can adjust the Maximum Power, Assist Factor and Pedal Response using a simple sliding scale.

Our main interest here was to see if we could give the TQ motor a little more punch for shorter rides. Although the High mode already comes with the Maximum Power set to the full 300W, it is possible to increase both the Assist Factor and Pedal Response settings, which is exactly what we did.

With both settings maxed out, the Fuel EXe accelerates faster and requires less pedal input to deliver maximum power. It still requires plenty of input, and it isn’t as gutsy as a full-powered motor like a Bosch Performance Line CX or Shimano EP8, but it is noticeably quicker compared to the stock settings.

Of course the downside is reduced range, and it’s possible to rinse that 360Wh battery pretty quickly, especially for heavier riders. It works well for an hour-of-power session after work, but for longer rides you’ll want to make use of the Eco and Mid settings, and consider dialling down the Assist Factor. This will encourage you to pedal harder to receive maximum motor support, while only relying on the High setting when you really need it.

It still has some lag

In our initial review, we mentioned that the TQ-HPR50 motor didn’t always provide support when we wanted, exhibiting some lag in certain circumstances.

Now we aren’t referring to the mechanical pickup of the motor. That is near-instantaneous, with very little free-play in the cranks before they engage the drive system. Rather we mean the delay between when you input a pedalling force, to the point that the motor starts delivering power output.

Even with the Pedal Response set to the maximum level, this delay can still sometimes occur. If you’re climbing in a higher gear at a slower cadence, pausing to freewheel over an obstacle won’t be met with instant power delivery once you get back on the gas. Similarly, if you’re cruising along at speed and need to pause on the pedals, there is some lag in the motor’s pickup when you begin pedalling again.

To avoid this, we’ve found the TQ-HPR50 motor to provide better support at higher cadences. Make use of the lower gears, spin at a higher RPM, and the motor will respond faster and more willingly.

Generally speaking though, this is a motor that is here to give you a subtle helping hand rather than feeling like you have a rocket booster strapped to the bike. The soft and smooth power delivery is what contributes to its discreet and energy-efficient performance, allowing the Fuel EXe to be built with such a small and lightweight battery in the first place.

The wide Q-factor may be a bother

Despite spending another couple of months on the Trek Fuel EXe, I’ve not gotten used to its wide stance at the pedals.

To clarify, the TQ-HPR50 is one of, if not the smallest mid-drive motors on the market, and its bottom bracket axle is narrow at 135mm. The issue is with the carbon e*13 crank arms that come on the Fuel EXe 9.8 and 9.9 models. These bulky cranks add significant width to the overall Q-factor, pushing the pedals further away from the bike.

According to my measurements the Q-factor is nearly 195mm. That is very wide, and it’s caused me some knee pain on longer rides.

I visited a local Trek dealer and compared the Q-factor with the alloy e*13 cranks that come on the cheaper Fuel EXe 9.7 and 9.5 models. The difference is almost 20mm, with the alloy crank arms being considerably slimmer and coming much closer to a crankset on a regular mountain bike.

Many riders won’t be fussed by a wide Q-factor, and indeed the broader stance can improve overall stability on the bike. But for riders with sensitive knees, it is something to consider. Indeed if the Fuel EXe were my bike, I’d be looking at changing out the crank arms.

But it’s oh so quiet

Since reviewing the Trek Fuel EXe, I’ve been riding a whole bunch of other e-MTBs including the Canyon Spectral:ON , the Scott Patron and the Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 . Those all make use of full-powered motors that have their various strengths and weaknesses, but one of the most noticeable differences is the amount of noise out on the trail.

The TQ-HPR50 motor is remarkably quiet, even in the highest assist mode with all of the settings maxed out. The pitch and overall volume are so discreet, that every time I jump onto a full-powered e-MTB, it feels like I’m riding a vacuum cleaner.

It’s also unnoticeable on the descents, with none of the freewheel clacking that has plagued the Shimano EP8 and Bosch Performance CX drive units. Along with its smooth and surge-free power delivery, I’ve been really impressed with the experience that the stealthy TQ motor brings to riding the Fuel EXe, which feels closer to a regular mountain bike than a full-powered e-MTB.

The RockShox suspension is performing beautifully

Both the Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 XT and the top-end 9.9 models come fitted with the new 2023 RockShox forks and shocks as standard. Featuring an all-new construction with updated internals, the Lyrik is equipped with the new Charger 3 damper, and the Super Deluxe shock features the RC2 damper.

In our initial review, we found the Fuel EXe’s suspension to be incredibly supportive, but not the most compliant over smaller bumps. That was particularly the case up front with the Lyrik, which even felt harsh in some situations.

I’m happy to report that the suspension has bedded in a lot since new, though I’ve since been riding the Fuel EXe with a different Lyrik Ultimate. This Lyrik had been freshly serviced by SRAM, and it has bedded in beautifully over the last few weeks of riding. Compared to the original fork it is significantly smoother and plusher, especially across smaller rubble. The support is still there, it’s just vastly more comfortable and reactive.

This experience has turned around my earlier feelings on the Lyrik, which I wasn’t overly impressed with. Aside from the different colour, the only difference between these two forks is the fact that the green one had been serviced. It isn’t uncommon to encounter varying levels of assembly grease and oil with mass-produced suspension products, though perhaps the new RockShox forks are more sensitive to it.

My advice to anyone out there with a 2023 RockShox fork that is feeling harsh? Have your local bike shop check the lowers for the proper lubrication levels. It could make all the difference, as it has done on our Fuel EXe.

It’s brilliant with a 160mm travel fork

While the Trek Fuel EXe comes standard with a 150mm travel fork, the frame is rated for use with up to a 160mm fork. And so alongside the green Lyrik Ultimate, I’ve also been testing a Fox 36 GRIP2, both set at 160mm of travel.

The extra 10mm of travel does lift up the BB slightly, and it also slackens the angles a touch. With the longer fork fitted, I needed to nose the saddle down slightly, and I dropped the stem down one spacer to bring the grips down to the same level as before.

On the trail the longer fork feels fantastic. There may be a touch more front wheel wander on the climbs, but having lowered the stem to get more weight over the front, it’s pretty minimal. And the added ground clearance has actually improved the Fuel EXe’s technical climbing abilities, allowing me to keep pedalling over chunky sections with less fear of pedal strikes.

It’s on the descents where the extra 10mm of travel has been most welcome though, delivering increased grip and control when things get rough and rowdy. The whole bike feels more planted, and it’s plusher overall.

I was worried the bigger fork might feel mismatched with the 140mm of rear travel, but that hasn’t been the case. The Fuel EXe is a mighty capable bike, and its rear suspension is nice and progressive with plenty of end-stroke support thanks to the Hydraulic Bottom Out feature in the new Super Deluxe shock. Because it uses its travel in such a controlled manner, it actually feels more balanced with the bigger fork up front.

With that in mind, I can highly recommend experimenting with a longer fork on your Fuel EXe. The good news is that this a relatively cheap upgrade, as you only need to buy a 160mm air shaft to extend the RockShox Lyrik and Fox 36.

Mullet compatibility

A lesser known fact about the Trek Fuel EXe is that it can be run as a mullet. While the bike comes standard with 29in wheels and the Mino Link set in the Low position, Trek says flipping the chip into the High position will help counter the drop in BB height if you decide to fit a 27.5in rear wheel.

That’s true to an extent, though the difference in BB height between the High and Low positions is only 7mm. In our experience with trying out mullet conversions on other bikes, that difference isn’t quite enough. If we were to mullet the Fuel EXe, we’d recommend pairing that setup with a 160mm travel fork to help lift the BB up again to roughly the same spot as the stock setup.

The downside of fitting a 27.5in rear wheel? The TQ’s speed sensor can’t be recalibrated for a different wheel circumference, so the system will still assume you have a 29in wheel fitted. This will affect the speed readout on the top tube display, changing the motor’s behaviour slightly and resulting in a lower actual cutoff speed.

If you’re prepared to put in more effort at the pedals however, the mullet setup will be an effective way to add further agility into the Fuel EXe while increasing bum clearance for shorter riders. See our recent Specialized Stumpjumper mullet review  if you’re keen to know more about the advantages and disadvantages.

Burlier tyres are a great upgrade

While the stock Bontrager SE5 tyres on the Trek Fuel EXe are decent all-rounders, we did find ourselves wishing for more bite up front. As well as wanting a stickier and more aggressive set of tyres, we were also curious to try out a slightly narrower width to improve handling precision.

Since reviewing the bike in its stock form, I’ve been riding the Fuel EXe with a set of Continental Kryptotal tyres. This combination features a front and rear specific tread pattern, and I elected for the burlier Enduro casing option that features the Soft rubber compound.

We’ll have a separate feature coming on the Continental tyre range, but so far I’ve been really impressed with this setup on the Fuel EXe. The 2.4in width suits the bike well, and the sturdy casings offer a really nice balance of stability and damping. Along with the soft rubber compound, the level of grip is outstanding, inspiring more confidence and control compared to the stock SE5s. Along with the 160mm fork up front, I’ve been able to push the Fuel EXe harder and faster on the descents, while enjoying a more responsive attitude through twisty singletrack.

Dialling in the contact points

As with the tyres, I’ve also been trying out some different contact points on our Trek Fuel EXe test bike. The stock Bontrager saddle and grips will be fine for most riders, but there’s always room for personalising these touch points to improve comfort and control.

I swapped the Bontrager Arvada with an Ergon SM E-Mountain Pro saddle, which features a pronounced kick-tail profile. This elevated ramp at the end of the saddle is particularly beneficial on an e-MTB, as it helps to anchor your sit bones while you’re pedalling in the saddle on a steep climb. The ramp is subtle enough that it doesn’t feel weird on the flats though, and combined with the broad platform, relief channel and OthoCell inserts, this has quickly become my favourite e-MTB saddle.

Along with the saddle I’ve fitted a set of Ergon GD-1 grips. These utilise Ergon’s high-end Factory rubber compound, which is incredibly tacky while being quite durable. Along with the tapered profile and one-way traction grooves, the GD-1s provide a more tactile feel and much improved damping over the stock grips. A small but meaningful upgrade, which doesn’t cost a lot either.

Flow’s Verdict

We continue to be impressed by the Trek Fuel EXe, which stands as one of the most agile and enjoyable electric mountain bikes we’ve ever ridden. The discreet TQ motor allows for elegant packaging, while offering quiet and subtle power delivery on the trail. And the option to tune the motor via the Trek Central app means you can customise its performance to suit your range requirements.

It’s also been great fun trying out different upgrades on our long-term test bike. The 160mm travel fork is a winner, offering a plusher and more controlled ride quality that allows you to capitalise on the Fuel EXe’s descending capabilities. Similarly, switching the stock tyres out for burlier casings and stickier rubber has levelled up traction and control. If you’re a Fuel EXe owner and you’re looking to broaden its performance window, we can highly recommend those upgrades.

Keen to know more about the tech and development behind the new bike, as well as prices and specs for the full range? Read on for our Trek Fuel EXe review .

Watch our Trek Fuel EXe video review here:

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• Trek Fuel EXe reviewed (finally)

by Ben Haworth November 6, 2022 56

The new Trek Fuel EXe is an important bike. It’s attracting a lot of attention from the e-curious who don’t think much of the current e-bike offering from elsewhere.

NB: Ignore the price tag of this model. Let’s talk about the bike behind the bling.

• Brand:  Trek
• Product:  Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS
• Price:   £13.250.00 £14,350
• From: Trek Bikes
• Review by:  Benji for three months

Three things I loved

• Looks great
• Less scary on technical terrain than heavier e-bikes
• Rides like a normal bike

Three things I’d change

• Range anxiety
• Wish we’d tested a more affordable version

A warning. I’m not going to go into great detail about the nuts and bolts of this bike. You can read our ‘ 5 reasons the Trek Fuel EXe is most important bike of the decade ‘ from when the Trek Fuel EXe was announced for that stuff.

Another warning. Nor am I going to talk much about this particular £14,350 showpiece model. It’s a distraction. It actually gets people’s backs up (mine included to be honest). It doesn’t give the Trek Fuel EXe concept a fair chance.

I’m going to focus on the frame, the motor, the battery and the controls. The stuff that’s exactly the same on the £6,400 Trek Fuel EXe 9.5 .

In this review I’m going to focus purely on how a Trek Fuel EXe bike rides.

For those who do need a quick refresher, or understandably don’t want to click open another browser window for a reminder, the Fuel EXe is Trek’s mid-power e-bike. 50Nm of torque, compared to the 85Nm of full-power e-bikes and the 35Nm of Specialized’s SL low-power e-bikes.

The ostensibly similar – and surely the current main rival – Orbea Rise has 60Nm of torque by the way. And there’s also the new Fazua Ride60 equipped e-bikes with 60Nm too (check out the Pivot Shuttle SL as an example).

The battery is a 360Wh capacity one (same capacity as Orbea Rise). Some full-on ebikes have 700Wh+. A common capacity is 500-600Wh. Specialized SL e-bikes have 325Wh batteries.

There is also a range extender battery available for the Trek Fuel EXe which gives a further 160Wh, for £450. I would have really liked to have had one of these for this test period but they have yet to land in the UK in large enough numbers to get hold of one. Believe me, I tried.

Perhaps the two main USPs of this bike are its weight and its appearance. It weighs around 40lbs. And it looks like a normal mountain bike. Both of these factors cannot be understated as to their importance with the mountain bike market.

There is a third USP too but it’s only once you’re on the bike and riding that it appears: it is pretty much silent. Honestly, once off-road you can’t hear it. You can only just hear it when riding on the road but even then you have to be going pretty slow for the wind noise not to drown it out.

The Trek Fuel EXe can pass for a regular mountain bike. And while this might partially be about hiding the ‘shame’ of riding a pedal assist bike, I actually think it’s more to do with people’s existing fondness for their current mountain bike.

Existing experienced mountain bikers like how their mountain bike looks and sounds. The Trek Fuel EXe totally nails the remit of looking and sounding like a normal mountain bike. Massive kudo to Trek for that alone.

Trek Fuel EXe review

I’ll come out and say it. I still don’t really know how I feel about this bike. I’ve been dithering and delaying writing this review for quite some time. The only thing I am sure about is that the Trek Fuel EXe is not for me.

