Trek Fuel EXe 9.7 display problem

[Thegodwit]

I've had my Fuel Exe 9.7 for a couple of months now. After about 5 weeks I took it in to the shop because the display wouldn't turn on unless it was plugged in to the charger. It would stay turned on for about 30 minutes but once it turned off, I was stuck. I live in NZ and have been waiting for several weeks for a new display, which I'm hoping will fix the problem. I was out riding a couple of days ago and met a guy who's having the same problem. He said we were the only two in NZ, which seems like an amazing coincidence. I see some earlier posts about this but I'm wondering how widespread the issue is.

Another problem was that after a couple of weeks of riding, the bike squeaked a lot. The mechanic seemed to fix that with grease.

Apart from those two things, I love the bike, but it's disappointing to get off to a troubled start. I knew I was taking a risk with such new technology, and I'm hoping I haven't made the wrong choice

 

[socal_rider]

That sucks. I hope Trek/TQ gets you sorted out quickly.

I’m having a few little issues too: 4414 error code, a few squeaks, and the lower shock mount loosened up twice now making a clunking sound while riding. Thankfully no motor grinding noises.

I figured a new motor and bike design could have some issues. That’s why I went with a Trek from my local shop. My EXe has been in the shop a few times now. I’m glad I don’t have to drive far to get service.

 

[Free_Tibet]

Hi. I had a "frozen" screen when turning it on after (very carefully) washing the bike (including using masking tape to cover the screen, cable port holes, TQ remote switch etc). The screen looked normal but the TQ remote nor the Display button would do anything. A "10 second reset" did not work. Plugging in the charger had no effect. So I unplugged the battery. After that the system would not start up again (just a very dim purple glow of the screen when the battery was connected).
Took it to Trek store that night. Next day, they said it still would not start up. But 3 days later when the head mechanic came in to have a look at it, it started up first thing! So the thinking being that water did get into "somewhere" and then it eventually dried out after 4 days. Not great to think of water damage eating away at the electronics over time.

We agreed to monitor it for any recurrence. (I have had the bike 5 weeks).

So that is my "screen stuck" story.... but it does sound a different scenario to you.

 

[Thegodwit]

Hi. I had a "frozen" screen when turning it on after (very carefully) washing the bike (including using masking tape to cover the screen, cable port holes, TQ remote switch etc). The screen looked normal but the TQ remote nor the Display button would do anything. A "10 second reset" did not work. Plugging in the charger had no effect. So I unplugged the battery. After that the system would not start up again (just a very dim purple glow of the screen when the battery was connected).
Took it to Trek store that night. Next day, they said it still would not start up. But 3 days later when the head mechanic came in to have a look at it, it started up first thing! So the thinking being that water did get into "somewhere" and then it eventually dried out after 4 days. Not great to think of water damage eating away at the electronics over time.

We agreed to monitor it for any recurrence. (I have had the bike 5 weeks).

So that is my "screen stuck" story.... but it does sound a different scenario to you.

That doesn't sound good. It's a mountain bike, after all, so should be able to cope with a bit of water!

 

[DugT]

That doesn't sound good. It's a mountain bike, after all, so should be able to cope with a bit of water!

I wonder how difficult it would be to remove the entire display and put it in container, like a plastic bag, of rice? That is recommended for cell phones that get submerged. My cell phone got submerged once and I put it in a box of oatmeal. It worked the next day.

On the other hand, I agree that the display should be waterproof.

 

[Free_Tibet]

That doesn't sound good. It's a mountain bike, after all, so should be able to cope with a bit of water!

Indeed. I had painters masking tape over the *whole* display and the "gap" area, folding down over the side of the top tube. So if any water got in under the tape it would be miniscule.

However, as a result, I am wondering if water got in through the 1+ mm gap that exists at the headset? *IF* water did get into / under the headset gap, then potentially it could have dribbled along the inside top surface of the Top tube and ran down into the Display module... maybe. I would like to experiment but am not going to take the risk of any more water ingress (if that was indeed the problem).

