Situated under the looming granite flanks of the Stawamus Chief, Squamish, British Columbia, is a dream location for just about anyone who likes playing outside (there's a reason it's home to Pinkbike's headquarters). The mountains surrounding town are filled with some of the best trails in the world, full of steep rock rolls, and rooty, loamy goodness; anyone who's planning on driving through on their way to Whistler should set aside a couple of days to experience it for themselves.
Squamish is also the spot where Trek decided to debut their new Fuel EX and Remedy models, and over the course of two days we were able to give the new models a try on some of BC's best singletrack.
The 9.9 29 is the highest end model in the Fuel EX lineup, with a full carbon frame, carbon DT Swiss wheels, and a SRAM Eagle drivetrain for $8,399. It's also the lightest Fuel, weighing in at only 25.5 pounds (11.57 kg) for a size large.
The full carbon Remedy 9.9 Race Shop Limited (RSL) edition gets a 160mm RockShox Lyrik and SRAM Eagle drivetrain for one penny shy of $8,000 USD. Weight: 28 lb (12.7 kg).
What's new for 2017? Well, for one thing, the lineup has been pared down slightly, in order to reduce the amount of overlap between models. Previously, the Fuel EX and the Remedy had both been offered with either 27.5” or 29” wheels, but now the Fuel EX will be available in either a 27.5+ or 29” configuration, and the Remedy will be available solely in a 27.5” wheeled version. From a distance, the new bikes may look fairly similar to their predecessors, but there's a good deal more going on than just wheel size adjustments – the geometry and frame design of both bikes underwent substantial updates.
Although the Fuel EX and the Remedy are two entirely different machines, they do share a number of similarities. Before diving into the individual characteristics of each model, it's worth taking a moment to examine the common design elements between the two bikes.
Frame Technology
A raised stop on the top tube works in conjunction with a groove machined into the headset's top cap to keep the bars from rotating too far and contacting the frame.
Down tube protection is also in place as a secondary means of preventing any frame damage.
Straight Shot Downtube / Knock Block
Trek wanted to increase the stiffness of the Fuel EX and the Remedy, and decided that the best way to accomplish this was to straighten and enlarge the downtube. That tactic worked, they say, with a measurable increase in stiffness, especially around the bottom bracket area. There was one issue, though; there was less clearance for the fork crown, and it would hit the downtube when the bars were rotated too far.
To solve this, Trek created their 'Knock Block' system, which relies on a stop chip located on the top tube, which works with a keyed headset top cap to prevents the fork from turning too far. There's also a special keyed stem from Bontrager that helps ensure all of the parts remain lined up. But before you reach for the pitchforks, keep in mind that non-Bontrager are compatible with the Knock Block system as well. All that's required is the installation of a clamping headset spacer and you can install your favorite stem without any trouble.
The Fuel EX and the Remedy have Boost spacing front and rear.
Trek's RE:aktiv technology is found on both the Fuel and the Remedy. Previously, only Fox had offered a RE:aktiv equipped shock, but RockShox now has a version as well.
Boost 148 / 110
Trek first introduced Boost spacing (12 x 148mm in the rear, 15 x 110mm in the front) to the world with their Remedy 29er in 2015, and since then the spacing has become increasingly common. It was originally developed for 29ers, but it's being adopted for 27.5” wheeled bikes as well, including the new Remedy. When it was first announced, the reasoning was that it increased the stiffness of 29" wheels due to the wider hub flange spacing, and also made it easier to create a big-wheeled bike with even shorter chainstays. Those same principles apply with 27.5"-wheeled bikes, and the fact of the matter is that it simply doesn't make sense to have wheel size dictate hub flange width - why make two different sizes when one will do? For that reason, expect to see Boost spacing to become increasingly common from all manufacturers, and at all pricepoints.
RE:aktiv Shock Technology
Trek developed their RE:aktiv shock technology in collaboration with Penske, and the regressive valve design was originally implemented solely in Fox shocks. RockShox is now joining in, and they will be producing a RE:aktiv equipped version of their new Deluxe shock.
For those that are unfamiliar with RE:aktiv technology, the basic gist is that it was designed to improve a bike's pedaling performance without diminishing its ability to absorb impacts. A spring-loaded valve inside the shock body allows for increased low speed compression for pedaling support on smoother terrain, but when the shock's shaft speed increases the valve opens up, enabling the shock to quickly and smoothly absorb the impact before the valve closes again.
Fuel EX 29 Details
There was some confusion last month when Trek announced their new Fuel EX 27.5+ bike. Were they scrapping the 29” version of that bike? Was one of their most popular bikes going to be available solely with plus-sized tires? The answer is a resounding 'No,' and there's a full lineup of carbon or aluminum framed 29ers on the way.
The new Fuel EX now has 130mm of rear travel, 10mm more than the previous version, and the head angle has been slackened by almost two degrees to 67-degrees in the low setting, while the chainstay length has shrunk ever-so-slightly, and now measures 433mm in the Low setting. The bike's reach has also been increased, growing by approximately 5mm across the board.