The thing is, I also think it is brilliant. And it will be perfect for loads and loads of riders out there.

In a nutshell, after passing it round as many other riders as I can convince to get on it, everyone says the same thing: “it’s just like a normal bike”. That is exactly what I say too, although I mean it in a confused head-scratching way. Everyone is saying it in a giddy enthused way.

Despite everything, the overarching experience of the Trek Fuel EXe is one of subtlety. It does not blow your mind upon first pedal stroke. Indeed because of the silence and the instant and super natural way the motor assist comes in, a lot of the time you can’t tell you’re getting any assistance at all. There isn’t a visual display confirmation of the assistance level you’re getting either (a la Shimano or Bosch displays).

It feels like not a lot is happening. But it is.

Finish a ride on the Trek Fuel EXe and then instantly hop on a normal mountain bike and the assistance is instantly noticeable by its absence. The Trek Fuel EXe is like riding with a massive tailwind. Or on ascents that have had a few degrees of gradient removed from them. Or you’ve suddenly become twenty years younger. It’s not that climbing becomes whistle-while-you-work easy (which it can do on full-power e-bikes), it’s still pretty strenuous activity on the Trek Fuel EXe.

I’d go as far to say that, unlike full-power e-bikes, the Trek Fuel EXe cannot do things that normal mountain bikes (and/or mountain bikers) can’t do. You won’t be scrabbling up preposterous trials-y techno climb challenges on the Fuel EXe. You won’t be trebling your usual altitude gain. What you will be doing is riding for that extra hour, and doing that extra hill.

What about descending then? Despite ‘only’ weighing 40lbs or so, the Fuel EXe does definitely exhibit some of the suspension flattery that you get with the extra weight of e-bikes. The Fuel EXe is an excellent descender. It’s pretty long and acceptably slack, which helps, but it’s the weight that is the most significant thing at play here.

The suspension on this bike works excellently. So calm. Very supportive. Very grippy. Sure, some of that may be due to the fancier dampers in the top-end suspension parts specced, but my gut feeling is that it’s to do with the sprung/unsprung help that comes when the frame is heavy, particularly the placement of that weight (central and relatively low down).

Compared to full-power (heavier) e-bikes on descents, the Trek Fuel EXe wins some and loses some. It does lose out on some of the super stability and speed-holding of heavier e-bikes. But on the whole, I think I prefer the nimbler handling of the Fuel EXe. Particularly when things are loose. It feels much less scary. Less like the bike is careering away out of control. More confidence inspiring.

Which brings us to the real surprise arena. Flat stuff.

The Trek Fuel EXe feels most at home on contouring terrain. Or rather, its assistance is more overly felt and appreciated on flatter trails. It’s when you’re not fighting gravity, or using gravity, that the Fuel EXe feels like a rocketship. It feels amazing. It makes you feel like a World Cup XC bod.

It’s also really good fun and capable on technical traverses. Off-cambers. Teetery stuff. Gamble do-you-don’t-you decisions. Ledges, Stream crossings. I felt much less fearful of stumbling and ending up being trapped under a bike, compared to the experience of full-power big-battery e-bikes.

A word here about the motor. They lack of delay is really, really impressive. There’s none of the fear of stopping pedalling (and the subsequent stall/dabbing) as there is with other e-bikes.

There’s also no detectable overrun either (where the motor is still assisting for a brief time even though you’ve stopped pedalling). Whilst some experienced e-bikers will miss the overrun (I did), there is no denying that the combination of instant engagement and instant disengagement really helps make the bike feel incredibly normal.

The controls and the display are fine. Totally intuitive and clear. Again, as an experienced e-biker I did miss the extra info of Shimano and Bosch (even Specialized) displays. But if you’ve never had the info, you’ll not miss it. Again, the Fuel EXe is not for experienced e-bikers. It’s very much a My First E-Bike.

Which bring us to the battery. And here I think there is a bit of an issue. Fundamentally I don’t think the battery is big enough to play to this bike’s strengths. Namely, big days out doing normal mountain biking. I’m not even that sure the aforementioned range extender battery will add enough extra range (for what and where I’d like to go anyway).

On one hand, the Trek Fuel EXe feels very much like a step into the future in terms of aesthetics and acoustics. On another hand, the return of range anxiety feels rather retro.

I appreciate that the whole battery capacity versus system weight is something of a vicious circle. Would adding one or two kilograms to the bike’s weight significantly impair the bike’s handling? Maybe it would. You do have to draw the line somewhere and it can’t have been an easy or quick decision made by the Trek team.

I think personal preferences come into play a great deal here too. I am a bit of a Boost* fan. I can’t help it. I don’t have the discipline to stay in Eco or Trail modes. With a different rider on board, one who switches to Eco for flat road linking sections, and keeps it in Trail for pretty much everything else.

(*Trek don’t actually give their three different power levels names, so I’m using the common e-bike parlance of Eco, Trail and Boost.)

The top power mode certainly does seem to really rinse the battery significantly more than you’d think. It doesn’t feel (there’s that word again) like it’s giving you that much more assistance, yet it certainly gets the battery bars dropping faster.

Ultimately, I did eventually end up doing rides pretty much keeping it in middle/Trail mode and just leaving Boost well alone. But is that like buying something and then putting it away and never using it? You’ve paid for a bit with 50Nm/300W of assist. Surely you should be able to use it?

Again, I’d like to point out that I haven’t had a range extender battery to test out to see what difference that makes to the Fuel EXe’s MPG.

I did use the top/Boost setting under certain circumstances. Those circumstances being going for a ‘Power Hour’. Those sort of sub-20km lunchtime blasts. Stick the bike in Boost and leave it there until you’re on fumes and need to Eco back home. That felt like a good use for Boost. And certainly opens up that short-but-intense type of ride that is pretty unique to e-bikes. Similarly, Boost was great for de-harshing and funning-up night rides (my night rides are always on the short side).

This may sound stupid obvious but if you only want a bit of help, that’s what this bike is for. It’s for normal rides. Normal riders. It is a very subtle bike. That subtlety is easily mistaken for being underwhelming. It’s arguably a waste of time to compare the Fuel EXe to full-power e-bikes. Trek do a full-power e-bike (a really ace one called the Trek Rail). Full-power e-bikes are like a new type of vehicle. The Fuel EXe is much closer to a regular unassisted mountain bike.

Fundamentally the Trek Fuel EXe is a beautifully executed machine that is going to be exactly what a great swath of experienced mtbers are looking for. Folk who are just finding mtbing too hard, but still want it to be strenuous. Something that takes the unpleasant edge off but doesn’t remove the ‘joys’ of Type 2 fun altogether.

Ignoring the motor aspect of it altogether, the ride and handling of the Trek Fuel EXe is brilliant. It’s a fantastic trail bike. Nimble and fun but with great stability and planted-ness.

Right. That’s my review finally done. Although I’d quite like this to be the start of an ongoing conversation about this bike. ‘Cos it’s interesting and I’m sure there are things I’ve not covered here.

Questions please! Comment below.

Specification

• Frame //  OCLV Mountain Carbon 140mm
• Motor //  TQ-HPR50, 50Nm, 300 watt peak power
• Battery //  TQ 360Wh
• Head unit //  TQ handlebar-mounted, TQ LED Display
• Shock //  RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate AirWiz RCT2, 205 x 60mm
• Fork //  RockShox Lyrik Ultimate AirWiz Charger 3 RC2 150mm
• Wheels //  Bontrager Pro Line 30 OCLV Mountain Carbon
• Front Tyre //  Bontrager SE5 Team Issue 29 x 2.5in
• Rear Tyre //  Bontrager SE5 Team Issue 29 x 2.5in
• Chainset //  E*Thirteen E*Spec Race Carbon 34T 165mm
• Shifter //  SRAM Eagle AXS 12-speed
• Rear Mech //  SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS 12-speed
• Cassette //  SRAM Eagle XG-1299 10-52T
• Brakes //  SRAM Code RSC 200/200mm
• Stem //  Bontrager RSL Integrated bar/stem 45mm
• Bars //  Bontrager RSL Integrated bar/stem 820 x 27.5mm
• Grips //  Bontrager XR Trail Elite lock-on
• Seatpost //  RockShox Reverb AXS 170mm 34.9mm
• Size Tested //  L
• Sizes Available //  S, M, L, XL
• Weight //  19.3kg

Geometry of our size L test bike

• Head angle //  65º
• Effective seat angle //  77º
• Seat tube length //  435mm
• Head tube length //  110mm
• Chainstay //  440mm
• Wheelbase //  1,245mm
• Effective top tube //  630mm
• BB height //  343mm
• Reach //  485mm

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• This topic has 56 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by julians .

Great technical summary and introduction – but should I buy one. Or rather what rider / riding would I be to go for a great half day ride?

Soz, that was supposed to say half fat ride….thanks again 👍

I bought the 9.5 version (and upgraded a few bits) , and posted some thoughts here

New (e)bike day – Trek fuel exe 9.5

Not quite sure what you mean by this bit

There isn’t a visual display confirmation of the assistance level you’re getting either (a la Shimano or Bosch displays).

There is a permanent part of the display showing what assistance mode you are in , plus you can switch to a screen that shows what power you are generating and what power the motor is generating.

Or rather what rider / riding would I be to go for a great half day ride?

I would say that if you find on a full fat ebike you’re usually coming back from a ride with 25-50% battery remaining , or you think that you dont get enough of a workout on a full fat bike, then something like this bike could be for you.

or if you do quite a lot of lifting the bike over stiles & gates, or possibly a lot of hike a bike , or you prioritise downhill handling and playfullness over the ability to fly uphill – but not so much of a priority that you’ll stick with a bike with no motor…

I get that some of the above is quite hard to determine, if you havent actually ridden a full fat bike for a while in the first place.

I think a full fat bike will please more people more of the time, but in an ideal world you’d have a full fat and a lightweight ebike (along with a normal bike or two;-) )

but it’s the weight that is the

Birrova typo?

Thanks for that – helpful 😊

I had a think about this in it’s cheapest spec, but in the end went for the alloy Rise- it’s 540Wh battery, coupled with the Trek price increase, simply made the Trek less attractive.

Further to that, I like my bikes to feel individual- my uplift bike doesn’t have much overlap with my 29+ which is substantially different to the gravel bike. I’d like my e-bike to still feel like an e-bike.

Maybe one day I’ll read a review on a bike with a new motor where somebody provides info about out of warranty motor support, clarifies if the motor is rebuildable, if motor spares are available, if there is a uk motor repair centre, if they’re going to partner with an existing uk repairer etc etc, even how much a new motor costs, and how (*if required) any manufacturer/bike model specific settings get applied to the motor.

As an xc map explorer who prefers long term ownership I was really interested in this bike – lighter (so easier over fences/stiles etc), removable battery (charging at hotel/b&b), large brand so hopefully spares available but I’ve not managed to get any info on how out of warranty support will go so going to sit on the fence till that gets clarified or something else similar comes along.

Similar to Vinnyeh, I looked at these Treks but decided to go with a base model Hydro Rise (540wh battery and under £4k). I was put off by reports of early motor failures on the Trek, but also by the smaller battery (That put me off the carbon Rises too). I don’t want a lot of assistance, but I do want to ride a long way.

Lighter is always nicer imho, but the Trek is really only slightly lighter because of that new (and unproved) motor. And if you are going to save a bit of weight, the bottom bracket area is the last place to save it from: weight here doesn’t make much difference, and it’s where durability is needed most. The Trek keeps the rest of the weight down through having a small battery and a £14k price tag!

Sounds like it pedals nicely, but so does the RS motor. A £5k Trek EXe with a 500+Wh battery, option of range extender and solid warranty support would be more attractive 🙂

Those are really good points and ones which I intend to address in a series of online articles in this fine publication when I do a long term test on the Pivot Shuttle SL. Range, repairability, support post warranty, cost to fix, suitability for big mountain adventures, how it handles, fun – all matter to me. I’ve held off on buying one as the technology is advancing so quickly. I suspect that the technology from bikes like the Trek will filter down to a much more affordable price level. For me, full fat e bikes are generally just too darn heavy for the riding I do.

There is also a feature in the next issue where Mark, Nick Craig and I rode High Street and Skiddaw as a day ride where Nick and I were on normal bikes and Mark on a Levo SL.

^^^ that will be an interesting read Sanny 👍. I love my Levo SL but reckon if I tried the Trek I’d be hankering after one !

£14k…ha, ha, ha. Perfectly suited to the new economic climate. How many 1%ers are keen mtb’ers I wonder. Plus that guy up thread with half my username, are you my brother from another mother?

Ianc and Sanny, we’ll anybody really

See also the haibike Lyke – lower weight e, with removable battery – fazua 60, more power and battery – *seems** to have better range – seems to be cheaper – probs? Well motor as my post above Cables thru headset, but this seems to be getting more common Frame Plug hole appears to be in a ‘well’ at the bottom of the frame – ? Water ingress Weird air hole above motor on frame tube up to seatpost – ? Mud/water ingress onto motor

Those haibike Lykes are a bit 2018 in their geo, long seat tube for any given size,relatively short reach,longish chainstay, but they look decent value if the geo suits what you want.

They’re also using very lightweight tyres on them to hit those headline weight numbers.

The focus jam2 sl looks really good though, fazua 60 motor, decent geo, decent value etc. But they have takenthe bizarre decision to not put a charging port in the frame , meaning that you have to remove the battery from the frame in order to charge it.

Maybe one day I’ll read a review on a bike with a new motor where somebody provides info about out of warranty motor support

It’s brand new so far too soon to know anything about out of warranty support. I also think it’s unreasonable to be quizzing a magazine that gets or loses the chance to test new bikes on the whim of the manufacturers.

I know it’s “not about the price” but honestly, how is that bike £14 grand, really?

There’s more than a few bikes out there that don’t have motors, or even suspension in some cases, that cost the same. It’s absolutely ridiculous, regardless of the economic climate, but as long as the bikes sell the manufacturers will keep on making them.

It is crazy pricey though. I have a 2020 Levo SL carbon expert. It now has XT four pots, a Fox 36, AXS shifting and dropper and all in, allowing for selling the bits I upgraded, was around 10k…

Yeah, it is a daft price but you aren’t supposed to buy it. It’s like an S Works Levo. Twice the price of a normal one just to act as a halo and attract attention.