It will be damp cloths and a small spray bottle of water for cleaning the bike frame going forward for me.

 

[Mteam]

I wonder how difficult it would be to remove the entire display and put it in container, like a plastic bag, of rice? That is recommended for cell phones that get submerged. My cell phone got submerged once and I put it in a box of oatmeal. It worked the next day.

On the other hand, I agree that the displays should be waterproof.

its easy to remove the screen from the bike, just undo the small torx bolt at the top of the screen that holds the screen to the frame, lift out the screen and unplug the two electrical connectors.

It still shouldnt fail in the first place though. I have put a strip of electrical insulation tape over the main power button area, to try and seal this fully, if water is getting inside the display unit I would guess that this is the most likely route for it to get in, no idea whether this will be effective, but it looks to be well sealed now the tape is in place.

 

[shure2]

I've had my Fuel Exe 9.7 for a couple of months now. After about 5 weeks I took it in to the shop because the display wouldn't turn on unless it was plugged in to the charger. It would stay turned on for about 30 minutes but once it turned off, I was stuck. I live in NZ and have been waiting for several weeks for a new display, which I'm hoping will fix the problem. I was out riding a couple of days ago and met a guy who's having the same problem. He said we were the only two in NZ, which seems like an amazing coincidence. I see some earlier posts about this but I'm wondering how widespread the issue is.

Another problem was that after a couple of weeks of riding, the bike squeaked a lot. The mechanic seemed to fix that with grease.

Apart from those two things, I love the bike, but it's disappointing to get off to a troubled start. I knew I was taking a risk with such new technology, and I'm hoping I haven't made the wrong choice

Could be your physical button on the screen? I believe the bike and/or screen turns off after 15-30 mins, at least my mate who couldn't work out how to turn it off said so as he just left it on.

The screen itself doesn't seem that durable, the layers underneath get pressed together and effect the backlighting if you press anywhere on the display or press the button anywhere but centre without too much force

 

[BuzzCanada]

I have an issue with the motor and Trek Central app. What is happening is that after programming the motor with a new tune and applying it once I disconnect my phone from the bike the motor reverts to a different tune. It is not retaining the new tune. I have tried multiple times to factory reset the bike and it does not change the motor tune at all. It appears as if the motor tune has been locked in and I am only able to use a different tune as long as I have my phone connected to my bike the entire ride. The set and forget function is not working. I have emailed TQ on this issue and not received a reply and called Trek and visited a Trek owned store in Vegas and they were unable to help. Has anyone seen this or is this a function of the new app? I have owned 4 eMTB's and the apps were always set and forget.

 

[Mteam]

I have an issue with the motor and Trek Central app. What is happening is that after programming the motor with a new tune and applying it once I disconnect my phone from the bike the motor reverts to a different tune. It is not retaining the new tune. I have tried multiple times to factory reset the bike and it does not change the motor tune at all. It appears as if the motor tune has been locked in and I am only able to use a different tune as long as I have my phone connected to my bike the entire ride. The set and forget function is not working. I have emailed TQ on this issue and not received a reply and called Trek and visited a Trek owned store in Vegas and they were unable to help. Has anyone seen this or is this a function of the new app? I have owned 4 eMTB's and the apps were always set and forget.

what makes you think its not remembering the tune you have applied via the app? is it because when you disconnect the app the range displayed on the TQ display changes back to what it was with the old/default tune?

 

[BuzzCanada]

what makes you think its not remembering the tune you have applied via the app? is it because when you disconnect the app the range displayed on the TQ display changes back to what it was with the old/default tune?

Yes, It is showing different ranges than what was shown in the app. I have reset the tune to the factory settings in the app and it does not change the ranges as well.

 

[Mteam]

Yes, It is showing different ranges than what was shown in the app. I have reset the tune to the factory settings in the app and it does not change the ranges as well.

right - that doesnt mean it is not remembering your tune. This caught me out as well.