There's also a women's version of the Fuel EX, which rolls on 29” wheels for the 17.5” and 18.5” sizes, and on 27.5” wheels for the 14” and 15.5” sizes. The geometry and spec are identical to the men's models, but the grips and saddle are designed for female riders.
All of the aforementioned changes serve to push the Fuel EX even more into the aggressive trail bike category, and a little further from the XC-race realm where the Top Fuel resides. In fact, the Fuel EX has a slacker head angle and a longer reach than last year's Remedy 29, the bike that won Pinkbike's 2015 Bike of the Year award. It also now comes with 2.4" tires, a 750mm handlebar, and a 60mm stem. I do wish Trek had spec'd the same 780mm bars found on the Remedy and allowed riders to trim it down to their preferred size, but otherwise the build kit found on the top-of-the-line 9.9 is hard to fault.
Geometry
Fuel EX Ride Impressions
Last year's Fuel EX was a light and lively machine that left me highly impressed, and also a little curious as to how it would handle with a bit more travel and a slacker head angle. I didn't want it to morph into an enduro monster, but I did think a few little tweaks could push its descending capabilities even closer towards the all-mountain realm.
As luck would have it, Trek's designers had the same thoughts, and it turns out my hunch was correct – this latest iteration feels just as quick on the climbs, but when it's time to descend it's less phased by steep and technical trails than ever before.
The first ride I took the Fuel EX on in Squamish included some local favorites: Rupert, Entrails, Fred's, Tinder, and Your Mom (yes, Tinder does lead to Your Mom...), trails full of granite rock faces, roots, and perfectly sculpted corners. They're rowdy enough that riding a 160mm bike on them wouldn't be considered overkill, but they're also well suited to a bike like the Fuel EX, especially given how well it uses its 130mm of suspension. There weren't any harsh bottom outs, but every millimeter was readily accessible, with a smooth, incredibly supple feel as the bike went through its travel.
A full review is in the works, but my first impressions are extremely positive; by all appearances Trek has elevated the Fuel EX's performance even further. Lightning fast, and wildly fun, it picks up right where its predecessor left off without missing a beat.
Remedy 27.5 Details
Last year's Remedy 27.5 had 140mm of travel, which made it a little more difficult to categorize. It was longer-limbed than many trail bikes, but a little shy of the travel found on all-mountain and enduro race bikes. Things should be easier now, and in keeping with the bigger, slacker, longer theme, the new Remedy has 150mm of travel to go along with its 66-degree head angle. There are two carbon versions in the lineup, one with carbon stays and one with alloy, along with three aluminum models.
There will be also Race Shop Limited (RSL) versions of the Remedy that increase the capabilities of an already formidable machine even further by giving it a 160mm travel-adjust RockShox Lyrik. The longer travel fork slackens the head angle by half a degree, putting it at 65.5-degrees in the low setting.
A flip chip allows the bike's head angle and bottom bracket height to easily be adjusted.
The highest end Fuel and Remedy models are spec'd with SRAM's 12-speed Eagle drivetrain.
Geometry
The new Remedy now has more travel, but it's just as easy to get airborne.
Remedy Ride Impressions
From a distance, the Remedy 27.5 almost looks like a slopestyle bike, with a low slung top tube that provides plenty of room for whatever body contortions are necessary out on the trail. Granted, the Knock Block feature does take bar spins and tail whips off the table, but unless your last name is Semenuk or Rheeder, those probably aren't part of your regular ride routine anyways, and I honestly never encountered a turn that required the front wheel to be turned further than the Knock Block allowed.
The trait that stood out the most from my first ride on the Remedy was its composure when landing in chewed up sections of trail. There wasn't any unwanted wheel deflection or squirreliness - the RockShox Deluxe rear shock kept the back end glued to the ground, exactly where it needed to be, which made it easier to focus on the next fast-approaching obstacle. As planted as the Remedy felt, it still had plenty of pep when it came time to pop off a lip or to slash through a tight turn. I do wish that it came with a 150mm dropper post rather than 125; that little extra bit of seat clearance would come in handy on near-vertical roll ins and steep chutes.
Of course, one ride is barely enough time to scratch the surface when it comes to figuring out a bike's strengths and weaknesses, but all the same, it didn't take long before I felt right at home on the Remedy. It's a bike that could certainly be called into action in an enduro race, but its geometry numbers are also balanced enough that it could serve as a daily driver, even if you don't have massive mountains and hair-raising terrain in your backyard.
I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this Knock Black thing is a complete design and engineering FAIL!? Seriously can't believe no one has mentioned this on the comments yet. "hey our solution for slight increase in stiffness that is likely unnoticeable outside of a lab is to have the fork make PHYSICAL CONTACT with the downtube and/or top tube. We only need to design and engineer a keyed top tube / headset thing now that adds unnecessary complications!"
Totally agree. Engineering make work project.