Tell that to what must be dozens of folk I’ve seen riding sworks and plenty other 5 figure ebikes in the wild. Not just ‘1%ers’ buying them either.

Can’t wait for a year or two when all these pop up on the second hand market so I might have a chance of actually affording one 🙂

Crazy how many <1 year old e-bikes on pinkbike and other FB sites etc. With very few miles are popping up now (mind you might be out of the lockdown impulse purchase period so maybe not)

Trek have opened a store really near me and they offer transferable warranty to subsequent owners (as long as bike is registered) and I also have a spesh turbo store also local so for me I would only consider either of these two brands currently as for such an expensive purchase I would want to be able to take it back to a real shop.

Oh well, in that case the price still isn’t crazy then as they seem to fly off the shelf into normal punter’s hands.

Interest free credit,init

I think an article on warranties and future support is vital.

I’ll be on an e-bike at some point. I don’t need something for nothing or a warranty that covers crashes. But I’ll need to know I can keep the thing running. A fixed cost motor exchange program. Send in you motor and get back a used rebuild for £500 available for say 8 years from purchase

Without wishing to be rude, just because you can’t afford it or, rather, you have other things you’d rather spend your money on, doesn’t make a price crazy. The average price of a new car in the UK is £42k. I would never spend that on a car (well, I would, but I can’t afford it now and am unlikely every to be able to. Plus I can’t drive.), but I’m not gonna call anyone that would crazy.

Without wishing to be rude, just because you can’t afford it or, rather, you have other things you’d rather spend your money on, doesn’t make a price crazy. The average price of a new car in the UK is £42k. I would never spend that on a car (well, I would, but I can’t afford it now and am unlikely every to be able to), but I’m not gonna call anyone that would crazy.

+1 and have you seen how much ordinary folk spend on phones/contracts, watches, holiday to Disney etc etc

The prices are a bit crazy though,when you can buy the bottom of the range version of the bike, then buy all the other bits at full RRP, fit them to the bottom of the range version that you just bought and have the exact same bike for several grand less than buying the ‘official’ version

Without wishing to be rude, just because you can’t afford it or, rather, you have other things you’d rather spend your money on, doesn’t make a price crazy.

Agreed, however the price is crazy. Objectively speaking it is nuts.

The average price of a new car in the UK is £42k

Wow! That’s proper bonkers

that was the figure quoted on top gear last week, so as sure as that.

Is that from the same shop, or does that take some savvy shopping around, finding stock, navigating possible compatibility pitfalls etc. not everyone has the time for that. Hell, my last couple of bike builds took between 6 & 12 months just assembling the parts, two year wait for brakes not included so if I were as minted as some of you think I am, an extra few quid just to have everything I ultimately want, right from the off would be a price worth paying. But I’m not, so it isn’t. It may be to others.

Pricing it so not enough folk would buy it is crazy.

I don’t know… When you can get one of these for the same price… Seems crazy to me!

https://www.ducati.com/gb/en/bikes/monster/monster-sp

Or a Rolex with the Dominos pizza logo on it.

Different people have different priorities.

Very true Tom. That watch is hideous! Preowned too. Different strokes for different folks.

Is that from the same shop, or does that take some savvy shopping around

No need to seek bargains,just pay full retail pricing and you still save a truckload over buying the top end bike.

Each to their own though, they obviously do sell the top end versions or they wouldn’t make them.

I did edit to say just finding stock, which has been a challenge of the past few years. So a whole top end bike with top end parts (not just what you can get hold of) is more of a commodity.

Reading my post back again I can see that my wording comes across as being sarcastic when that wasn’t what I intended.

If indeed every other bike out there is a range topper then I’m wrong and so is anyone who says it’s crazy because people are buying them!

I appreciate that the whole battery capacity versus system weight is something of a vicious circle. Would adding one or two kilograms to the bike’s weight significantly impair the bike’s handling? Maybe it would. You do have to draw the line somewhere and it can’t have been an easy or quick decision made by the Trek team. I think personal preferences come into play a great deal here too. I am a bit of a Boost* fan. I can’t help it. I don’t have the discipline to stay in Eco or Trail modes. With a different rider on board, one who switches to Eco for flat road linking sections, and keeps it in Trail for pretty much everything else

I think a lot of people reviewing bikes like this or the Rise, coming from full power e-bikes, kind of miss the point. I’m guessing it probably gets a very similar range to an Orbea Rise if you don’t thrash it in Boost. That equates to about 1400m climbing (+/- 200m) which is a good chunk more than most people would ride on an unpowered bike on a full day out. For really big days add the 252wh range extender and you’re well over 2000m at which point you’re going to be exhausted anyway. (This might be where Trek *have* missed a trick – their range extender looks expensive and undersized at 150wh). So you only carry the extra weight when you plan to use it.

What these bikes are *less* suited for is shuttling up a fire road to ride downhill runs or chasing people on full-fat e-bikes. That’s when the temptation comes to whack it in boost to keep up and you rinse the battery. But I think they’re a lot more ‘bike like’ and a lot more fun to ride the rest of the time.

This might be where Trek *have* missed a trick – their range extender looks expensive and undersized at 150wh

its actually 160wh, but your point still stands. I suspect there will be a larger range extender in the works. The Trek rationale for this says that the range extender has been sized at 160wh because that is the max size that is allowed in aeroplanes, so you can take your bike abroad, leaving the main battery at home of course, and still get some assisted riding in.

a modular battery would be a great idea- 2, even 3 160wh batteries that could be connected in parallel, clipped together like lego, and separated for air flight

and separated for air flight

you’re only allowed a total of 160wh per person, so you’d need to get someone else in your party to carry any additional batteries

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Trek’s Fuel EXe Is the Best e-Mountain Bike You Can Buy Right Now

Light, discrete, and quiet with a great chassis, the new EXe proves that more doesn’t make e-bikes better.

TQ HPR50 Motor

Motor noise, battery and range, display, remote, and apps, frame details, models and prices.

The Takeaway: Motor or no motor, the Fuel EXe is one of the best mountain bikes on the market right now.

• All new EX carbon frame with 140mm rear travel and 150mm fork
• Small and light (1850 grams) TQ HPR50 with maximum 50Nm torque
• 360Wh in-frame battery. Optional piggyback 160Wh range extender
• 2-5 hour claimed ride range from in-frame battery
• Six models priced $6,500 to $14,000

Weight: 40.9 lbs. (medium, 9.9 XX1 AXS)

Price: $14,000 (9.9 XX1 AXS)

Trek kicks off a big week of mountain bike launches here at Bicycling with the introduction of their latest e-mountain bike: The Fuel EXe. While the usual e-bike story is about more power, battery, and range, the EXe falls into the intriguing e-light category where the story is less.

The EXe is lighter, a lot lighter—10 or so pounds lighter—than a full-power e-bike because it uses a less powerful motor requiring a smaller battery. That makes it appealing to riders who want an e-bike but also want the feel and handling of an unpowered e-bike. It should also interest lighter and less powerful riders put off by riding a 50-pound eMTB. As I found out, being less powerful doesn’t mean less fun. The EXe proves that the old Less Is More axiom works for e-bikes too.

The Fuel EXe arrives in shops worldwide, in limited numbers, today.

Ride Impressions

Most of the e-bikes I ride are motorized versions of a brand’s existing unpowered frame platform, which there’s a better-than-good chance I’ve already ridden. However, with this new Fuel EXe, Trek flipped the script on me because the powered version came first.

My test bike was the most expensive model: The $14,000 9.9 XX1 AXS in Baja Yellow. The parts were, as you would hope for a bike this expensive, flawless. I did notice the RockShox Reverb AXS dropper on this post seemed smoother and less sticky than other examples of this post I’ve tried, perhaps due to some running changes on the assembly line. The Bontrager SE5 Team Issue tires are the best Bontrager trail tires I’ve ever ridden, and I feel like the company has a rubber compound that lets them compete with the best on the market. Also impressive were the 2023 RockShox parts which are a step forward in smoothness for the brand, and operate silently.

One thing not present on my bike was Trek’s AirWiz suspension pressure sensors on the fork and shock, or the Quarq TyreWiz tire pressure sensors on the wheels. These are a stock feature on the model I tested, but Trek’s PR team decided to remove them from my review bike after the issues I had with the sensors on the Rail test bike in October . Riders who order the new EXe through Trek’s Project One customization program have the option to remove the sensors.

While much of this bike is new to me, the Fuel EXe is such a harmonious package that I got comfortable with it very quickly, and it wasn’t much longer before I was in love with this bike. In fact, I’m going to declare that this is one of the best mountain bikes—powered or unpowered—I’ve recently ridden. I can’t wait until the unpowered version of this frame lands because I think it will kick ass.

Everything makes this bike good, but I’ll start with the frame. The chassis has a modern fit and balanced handling that lets the rider climb comfortably and let it run on the descents, yet it’s still agreeable on mid-speed and flatter trails. There’s nothing particularly unique or different about the EXe’s geometry numbers, which I think is the point: It finds an equilibrium that works well on many kinds of climbs and flavors of descent without neglecting that some trails are flatter. If anything, it’s snappier and livelier—things I don’t think I’ve ever said about an e-mountain bike—than the average 140/150mm bike, and enough that I legitimately forgot that I was on an e-bike at times.

I sometimes forget I was on an e-bike because the motor is so quiet and well-mannered. I couldn’t hear it over my breathing on climbs, and it’s so smooth that there are almost no vibrations or buzzing to feel in the frame. Plus, it is entirely free of clunking and lash.

It’s the most natural feeling motor I’ve yet ridden, by which I mean it doles out the power in an approximately human way. It is also so quick that there’s almost no lag between when you start and stop pedaling; the motor power flows in and out. It legitimately feels like you’re just having a really great day when you pedal this bike. I felt less surging and pushing from this motor, even in the highest assist mode, than I’ve experienced from any other e-bike motor system.

The EXe’s motor feels exceptionally well-tuned, and the experience is refined, eclipsing even Specialized’s excellent motors. Some of this smoothness likely results from the TQ’s lower torque. By keeping the system quiet, the bike tricks the brain a bit—quieter is perceived as smoother. But riding the EX- was such a pleasant experience that I never missed the extra boost of a “full power” e-bike.

I feel like this e-lite mountain bike might provide a superior experience for many riders, even committed e-bike riders. Yeah, it’s not going to hurl you up the climbs the way a full-power e-bike will. Yes, I did wish for more range—if only because riding the EXe is so damn fun—but there’s enough power and range here to offer some substantial assist, yet the bike remains agile and doesn’t punish the upper body on the descents. It is an e-bike experience that doesn’t overwhelm the mountain bike experience. The experience of transitioning from a mountain bike to a full-power e-bike is pretty extreme and can be jarring.

Full-power e-bikes are a lot: A lot of power and a lot of weight. Many riders adapt and are completely happy with their full-power e-bikes. But if you’ve tried a full-power e-bike and thought it was a bit much, the EXe will be a revelation.

Based on Strava, even with the EXe’s assist, I was still slower on the climbs and descents than my town’s fastest pro riders. I wasn’t even as fast as my best unassisted times from when I was in my best riding shape. But I could ride quicker and with less effort than I can (at my current weight and fitness) compared to an unassisted bike. It lessened—but did not eliminate—the pain and significantly increased the fun in a quiet, sleek, and easy-to-ride package. Which, to me, are the hallmark of an extraordinary bike.

For the new EXe motor, Trek turned to a new supplier: TQ Group. Like Bosch, Brose, and Mahale, TQ’s e-bike division is a small part of a large and diverse company with extensive knowledge in electronics. Though they may not have the recognition of its competitors, this isn’t TQ’s first foray into e-bike motors: The Flyon motor used for some Haibike models was a TQ product. But while the Flyon was noteworthy for its massive 120Nm of torque, the HPR50 maxes out at 50Nm (300 watts maximum assist), putting the Fuel EXe into the growing e-light category of mountain bikes. Other e-light trail bikes include Specialized’s Levo SL and Orbea’s Rise.

With nearly half the maximum torque, these e-light bikes don’t have the sheer thrust of a full-power e-MTB. But less powerful motors are smaller and lighter, and they draw less juice so that the bikes can use smaller and lighter batteries. And that’s why this EXe is easily 10 pounds lighter than a comparable full-power e-bike. For example, the full-power Trek Rail I reviewed last October weighed 51.3lb. This EXe with a similar build weighs 40.9 pounds.

The HPR50 is a light (1830 grams) and small e-bike motor because of its architecture. The “harmonic pin ring” system allows a concentric profile without belts and with fewer gears, packaging the entire unit into a shell that looks more like an oversized standard bottom bracket than the typical e-bike motor. Rather than explaining the design, the hypnotic animation provided by TQ below illustrates it nicely.

One more stat I want to highlight is TQ’s claimed “135mm Q-Factor.” While this is true, it’s the Q-factor of the motor without cranks which, last I checked, is hard to pedal. With my test bike’s e*thirteen e*spec Race Carbon cranks installed, I measured an approximate 195mm Q-Factor, which is quite a bit wider than a Shimano EP8 motor’s 177mm.

According to Trek’s launch materials, they spent a lot of time analyzing and quantifying e-bike motor noise. And while I don’t consider any of the current mid-drive e-bike motors loud, they all make noticeable—and not particularly pleasant—noise. Trek claims that when measured in an anechoic chamber, their motor’s tonality across a range of cadence speeds is four to five times lower than other e-bikes, registering as “barely perceivable.”

After many hours of riding the EXe, I agree that barely perceivable is an apt way to describe the motor’s noise. It’s so quiet that it barely registers above (and most of the time is masked by) tire noise and breathing. And not only is it hushed, but the noise you can hear is a much lower pitch—almost like a cat’s happy purr—than the high-pitched whine of most e-bike motors.

So quiet is the HPR50 motor that I could ride the EXe in a group without others knowing I was on an e-bike. Unless they got a good look at the bike from the non-drive side or happened to see the discrete handlebar remote (which I tried to cover with my hand as much as possible), they assumed it to be a non-assist bike. To make it even stealthier, I covered the top tube display with electrical tape to hide it, covered the top tube logo with stickers, and rode trails that are closed to e-bikes. Of course, I can’t suggest you do the same, but no one I rode by gave me or the bike a second look.