The app calculates range in a much more complex manner and sends the range data to the tq screen, so when the app is connected the tq screen displays the range the app has calculated, when the app is disconnected, the tq screen reverts to its much simpler range calculation which differs significantly from how the app calculates range. For what its worth despite the fluff marketing for the app talking about it using a very complex and accurate range calculation method taking into account terrain topography etc etc, I find the simple tq display range calculations more accurate than the app range calc, but still nowhere near accurate in absolute terms.

The motor is remembering your settings just fine. you can prove this to yourself by creating a tune using the lowest settings, applying it to the bike, disconnect the app and then go for a quick ride with the tq set to display the power values, you will see that it is applying your tune.

 

[BuzzCanada]

I

right - that doesnt mean it is not remembering your tune. This caught me out as well.

The app calculates range in a much more complex manner and sends the range data to the tq screen, so when the app is connected the tq screen displays the range the app has calculated, when the app is disconnected, the tq screen reverts to its much simpler range calculation which differs significantly from how the app calculates range. For what its worth despite the fluff marketing for the app talking about it using a very complex and accurate range calculation method taking into account terrain topography etc etc, I find the simple tq display range calculations more accurate than the app range calc, but still nowhere near accurate in absolute terms.

The motor is remembering your settings just fine. you can prove this to yourself by creating a tune using the lowest settings, applying it to the bike, disconnect the app and then go for a quick ride with the tq set to display the power values, you will see that it is applying your tune.

i'll give it a go. I thought it may be doing something like that.

 

[Roman]

I have an issue with the motor and Trek Central app. What is happening is that after programming the motor with a new tune and applying it once I disconnect my phone from the bike the motor reverts to a different tune. It is not retaining the new tune. I have tried multiple times to factory reset the bike and it does not change the motor tune at all. It appears as if the motor tune has been locked in and I am only able to use a different tune as long as I have my phone connected to my bike the entire ride. The set and forget function is not working. I have emailed TQ on this issue and not received a reply and called Trek and visited a Trek owned store in Vegas and they were unable to help. Has anyone seen this or is this a function of the new app? I have owned 4 eMTB's and the apps were always set and forget.

Hi C.,
thanks for reaching out. We were already out of office when you are awake in Canada. We are having a look at your issue right now, and trying to replicate it. Please have a little bit of patience.
Thanks!

 

[BuzzCanada]

Hi C.,
thanks for reaching out. We were already out of office when you are awake in Canada. We are having a look at your issue right now, and trying to replicate it. Please have a little bit of patience.
Thanks!

Thanks for looking into this. I am basing this assumption on the fact that the ranges the app estimates does not match the ranges the bike estimates when I disconnect the phone. Another member replied and said it may have something to do with the fact the app uses a more complex algorithm to estimate range than the display on its own. If this is the case perhaps an explanation of what is going on would be useful to owners.

 

[Allemattana]

My display stop working after 10 rides. I can’t turn off de bike and the menu always stay in the velocity indicator. It seems the display button has a failure. But the bike still working well. How can I do the 10s reset? Thanks for helping and sorry the bad English!!

 

[The Converted]

I've had my Fuel Exe 9.7 for a couple of months now. After about 5 weeks I took it in to the shop because the display wouldn't turn on unless it was plugged in to the charger. It would stay turned on for about 30 minutes but once it turned off, I was stuck. I live in NZ and have been waiting for several weeks for a new display, which I'm hoping will fix the problem. I was out riding a couple of days ago and met a guy who's having the same problem. He said we were the only two in NZ, which seems like an amazing coincidence. I see some earlier posts about this but I'm wondering how widespread the issue is.

Another problem was that after a couple of weeks of riding, the bike squeaked a lot. The mechanic seemed to fix that with grease.

Apart from those two things, I love the bike, but it's disappointing to get off to a troubled start. I knew I was taking a risk with such new technology, and I'm hoping I haven't made the wrong choice

I had exactly the same issue in NZ, display replacement fixed it until a different issue with the new display started just today where it will just cycle on/off. I believe this was likely water getting in through the button/display edges.