Especially when you consider they made the frames less stiff by making them FD compatible which requires using a narrower main pivot spacing.
I actually really like the idea for a different reason, now I wont rip a derailleur cable or brake cable when I wreck (which I do pretty often) and I can keep the cables shorter for a tidy looking bike.
came to say exactly this. Terrible decision. And I wonder how strong the Knock Block mechanism is. I'm betting a good crash will end up breaking it and then you will have damaged top caps adjustments on your fork as well. Trek must know that the Knock Block could fail in a crash or they wouldn't have backed it up with the down tube protector.
I agree with you here. The knock block is a fail and proprietary shocks suck. Now the question is, do the advantages of the proprietary shock outweigh the negatives?
@matadorCE: I have the 16 fuel ex 9.9 ..slapped a 130 pike on it and it just rails..The Reaktiv is simply awesome..This all after test riding many bikes before making my decision
@gordon2456: Fairs, but instead you'll just break the Knock Block and crack/tear the top of the top tube as well as putting a dent in the side of your top tube. Done deal!
with the way the knock block works you are probably to wreck yourself before the bike gets hurt. The Stem part of the knock block bottom out before the fork crown gets close to the frame.
You would have to crash, bottom out the knock block one side or the other, and THEN the fork steerer would have to rotate under a clamped stem. only after all that will the fork hit the frame.
I agree with you completely.
If an when you crash the forks will not be naturally slowed down by the cables and the brake lines. Instead, the fork will sustain violent impacts to this area that may result in fork or frame damage. I doubt very much if this design will be around long.
As for the people that designed this frame and Trek's management that allowed it I am astounded that this design flaw got passed.
@bentown: if it's anything like the canyon setup it's designed to shear past a certain amount of force. Then just easily replace. It does a very good job at least on my canyon.
Regardless of how you feel about this design choice, Bryan Smoth will do whatever the comments on PinkBike tell him too, so that means we should tell him to buy the new Fuel EX.
I walked into a shop this morning, with cash in hand, to buy the new remedy. However, the knock block was absolutely a deal blocker. I can't believe they would design such a sick bike and completely blow it with a ridiculous contraption to stop the fork. Trek, if you are listening, you lost sale today.
@insanemntbiker: I saw a Trek EX 8 in the LBS at the weekend. This is not only dangerous, but it will be warranty nightmare for Trek. It's a shame because the Remedy seemed like a good bike on paper now they have increased the travel.
The Remedy 29 has been my fav bike in a while; sad to see it go. But patiently waiting to see if the rumours about the Slash are true. Interesting that the 9 and 9.9 RSL get a Lyric on the front.
On the dealer site, Trek mentioned that a revised Remedy 29 is a possibility if the demand is there.. The Slash is due for a revision and I suspect we will see that next.. I would be surprised to see a Slash 29 if the Remedy 29 was dropped. . But, I would seriously look at a 150mm Remedy 29er if I had money for a bike...
It looks like they used the 2015 Remedy as a guide for the new Fuel, maybe they didnt like the Remedy being their best "do it all" bike so they just changed the name to Fuel while moving the Remedy brand to something more purpose built. If you take away the name on the frame it could easily pass as an updated Remedy 29er.
Nice photos in those dark dark woods. Good use of lighting. Frame details are a little lost (black on black) but the glossy highlights show up well. Sort of a gothy, Mordor kind of look.
I ran a Remedy 9 29er for the last 18 months or so and just loved the bike. Now picked up a 2017 EX 9.8 Plus and, with a change of wheels to 29, have ended up with something that's just as capable in the rough, a bit lighter, and certainly quicker all round. I'll be keeping the Plus wheels for certain days out, as they do seem to have their merits, it's also quite nice having two pretty different handling choices rolled into one bike....
I have the 8 and thought about getting a 29er wheelset, but I like the plus tires. This bike is more capable and planted than my 2012 Fuel EX 29 on rough trails, and I just ride a Stache 9 on smoother trails.
I feel so sorry they delete Remedy 29 and when T-Mo Tracy Moseley does amazing on Remedy 29.
Looks stupid to me but maybe people in Europe are more conservative and still afraid of 29.
This 29 wheel hate is such a nonsense.
There will be a Remedy 29, has to be. They've replenished all the sizes of the 2016 Remedy 29 and haven't discounted them yet, but the '16 27.5 is.
My guess is they release a remedy 29 and a remedy Plus, the question is when. They don't wpnt to take sales from the new plus bikes or new fuel
@deadtime: "According to Trek, this is part of a push to simplify the buying experience for the consumer. The Remedy’s intended use stays the same – it bridges the gap between Trail and Enduro (leaning more to the latter) – but their interpretation of the right tool for that job is to only offer it in one wheel size."
@patryka: so, that just makes me believe they will debut it as 2018, or a late 2017. I find it hard to believe that the bike that won more awards than any other over the last 3 years would be discontinued. Trek is milking the success of the 2014 & 2015. The bike got too much hype and was cannibalizing the rest of the "Trail" line-up... just a guess. Doesn't matter for me though, I'm ordering a '17 Fuel on Wednesday, 130mm is plenty for where I live/ride - Midwest US.