The EXe has a 360 Wh internal battery, which is enough for “two to five hours” of riding, according to Trek. While frustratingly vague, it’s accurate as many factors influence battery range. Riding in the “mid” assist mode, I did a 25-mile ride with almost 2500 feet of climbing. The ride took two hours and 40 minutes and finished with under 30 percent battery remaining, so I think the two-to-five hour estimate is accurate.

If you want more range (or less range anxiety), the EXe offers a couple of options. One is a 160Wh piggyback battery ($660, 900 gram claimed weight) that fits into the bottle cage. You’ll lose the ability to put a water bottle on the bike, but it provides 40 percent more range. One clever thing about this range extender is you can charge both it and the bike’s in-frame battery through a charge port in the extender. The other option is to buy a second in-frame battery ($750). You can easily remove the in-frame battery from the frame, so hot swaps on the trail are possible if you’re willing to carry a spare 1835g battery in your pack.

Claimed charge time for the 360Wh battery is a relatively short two hours, while the 160Wh piggyback charges in an hour.

The EXe has a two-inch OLED flush-mounted in the top tube with four data lines and the system’s on/off switch. A remaining charge graphic and assist mode indicator always show, and you can scroll through four data screens. The most helpful are the ones that display the remaining battery charge as a percentage and estimated ride time remaining, and remaining range in miles and estimated ride time remaining. The other data screens show rider and bike power and speed. In addition, the TQ system broadcasts information on an ANT+ channel, so you can also see information on compatible GPS cycling computers.

The TQ handlebar remote is very discrete. Use it to select one of three assist modes (Eco, Mid, High), to shut off all assistance, or activate walk mode.

Riders may access further information and settings through the new Trek Central app for iOS and Android. The app can customize all three assist modes. However, assist-system firmware updates must be done by a Trek dealer.

The Central app also offers ride tracking/recording (with automatic export to Strava and Komoot) and navigation with battery charge remaining at the end of the trip. It also has a range cloud that shows how far you can ride if you want to make a round trip and how far you can ride one way with a full charge.

The Central app also provides suspension and tire pressure setup information based on rider weight and recommended suspension damping settings. If your bike has Trek’s TireWiz or AirWiz electronic pressure sensors, the app also connects to those devices.

The EXe is the debut of Trek’s all-new carbon frame platform. Though the e-bike version is the first to launch, I’d bet there’s an unassisted version of this same frame coming soon. It is a mid-travel trail frame with 140mm of rear travel and complete models equipped with 150mm forks (it can take up to a 160mm fork). In addition, Trek seems to be heading in a new styling direction with the EXe, as the frame shapes and graphics seem crisper yet more subtle than previous mountain bikes.

The rear suspension is Trek’s familiar ABP (Active Braking Pivot) design. ABP is a single pivot system with a floating brake arm, allowing the nerds to fine-tune the bike’s anti-squat (pedaling) and anti-rise (braking) characteristics more than they could by using a more traditional single-pivot design. Trek says the kinematics work with either air or coil shocks and states that all coil shocks from Fox and RockShox are compatible with the EXe.

All frame sizes fit a 20-ounce water bottle inside the front triangle, and there’s a cargo mount under the top tube, too. Hoses and housing run internally (of course), but this frame does not use Trek’s Knock Block system to limit bar rotation. It got sacrificed to make room for the in-frame display.

The EXe’s geometry is pretty average for a modern 140/150mm travel trail bike. The highlights are two geometry positions (via a chip in the rocker link yielding a 64.7- or 65.2-degree head angle/76.7- or 77.2-degree effective seat tube angle) and chainstays that measure about 440mm.

While complete bikes come with 29-inch wheels, Trek says the bike is compatible with a 27.5” rear wheel.

Trek recommends using the high geometry position with the smaller-sized wheel fitted. However, it cautions that “the smaller wheel circumference will affect the accuracy of the speed reading and cannot be adjusted.”

Trek Fuel EXe 9.5

There are six EXe models—starting with the $6,500 Fuel EXe 9.5 and topping out with the $14,000 EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS. All use the same carbon frame, TQ motor, and 360Wh battery, but the rest of the build changes accordingly to price. Trek provided complete bike weights for the line, which I’ve pasted below, and you’ll also find build highlights. Full component package details are available on Trek’s website.

Notably, the most expensive EXe is not the lightest bike in the lineup. The $13,000 Shimano XTR build and the $8,700 and $9,200 Shimano XT bikes are lighter weight than the range-topping $14,000 SRAM XX1 AXS-equipped model. Also, the least expensive 9.5 model (remember: same frame, motor, and battery for all models) costs $7,500 less than the 9.9 XX1 AXS build but only weighs 3.3(ish) pounds heavier. To put it another way, the 9.5 is 53.6 percent cheaper than the 9.9 XX1, yet only eight percent heavier.

Personally, the best build in the line is the XT model. It’s under 40 pounds (claimed), has the carbon rims, comes with tough and sticky SE tires, and has the fancy one-piece carbon bar/stem of the most expensive builds. It has all of this while carrying a sub-five figure price tag.

Lastly, on the SRAM AXS -equipped bikes (like my review sample), the rear derailleur gets power from the bike’s battery via an “extension cord” pack. This pack clips on in place of the standard AXS battery and connects to the bike’s wiring harness. If you completely drain the e-bike battery, there is still enough juice left for about 200 shifts. Riders can bring along a spare AXS battery as an extra precaution.

Model | Weight in Pounds | Price

Fuel EXe 9.5 | 43.94 | $6,500

Fuel EXe 9.7 | 41.99 | $7,600

Fuel EXe 9.7 P1 Now* | 41.99 | $8,100

Fuel EXe 9.8 XT | 39.9 | $8,700

Fuel EXe 9.8 XT P1 Now* | 39.9 | $9,200

Fuel EXe 9.8 GX AXS | 40.06 | $11,000

Fuel EXe 9.9 XTR | 38.51 | $13,000

Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS | 40.67 | $14,000

* “P1 Now” models have a “premium” finish and are painted and assembled at Trek’s headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The weight and build kit are the same as standard models.

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling , Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race. 

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Review: Trek Fuel EXe eMTB smashes rough trails & climbs like (you’re) a beast

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The Trek Fuel EXe is a bit of an outlier in the current e-MTB market. Most e-mountain bikes fall into one of two categories: High-powered, long-travel beasts, or lightweight, short-travel models with lower-power systems.

The Fuel EXe sits in the middle, with 150/140mm travel and generous, adjustable trail geometry, and the new TQ HPR50 motor that’s ultra-quiet with moderate output. And it works, delivering a balanced, capable bike and an extremely fun ride experience.

If you’re looking for an eMTB that rides like a trail bike and helps you conquer bigger trails and longer days, here’s everything you need to know about the Trek Fuel EXe…

The Quick Overview

The Trek Fuel EXe translates their popular Fuel EX trail bike line into an electric-assist model that “empowers you to do more, without interrupting the way you experience nature.” That was the goal, and they nailed it.

It starts with a full OCLV carbon frame with fully internal routing and integrated TQ HPR50 drive system. The tiny motor sits where the BB is and still allows short 440mm chainstays. The 360Wh battery sits in the downtube and the power button/system monitor is flush in the top tube.

A simple two-button remote is barely visible on the bars. It cycles through the modes, initiates Walk Mode, and a long press of the lower button will turn off all assist. Meaning, default is Eco mode, you have to hold the lower button for about 3 seconds to turn assist off…I wish it was just a quick press as for the other modes.

The bike has 29er wheels front and rear, 140mm rear travel paired to 150mm forks, a 65º head angle, and 77º effective seat angle (in Low position; their Mino link flip-chip lets you tweak the geo by 0.5º steeper in High).

Size-specific dropper posts range from 120mm to 170mm in travel depending on frame size. All sizes get 165mm cranks.

Check our launch coverage for the full tech story on this bike.

How’s the TQ motor?

It’s brilliant. Until I thought to pay attention to it, I heard nothing.

And when I was paying attention, it sounds like a light, barely perceptible whistling of the wind.

The sound of my friend’s regular eMTB riding 20 feet behind me drowned out any noise from this bike.

Basically, noise is no issue here, not even at maximum power. You truly do hear nature, not the bike.

This is because the motor has no belts or gears. Trek has a great breakaway view of it , and we covered the tech in depth if you’d like to dig deeper.

The TL;DR is this: It’s ultra quiet, pumps out smooth power delivery, and 50Nm of torque is plenty to help you along the trail and up the hills. It’s also ultra-light, weighing 2.5+ pounds less than competitors’ larger 85-90Nm motors. As such, it uses a smaller, lighter battery without giving up range or ride time.

What about battery life?

Trek claims 2-5 hours of ride time per charge. With judicious use of Eco mode, I routinely got more than 3 hours of riding on a single charge. That means mixed use of mostly in Eco but using Trail mode on most climbs and Turbo on the steepest climbs.

Fortunately, Eco felt just right when pedaling along. Trail was fun, and a bit faster, but mostly not necessary for keeping up with others.

That said, when riding with others on eMTBs with more powerful systems, it was clear that they were faster. But on the trail, in the woods, things evened out enough that we all just rode together perfectly fine. I never felt under-gunned unless we were nailing it up a smooth fire road.

A 160Wh Range Extender is available for $599 and adds 44% more capacity. It’ll take up the single bottle cage on the bike, but it’s worth it for big days when range anxiety is a real thing. Personally, I’d add it to the cart.

One note: Fresh out of the box, TQ says the system needs a few full charge and discharge cycles to accurately estimate range and battery life.

My first ride’s assistance abruptly ended with 7% battery showing on the display. My second ride ended at 3%.

Subsequent rides are getting closer to 0%, but even at 0% showing, there’s a small reserve left to power the electronics. Which is crucial because the SRAM AXS rear derailleur is plugged into and powered by the bike…not its own battery.

Starting with 1%, I still managed to get 2.5+ hours of riding out of it before it finally, fully shut down and left me with a single speed.

Yes, you can borrow the battery from the Reverb AXS and use that, but then the wire and plug leading to the derailleur are left dangling about… and likely to get ripped off or sucked up into the chain.

Fortunately, the system also charges quickly, getting to about 80% in about 90 minutes, and fully charged in about 2.5 hours.

It’s worth noting that when TQ’s system drops below 10% charge, it limits output to Eco mode regardless of the setting you choose. This helps ensure you maximize your range.

Why not just get a high-powered eMTB?

I’ve been asked, “yeah, but if you’re paying for an eMTB, why not just get a high-powered e-MTB?”

That’s a good question. I have a couple of good answers.

First, this bike is a lot lighter, at least 10lbs lighter. It’s entirely pedal-able even without assist, something I unwittingly proved when I showed up at the trailhead and realized I hadn’t charged it.

Three hours later, I was spent, but had a great time riding. Granted, this was on flowing trails without any massive, long climbs, but I still had hundreds of little punchy climbs and sprints to get up and down the trail.

Second, full power feels about like half power compared to a top-level Bosch- or Shimano-equipped bike. But that’s OK. The Fuel EXe’s output feels more natural, so if you’re looking for an e-bike that rides like a regular bike, this is it. It just lets you get a little further a little faster. Big days can be bigger. Little days can be a little faster.

On loose, technical, or entirely too steep climbs, I actually preferred the lower output of the Fuel EX-e. It was more than enough to help me up (I still had to work), but it wasn’t spinning out or lurching out of control where more powerful bikes were. It makes really steep, sketchy climbs more manageable.

But if you want more power, check out the Trek Rail . If you want no power, we reviewed the non-electric version of this 2023 Trek Fuel EX with this same spec, too.

How much does the Trek Fuel EXe weigh?

I tested the top of the line Trek Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS in size XL. It weighed in at 41lb 11oz (18.76kg) without pedals…and that’s with an impressive (and expensive) mix of both lightweight and tech-laden parts.

Trek says the entire TQ HPR50 system adds just 3.9kg (8lb 10oz). The EXe is only about 10lbs more than the nearly identical-looking standard Fuel EX, so they didn’t add much beyond the TQ system to make it an e-bike.

The frame feels stiff and robust. The tires are big and meaty.

The bike looks tough, with square-ish tube profiles and wide cross sections. All of that adds up to an extremely laterally stiff frame.

The one-piece RSL handlebar stem and Line Pro 30 carbon wheels save weight, but as a percentage of total bike weight, they’re not making the same impact they would on an analog bike. And, at 820mm wide (on all frame sizes!) it’s really wide…if it were mine, I’d cut it down (they include marks measured to 740mm).

I’d also probably switch the grips to something with a bit more vibration damping. If you choose a model with a standard handlebar and stem, I’d recommend something like the OneUp or Race Face trail handlebars with added compliance.

Too much tech?

Other spec highlights on this particular trim level include a complete SRAM AirWiz and TireWiz system, offering remote tire pressure and fork & shock pressure monitoring.

The Trek App shows recommended tire, fork, and shock pressures based on your riding weight, along with starter rebound settings. With AirWiz/TireWiz installed, their app will also show current actual pressures, too.

Check it there, or just look for the blinking lights on the bike to be green, and you’re good to go. Red lights mean something’s out of the recommended range.

I found that the recommended tire pressure settings were a tad high. I ended up at 22psi front and rear with no issues (I’m about 192-195lbs fully kitted out, ready to ride).

The Bontrager SE5 Team Issue 29×2.5 tires are excellent, I run them on some of my other bikes, too. Like most aggressive trail tires, and particularly those spec’d on e-bikes, the casings are stiffer and can take a lot of abuse, so lower pressures help improve ride feel. I may still go a bit lower.

At 22psi, they’ll mold to the ground and take a hit, but I still haven’t felt a rim strike despite some obvious deformation over roots and rocks.

The rear shock’s air pressure recommendation was spot on, giving me full travel on the big days.

The fork, however, was too high. Trek recommended 102psi, but even at 87psi I was only getting ~85% travel. I’m still tinkering here, down to 84psi, but the takeaway is that you don’t have to stick to the recommended settings.

And, once you find what you like, you can use the Trek (or SRAM’s AXS) app to manually set your preferences. If the bike has the Air/TireWiz devices, those will be updated to blink red/green accordingly, too.