There are quite a number of returns through the store I go to and they have more displays on order… which doesn’t help me today…

Otherwise the bike has been great but at what point will a new display be manufactured that solves the issues.

 

[AndyH123]

I've had my Fuel Exe 9.7 for a couple of months now. After about 5 weeks I took it in to the shop because the display wouldn't turn on unless it was plugged in to the charger. It would stay turned on for about 30 minutes but once it turned off, I was stuck. I live in NZ and have been waiting for several weeks for a new display, which I'm hoping will fix the problem. I was out riding a couple of days ago and met a guy who's having the same problem. He said we were the only two in NZ, which seems like an amazing coincidence. I see some earlier posts about this but I'm wondering how widespread the issue is.

Another problem was that after a couple of weeks of riding, the bike squeaked a lot. The mechanic seemed to fix that with grease.

Apart from those two things, I love the bike, but it's disappointing to get off to a troubled start. I knew I was taking a risk with such new technology, and I'm hoping I haven't made the wrong choice

Hi, Did you get a fix for this? This happened to me this weekend. it wouldn’t power up using the button unless I connected the charger cable. I could use the button to turn it off however. And to make matters worse I tried pressing the button quite hard with my thumb and then the screen cracked Were you able to ride? I had to do the whole ride without any power as I didn’t have the charger cable with me when I joined some friends for a ride
I’ll be in touch with my shop I purchased from after the weekend, hoping the fix isn’t too hard and I don’t need to wait a long time for any parts.
Thanks!

 

[The Converted]

Hi, Did you get a fix for this? This happened to me this weekend. it wouldn’t power up using the button unless I connected the charger cable. I could use the button to turn it off however. And to make matters worse I tried pressing the button quite hard with my thumb and then the screen cracked Were you able to ride? I had to do the whole ride without any power as I didn’t have the charger cable with me when I joined some friends for a ride
I’ll be in touch with my shop I purchased from after the weekend, hoping the fix isn’t too hard and I don’t need to wait a long time for any parts.
Thanks!

The screen replacement takes minutes as it’s one screw and plug and play. More has been replaced (2nd time different issue) and I’m yet to test it on a long ride etc but there appears to be no time when issues occur, but potentially after washing. Still waiting on Trek to advise on what the issue actually is, if there is a permanent fix and when.

 

[Stuker]

hi All ive got the screen issue on my 9.7 as well. It's intermittent in that it only happens occasionally. The screen / bike will not turn on using the physical button but does turn on once you plug the power cable in. The bike then runs and rides fine and even turns off from the physical button. It might then com back on from the physical button as well but it's a bit of a lottery. It's off to the LBS tomorrow to hopefully have a new screen fitted which should hopefully fix it. will post here with udpates.

 

[AndyH123]

hi All ive got the screen issue on my 9.7 as well. It's intermittent in that it only happens occasionally. The screen / bike will not turn on using the physical button but does turn on once you plug the power cable in. The bike then runs and rides fine and even turns off from the physical button. It might then com back on from the physical button as well but it's a bit of a lottery. It's off to the LBS tomorrow to hopefully have a new screen fitted which should hopefully fix it. will post here with udpates.

Hi, I had my screen replaced under warranty. I’m not sure what the actual problem was, but I sent a video of what was happening to my shop I purchased from, and trek sent a new screen, it was fitted last week and all working fine so far.