They have major issues with availability and providing a demo fleet for test rides. Also, when you break a non YT-component you are likely stuck dealing with the manufacturer directly. At least here in the US, "retail" prices are discounted heavily when you show the credit card and if you are willing to barter a little...
Amazing, Trek and Giant come out with longer bikes on the same day, 3 years after the smaller guys like Kona and Transition started doing it. Guess we know how long the design cycle is for the big guys...
@treekilla: timing on dealer release vs public release is usually different.. Gives shops a chance to get bikes in and built before the public release...
Yeah, the smaller they are the more innovative they need to be in order to ship more bikes and avoid just competing on prices and squeeze their margins.
@lumpy873: Yes, we knew 8 days before the public, Bikes arrived exactly 7 days before the public release. I was out riding my new remedy 5 days before the public release
Good to see they haven't addressed their bearings being pressed right into the carbon frame bottom bracket failure situation.
How pumped would you be if your nearly new 10,000 dollar bike had bottom bracket play even though the bb itself is in perfect shape.
Yeah it's your bearings wiggling in the frame.
Yeah they have slightly fatter bearings.
But then those wiggle out too.
@mikekazimer Can we get some investigative journalism done on this subject? Why it's been missed for about 5 years now. Why the customers left holding the bag. It's a significant issue that nobody knows about simply because people aren't looking hard enough and asking the right questions.
Trek's long overdue abandonment of BB90 is the reason I now own several of them.
My experience with BB90 has never been to find a customer with a 10k dollar bike being stuck. However, pretty regularly, frames that were otherwise in perfectly good condition needed to be warrantied due to bottom bracket wallowing. If anything, Trek's owners should have stepped in since they appeared to be loosing so much on warranty support for a failed engineering idea the designers stubbornly clung to.
Interestingly enough, I haven't seen bottom bracket wallowing issues in the latest and previous generation of emonda/madone. It's possible (though doubtful) that the design has been improved/fixed.
@mikekazimer Won't the knock block just break on a hard crash? One of those where the bike flies away and hits something with the front wheel really hard/fast? Since the wheel has 14" or more of leverage, and the block has 1/2"?
@enduroFactory: Obviously, that's a "crash replacement." Probably wouldn't be too expensive on your behalf unless it has been a few months. In that case nothing will fit the new frame because all of the new industry standards have changed.
That Fuel EX 29er looks awesome. And, unfortunately, my skill on a bike is usually below what the bike is actually capable of. So looks is a big deal to me.
I haven't read all the posts, but I'm wondering whether the issues with the persistent knocking in the reAktive shock have been addressed for 2017. I know it was a major issue with the 2016 Fuels. Sure you can take it back to the dealer and have it repaired under warranty, but I heard of some owners having had their reAktiv shocks repaired under warranty multiple times, with the issue re surfacing after another month or two of riding. Mine started playing up on my 2016 EX9 after the first ride. Since there has not been a recall, I've assumed there's no long term solution to the issue. Anyone got any info?
Wow, slightly annoyed at having just ordered a Jeffsy, the geometry on that fuel EX is bang on perfect. Consolation is that the Jeffsy kit will definitely be a lot better for the money, but still: good job Trek!
Got a chance to demo the new Remedy 9.8 on a few trails in the yoop. having a 2015 Remedy 8 (and loving it for my "do it all" bike, I need this new Remedy) I was super impressed with the new Remedy's ability to punch straight up steep rocky & root filled climbs. With it set in the slacker geometry, and the rear shock in "squishy" mode it still stuck to the ground even during out of saddle climbs. it whipped around switch back descents and floated over terrain and jumps like a full out 160mm endure bike, but climbed WAAAY better :-) After the wife lifts my probation from buying bikes, this will be in my stable. Be on the look out for a 2015 Remedy 8 to be posted in the near future on the Buy/Sell forums to make room for the new Remedy! :-)
"Last year's Remedy 27.5 had 140mm of travel, which made it a little more difficult to categorize. It was longer-limbed than many trail bikes, but a little shy of the travel found on all-mountain and enduro race bikes. Things should be easier now, and in keeping with the bigger, slacker, longer theme, the new Remedy has 150mm of travel to go along with its 66-degree head angle."
These are sweet bikes! I am often in Trek Factory store and there's always something to drool on. But Trek is trying really hard to beat Spec at being the most hated company. The amount of bollocks in their marketing is staggering. Boost improves the stiffness of the rear wheel, particularly for super wide rims for plus tyres. But Trek talks about chainstay length. Knock Block saves your lever and your top tube which is a great thing, but they talk about weight to stiffness ratio which is bollocks, particularly on a carbon frame. Ugh... Engineers and designers at Trek make amazing bikes, why is marketing shittin on their hard work?!
I feel like that stop block is a good upgrade for any bike. How many times have I crashed and my bars spun around wrecking housings or tearing brake lines out.