Personally, I think the Wiz devices are clever, but overkill, and they definitely add cost. I like that I can set my preferences and use the Trek app to save them (because I will definitely forget), but I could take or leave the extra electronics on the bike…and, if I were shopping, would probably opt not to pay for that tech here.

How does the Trek Fuel EX-e ride?

In short? It rides like an aggressive trail bike. A really good aggressive trail bike.

Trek’s ABP suspension is efficient and effective. There’s a lockout switch on the rear shock, but in most instances it’s not needed. I only used it on long fire road stretches or when riding the road to the trails. Once on the dirt, it stays open with no issues on sprints, standing climbing, or just powering along.

On the descents, I could smash through extended rock and root sections, prevalent on the trails at Carven’s Cove near Roanoke.

While I’m still fiddling with the fork’s air pressure to improve small bump and low speed comfort, the Lyrik Ultimate on this bike absolutely demolished high speed hits.

Combined with the stiff frame and capable tires, the Fuel EXe inspires a lot of confidence at speed over gnarly terrain.

The suspension stays active under power, which is good because I (like most eMTB riders, according to research) tend to stay seated more often on e-mountain bikes. The motorized assist helps a rider power through rough stuff in theory, and a good suspension platform like this makes it happen in reality.

The Fuel EXe hammers through the rough stuff when standing, too, maintaining traction.

Situations like these, where a little bounce and skip is inevitable is another argument in favor of moderate power output from the motor. Never once did I spin out, and never did I really wish for more power. It’s a good balance.

The bike’s geometry is perfectly balanced, too. I could easily maintain rear traction while keeping the front wheel firmly on the ground, even on some monstrous 18%+ loose, rutted fire road climbs.

Even the bike’s weight feels well-balanced, in terms of handling. Jumps feel natural…

…as do drop-ins…

…and drop offs.

But there’s a definite heft to getting the front wheel up and over logs or rocks.

The result was that I’d just smash into stuff that I would usually pop up and over on a regular bike. Up to a point, of course … there are some things you simply have to lift the wheel up and over, so just know that it takes more effort.

Which means riding this bike, despite its relative light weight, is more of a full-body workout, as is any eMTB. And I feel like I pedaled more consistently and turned more total revolutions, many times also riding a bit longer than I otherwise would have.

The point is, at the end of each ride, I was all grins and knew quite well that I’d earned them. Well done, Trek.

TrekBikes.com

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com , where he’s been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel and ride in new places.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler also loves the Vanlife & family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part and off-grid adventure.

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Great review!!

Thank you for the thorough review! Did you happen to test it out on jumps? I’m hoping that the reduced weight makes it feel more natural off of jumps compared to the heavier e-bikes but haven’t seen that discussed yet.

Caution: If you are like me, and ride small frame bikes, right now they are very difficult to come by. I recently ordered the Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 and it has an early arrival date of January. Other companies are into spring.

Hoping to pick up my 9.7 in early November. Excellent review.

Great review. You rode an XL but never mentioned your height. Did it feel long? I’m 6’1 190 and debating L vs XL

What the long-term plan from TQ on motor footprint/mounting. If the motor goes in 5-10 years, is the bike basically trash?

It’s still just a Trek. I guess we thank Giant for the fine work?

Also, TQ was having a heckuva time keeping up with demand in Europe, so time will tell how successful this bike will be service-wise.

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Trail time —

I am superman: the trek fuel exe mountain e-bike, reviewed, hitting the trails with trek's top-of-the-line mountain e-bike, the fuel exe 9.9 xx1 axs..

Sheldon Waite - Dec 17, 2022 12:07 pm UTC

I rediscovered my bike after a few weeks in lockdown. At first, I just pedaled my cheap, steel-framed bike around the neighborhood. After a few rides, it dawned on me that this was a mountain bike! So I took it to my closest trail.

That first exhilarating ride is forever etched into my memory. The early morning sun breaking between the trees as deer darted away, the sound of tires on packed earth, and the stupid grin on my face as I rode fast, flirting at the edge of disaster—or at least pain—with my inexperience on trails. I was hooked to the point of riding the bike into the ground, taking a perverse pleasure every time something broke and I upgraded it. I eventually upgraded to a Trek Fuel EX 7 , and I love it.

The Fuel EX is Trek’s full-suspension trail mountain bike family intended for various terrains, from flowy to techie. Like every model in Trek's lineup, it comes in a large range of trim levels, including aluminum and carbon frames. (My EX 7 has an alloy frame.)

Currently, the EXe version is only available for the highest-specced 9.x bikes with carbon frames, but it is hoped that there will be an aluminum frame option in the near future.

• Trek’s rich gearhead history displayed at its corporate offices in Waterloo, Wis. Sheldon Waite
• Trek owns miles of fun, flowy trails that it uses to test bikes and as a perk for employees to use. Sheldon Waite

Getting my hands on the Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS involved a two-hour drive to Trek HQ in Waterloo, Wisconsin. There, I not only had a chance to speak with members of the team that developed the Trek Fuel EXe, I also got to ride Trek's private trails.

With the Fuel Exe, Trek is targeting the single-track mountain biker who rides for fun, fitness, and the outdoor experience. To achieve the look, feel, and even sound of a traditional mountain bike, Trek partnered with German technology company TQ. TQ's patented harmonic pin-ring drive can deliver 50 Nm of torque in a tiny package that fits neatly behind the chainring.

The motor offers this torque at a low RPM as it achieves a large gear reduction in a single step. Its movement is akin to a Wankel rotary engine. With the battery pack hiding in the down tube and minimalistic controls, the entire battery-motor combo adds just 8.6 lbs to the weight—an impressively low-weight addition in exchange for some real power. My EX 7 weighs just under 32 lb; the EXe comes in at 38.5 lb. Pedal assist tops out at 20 mph.

The electronic features are well-integrated into the EXe. The display is simple and easy to read at a quick glance while on the trail. Its handlebar controls are simple and intuitive, while allowing for quick cycling between the three assist modes, Eco, Mid, and High.

Customization is done through Trek's new phone app, which offers customization of the three e-bike modes by tailoring max power, assist level, and pedal response. The app defaults for these modes shift each up through Eco, Mid, High. A couple of weeks into my time with the EXe, I  tweaked the Mid settings to give me all the power with a mid-high assist, but in a gradual and controlled way. With these settings, I found my ride experience to mimic my analog bike very closely—just easier.

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• Cycling Magazine

Long-term review: Trek Fuel EXe shifts the standard for eMTB

Nearly silent and so fun to ride.

Electric mountain bikes are rapidly maturing, in design and technology. When Trek launched the EXe, the lightweight eMTB with its TQ motor represented a big step forward in what was possible for the electric category.

I was really impressed with the EXe out of the gates. After spending several months on Trek’s new bike, that hasn’t faded in the slightest. Here’s what makes the EXe so great, where it could improve as well as what to expect – and what not to expect – from this lightweight eMTB.

We covered a lot of details about what set this eMTB apart when the EXe launched and there is a lot to cover in the review. So for details on the bike, hit the launch . For details on how it rides – which, really, is the important part – read on.

Review: Trek Fuel EXe

The EXe follows the design of Trek’s new Fuel EX closely. Very closely. Or, rather, leads that design, since it was released first. Both bikes feature 140mm of rear wheel travel with 150mm front suspension, modern (slack, low, long reach) geometry, but with efficient suspension that keeps the bikes quick and snappy on the trail. The ability to run a 27.5″ rear wheel with the 29″ front gives the option to make the bikes even more playful in corners and controlled on steeps. The main difference, other than a drive unit, is that the EXe only has a Mino-Link while the EX has several other geometry adjustments.

Honestly, the EXe is really fun to ride. It’s quicker and nimbler than any other eMTB I’ve ridden. It is way closer to the easy movement and balanced weight of a full-powered mountain bike than any electric bike on the market right now. You don’t have to hit the gym before you ride if you want to pull the front end up for mid-trail manuals. You can actually move the back end around with ease, instead of forethought and effort. Basically, all the skills you have on a normal mountain bike transfer over with little to minimal adjustments. You just also get a motor. One that is so small, it sometimes took people a while to realize I was on an eMTB.

There's a motor hiding behine that drivetrain.

A slightly wider downtube isthe only other hint that the EXe is hiding a drive system

Trek also launched an updated Central app to customize the TQ system. . Photo: Sterling Lorence

TQ HPR50: The little motor that could

The heart of Trek’s EXe is TQ’s HRP50 system. The German brand takes a completely different approach to motor design for bikes and it changes the game. It doesn’t render larger motors irrelevant, but it makes a different kind of bike possible. To start with, the harmonic pin ring transmission is light. The motor weighs just 1.85kg and, with a 360Wh battery and controls, the entire system weighs just 3.9kg.

TQ’s HRP50 is also much smaller. Small enough that, when I ran into other riders in the woods, it often took them a while to notice I was on an electric bike. The wider downtube on the EXe is more of a giveaway, really, than the diminutive HRP50.

Finally, the harmonic pin ring transmission design is quiet and smooth. Really, the only downside, compared to traditional eMTB at least, is that it only carries 50Nm of torque. For many, though, that will be all the support you need, or want, from a mountain bike.

Sound of silence

I don’t need a fancy graph or sciencey words like “tonality” to tell you that the EXe is quiet. It’s barely perceptible unless you’re in the highest support mode. Even then, it’s quiet. That’s when I was riding the bike for review purposes, so I was intently focusing trying to hear the bike. I verified that it was actually quiet by riding with a few analog friends. They confirmed they rarely noticed any noise coming from the motor.

Sounds that are louder than the motor include, but are not limited to: the tires, when rolling on basically any surface; the Line Pro 30 hubs freewheeling; the AXS shifting; the sound of wind in your helmet; casual conversation. Bottom line, the TQ HRP50 does make a noise, but you have to be paying attention to notice it.

Power and poise

The TQ doesn’t just sound good, though. It feels good to ride. Every rider will have a different idea of what a “natural” assist feels like, but the TQ tops the ranks in my books. It’s far and away better than any other drive unit when pedalling out of the saddle, delivering smooth and consistent power without surges. That’s the same for pedalling seated. The HRP50 comes on smooth and tapers off in a way that feels similar to how you would lose speed on a normal bike. The power engages quickly, but without any of the jolt or kick of some higher-powered motors. With 50Nm of torque, you’ll still have to put in some effort to get the EXe up steeper grades, of course. But on all but the steepest trails, its an impressively smooth support that makes you feel like a fitter rider, not feel like you’re riding a mini-moto.

The only minor issue I had with the motor’s performance came when, during the odd time spinning the cranks through tight corners but not actually putting power down, it would stutter as it re-engaged. It would still engage just fine, but a half-second later than expected. This wasn’t every time, and it didn’t happen when I coasted or when I kept power on through the corner, but something about spinning the cranks seemed to confuse the system slightly.

All in all, the way TQ’s drive unit works doesn’t just feel better, it makes technical riding easier. You don’t have to factor in when and how the motor will engage as  you approach a root or rock move.

Hardwired wireless AXS shifting.

Rock Shox Super Deluxe Ultimate AirWiz shock keeps the EXe tracking smooth.

Bontrager Line Pro 30 carbon fibre wheels with built-in TireWiz pressure gauges

Rock Shox Lyric Ultimate with AirWiz

Bontrager RSL integrated carbon fibre bar-stem looks sharp, especially with the wireless set-up.

Trek EXe 9.9 AXS

Trek pulls no punches for the top-end EXe. There’s a few curiosities and fancy features exclusive to the 9.9 AXS. Most notably, the wired SRAM AXS rear derailleur. While there’s something ironic about adding a wire to a wireless derailleur, I’ll admit I loved having it automatically charge when I charged the main battery. The trade-off is that the bike needs to be turned on to shift at all. So if you run out of juice, or just want to shift down the cassette to take a wheel off, you need some power. The Rock Shox Reverb AXS, though, still uses its own battery.

Trek equips the 9.9 AXS with its carbon fibre RSL bar-stem combo and the carbon fiber Line Pro 30 wheels. In combination with the stout EXe frame, it is a very rigid build. This is great when you’re carving manicured berms. But I found it overly harsh, to the point of being tiring, on any sort of sustained rough trails. Switching out the bars or the wheels to more forgiving options helped take just enough of the edge off (I tried both, in various combinations. We Are One’s Convert wheels were just forgiving enough to balance out the EXe for my personal preferences) making the 9.9 a rocket ship, but one that I could control.

There are also TireWiz and ShockWiz gadgets built into the Line Pro 30 rims and the RockShox suspension. I’m neither here nor there on that feature. If you like it and use it, great. I’m not that particular, or that irregular with checking pressures, that I ever found it useful. But the Wiz’s didn’t cause any problems during the test period, either.

The only difficulty I had with the EXe was that, eventually, some bolts holding the TQ motor did eventually loosen off. That is with a complete lack of service or maintenance over weeks of hard riding, though. So the minimum of regular maintenance should prevent that from becoming an issue at all.

All this comes in for a shocking $18,300. That is comparable to what other top-end eMTB are going for but still a lot of money. If you don’t have that kind of scratch kicking around, the EXe 9.5, at $8,400, still features a carbon fibre frame and TQ’s mini motor.

Lightweight eMTBs – Battery life, power, weight: choose two

There’s an old saying in mountain biking: “Light weight, durable, inexpensive: choose two.” The idea is that you can’t have everything you want, for free. A modified version for lightweight eMTB would be “Range, power, weight: choose two.” (Because, well, there’s no lightweight eMTB’s that could be reasonably described as “inexpensive,” yet). With the EXe, Trek deliver’s on weight and sacrifices a little on power and weight. Depending on how you like to ride, this bike either hits the sweet spot or leaves something to be desired.

Personally, I really like where Trek landed. It gets you enough support for a reasonably big ride – more than I’d do every day. It has enough power that  you can get a lot more out of your ride, without feeling like it does everything for you. And, most importantly, it feels more like a mountain bike than an electric bike than any other eMTB I’ve ridden at this point.

Range anxiety and riding with friends: where does a lightweight eMTB fit in?