 

[Stuker]

hi All ive got the screen issue on my 9.7 as well. It's intermittent in that it only happens occasionally. The screen / bike will not turn on using the physical button but does turn on once you plug the power cable in. The bike then runs and rides fine and even turns off from the physical button. It might then com back on from the physical button as well but it's a bit of a lottery. It's off to the LBS tomorrow to hopefully have a new screen fitted which should hopefully fix it. will post here with udpates.

hi again screen replaced under warranty at LBS. All fine now turns on and off like it should . it's a quick job to replace the screen as others have said. The lead time on the screen actually getting to the shop from trek is what take the longest

 

[BuzzCanada]

Sadly I've joined the ranks of folks who's bike no longer turns on , or turns on intermittently. I can plug it in to the charger so it turns on but whether it turns on again is another question. Extremely frustrating as I got back in town from work and have 2 weeks to ride ( I ride almost everyday) only to find this. LBS started a warranty claim and I now at the mercy of Trek. Hopefully my LBS/Trek make this right for me and Trek stands on their head otherwise it's going to be a pretty crappy 2 weeks without my bike. I have to say my relationship with this bike has been a love hate. I absolutely love riding it...... when it's not creaking or grumbling down the trail. I've owned many MTB's and now 5 ebikes and I have to say this bike has been nothing but a Jekyll and Hyde for me. Anyone have any hacks for turning the bike on without the charger and would be happy to hear. Thanks again.

 

[Thegodwit]

The shop replaced my screen under warranty and it's been fine since, although sometimes the lit-up bars look a little faint. The same thing has just happened to a friend whose bike is only a few months old. I think Trek need to front up and admit there's a problem with the display on these bikes.

On another matter, I've been waiting nearly a year for a range extender. Has anyone else had that problem?

 

[Mteam]

Sadly I've joined the ranks of folks who's bike no longer turns on , or turns on intermittently. I can plug it in to the charger so it turns on but whether it turns on again is another question. Extremely frustrating as I got back in town from work and have 2 weeks to ride ( I ride almost everyday) only to find this. LBS started a warranty claim and I now at the mercy of Trek. Hopefully my LBS/Trek make this right for me and Trek stands on their head otherwise it's going to be a pretty crappy 2 weeks without my bike. I have to say my relationship with this bike has been a love hate. I absolutely love riding it...... when it's not creaking or grumbling down the trail. I've owned many MTB's and now 5 ebikes and I have to say this bike has been nothing but a Jekyll and Hyde for me. Anyone have any hacks for turning the bike on without the charger and would be happy to hear. Thanks again.

A lot of people say that the display will turn on if you just plug the charger in to the bike,but the charger itself doesn't need to be connected to mains power, so just take the charger block with you, a bit of a pain,but not as bad as not riding.

 

[Mteam]

The shop replaced my screen under warranty and it's been fine since, although sometimes the lit-up bars look a little faint. The same thing has just happened to a friend whose bike is only a few months old. I think Trek need to front up and admit there's a problem with the display on these bikes.

On another matter, I've been waiting nearly a year for a range extender. Has anyone else had that problem?

Range extenders seem to be available now,I got mine a few weeks ago.

 

[Thegodwit]

I'm in New Zealand so perhaps that explains it.

 

[ohiomoto]

This happened to my wife's bike. I removed the battery for the winter and the power button no longer works after reinstalling the battery. It's fine if I plug the charger in to "wake" the screen.

The battery was removed from my bike for the winter without issue.

Edit: The screen was replaced by Trek under warranty.

 

[Mr. Breeze]

I've joined the club. My shop is going to see what they can get from TQ and/or Trek. No ETA on a replacement display.

 

[backtosage]

I've unfortunately plagued with electronic issues with my Trek fuel EXE 9.8, 2023 purchase. First my battery died after about 10 rides, then this spring in the early days of the season, my display acted up and my motor was not functioning properly. It would display no watts when riding or there was no power then suddenly surging on, or getting stuck on one power level or blanking out all together yet having power to motor. This has been frustrating and unless you capture this on video the shop is unlikely to buy in unless they experience the same. Now it's in the shop for a display replacement. Once again in prime riding season, before the heat, I'm without a bike. I know this isn't the shops problem but geez, it sure would be nice if they had a loaner bike. If this type of electronic issue continues and it actually is a motor issue then I'm going after Trek for a new bike!