If your bike mechanic has done a good job of sorting out cable lengths crashing and spinning your bars is a far smaller problem than trying to stop this inevitable force from happening.
Clearly accommodating for the room needed for fork dials to clear the down tube is a far better idea.
But hey, bike biz ain't always about better ideas or we'd have noticed some of the over the years.
@jflb: ok however I have noticed some bikes actually suffer from the contact issue already. Some people run their levers lower and they contact the top tube. What's wrong with a device that prevents that? Why do you even want your bars to turn 70-90 degrees anyway? I get that the Trek suffers from the fork hitting the downtube but really, who cares? They put a stop in, what's the big deal? It's not robbing you of anything and actually preventing damage to other parts of your bikes components as well. I may actually make something like this for my bike.
What's the big deal? Something smashing into something else under a great deal of force on your bicycle isn't a big deal? It's gonna cause frames to break. And it will likely be called abuse not warranty. It would have been super easy to make the frame strong enough and clear the fork bumpers. But some idiot got in the way and decided some infinitesimal increase in stiffness was a good way to cover up someone's inability to properly weigh all the parameters. Same as controls smashing the top tube. How hard is it to do a little math and plan around that stuff? Just because some product engineer in Wisconsin can't do x-ups on his trail bike doesn't mean he should stop me from doing them.
@jflb: Yeah clearly Trek wronged you in some way in the past so this conversation is pointless. Whatever they did or didn't do was obviously shitty enough to make you hate them and that sucks for them losing a customer.
@Tmackstab: no this conversation definitely has a point. The point is that somebody or some team of people who don't have their finger on the pulse of mountain biking are out there making stupid decisions that affect the end user. It's not just Trek. It's all of them. And they need to be called on it. Remember when Giant switched all of their mountain bikes upper headsets to 1-1/4" for some 3% gain in stiffness that they noticed improving the ride of their 14 lb. road bikes? Thus forcing everybody to run a specific fork that felt like shit and fit nothing else and made it nearly impossible to get an aftermarket stem that was the right size for their particular situation. And made the fork completely un-sellable if you wanted to upgrade your bike to something better. Where did that idea go? In the trash. Down the toilet. These kinds of ideas need to be called stupid before they reach the market. But hey bolt a sweet block of rubber into a crucial strength area of your bike and see how it goes.
The test with Peaty, T Mo, Rob Warner etc a few weeks back at BPW proved that the 29er Enduro machines were the fastest (if perhaps a little less fun) of the fleet and now Trek do away with theirs. Can't really understand their logic there
i still ride a 2013 fuel ex (26" wheels), it rides pretty well with a 150mm fork, 66º head angle and 40mm stem, would be nice to upgrade to a remedy 9.9 like that, perhaps with a 38t chainring to match the 10-50 eagle cassette
I just picked up the Remedy 9 Race Shop Limited yesterday (ordered it to my local shop 3 days ago). I made all the necessary adjustments to bars, shocks, and other misc. I'm going up to Snow Summit bike park with it tomorrow to give it a thorough ride through. From just knocking around my neighborhood yesterday I did not hit the Knock Block once in the pattern of my steering. I even threw a few 360's to see if it would hit and, like you might guess, no Knock Block hits. I'm worried that the mtb community is turning to a bunch of neo-phobic premadonnas who forgot that innovation is not always a straight line. Not all growth in the industry is going to be a flawless pattern. I cant speak for Trek and their motivation for this design, but they have produced a product that they think the public will like. I personally LOVE the new geometry and the new straight shot tube. It reminds me of growing up riding BMX and the frames I raced on. The frame feels crisp when I yank my 200 lb body into a 360, nose manuals and bonks are on point, and pushing into a few berms down the street I felt nothing but the response of my shocks (not my the frame). I have a Yeti 575 that has a straight shot downtube as well but the extended head tube they implemented to accommodate fork rotation flexes a great deal. Trek took a middle ground here where the head tube between the more classic bend on the bottom tube, and what a few other companies have done to achieve a straight down tube. Yes, I lost my X-ups and on a BMX bike not being able to do barspins or tailwhips would drive me crazy! But I'm not on a BMX bike here and I'm not about to drop a tail whip on my $4.5k bike, and neither are 98% of the people on this forum. Also, the proprietary headsets I fear I might be stuck dealing with if I cant find this "adapter" they mention, scares me a little but that is too small a thing for me to sweat. I think the improvements on this frame warrant the knock block for what is given in trade. I will report back with what I find tomorrow on the trails. One thing is for sure. This Trek Remedy 9 RSL in the "Race Red" is too damn sexy!