To stick with the dime store philosophy, my family has a saying passed down (repeatedly) by one uncle in particular: “You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” What does that have to do with mountain bikes? Well, the mid-power, mid-range of the EXe might, depending on your friends, change group ride dynamics. Because you can pick your friends and how you ride, but you can’t pick how they ride. And you definitely can’t stop a friend on a full-power eMTB from hitting turbo mode and dropping you on a climb.

The problem is similar to the problem with all ebikes: one of power differences. Since lightweight eMTB’s are still relatively new, they’re also sort of exclusive. Can you ride with full-power e-friends? Or analog buddies? The answer to both is “it depends.”

Trek’s EXe is the first eMTB that is still exciting to ride with unassisted friends. Turn down the power to match the unassisted pace of your buddy and it isn’t quite like riding without a motor, but the feeling is actually really close. Just a bit easier. And, of course, it’s really quiet. Point downhill, and the sensations are, again, really close to what your freind is riding. That, on its own, will be exciting to any eMTB converts that have struggled riding with analog friends.

Riding with full-power eMTB is a different beast. If your friends are nice, you can keep up fine, but just won’t be able to cover the same distance. If your friends are a bunch of bros that just want to blast up the fireroad or steepest trail around to get to the top as fast as possible, you’re going to struggle to keep up. Either way, you’re going to be experiencing some “range anxiety” as you watch the EXe’s power bar deplete before full-battery friends even start thinking about conserving fuel. So, pick your friends wisely, because you can’t pick how they’ll ride.

That’s not to say the EXe doesn’t have enough range. It just doesn’t have the over-the-top range of some modern eMTB. With a 360Wh battery, Trek supplies enough juice to get through rides that would be big efforts without the assist. Exact range will vary by terrain and rider, of course. But, at roughly 80kg, I’d get over 1,000m out of a charge, regularly using full-power. After learning to work with the TQ a bit better, I could regularly get more.

That is a long-winded answer, admittedly, but it’s a question I think a lot of riders will be asking before pulling the trigger on a newer line of eMTB.

Conclusions: Trek EXe and TQ shift the standard for lightweight eMTB

Trek has done an excellent job with the EXe, designing a mid-travel trail bike that fully takes advantage of the opportunities TQ’s small-but-powerful HPR50 creates. The EXe is capable of taking on all kinds of challenging trails, but its also light and snappy enough, for an eMTB, to be fun on a really wide range of trails.

I rode this bike a lot, over a long period and in a wide range of different places. And certainly a wider range of trail types than I’d usually take a full power eMTB on. That is, in part, because it made a wider range of trails fun. Since it is lighter, more maneuverable and more playful, the EXe is more fun on lower-angle, tighter trails than heavier bikes.

Trek’s also made it durable. This bike went through a week straight of big days in the Okanagan and, other than needing to tighten down a few bolts and a scratch to the paint, it came away clean.

The result was that it made the choice between pedaling and taking the assist a lot harder because, well, I knew it would feel more like a mountain bike when I wanted it to. Sure, I had to learn to live with a little range anxiety. Easily worth the trade-off for the performance of the EXe and TQ combo.

Trek EXe 9.9 AXS retails for $18,300 at Trek stores and online through Trekbikes.com .

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Review: Trek's 2023 Fuel EX-e Is Light & Nearly Completely Silent

Cool Features

Trek Fuel EXe Review

Trek fuel exe.

The lightweight e-mountain bike genre has been gaining traction rapidly in the past six months. It’s a category that Specialized pioneered back in 2020 with the Levo SL and their SL1.1 motor. However, while the SL whet the appetite of many and teased at the possibility of a sub 19kg motorised bike that could do it all, the category never really took off. That was until this year, when firstly Fazua launched their Ride 60 platform (60nm motor and 430wh battery) which was quickly adopted by Pivot and Transition, and then came the launch of  the new Trek Fuel EXe with a brand-new motor and battery system from TQ.

Electric test bikes have been notoriously hard to get hold of the past couple of years, so we were absolutely fizzing when they got in touch to say they were shipping us a new Trek Fuel EXe to review. The concept of a lighter weight, better handling e-bike had enthralled us since we first tested the Levo SL, and while the SL was a great bike, ultimately the motor’s lack of power (35nm) left it trapped in limbo between analogue and electric. Trek transcended this by teaming up with German tech company TQ to develop a totally new system which, after four years in the making, launched on the Fuel EXe with some impressive numbers—a 50nm motor with a 360wh battery and a complete weight (motor and battery) of 3.9kg.

TQ are no strangers to the world of electric motors, having debuted their insanely powerful 120nm (HPR120) drive unit in the eMTB segment almost ten years ago. The 120 held the prize as the most powerful motor on the market but wasn’t widely used outside of Europe. The new TQ HPR50 motor uses the same Harmonic Pin Ring (HPR) technology to provide the motor’s power. If you can imagine two cogs, one smaller than the other which rotates inside the bigger cog, that is the essence of how the HPR drive works. No belts, chains or gears to make noise or wear out. Just a sleek, simple mechanism that weighs in at a meagre 1.85kg for its 50nm output. To put those numbers into perspective, the two industry leading full-size motors—the Bosch CX Performance Line and the Shimano EP8 weigh 2.9kg and 2.6kg respectively and both produce 85nm of torque.

As the name suggests, Trek have decided to use their trail bike, the Fuel EX, as the basis for their new lightweight e-MTB. The EXe sports 150mm front and 140mm rear suspension on a 29” platform and carried over the numbers from the EX’s recent geometry update—Our medium test bike in the Low setting had a 65-degree head angle, 455mm reach, sporty 440mm chainstays and 77-degree effective seat tube. These all sit in the sweet spot for the mid-travel trail-focused bike. The exciting number for me was the shortish chainstays which hintedat an agile ride, which I guess was possible due to the small size of the TQ motor.

I’m going to start this section on the bike’s spec with a caveat—When you look at the images of the bike I tested and then jump over to the Trek New Zealand’s webpage you will be rightly confused! This is because Trek decided to send all the world’s media their opulent 9.9 XX1 AXS model in bright yellow to test. This is pretty standard practice for reviews, by supplying the ultra-fussy, gear-snobby paparazzi the best of the best, it negates some of our ability to whinge and moan about the bikes spec, which in turn hopefully focuses our reviews on the bike itself. However, the conundrum I faced was that the 9.9 was not even ranged in New Zealand. In fact, it was a long way above the top NZ bike the 9.8XT. Therefore, I took this as poetic license to get creative with the EXe (ignore certain components and swap out others) and see if I could relate my review a bit more to the NZ market and the models we have here.

Luckily all the bikes in the Fuel EXe range are based around the same core components—Trek’s OCLV Mountain Carbon 29” frame and the brand new TQ HPR50 motor and 360Wh battery—so I’ve focused my review on these. For the tech geeks out there, my 9.9 was fully kitted with AXS XX1 drivetrain, AXS dropper post, Bontrager’s Line Pro 30 wheelset and RSL integrated handlebar and stem. A Rockshox Lyrik with new Charger 3 damper and Super Deluxe Ultimate shock provided the support and the whole package weighed in at 18.5kg.

The TQ motor surprised me with its intuitive feel and lack of noise. It was amazing and virtually silent and I instantly realised how much noise effects the quality of your ride on an e-bike.

For my first ride, I just set up my suspension and rode it as it came out of the box. I went for a quick 40 minute pedal and was blown away, underwhelmed, and confused all at the same time.

Blown away:    The TQ motor surprised me with its intuitive feel and lack of noise. It was amazing and virtually silent and I instantly realised how much noise effects the quality of your ride on an e-bike. During the EXe’s online launch, Trek and TQ spent a lot of time emphasising how quiet the HPR50 was, which at the time I’d dismissed as marketing hyperbole, but now I understood what a difference it makes. I was also very impressed by the bike’s responsiveness and handing.

Underwhelmed: As I hit the first climb, I was quite taken back as to what 50nm of torque can and can’t do—I had to change gear and pedal! However, as a regular e-biker I was comparing the EXe to my full size eMTB which boasts 108nm, so this wasn’t really apples with apples. Plus, the more time I spent onboard the Trek the more I realised that this was a mindset problem not a hardware issue.  

Confused: The front end of the bike felt weird, and my wrists hurt after that first ride. The first solution here was to remove the Bontrager carbon RSL one piece bar and stem—which I’m sure goes great on an XC race bike but felt incredibly stiff and ridiculously wide at 820mm for a trail bike—and replace it with my go-to bar and stem from my own bike. This helped, and after a bit of fiddling with the Lyrik’s set up (another token and less air) I felt a lot more comfortable.

A lot more rides ensued. This bike was highly addictive, and my mindset had shifted from riding an e-bike to just riding this thing like a normal bike. The harder I rode the Fuel EXe the more it responded both motor-wise and handing-wise. I quickly learned that the TQ motor likes a high cadence and, if you can hold that by staying  in the right gear, the motor is deceptively powerful on all but the steepest climbs. Even then it was just a matter of downshifting to the granny gear and spinning the pedals as you would on a regular bike. Climbing wasn’t overly taxing—the motor assistance kept it easy enough—it just took more time and a bit more skill to get up steep hills, and the rewards came on the descents.

The Fuel’s geometry and very supportive suspension platform made it a rocket ship to ride downhill or on undulating terrain (motor assistance turns everything into a descent). It was also scarily agile and manoeuvrable for an 18.5kg eMTB, which led to me pushing a lot harder than I normally would on a heavy e-bike. However, it was when I pushed a bit harder that the niggly front end issue started to appear again and on a few occasions I found myself washing the front out all too easily. The standard riding position felt too aggressively XC. I wanted to add a few spacers under the stem, but this wasn’t an option because I was already at max height.  

This bike was highly addictive, and my mindset had shifted from riding an e-bike to just riding this thing like a normal bike. The harder I rode the Fuel EXe the more it responded both motor-wise and handing-wise.

After a quick sleuth through the media kit, I discovered that Trek was open to the idea of the Fuel EXe being run as a mullet or upgrading the fork to 160mm. And it just so happened that I had a 160mm fork with the right offset on my trail bike. So, in the interests of testing, I swapped the 150mm Lyrik with my 160mm fork and went for a ride.

The difference was instant, the slacker ride position felt a lot more me and when I pushed hard on steeper trails the front held better and I lost my fear of washing out. A new problem arose—I was now completely addicted and finding it hard to ride anything else.

I was returning from rides sweating and tired with the feeling of having been for relatively high-intensity ride. Yes, they were long rides (I had a motor) but with the extra effort required to get up hills I felt more like I was riding my trail bike on steroids rather than taking my moto-style eMTB out for a burn. My mindset had shifted because the EXe was performing like the perfect hybrid.  

The hardest trait of the EXe to get your head around is the battery usage and the range-anxiety that comes when only sporting a 360wh battery. First up it’s worth noting that via the Trek Central phone app you can customise each of the three modes on your bike. I left the Turbo mode as exactly that—100 per cent power and assist—but aimed to only use it when really needed. Then I adjusted the Trail mode to give me 75 per cent power and assist and left the Eco one at about 30-35 per cent. My goal here was to just ride in the trail setting as much as possible and see how I went. The control panel built into the top tube also gives you an estimated range, which is another useful tool.  

From my experiences over the test window riding predominantly in Mid mode (only utilising High for steep climbs), I’d say the EXe is good for 30-35kms of hard trail riding with moderate climbing. This can be eked out to over 40km with a bit more cautious battery management. So, my advice (and the way I think Trek has designed it) is that the range extender battery is a must-have for anyone looking to push themselves on long, full day rides. It is an expensive add on, but I think the benefits outweigh the initial costs. The flipside is that, even without any electrical assistance (flat battery), the Fuel is very rideable, and there is very little drag in the TQ system, so a pedal home is not a big chore. Plus, the beauty of a small battery is that it charges very quickly, so I’d make sure you always have your charger in the truck with you and take any chance you get to top up.

I’m sure you’ve already guessed that I really fell for the Fuel EXe and for me it has blown open the electric bike world by re-defining the lightweight category. The 50nm motor provided ample power and the light, nimble chassis handles remarkably well. This is the sort of bike that I’ve been waiting for; as a regular rider of both analogue and eMTBs, I’ve been chasing the dream of an electric powered (for time saving) bike that handles as close to my analogue bike as possible (for ultimate ride enjoyment), and I feel like the EXe is the closest to that hallowed hybrid bike. Add in the experience of riding an almost silent motor and maybe this is the dream—well my dream, but is it for everyone?

What type of rider will the EXe suit? I feel that it firmly suits any skilled or experienced rider looking to electrify their riding experience. I’ve chosen the words skilled and experienced because the EXe needs a lot more rider input than full powered eMTBs. By input I mean being in the right gear at all times, holding a fast cadence and precise bike handling. These factors are natural and necessary skills for most analogue trail riders, but they can often be ignored and forgotten on long travel, high torque e-bikes where the motor’s power will drag you up hills in any gear and any cadence and the plush suspension lets you monster-truck down any line.   

If you’re an e-curious analogue rider wondering what all the fuss is about, then this is definitely worth a test ride. If you’re already jumped into the electric world but are missing that nimble, agile handling of your old analogue and have reasonable residual fitness, then maybe it’s time to downsize.

Of the three models coming to New Zealand, my advice is to buy the best you can afford but leave a little in reserve to add on the range-extender battery as I feel this is essential to alleviate any range anxiety. If you’re a more aggressive rider or are finding the riding position too forward orientated, then I’d also recommend getting your local shop to increase your fork travel by 10mm for the ultimate trail bike feel.

The stealthy looking EXe and the TQ motor system have set the bar very high and reinvigorated the lightweight eMTB category. I’m sure there is a lot more coming in this space, perhaps very soon, but the EXe and the eerily silent TQ HPR50 will be very hard to beat.   

Check out the full EXe range available now in NZ over at the Trek website

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• Rider Notes

2023 Trek Fuel EXe 9.5

A 29″ carbon frame full suspension trail e-bike with upper mid-range components. Compare the full range

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Fuel EXe 9.5

In Stock: MD, LG, & XL

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A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

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When Trek launched the first motorized version of their famed Fuel EX trail bike last year, it had one pretty noticeable gap - there ...

Watch Review

Dec 2023 · Joshua Hutchens

The most common question about this bike was, "Is it enough?" Is there enough power, enough range, and is it light enough? These all represent trade-offs...

