Bike Check: Vali Höll's Trek Fuel EX - Sea Otter 2021

Oct 11, 2021
by Trevor Lyden  

Vali and her Trek Fuel EX.
BIKE CHECK
VALI HÖLL'S
Trek Fuel EX
Photography by Trevor Lyden

2021 UCI World Cup Champion Vali Höll is currently taking a multi-week trip around the US and decided to swing by Sea Otter for some racing action. The bike she chose to bring on this victory tour is her Trek Fuel EX. Vali says this is one bike that can really do it all, from dual slalom, downhill and even full-day pedals.

During Leogang World Cup DH Round 3 - Photo by Sven Martin
Valentina Höll
Age: 19
Hometown: Saalbach, Austria
Instagram: @valihoell

Details
Frame: Trek Fuel EX, size M/L - 140 mm rear travel
Shock: Rock Shox Super Deluxe Air
Fork: Rock Shox Pike Ultimate - 140 mm travel
Wheels: DT Swiss 1200
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF / DHR II
Drivetrain: SRAM AXS Eagle
Brakes: SRAM Guide G2
Cockpit: Truvativ Descendant bars 760mm width - Descendant 40mm stem
Seatpost: Sram Reverb AXS
More info: Trek Fuel EX

185 Sram rotors

DT Swiss 1200 hoops

AXS dropper.
AXS dropper.

Ergon saddle.
Ergon saddle.

Crank Brothers mallet pedals.
Crank Brothers mallet pedals.

XO1 Drivetrain.
XO1 Drivetrain.

Rock Shox Air Deluxe shock.
Rock Shox Super Deluxe shock set to 30% sag.

DT Swiss wheelset.
DT Swiss wheelset.

Rock Shox Pike Ultimate.
Rock Shox Pike Ultimate.

40mm Truvativ stem.
40mm Truvativ stem.

G2 brakes.
Guide G2 brakes.

Sram AXS shifter.
Sram AXS shifter and Ergon grips.


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks Trail Bikes Trek Trek Fuel Ex Vali Holl Sea Otter 2021 PBWMN


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48 Comments

  • 65 4
 Minolink in high or low position?
Stock bike is 130mm , only longer shock is needed?? Tokens?? Pressures??
What is she carrying in the tacos compartiment???
Tires, how wide and Exo or Exo+ ??? Inserts???
Weight of bike? ‍♂️

And no video???
  • 13 0
 Also, "Ergon saddle" is super descriptive.
  • 5 0
 Yeah! How do you get 10mm more travel on this bike? Or is this just an editing mistake.
  • 2 0
 @zstover: I am not sure on this bike specifically, but it is possible to do w/o changing geo by using a shock with the same eye-to-eye but more stroke. For example, the Kona Process 153 G2 took a 205x60, but you could make it a 165 by putting in a 205x65
  • 47 1
 Exactly, this isn't a "bike check" it's a "look what sponsors she has check". Thumbs down for this one Pinkbike! Do it right or not at all!
Give me my last minute back! and I even wrote this!
  • 2 17
flag deadtime (Oct 11, 2021 at 6:55) (Below Threshold)
 @zstover: Fuel EX has been 140 for at least a couple years.
  • 6 0
 @deadtime: Not according to their website - only 130 in the rear.
  • 3 0
 @zstover: I reckon editing mistake. Trek's site says the standard shock is 210x55 - I believe that's the longest stroke possible on the 210 shock length..
  • 2 25
flag danstonQ (Oct 11, 2021 at 8:48) (Below Threshold)
 Who cares? This bike is tasteless and boring anyway.
  • 4 0
 @philstone: an editing mistake on pinkbike????? No way!?!.
  • 3 0
 Gotta be a mistake, as sram doesn’t make 185mm rotors anymore either
  • 2 0
 @grotesquesque: yeah, I even tried looking at Ergon’s site and couldn’t figure out the model.
  • 3 0
 @grotesquesque: Saddle is a SM Women in Team branding Smile
  • 1 0
 @ergonbike: Thanks for the response!
  • 24 1
 impressive how they made 185 sram rotors look like one single rotor
  • 9 2
 Wording reads like a Trek advertisement! lol
But yeah, bunch of photos of a bike these days doesn't constitute a "Bike Check".
Nice bike though...
  • 10 1
 It's basically few pictures, not a bike check...
  • 2 0
 I believe the rocker linkage is slightly different than the one on my 2021 Fuel EX 9.9. That’s likely how she’s getting the extra 10mm of travel. It looks like the seatstays have slightly less leverage on the damper, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me.
  • 3 0
 Excuse me… I misspoke. I should have said “slightly more leverage on the damper…” Sorry for my confusion. I do think it’s a different rocker link though, even if only slightly.
  • 4 0
 Should now bikechecks come with co2 sticker? Average joe bought model 7 with 120ks of co2, to sponsored athletes run 210kg co2 bike to hit 1 place
  • 3 0
 On another note, anyone know if they are ever releasing a 200mm+ Reverb AXS?
  • 3 0
 Yes please!!! Can't believe they still haven't when likes of BikeYoke and OneUp have over 200!
  • 4 1
 They should sell that spec with a non axs option. I think it would be a very popular version
  • 4 2
 I notice an absence of Bontrager parts (wheels and dropper post in particular). It's like Trek is saying their products aren't up to spec with the higher end stuff.
  • 10 0
 It's probably because she's not part of the Trek factory team, Trek is just the frame sponsor of the team that she's on. (I think)
  • 1 0
 How old is Vali? In this article it says she's 19, in the list of Sea Otter DH race results it claims she's 20.
www.pinkbike.com/news/results-downhill-sea-otter-2021.html
  • 3 0
 I genuinely want to know how this bike has 140mm rear travel.
  • 3 0
 Cool
  • 1 0
 this is cool i have a fuel ex with the same fork and shock. im very pro apparently.
  • 1 0
 Pretty neat setup! But 30% sag in the shock for a dual slalom race? How does she make that work?? Lol
  • 2 1
 Looks like a top fuel
  • 3 3
 Did she ride this for the Sea Otter “DH?”
  • 4 1
 Exactly. More like a 1-stage enduro... but the good thing is everyone knows this and everyone seems to have a blast anyway so whatever.
  • 3 0
 @pourquois-pas: Exactly. You can only ride 'down' what nature gives you, and everyone still likes to race each other regardless of the conditions.
  • 2 2
 That a 27.5 or 29?
  • 5 1
 Trek Fuel EX is a 29er in size M/L.
  • 1 1
 @tpfenning: would be interesting to know here though as often for slalom people run 27.5 even if the frame is 29
  • 5 0
 @Joebohobo: Right, but the picture of the rear end shows 29x2.40WT on the tire, so she may swap out for events, but she is running 29er as pictured.
  • 2 0
 @tpfenning:

Didn’t spot that on my phone - thanks!
  • 1 0
 @Joebohobo: No problem! I only know because I had the same question and also couldn't see it on my phone. Found it once I switched to my desktop.
  • 7 7
 You're shit at this.
  • 3 2
 Dude, chill.
  • 5 1
 @extratalldirtrider: Fairly chill but this is a waste of time. Where's her height / weight and how these things informed her choice of frame size, bar width etc?
  • 1 0
 @Bustedflush: fair enough.
  • 2 4
 What are the carbon emissions from that bike though?
  • 6 1
 I mean, considering how far she flew to get there it would have been less carbon to have a bike on every race continent
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