@drewbdew: Where to start. The Knock block has been a non-issue in terms of negative effects. So far the industry has released no new necks for the knock block system, but I'm sure that will change in 2017. The knock block has never obstructed me on a turn, or trick (aside from the obvious), it has however saved my bacon a couple times. I have a love of whips like any rider, and on a few occasions when I took the whip too far the knock block gave me some very needed extra leverage to bring the frame back around to the back so I could land straight. I have had two serious crashes already as well and the handle bars/brakes/levers took 0 damage and the knock block tabs did not shear off, nor is the frame showing and signs of ware where the knock block attaches to the frame. I can still slide in some toboggans even if bar spins and tail whips are out of the question. The frame itself is satisfyingly stiff. Where I put the front tire is where the bike goes. The line rims do get a good deal of flex though through the rock gardens at speed, but that's to be expected on a stock wheel set. One thing I have taken note of that I'm not to sure how to feel about yet is the length of the bike. Front of front tire to back of back tire is over 6 feet. This damn thing wont fit in the bed of my truck straight! It is loooong like a school bus. So while blasting steeper trails or just general maneuvering feels great, when you jump this thing or throw a 360 its more like the bike rides you than you ride the bike. It really feels more like a downhill ride than anything. The lyric 160mm is more than comfortable and the re:aktiv rear shock does what they promise, but the pedaling performance is really where it performs. At my local trails I have zero issue going into long steep ascents with the frame geometry either. It is a WAY slack feel, and not as snappy as my Yeti on the climbs, but it certainly keeps up. The part where this thing really shines in on the downhill, no brakes, speed runs. I am so pleased with the feel it takes through rock gardens and some of the nastier turns. And then there are the jumps... I grew up riding 20" bmx bikes with the sole intent of jumping. I have spent my life jumping bikes and am very confident in the experience I have gained in that respect. This thing jumps like a dream! I don't catch any heavy rebound off the lip after a really aggressive pre load from the rear, and when I find myself a little to front heavy on a landing the slack angle of the head tube has never put me over the bars. My one complaint about the bike is that I have a hard time finding that sweet spot position while going through lower and faster berms. I have blown out berms or cut over them entirely a few times having a hard time finding that front end traction I needed. I have to admit though, that has always been a problem of mine. Here are a couple of videos so you can see a little bit of my first person. I can't say it enough, the jumping on this frame is just too good. Sorry it took me so long to get back, I just saw so much activity on this thread I didn't thing any one would care to hear my opinion. In the second video I am wearing the go pro until the end where my budy films me and I am wearing a bright orange shirt. Filmed at Snow Summit bike park.
Is it going to cause any early wear on the chain having such drastic chain lines with these 1x systems? When I look down and see that chain so deviated it freaks me out!
No. The 11th gear and 1st gear are the same distance apart from the 6th gear which is where chainlines measure from to line up to single rings (or middle of triples). Double cranks center on the spider between the two rings.
I can't believe they dropped the Remedy 29er. And long, low and slack doesn't suit everyone on the planet for where / how they ride. Glad I bought my EX 9 with the 2016 geometry, it's perfect for me and where and how I ride.
Still waiting to hear how Fox's GRIP damper compares to FIT4. 2016 was great for the volume trail bikes as they got the same suspension technology as the high end bikes. Trek only gives the FIT4 on the top end Fuel EX.
I have ridden the 34 with FIT4 and now have the Fuel 8 27.5+ with GRIP. Now that the new one is getting broken in, I can't tell a difference really. Both feel very plush and keep the wheel planted.
I wonder if the chainstay will break on these models too... They spend so much r+d trying to come up with these new designs. But they should focus on building a chainstay that's doesn't break. Or maybe there is to much stress through the rest of the suspension linkage. But if they can sort that out, they can have my money again. Until then. I won't be buying another trek. The end.
Iwant my fuel to be a Trail bike not a Remedy. 130 mm, 28,4 lbs for the 9,8, slack head angle.... That s a west coast fuel and I dont want to ride that in the eastern trails. I ride a fuel for many years (3models), and i m very dispointed by this Remefuel 9,8.
So..... The deluxe shock has more negative air volume with better bushing spacing and they've added reaktiv for the Remedy and people want to be hyper-focused on knock block marketing?
Why don't they just design the bike, produce it, and then not tell anyone about it?
I don't know. Trek has some of the best engineers in the business, and some of the worst marketers. I feel like the mtb community is a numbers and fact based group. We objectively weigh the pros and cons of bikes and as such I sometimes think they should pull their nocturnal, pale skinned engineers out of the basement and let them tell us about the bike. I would honestly respect the company far more for that. I think Treks "image", whether it be what they think it should be or what it is, is getting in its own way. Maybe tone down the flashy marketing and focus on telling us about whats new in a simpler way. Also I suspect that the new reaktiv on the Rock Shox is not something they want everyone to focus on because they used to only offer that on Fox and public opinion tends to favor Fox. They switched the tech over to what is perceived to be a cheaper brand and they don't want the public to get hung up on that little detail? I suspect they switched the tech over to Rock Shox because Rock Shox are known for being much simpler to work on (and manufacture) and they are grabbing some savings there but don't want to be that frank with the consumer of course.