Read Review

Trek’s Fuel EXe 9.5 is a game-changing electric mountain bike with a natural-feeling motor system and inspired geometry. Considering it’s an entry-level model to the range, it’s rather a lot of money at £6,400, but if a mid-drive motor that doesn't sap all feeling from the trail is high on your list of wants, then this is the bike to try. American company Trek has really embraced the electric bike game in recent years. Unlike some other brands, they don’t appear tied to one motor brand and thus have a variety on offer including Bosch and now TQ.

Trek's Fuel EXe trail eMTBs get new alloy models to bring the price down without changing the motor or suspension tech that make it great.

Jul 2023 · Knut Nes

About one year ago, Trek launched a new lightweight emtb with a carbon frame. It was equipped with the mild and silent TQ HPR50 motor and a 360 Wh battery. The 2023 Trek Fuel EXe felt so natural on the trails. Natural because the motor was barely...

Trek releases a more affordable line of Fuel EXe Models utilizing an Alloy Frame. Same great performance, at a cheaper pricepoint.

Mostly good (and great) news but also some niggles after almost a year on Trek's light, whisper quiet eMTB...

Light, discrete, and quiet with a great chassis, the new EX-e proves that more doesn’t make e-bikes better.

Smooth and very quiet motor

Excellent motor tune

Light for an ebike

Rides like an unpowered bike

Smallish in-frame battery

Last updated June 15

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Trek Fuel EX 9.7 review | Trail Bike of the Year contender

Trek’s hyper-adjustable trail bike is built to do it all

Excellent chassis; spot-on geometry; great suspension; lovely ride feel; super-capable and adjustable

Poor brakes; tyres can’t compete with the competition

The Trek Fuel EX 9.7 Gen 6 sits around the middle of Trek’s aggro trail bike range, with this version sporting a carbon frame.

It is, as far as I can tell, one of the most adjustable mainstream trail bikes on the market, with a plethora of geometry-adjustment capabilities, as well as the ability to tune the suspension further than the shock alone allows.

Add in a couple of wheel-size options on the smaller-sized bikes and it's hard to think up a rider profile who wouldn’t get on with the bike.

That’s all based on the tech specs, though, and what’s important is how this 140mm-travel rig rides.

As I found when I tested the alloy Fuel EX last year, it’s a solid platform, with excellent ride characteristics and plenty of positives.

It’s highly maneuverable and easy to ride without any odd quirks, while the suspension works well on hits small and large.

However, at RRP, the value isn’t amazing, and Bontrager’s tyres struggle against competition from Maxxis , lacking their grip and feel.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 frame and suspension

Trek’s nomenclature dictates that a 9.something-named bike has a carbon frame . Here, you get the brand's OCLV Mountain Carbon throughout, save for the magnesium rocker link.

The frame features are well thought-out, with plenty of protection from rock strikes, as well as internal storage, neatly wrapped up in the supplied bag. This sits in a lever-locked door under the frame’s bottle cage in the down tube.

Cables are guided through the frame in sleeves from the head tube, while the use of a 34.9mm seat tube means broad-diameter droppers can be used for, theoretically, increased durability.

ISCG mounts surround a threaded bottom bracket.

Specific suspension

Trek builds the frame around its ABP (Active Braking Pivot) linkage. This features a rear pivot concentric to the rear axle, marking it out from the usual four-bar or faux-bar linkages, whereby the rear pivot sits in the chainstay or seatstay respectively.

Trek claims this better separates forces from braking and pedalling from the suspension.

While most riders will likely stick with the air shock supplied, the frame is compatible with coil shocks . This is partly thanks to the More/Less chip that lives at the bottom of the shock.

This adds (More) or reduces (Less) the progressivity of the leverage curve, making it more or less progressive.

This can be flipped with the stock shock in place, but the Less position is most suited to air shocks, which naturally have more ‘ramp-up’ later in their stroke. The More position is suited to coil shocks, which are linear throughout their stroke (unless you have a fancy progressive spring or shock).

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 geometry

Much like the suspension, there’s plenty of adjustability on offer when it comes to the geometry of the Fuel EX.

There is a Mino Link chip at the top of the seatstays, which is pretty traditional in nature. This alters the head and seat angles by 0.5 degrees, as well as the BB height by 8mm.

There’s also the ability to swap the headset cups. These are available aftermarket and allow for a range of 2 degrees of head-angle change – one degree either side of the ‘Neutral’ setting the bike comes with as stock.

Though there will be slight changes in BB height and seat tube angle, it’s effectively pretty independent of these.

Then, there are wheel sizes to consider.

The XS comes with 27.5in wheels, S-sized bikes can be purchased with either 27.5in or 29in wheels, while M, ML, L, XL and XXL come with 29in wheels, but can also be run as mullet setups . Phew.

With such an extensive set of options, the below geometry chart is representative of how I ran the bike the bulk of the time – Neutral headset cup, Low Mino Link, 29in hoops.

Here, a Large has a long 485mm reach, short 435mm seat tube, steep 77-degree seat tube angle (though I measured mine at 78 degrees, with a 750mm saddle height) and slack 64.5-degree head angle.

The chainstays are 440mm on a Large, but are size-specific, ranging from 435mm to 450mm.

Clearly, Trek’s engineers have been busy.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 specifications

With the carbon construction accounting for much of the £4,175 price, the spec list isn’t necessarily as flashy as some in the 2024 Trail Bike of the Year list. However, it’s all solid kit and doesn’t, on paper, give anything to be concerned about.

The suspension is provided by Fox, with a 150mm 36 Rhythm featuring a basic GRIP damper. At the back, a Performance-level Float X shock has a piggy-back construction, boosting oil volumes, which should help with consistency on long descents. It has a two-position lockout lever.

Shimano supplies Deore, SLX and XT running gear, while SRAM’s DB8 brakes haul on 200mm/180mm rotors.

Trek’s Bontrager brand supplies the alloy Line Comp wheels and XR5 Team Issue tyres, as well as most of the finishing kit. Droppers come from TranzX, in 100-170mm lengths, depending on frame size.

All combined, this trail-ready bike comes in at a shade under 15.4kg.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 ride impressions

With relatively little adjustability, setting up the fork and shock is easy. It's nominally a case of setting sag and adding the required rebound clicks – in my case two from fully open in the fork and three from fully open in the shock.

My tyre pressures depend on the conditions I’m riding in, but my baseline is 22psi in the rear and 21psi in the front, from which I then experiment.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 climbing performance

The Fuel EX offers few excuses on the climbs.

The suspension is stable, rarely bobbing in its travel as you pedal, ensuring the majority of your effort is channelled into getting you to the top of the hill.

On lumpier climbs, this means a few more of those bumps and edges are fed through to you, but the stability is much appreciated on steep climbs and long drags alike.

Don’t equate stability with a lack of suppleness, though, because there’s still enough freedom of movement to enable the tyres to find grip.

On tarmac sections, the shock’s lockout lever is within easy reach, for even perkier climbing, and you can easily twist the dial on top of the 36 Rhythm fork to lock that out, too.

The climbing performance is boosted by the geometry. The seat angle is steep, putting your hips in an efficient position over the cranks, while the 440mm chainstays (Large) balance the lengthy front end nicely, ensuring your weight is distributed well between the axles.

When things get steep, it doesn’t settle deep into its travel, maintaining those angles nicely.

Bontrager’s hubs have a very low engagement angle of just over 3 degrees, which makes ratcheting up and through techy lines much easier than a gappier freehub .

The tyres also contribute. Their low block height reduces rolling resistance, speeding up your ascent.

On loose, muddy climbs, though, the tread blocks don’t dig in as well as chunkier rubber. Their relatively hard compound also doesn’t ‘stick’ to rocks and roots as well as the best compounds from other tyre brands.

If steep, techy climbs are your thing and you want a more upright bike, the geometry adjust settings will help you get a more perky feel that's even better suited to navigating complicated terrain.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 descending performance

The overriding feeling from the Fuel EX is one of composed calmness.

The chassis is robust and largely unshakeable on all grades of trail, whether you’re pummelling through rocks or loading it up through berms.

The rear shock smooths the way effectively, keeping the rear wheel locked to the ground, even when you’re on the brakes.

The damping in the shock mirrors the calmness of the bike. It has a steadfast calmness, rather than a hyperactive feel.

It does a good job of dealing with mid-sized impacts, although there are bikes out there that will offer an even smoother ride – there’s still a communicative feel as you traverse technical tracks.

Hit something big and the bike transitions to the depths of its suspension in a controlled manner, avoiding any harsh bottom-outs and ensuring you remain nicely in control.

The Fuel EX is happy being pumped through rollers, or pushed into the face of a jump, thanks to good mid-stroke support.

This gives it a more urgent feeling than some on more mellow terrain – only boosted by those faster-rolling tyres.

With excellent geometry and a stout frameset, the Fuel EX excels when weighted up through corners. While the shape is pretty long and slack, there’s still an agility that means you can make the most of tight and twisty tracks, thanks to the stubby stem, balanced shape and supportive suspension.

Pitch into a steeper section and the relatively low BB and generous length help give the Fuel EX an unshakeable feeling.

The 36 Rhythm is a fine fork, with the simple GRIP damper offering smooth and comfortable performance that aids the front wheels’s tracking of the ground and helps insulate you from the rough and tumble.

The chassis is sturdy, so it doesn’t choke when you’re battering it through rocks.

The most aggressive riders, though, will start to push its limits. The slight lack of mid-stroke support becomes noticeable, and the fork starts to use more of its travel than is necessary.

That said, you have to be really going some to get to that point.

By then, you’ll have noticed that Bontrager’s tyres don’t perform as well as the best mountain bike tyres .

Their rubber compound is less grippy, leading to a nervous feel on rocks and roots. This is exacerbated by a pingy carcass that skitters away from, rather than shrugs off, glancing blows.

Fortunately, The Line 30 alloy wheels the tyres are wrapped around are good.

They blend decent stiffness with comfort, while the fast pick-up of the rear hub makes accelerating out of corners a joy. As soon as you put some cranks in, the bike drives forward.

I tested the Fuel EX with wheels from another test bike, to see how it would perform with better rubber.

The improvement in grip from the Maxxis tyres was noticeable, enabling you to push the frame and fork further towards their limits, squeezing every drop of available performance out of them.

A more prominent shoulder tread, rather than the rounded profile of the SE5, improves cornering grip, while changing up the compound improves grip in marginal conditions.

I’d happily have this bike in my garage, though the tyres would be an early upgrade to help make the most of it.

I’d also make some alterations to the braking because the organic pads on the SRAM DB8s aren’t as good as the sintered options. My experience of the Marin Rift Zone 29 XR’s DB8 brakes with their HS2 rotors would inspire me to switch up the rotors on the Trek, too – the difference is palpable.

With better tyres and brakes from the off, the score would be higher, but you also have to take price into account. Though it has a carbon frame, the value for money at RRP isn’t great.

How does the Trek Fuel EX 9.7 compare to the Canyon Spectral CF7?

The Trek’s chassis is one of the best, offering tons of adjustment, a fantastic shape and a sturdy ride feel.

It is, however, considerably more expensive, at RRP, than the Canyon Spectral CF 7 (£3,299), which also has a carbon frame and a very similar spec list.

Both have fantastic geometry, and while the Canyon offers a smoother ride feel, the Fuel EX climbs better and has more urgency when generating speed.

The Canyon’s brakes and tyres are better – Shimano SLX and Maxxis Minions respectively – however, the Trek’s SRAM drivetrain is smoother if you’re maintenance-phobic.

Canyon has the advantage of a direct-sales model, which helps cut costs, although many will appreciate the access to test riding and servicing from a local shop with the Trek.

Trail Bike of the Year 2024 | How we tested

This bike was tested as part of my 2024 Trail Bike of the Year test. Around 20 bikes were long-listed, with eight models, ranging from £2,999 to £4,199, making it into the test.

The bikes were all tested over a period of three months, on a wide range of trails in the South West of the UK, ranging from trail centre pedals to bike park laps and woodland rallies.

The bikes were also all put through our workshop to measure angles, dig into frame details and make sure everything was running smoothly.

All bikes were base-line set up with 28 per cent sag at the rear, and 21psi in the front and 22psi in the rear tyre. The testing process helped fine-tune their setups to get the most out of the bikes, wherever they were being ridden.

Our Trail Bike of the Year contenders

• Whyte T-160 RS
• Canyon Spectral CF7
• Marin Rift Zone XR
• YT Jeffsy Core 3
• GT Sensor Carbon Pro
• Cannondale Habit LT 2
• Trek Fuel EX 9.7
• Scott Genius 940

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 bottom line

Trek’s carbon Fuel EX chassis is solid, adaptable and high-performing.

The blend of excellent geometry with sorted suspension makes it, in my eyes, one of the most desirable framesets on the market.

This model doesn’t represent the best value for money around, though, with the brakes and tyres in particular holding it back. Upgrade those and the Fuel EX 9.7 will be an absolute shredder.

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Fuel EXe   Why I returned the Trek Fuel EXE

• Thread starter rockymountaindude
• Start date Feb 11, 2023

rockymountaindude

• Feb 11, 2023

I bought the Fuel EXE a few weeks ago and it was sitting inside and I was worried that it wouldn't be enough bike for me. I'm in BC and I ride Mount Fromme, Mount Seymour, Squamish, Cypress (bring diapers) and Whistler. I have been using a Rocky Mountain PowerPlay with 108 nm of torque. Today, I tested the Fuel EXE around my local area here where I live just in the parkade and up some slopes on pavement, etc. In the end, I decided to return the bike today. As nice as the bike is, it just does not look and feel robust enough for me for the rough terrain that is out here. I’ve read every page of the megathread here and there’s a pattern of: creaking sounds, the odd engine problem, and computer failures. The creaking and the overtightening of bolts on the carbon frame is concerning to me. The longevity of the motor is also a question mark and one I don’t want to beta test at this price point. The bike is also hampered in the power department and its range is very limited. I also think it will be a bit fragile and a 140 mm rear suspension will just not be enough. My Rocky Mountain is built like a tank. My takeaway from this is that Trek has built a bike that will appeal to a slice of the market who don't want/need a full power eBike. I understand it was never meant as a replacement for a full power eBike. And that's great. The bike feels like a regular bike and they've achieved their goals. They have given us a glimpse at the future. Probably in 5 years all eMountain Bikes with between 60-80 nm of torque will be as light and trim as this, all while sporting longer battery life and more shock travel.  

