Trek Slash RSL or Trek Fuel EX 9.8

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Trek Slash RSL or Trek Fuel EX 9.8
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flag danctil11
O+
Posted: Nov 3, 2018 at 10:43 Quote
I ride hard at everything I do. Up, Down or XC
Primarily I ride XC - Park City based so Mid mountain, Flying Dog, Coyote loop etc 500 + miles this year.
That said, I also plan to enter some Enduro races next year, and I do shuttle / Deer Valley from time to time

I'm currently torn between a Slash RSL and a Fuel EX with new Fox 36 Float on the front.
My heart is on the Slash, but I afraid it won't ride XC / climb as efficiently as I would like, and perhaps the Fuel EX will be the better choice ?

What do you guys think ? Is the Slash a good enough contender with adjustments to the mino link, Talas fork ect to satisfy what I ride ?

Thanks
flag Austink
Posted: Nov 3, 2018 at 12:00 Quote
Get the bike for what you ride most of the time. To me that sounds like the fuel ex. At the end of the day pedaling a 150mm bike just won’t be that fun on xc trails.

Not all enduro races are super gnarly either. I have raced stages where a 130mm bike would have been ideal as they were really pedal heavy. Naturally there may be some wicked stages, but with a litle finesse and riding cautiously, a 130mm bike would be fine.
flag MRO1
Posted: Nov 8, 2018 at 6:37 Quote
Put a 150mm fork on the Fuel for the best of both worlds
flag swedishfishmx
O+
Posted: Nov 8, 2018 at 10:25 Quote
danctil11 wrote:
I ride hard at everything I do. Up, Down or XC
Primarily I ride XC - Park City based so Mid mountain, Flying Dog, Coyote loop etc 500 + miles this year.
That said, I also plan to enter some Enduro races next year, and I do shuttle / Deer Valley from time to time

I'm currently torn between a Slash RSL and a Fuel EX with new Fox 36 Float on the front.
My heart is on the Slash, but I afraid it won't ride XC / climb as efficiently as I would like, and perhaps the Fuel EX will be the better choice ?

What do you guys think ? Is the Slash a good enough contender with adjustments to the mino link, Talas fork ect to satisfy what I ride ?

Thanks

I had the same decision to make and went with the Slash. We have a lot of bigger drops to flat in KC and I just felt that the 160/150 travel of the Slash was going to offer a better experience. Plus NWA is only a 3 hour drive. If you primarily ride XC that isn't aggressive or chunky, I would stick with the Fuel. If your trails are like the stuff here in KC (chucky, rooty, super technical, etc) you may consider getting the Slash.

I rode both the Fuel 29er and Slash multiple times before making the choice. For me the Slash pedaled up some of the gnarlier stuff easier because of the higher BB height. I'm sure longer mellower climbs are better on the Fuel because of it being lighter and having a slightly better pedaling platform, but we don't have any hills that are long.

I also didn't want to spend the money on modifying the Fuel with a 150mm Fox 36, thus voiding the warranty.

In the end I made my decision with the Slash and other than a few XC trails I feel the Slash is the bike for me.

I leave the Slash in the slackest mode because flipping the mino link left me feeling like I was riding above the bike and not in it.
flag lunker8
FL
Posted: Nov 8, 2018 at 11:20 Quote
I've been on a fuel with a 150 36 all season and it has impressed me a lot. The fork has the mrp ramp control in it so with it set up with a very soft small bump it sags at around 145mm. I haven't noticed any drawbacks on the trail except having to scoot forward on the saddle a bit. The full floater really does stretch that 130 rear into feeling like more. I haven't had a hard bottom this season and i've been running between 30-33% sag.
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