@ttrevorbacon: I understand. Still, the merits of a bike are overshadowed here by forum members that are so upset about silly marketing that we rarely get to read what people think about the benefits vs shortcomings of each bike.
It would be nice to read one or two comments about a supposedly useless standard or feature and then actually have a productive conversation about the bike as a whole. Knock block may be unnecessary, but does it severely hurt the performance of the bike? I say call it what it is and then move on. I'd like to read what people think of the bike, not their opinions of the company. Is there a company that cares about you personally? Not likely. They're all in it to get your money, one byproduct is we get to enjoy some good stuff from virtually every industry.
From that article: "Frame designers will be able to choose shock stroke by 2.5mm increments so they can optimize the percent rise, curve and leverage ration of their frame designs."
@iantmcg: We'll have to see how it plays out, but with all the major manufacturers now offering Metric sized shocks, I don't think it will be too much trouble.
@mikekazimer: So if you switch shocks, do you have to find a 230x57.5, or do you buy a 230x60 & a 2.5mm spacer, similar to how you change fork stroke on some brands?
@groghunter: you'll be able to order a couple shock options from RS in 230x57.5.
You are correct in that shocks can change travel with spacers similar to changing a fork's travel (at least the same eye to eye shocks can change stroke within a certain range).
@dcamp2: yea, it was a bit of a leading question, as I was pretty sure you changed stroke via spacers. Was pretty sure I'd read it somewhere, & besides, standardizing sizing in order to reduce part count & complexity doesn't make sense if you turn around & make custom shocks on one of the first bikes announced with your new standard.
I'm betting those 230x57.5 shocks are just SKUs with spacers pre-installed.
@JumboJack: it's not bad bearings. It's the hole the bearings go into. Throw as many perfect bearings into it as you want. The play will still be there.
Fuel ex looks hot on paper. 67 head 130mm travel 433 cs 29er will eat up the ground. .........would prefer pb review the middleish models though that are going to sell the most. $8399usd is out 9f most peoples price range. $3500 to $5000 is more realistic for most and is going to be their main selling range!! .......if only i had a lazy 8.4k tho!
They're doing the reviews on the top end models so that they can review the bike without cheaper components holding it back. It helps everyone because the ceaper models will be the same but just a bit heavier and probably with not as good suspension so by reading reviews of the lower end models comonents, you should be able to know how the lower end models would ride. If the cheaper models were reviewed, you wouldn't know the full capabilities of the bike if there was a cheaper component holding it back.
@NickBosshard: Actually, they are doing the reviews on the bikes provided by Trek. They are at the mercy of Trek via an invite to an on-site product release and ride what is presented to them. PB chose nothing other than to show up, ride and report.
This isn't like Consumer Reports where they buy the vehicle and test it independently of the maker. PB may do that in the future for a full test, but this is a product release. The same goes for every other mag's presentation of these bikes right now.
I don't understand why the fuel 29nr has shorter chainstays then the 27.5 remedy?? Are they saying longer CS is better for a more aggro bike? Surprised only one other comment on this? Would love to ask trek the question?
Longer CS make it more stable at speed in the rough stuff, and will help keep the front wheel planted when climbing. I'm guessing the bigger wheels compensate for the these two things on the Fuel, but yeah I was surprised to see that too, I think the Fuel 29er with a 140mm pike would be the business.
@brendannz: Just checking Treks website, the CS for fuel/Rem are 43.6/43.3 thats low settings for fuel and high for Rem. So it appears PB might have posted incorrect details for the Fuel.
Would anyone like to take a guess how long before Trek drops the knock block and straight shot down tubes off their bikes and comes up with some other gimmick? I'm guessing they'll have a two year run.
Soooooooooo from the looks of metric shock sizing it's even MORE confusing than regular imperial shock sizing was/is. Congrats Mtn bike industry! You've out stupided yourselves once again.
I know like 0% of anyone in general can do tailwhips or barspins, but they're probably the same 0% that would buy a 8400$ bike. Personally doing that for a single crown fork on a bike like that is like putting training wheels on a downhill bike.
bout time they put "effective seat tube angles" last year when the Remedy said 67 degrees for both head tube and seat tube angle I thought it was a mistake.
@treekilla: I have the 16 fuel ex 9.9 and test rode the new one my shop has in for demo..The differences are not that apparent..Then again I slapped a 130mm pike on my 16 ..So that alone slackens the current geo...Still stoked on the current set up..
@charmingbob: That's nice but the video doesn't cover the use of a non-Bontrager Knock Block stem. To quote @mikekazimer "...non-Bontrager are compatible with the Knock Block system as well. All that's required is the installation of a clamping headset spacer and you can install your favorite stem without any trouble."
So, someone, please tell me about the clamping headset spacer for use with a stem other than Bontrager. Thank you.
@coregrind: I don't have one on hand to take a photo of, but it's basically a split headset spacer with a bolt through it that can be cinched down to make sure any spacers and the bearing cap underneath it don't slip. You would keep the bolt loose when tightening the stem top cap to preload the headset, and then tighten the spacer to lock everything into place.