I've just read this whole thing on a Facebook group & it looks like you've already linked this thread in another one on here. It's fine, we get it, the EXe isn't for you but there are plenty of people out there that it is the right bike for, myself included. There really is no need to spam the entire internet with your thoughts. If you prefer other bikes just go & ride other bikes & have fun.  

Zimmerframe

Psythepie said: I've just read this whole thing on a Facebook group & it looks like you've already linked this thread in another one on here. It's fine, we get it, the EXe isn't for you but there are plenty of people out there that it is the right bike for, myself included. There really is no need to spam the entire internet with your thoughts. If you prefer other bikes just go & ride other bikes & have fun. Click to expand...

rockymountaindude said: My takeaway from this is that Trek has built a bike that will appeal to a slice of the market who don't want/need a full power eBike. I understand it was never meant as a replacement for a full power eBike. And that's great. The bike feels like a regular bike and they've achieved their goals. They have given us a glimpse at the future. Click to expand...

I agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion & I read it as I read pretty much everything I see related to the EXe & plenty of other bikes too. It was more the linking it left, right & center like they're desperate for it to be seen. If someone is searching the internet for info on a particular bike then one thread will show up, it doesn't need to be posted in lots of different places all at the same time. I am willing to accept that I may just be old & grouchy though, no offence was meant by my response.  

Psythepie said: I am willing to accept that I may just be old & grouchy though, no offence was meant by my response. Click to expand...

E*POWAH Elite World Champion

Psythepie said: ... I am willing to accept that I may just be old & grouchy though ... Click to expand...

E*POWAH BOSS

I’m curious how you can just give it back a few weeks later after deciding it’s not for you !  

Handheld Power Tool

#lazy said: I’m curious how you can just give it back a few weeks later after deciding it’s not for you ! Click to expand...

Well-known member

With a username of Rockymountaindude this was never going to end well. At least your happy with your Rocky Mountain.  

Zimmerframe said: We're all old and grouchy ! Click to expand...

Moe Ped said: With a username of Rockymountaindude this was never going to end well. At least your happy with your Rocky Mountain. Click to expand...

Active member

• Feb 12, 2023

Struck by how different expectations are for different riders. The reality is that in a year the whole dynamic could change again. The EXe that I love could be obsolete. I expect it. But I fully understood the Trek before I laid out my money.  

it's all fun and games until it turns uphill  

Montana St Alum

• Feb 19, 2023

I'll be obsolete before any bike I buy will be. My next "E"-bike might just be an electric dirt bike. Top Speed: 85 MPH Output: 46 HP, 106 Nm of torque $5k. Sign me up! I just need a rack to put my walker on it.  

• Mar 15, 2023

rockymountaindude said: I bought the Fuel EXE a few weeks ago and it was sitting inside and I was worried that it wouldn't be enough bike for me. I'm in BC and I ride Mount Fromme, Mount Seymour, Squamish, Cypress (bring diapers) and Whistler. I have been using a Rocky Mountain PowerPlay with 108 nm of torque. Today, I tested the Fuel EXE around my local area here where I live just in the parkade and up some slopes on pavement, etc. In the end, I decided to return the bike today. As nice as the bike is, it just does not look and feel robust enough for me for the rough terrain that is out here. I’ve read every page of the megathread here and there’s a pattern of: creaking sounds, the odd engine problem, and computer failures. The creaking and the overtightening of bolts on the carbon frame is concerning to me. The longevity of the motor is also a question mark and one I don’t want to beta test at this price point. The bike is also hampered in the power department and its range is very limited. I also think it will be a bit fragile and a 140 mm rear suspension will just not be enough. My Rocky Mountain is built like a tank. My takeaway from this is that Trek has built a bike that will appeal to a slice of the market who don't want/need a full power eBike. I understand it was never meant as a replacement for a full power eBike. And that's great. The bike feels like a regular bike and they've achieved their goals. They have given us a glimpse at the future. Probably in 5 years all eMountain Bikes with between 60-80 nm of torque will be as light and trim as this, all while sporting longer battery life and more shock trav Click to expand...

Montana St Alum said: I'll be obsolete before any bike I buy will be. My next "E"-bike might just be an electric dirt bike. Top Speed: 85 MPH Output: 46 HP, 106 Nm of torque $5k. Sign me up! I just need a rack to put my walker on it. Click to expand...

E*POWAH Elite

clivem25 said: Now this is what I don't get. Surron Ultra Bee, 125kW/440NM motor, 4kWh battery, 240mm travel front and rear, top speed 90kph, range upto 140km, Or for the same price you can have an EX-e 9.5. And people wonder why I say e-bike manufacturers are taking us for a ride (pun intended). Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled service. Click to expand...

I think he saying that bikes are too expensive. I am avid motorcyclist and am constantly amazed how how inexpensive parts are on the moto side. Tires are particularly shocking. A ten pound knobby is $75.  

JP-NZ said: I don't get the point? Over here you couldn't ride that Surron anywhere except Dirtbike parks or riverbeds. You certainly couldn't ride it on the road without modification. I used to have a Kawasaki KDX200 trail bike and sold it as it took more effort to take it out for a ride than the actual time I spent riding it. Yet you can ride the EXE anywhere, across all MTB parks and trail networks. Including ta ashe road. In my city your talking around 90% more areas to ride on an EX-E/Ebikes. Surron would be cool if you lived on a farm or close to a river maybe? Click to expand...

clivem25 said: I'm in no way suggesting they're like for like in usage. Just further proof, if any were needed, that MTB e-bike riders are getting ripped off. Click to expand...

Well on PinkBike we ride motorcycles.  

Swingset said: Well on PinkBike we ride motorcycles. Click to expand...

Stihldog said: I like comical hypocrisy. That was kinda funny Click to expand...

Chicane said: Right, except where I live MTB trails are for riding Mountain bikes. Kinda like this forum is for Mountain bikes, so why mention motorcycles? Click to expand...

Back to the original post. Clearly the exe didn't have the specs you desire. So why did you take it in the first place? And then wax poetic that it wasn't enough bike? I think that's the most irksome part of this forum contribution. No offense intended here either but I think if the bike 'checked all yer boxes' and THEN you decided it didn't meet expectations, I think your post would have been received differently. If that mattered...  

• Mar 16, 2023

Montana St Alum said: I'll be careful to PM you first before I mention anything. No humor allowed (it was in response to post #12). It's an electric mountain bike forum, not a mountain bike forum. Click to expand...

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• Fuel EXe 9.5

TIME Best Inventions of 2023

"Fuel EXe's natural-feeling assist and stealthy good looks earned it a coveted spot on TIME's Best Inventions of 2023 list." From TIME. © 2023 TIME USA LLC All rights reserved. Used under license.

TQ HPR-50 is Pinkbike's Innovation of the Year

"That tiny harmonic pin ring drive unit is the golden goose of e-bike motors." Find out what Pinkbike had to say about the revolutionary motor at the heart of Fuel EXe.

Best All-Around

"Overall, the Trek Fuel EXe is a bike that ranked consistently well across the board when it came to performance on the trail. It does everything pretty darn well and would be a great jack of all trades lightweight eBike for those looking to have a mid-power eMTB for trail shredding fun."

2022 Gear of the Year

"This is the first time an e-bike has made my Gear of the Year list [...] in addition to being silent, the HPR50 motor feels frictionless while pedaling. The assistance comes on with a subtlety that makes it feel like you are a younger, fitter version of yourself with a tailwind at your back."

Editor's Choice

"The low-key, silent assist is just enough, keeping it riding like a real mountain bike but making the climbs less sucky. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good high-power eMTB, but I loved this bike, too. Trek’s Fuel EX’s handling is dialed, and this is merely an enhanced version of that. I tested the top model, but, fortunately, there are also mid-priced models that eschew some of the AirWiz(ardy) without giving up any of what makes this bike rad."

"Nothing comes close"

"Simply put, nothing comes close to the Fuel EXe when you paint the picture of the mountain bike experience as a whole."

"Probably going to be the most significant bike launched this decade"

"The Trek Fuel EXe is the bike (e or otherwise) that plenty of people have been waiting to see… Removes the final few issues that the e-curious crowd had."

"One of the best mountain bikes - powered or unpowered - I’ve recently ridden."

"The Fuel EXe is such a harmonious package that I got comfortable with it very quickly, and it wasn’t much longer before I was in love with this bike...I legitimately forgot that I was on an e-bike at times…it’s the most natural feeling motor I’ve yet ridden."

"We have to call it as we see it and the Trek Fuel EXe just elevated the eMTB game."

"The first impression was a unanimous 'Wow.' This is one of the few times that a bike exceeded expectations."

"Nothing less than a great leap forward for eMTBs"

"There are times when I am left amazed by something new and shiny, and that is the case with the Trek Fuel Exe...I might even go as far as to call it an engineering marvel."

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Unboxing fuel exe with mahalo my dude.

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Good sounds. Bad sounds.

Psychoacoustics? Tonality? Articulation index? We put a lot of thought into making Fuel EXe as quiet as possible. Like, a lot.

Run Horse Run

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Product features

Tq-hpr50 - small, quiet, mighty.

TQ-HPR50 motor is super-efficient with an amazing power-to-weight ratio. Most motors use gears and belts that take up space and can make noise or break. The TQ-HPR50 uses a harmonic pin-ring drive transmission that’s small, ultra-quiet, and unbelievably natural feeling.

Range Extender

Give yourself 40% more range with an optional 160wh external battery. It fits in a standard bottle cage and doesn’t require any complicated wiring or special mounts.

Connect, customize, calculate

The Trek Central app seamlessly connects with your bike for custom motor tuning, activity tracking and more ways to analyze and personalize your ride. You even get navigation features and real-time range calculations.

Removable battery

The 360 Wh battery gives you power for 2-5 hours. It’s concealed in the downtube, but it’s still easy to remove for more convenient charging.

Shimano Deore

Shimano Deore brings even more adventure with a wider range of gear choices for the steep stuff, the fast stuff, and the fun. With smooth riding, improved chain stability, and sharp shifting, Deore heightens your mountain biking confidence and control so you can focus on the trail and enjoy the ride.

Compliant with leading safety regulations

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This bike doesn’t come with pedals because you'll have a better ride if you choose your own. Explore the pedal guide to find the best pedals for your riding style. Reach for flat pedals for simple versatility or go for clipless MTB pedals if you want control & efficiency.

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This suspension calculator will help you optimize your suspension settings for your riding weight. Simply follow the steps to find your best set up.

Complete Tubeless System

Tubeless Ready rims and tires make it easy to ditch the tubes so you get better traction, fewer flats, and less weight. You're ready to roll right out of the box with the included TLR rim strips, valves, and sealant.

Integrated display

Fuel EXe's display is simple to use and protected in the top tube. Check your assist level, range, speed, and more at a glance.

Sleek and simple remote

Toggle between assist modes or engage the walk-assist function with the ergonomic low-profile remote.

Easier internal routing

Integrated channels in the frame make it easy to route the brake hose, dropper and derailleur housing so you get a clean set-up with no hassle.

Oversized 34.9mm dropper post

Bigger is better. The oversized seat tube diameter gives more support and strength for longer travel droppers, and allows for more robust, durable internals that work faster.

Mino Link adjustable geometry

Fine tune head tube angle by 1/2° and BB height by up to 10mm with the simple turn of a nut. Just flip the link to choose between slack or slacker geometry, without negatively affecting suspension performance. A Trek exclusive.

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To measure your height, stand straight up, barefoot, with your back, heels, shoulders and head all touching a wall. While looking straight ahead, place a book or straight edge on your head and slowly push it against the wall. Your straight edge should be parallel with the floor. Mark the spot where the bottom of the book is touching the wall. The distance from the marked spot to the floor is your height.

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How to measure: Stand barefoot with your back straight and against a wall. Tuck a ruler or something that extends to the floor between your legs. Using both hands, and keeping it level, pull the ruler up into your crotch as if you were sitting on the saddle. Measure the distance from the top edge of the ruler to the ground to find your inseam measurement. Your inseam is very important to your final bike size so please measure carefully.

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Trek Fuel EXe

Dawn of a new era.

The Trek Fuel EXe with TQ technology is here to redefine mountain biking forever. Thanks to a drive unit that quietly assists you when you want it and disappears when you don’t. It’s the definition of a new and 100 % natural riding experience.

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Pedaling into untouched terrain and positioned in between analog bikes and high-powered e-bikes the Fuel EXe silently blends in with nature thanks to a new technology, combined with the finest components the industry has on offer.

It doesn’t matter if you want to keep it causal with the 9.9 model, featuring the latest tech or if you are after the wireless and super light XX1 AXS as well as the innovative AirWhiz system – the Trek Fuel EXe offers it all and is completed by our revolutionary TQ-HPR50 drive unit. A system developed for satellites, space stations and mars rovers – approved by modern-day mountain bike riders.

It's still biking, but better.

TQ technology, it's made for you.

Explore TQ Technology

We took care of the technology so you can clock in even more laps, and have fun on your uphill rides.

The Trek Fuel EXe features an OCLV carbon frame with a fully integrated 360 Wh battery and the space-proven TQ Harmonic Pin Ring transmission with a smart charging port, integrated LED display and a minimalistic remote as well as 150mm travel at the front and 140mm travel at the back.

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Accessories

How tall are you.

To measure your height, stand straight up, barefoot, with your back, heels, shoulders and head all touching a wall. While looking straight ahead, place a book or straight edge on your head and slowly push it against the wall. Your straight edge should be parallel with the floor. Mark the spot where the bottom of the book is touching the wall. The distance from the marked spot to the floor is your height.

What is your inseam?

How to measure: Stand barefoot with your back straight and against a wall. Tuck a ruler or something that extends to the floor between your legs. Using both hands, and keeping it level, pull the ruler up into your crotch as if you were sitting on the saddle. Measure the distance from the top edge of the ruler to the ground to find your inseam measurement. Your inseam is very important to your final bike size so please measure carefully.