Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

[Shades]

I managed to snag myself a 9.7 yesterday. A small Galactic Grey to Black Fade. The battery clip was missing, but my LBS has ordered one for me. Managed to take it for a spin today and it performs very nice uphill. I found myself turning off the assist completely on the narrower paths, to not spin. Probably need to adjust the settings a bit.

I like that it was so easy to connect my Garmin to it, too.

I really need to practice more...

It would be fun to see how you all have done the assist setup?

 

[BuzzCanada]

My 9.7 arrives Monday, but I desperately want to wrap it before I ride it. Problem is, I can't find any size small frame wrap kits in the UK! Can anyone help please..?

Ridewrap in Canada. They will mail it out immediately.

 

[four_seven]

I managed to snag myself a 9.7 yesterday. A small Galactic Grey to Black Fade. The battery clip was missing, but my LBS has ordered one for me. Managed to take it for a spin today and it performs very nice uphill. I found myself turning off the assist completely on the narrower paths, to not spin. Probably need to adjust the settings a bit.

I like that it was so easy to connect my Garmin to it, too.

I really need to practice more...

It would be fun to see how you all have done the assist setup?

View attachment 102211

I can’t remember who here suggested it , but a bunch of us have now set up all modes to 300w max but different assist levels, which I’m really liking - and hasn’t really affected range for me. (Edit - Eco and Mid have the Pedal Response maxed out, High is the only one which isn't, which is why I screenshotted that - also I don't have full battery so ignore the range numbers)

 

[Emailsucks98]

Good tip, I'm gonna try that!

 

[az2au]

The Max Power on every mode is the best tip I've gotten. I almost never take mine out of Eco because of it. Even on very steep climbs. The only time I use High is when I'm late getting home and am off the trails and on regular roads. Even with that setting, if you push like I usually am in those cases, you'll still get a great workout.

 

[samwilk200]

I can’t remember who here suggested it , but a bunch of us have now set up all modes to 300w max but different assist levels, which I’m really liking - and hasn’t really affected range for me. (Edit - Eco and Mid have the Pedal Response maxed out, High is the only one which isn't, which is why I screenshotted that - also I don't have full battery so ignore the range numbers)

View attachment 102215

Any reason High Mode doesnt have assist maxed out at 200%?

 

[four_seven]

Any reason High Mode doesnt have assist maxed out at 200%?

To be honest I’d rather have the extra range. Though in saying that I’m not often in High mode

 

[Mteam]

I think the default eco mode that the motor ships with is set to too high assist amount for flatish riding, so you end up chewing through the battery too quick, dropping the assist down to 50-60% (similar to above)means the battery lasts a lot longer on flat road transfers etc.

below are my settings - I think I have found my optimum setup for mid and high, but I'm still fiddling with eco mode, I may increase the max power of eco and see if that enables me to stay in eco longer when going up steeper hills, but equally not chew through the battery on flat road sections.

 

[Tolyho]

Try retorquing the lower shock bolt. I’ve had this happen twice already. The bolt wasn’t loose. It just wasn’t tight enough to pinch the lower shock bushing.

Checking in to see if this has occurred a third or more times for you. I just dropped mine by the shop after addressing the loosening bolt over 7 times. Lower shock bolt can be torqued to 15nm and the play disappears to the simply "pick up by the seat" test but I can hold the rear wheel down while pulling up on the seat/frame and have a feeler on the lower part of the shock where the bolt passes through and feel it move in place. 15nm and slowly tried 16nm for no difference. Loosens every ride now.

 

[Swingset]

Checking in to see if this has occurred a third or more times for you. I just dropped mine by the shop after addressing the loosening bolt over 7 times. Lower shock bolt can be torqued to 15nm and the play disappears to the simply "pick up by the seat" test but I can hold the rear wheel down while pulling up on the seat/frame and have a feeler on the lower part of the shock where the bolt passes through and feel it move in place. 15nm and slowly tried 16nm for no difference. Loosens every ride now.