That's a pretty normal price for bikes with those options. Not outrageous when compared to other folks. Not cheap of course.... the reason I'll more than likely be staying aluminum for as far out in the future as I can see.
@onemanarmy: @onemanarmy: Not failure but Santa Cruz has rightly abandoned FD compatibility so they can add 8mm or so to there main pivots. Doesn't sound like much but I bet it has just as much effect on stiffness as going 142 to 148 Boost.
Or for that matter, going from a straight to shaped down tube...
@dcamp2: I don't doubt it. Super nice bikes. I was just saying that they've done all that R&D for the knock block to avoid using a shaped downtube due to stiffness reasons but compromised the main pivot width/stiffness just to make them FD compatible for 5% of riders.
I don't get it...why does the Knock Block 'take tail whips off the table'? DH bike have been coming with steering limiters(for the last couple years both on the frame and on the forks) for years, yet tail whips are obviously quite do-able on them.
Interesting that the 9 and 9.9 RSL get a Lyric on the front.
Unfortunately rather not
Can we get some investigative journalism done on this subject?
Why it's been missed for about 5 years now.
Why the customers left holding the bag.
It's a significant issue that nobody knows about simply because people aren't looking hard enough and asking the right questions.
Trek's long overdue abandonment of BB90 is the reason I now own several of them.
My experience with BB90 has never been to find a customer with a 10k dollar bike being stuck. However, pretty regularly, frames that were otherwise in perfectly good condition needed to be warrantied due to bottom bracket wallowing. If anything, Trek's owners should have stepped in since they appeared to be loosing so much on warranty support for a failed engineering idea the designers stubbornly clung to.
Interestingly enough, I haven't seen bottom bracket wallowing issues in the latest and previous generation of emonda/madone. It's possible (though doubtful) that the design has been improved/fixed.
Cheers!
My Fox 36 upgrade covered that!
Something smashing into something else under a great deal of force on your bicycle isn't a big deal?
It's gonna cause frames to break. And it will likely be called abuse not warranty.
It would have been super easy to make the frame strong enough and clear the fork bumpers. But some idiot got in the way and decided some infinitesimal increase in stiffness was a good way to cover up someone's inability to properly weigh all the parameters.
Same as controls smashing the top tube. How hard is it to do a little math and plan around that stuff?
Just because some product engineer in Wisconsin can't do x-ups on his trail bike doesn't mean he should stop me from doing them.
The point is that somebody or some team of people who don't have their finger on the pulse of mountain biking are out there making stupid decisions that affect the end user.
It's not just Trek.
It's all of them.
And they need to be called on it.
Remember when Giant switched all of their mountain bikes upper headsets to 1-1/4" for some 3% gain in stiffness that they noticed improving the ride of their 14 lb. road bikes?
Thus forcing everybody to run a specific fork that felt like shit and fit nothing else and made it nearly impossible to get an aftermarket stem that was the right size for their particular situation.
And made the fork completely un-sellable if you wanted to upgrade your bike to something better.
Where did that idea go? In the trash.
Down the toilet.
These kinds of ideas need to be called stupid before they reach the market.
But hey bolt a sweet block of rubber into a crucial strength area of your bike and see how it goes.
It's changing to Chuck Norris Boost for 2018
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-1oKYI2H9Q
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly7zEIZ4k9Y
Why don't they just design the bike, produce it, and then not tell anyone about it?
It would be nice to read one or two comments about a supposedly useless standard or feature and then actually have a productive conversation about the bike as a whole. Knock block may be unnecessary, but does it severely hurt the performance of the bike? I say call it what it is and then move on. I'd like to read what people think of the bike, not their opinions of the company. Is there a company that cares about you personally? Not likely. They're all in it to get your money, one byproduct is we get to enjoy some good stuff from virtually every industry.
You are correct in that shocks can change travel with spacers similar to changing a fork's travel (at least the same eye to eye shocks can change stroke within a certain range).
I'm betting those 230x57.5 shocks are just SKUs with spacers pre-installed.
It's the hole the bearings go into. Throw as many perfect bearings into it as you want. The play will still be there.
This isn't like Consumer Reports where they buy the vehicle and test it independently of the maker. PB may do that in the future for a full test, but this is a product release. The same goes for every other mag's presentation of these bikes right now.
Im wondering how much money the frame is. Such a sick bike.
Still enjoy the hell out of my 2012 remedy 26er. Cheers!
Fuel ex
29 9.9 low 67
But the 9.8 fitted with 29'r wheels 66.6?
So, someone, please tell me about the clamping headset spacer for use with a stem other than Bontrager. Thank you.
Great looking bikes though.
So you have issues with frame failure at that point? Just curious.
The stays and main pivot are pretty stout- not a lot of clearance there for more chainrings.
Or for that matter, going from a straight to shaped down tube...
DH bike have been coming with steering limiters(for the last couple years both on the frame and on the forks) for years,
yet tail whips are obviously quite do-able on them.