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Does any have or had a Trek Fuel 5/6? what do you think of it? LBS has two older models for a good deal and thinking of it.
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I got a Trek Fuel EX 5 in October of last year and love it. It’s my first FS bike coming up from a Trek 4300 hard tail, and my riding has drastically imrpoved. The geometry of it has led me to be a more aggressive rider, and the ProPedal feature on the rear shock is pretty rad for when you want to dig into the pedals and take off at a healthy clip.
I’ve had a little bit of touch and go with the components (rear deraileur and brakes), but I’m thinking that has more to do with the mileage I’m putting on it – it’s standard wear and tear versus something being wrong with it.
I love the width of the stock handlebars, too. They’re about 1.5" wider than I was used to, and it’s added some healthy stability to my riding. The feel of the bike in general is a little softer than I’d like (I could go with a slightly stiffer/more rigid feel), but I’ve only come to that conclusion in the last month or so. Overall, the bike feels burly enough to do a little reckless riding, but controlled enough for some FAST XC riding over my terrain.
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i got a fuel ex 6 in ’09 and it is also my first FS bike. i think the bike is actually an ’08 model, bought it used from a coworker who had only ridden it twice for $600 (yeah, i got a good deal). i might be a little biased because i got such a good deal, but i love this bike.
the suspension system eats up roots and rocks and the derailleurs are as crisp and responsive as you’d expect from a bike in its price range (correct me if i’m wrong but MSRP around $1500?). The rear suspension locks out for climbs, since this is the only FS i’ve ridden extensively i don’t know how it compares to other rear suspensions, but I wish it was possible to go from squishy to rigid w/o having to dismount. Also even when it is locked out there’s still enough play to see a noticeable difference in climbing abilities compared to a hardtail but the ex 6 more than makes up for it on the downhill.
Don’t know what kind of riding you usually do but i’d put the ex 6 somewhere between XC and AM. If you want a mainly XC bike that can handle small-medium drop offs and can practically glide down somewhat technical dh then this bike is a great choice.
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"limetownjack" wrote
i don’t know how it compares to other rear suspensions, but I wish it was possible to go from squishy to rigid w/o having to dismount.
Why do you have to dismount? On mine I just flip the lockout lever.
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I ride a fuel ex 6 2010, got it last year and love it. Although i wish i got the 8 i did not have the money at the time. Honestly imo this is one of the best if not the best 26er trail bike on the market. 120mm of travel in the front and back is perfect for the down hill, but what i like about it is the pro pedal flip the switch and the bike will climb like a champ. you can also lock out your fork. the active breaking pivot allows your bike to work the same whether your on the breaks or not so you will always get the same feel for you bike which is super crucial in technical situations. if you can get a good deal on it you should get it. Check out what year it is and go online to see the price. then go from there! Trek really has the trail bike dialed in!
Good luck!
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"maddslacker" wrote
Why do you have to dismount? On mine I just flip the lockout lever.
At first, I thought you had to dismount, too, but you don’t. What you need to do is let the shock fully breathe, which entails it having no pressure on it. Solution? If you’re clipped in, just pull up your rear end for a moment.
Bingo = expanded shock! Now you have a "hard tail."
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"maddslacker" wrote
Why do you have to dismount? On mine I just flip the lockout lever.
mine doesn’t have a simple lockout lever (wish it did), you have to turn a dial on the top of the shock…about a million times.
"Fitch" wroteIf you’re clipped in, just pull up your rear end for a moment.
😕 maybe im understanding you wrong, but the shock’s still going to compress when you sit back down right?
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Do you or do you not have a lockout lever on your rear shock?
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i have a floodgate dial and a rebound dial, that’s it. when i close the floodgate it’s the same as locking it out but from full open to full close it’s about 15-20 rotations. also i’m 5′ 10 and my bike is a 16" frame which is a little small (bought it used) so i ride with my seat a little higher than normal which makes reaching for the fg dial while seated a little awkward because i don’t have orangutan arms 😐
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Put it in Pro-pedal and leave it till big down hill. 😄 Later,
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"fat_billy" wrote
Put it in Pro-pedal and leave it till big down hill. 😄 Later,
ah, if only mine had pro pedal. no worries though, keeping the floodgate 3/4 closed works fine for me about 80% of the time. the other 20%, i either take the 30 seconds to dismount and adjust it or just suck it up and plow through it (usually the later). majority of what i ride could be ridden on a ht and for the most part fs is just a luxury. in the end though, reguardless of my very minor suspension gripes, the fuel ex 6 has still made this rider atleast, very happy 😃
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Sorry, limetown, yeah, I thought you had the ProPedal that most (I thought all?) Trek Fuels came with. My advice won’t apply if you’re on the dial.
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"Fitch" wrote
I thought you had the ProPedal that most (I thought all?) Trek Fuels came with
yeah maybe i’m wrong but i don’t think the fuel ex line had pro pedal until it went to the fox rp2 shock. not 100% what year that was but mine still has the rock shox mc. i’m not even 100% on what year model mine is, guy i bought it from didn’t know and left for alaska before i could get the manual. just guessing but prob somewhere between 08′-06′.
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Dude, Freeflite’s 2011 demo fleet is now up for sale. Check them out for price.
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I’m just finishing a month-long trip with a 2010 Fuel EX 6 which I have upgraded a bit with XT 10-spd stuff and XT brakes (I got a deal on buying just the frame from a guy who went to a carbon frame and took the OEM stuff with him, so I spent the money I saved on upgrades just for this trip).
In several hundred miles through northern Colorado (including a climb up Vail Pass and a run over two fo the road courses that they are using for the Pro-Challenge, I have had zero issues – none. The rear shock, a Fox Float RP2 seems ideal but the lever for locking it out is a bit difficult for me to reach (I’m old and not real flexible). The front fork is a mid-level Rockshox unit, and, while it took me a bit to figure out how to dial it in, workd perfectly. I wished it had a remote lock-out, but those don’t occur at this price point I find.
The bike climbs well, and is very comfortable for a full day on the saddle (oddly enough, although I use a Fizik saddle, I almost went with the stock Bontrager saddle which seemed to be a very good piece — I changed it because I am used to the Fizik on my roadbike and thought my tail feathers would appreciate not having to break-in anything new
I have had one sorta major issue. There is no way to put a good rack on the bike because of the active breaking point rear suspension mounts. It simply will not allow you to use any know rack – and I looked at a bunch of them. But for the vast majority, adding a rack is never in the plan anyway.
I’m way too fat to be doing this long distance stuff — (210 lbs) but the bike has taken every thing I could throw at it on both improved roads and Colorado "firetrails". I even took it over Trail Ridge in Rocky Mt Park. Great stuff.
I didn’t like the OEM wheels, so I put a set of entry level Mavics (sub $200 variety) on it along with XTR disks so that I could use metallic pads. I’ve gone through a set of 2.0 Small Block 8s and replaced them with Continental Race-King 2.0s I run them at 50 front and 65 rear most of the time. I can’t tell any difference between the two tires, both ride very well and hold onto turns on both pavement and on hard pack. I haven’t been in any sand or mud and I hope to keep it that way.
So far I have nothing but good stuff to say about this frame. It has held up well (better than me – I had to spend some time in the hospital when my heart acted up a bit).
If you can find an EX 6 for around $1500 I’d encourage you to grab it. Its not flashy, but is is a very good solid bike.
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