17Nm has done it for me

 

[FWK]

Hi all, newbie here, been running a 9.7 in NZ for a couple of months, loving it, took a while to get suspension dialed, but once sorted it rides great.
Have just had the display failure, getting sorted with warranty replacement, but along with this failure came a strange resistance when pushing the bike backwards, I thought this might be normal but hadn’t noticed before, but it’s quite a strong resistance. Popped into bike shop and pushed a floor model exe backwards and was little to no resistance.
Any one had this? Is it related to the display failure? I’m assuming this won’t miraculously fix when the new display arrives.
I did show to shop when getting display removed but they didn’t really think much of it, but I’m starting to get a bit worried about it.

 

[Mteam]

Hi all, newbie here, been running a 9.7 in NZ for a couple of months, loving it, took a while to get suspension dialed, but once sorted it rides great.
Have just had the display failure, getting sorted with warranty replacement, but along with this failure came a strange resistance when pushing the bike backwards, I thought this might be normal but hadn’t noticed before, but it’s quite a strong resistance. Popped into bike shop and pushed a floor model exe backwards and was little to no resistance.
Any one had this? Is it related to the display failure? I’m assuming this won’t miraculously fix when the new display arrives.
I did show to shop when getting display removed but they didn’t really think much of it, but I’m starting to get a bit worried about it.

Mine has a fair bit of resistance when pushing backwards, it's similar to how my other ebike feels when you push it backwards, that bike has a Bosch gen4 motor. I figure it's normal because when the chainring is running in reverse it cant disengage the motor mechanism,so you are running the entire motor mechanism when you push it backwards.

That doesn't explain how the bike you pushed backwards in the shop didn't have any resistance,but I'm not concerned I reckon it's normal.

 

[socal_rider]

Checking in to see if this has occurred a third or more times for you. I just dropped mine by the shop after addressing the loosening bolt over 7 times. Lower shock bolt can be torqued to 15nm and the play disappears to the simply "pick up by the seat" test but I can hold the rear wheel down while pulling up on the seat/frame and have a feeler on the lower part of the shock where the bolt passes through and feel it move in place. 15nm and slowly tried 16nm for no difference. Loosens every ride now.

Funny you should ask. I think I’m starting to feel a tiny bit play starting as of yesterday’s ride. It’s nowhere near as bad as it has been. I’m keeping an eye on it.

That sucks you’ve had to deal with this so many times. If mine loosens again, I’m going to completely loosen the bolt and see if I can measure a gap. If I can, then maybe a thin washer can be inserted. Or I wonder if Fox offers + size mounting hardware just this situation.

 

[Emailsucks98]

Checking in to see if this has occurred a third or more times for you. I just dropped mine by the shop after addressing the loosening bolt over 7 times.

Tightening the shock bolt is NOT the fix for vertical play. Sounds like you need to replace the DU bushing at minimum, possibly all shock hardware at the lower pivot to get the horizontal tolerances correct. Good thing that's inexpensive ($15-20).

It'd be great to know if these issues are with the Rockshox or Fox shocks & hardware, since the bushings & hardware typically come with the shocks.

EDIT: I saw on FB that some 9.7s with Fox Shocks had them warrantied, for the eyelets being out of tolerance.

My rockshox hardware (w/bronze DU bushing) has been fine, and I swapped that hardware over to an Ohlins shock.

 

[WNH]

@Dave_B - have you had enough seat time on the EXe to compare its power to the Levo SL?

There are times on the SL where a bit more torque would be appreciated, especially at low rpm.
I'd expect more boost from the EXe since it's listed as 50Nm vs. 35Nm for the SL, a 42% increase.
That said, peak output of the EXe is given as 300W and I've measured 284W on my SL.

It would be nice to see the power vs. rpm curves of the two bikes for comparison.

I did a direct comparison with my friends Levo SL today, me riding my Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 XT. The plan was (originally) to watch his face light up with the difference in power. Instead, he and I both realized the second we swapped, that the SL feels way more powerful (torque wise) on flat and moderate grades, giving you that "break" before you charge in to something steep. Once on the steep inclines, the 2 bikes felt very simular, with the Trek feeling a little more nimble. I was tailing him before we swapped, and immediately passed him once we swapped. I love my Trek, but that was a very unexpected and slightly disappointing moment.

 

[KevinNY]

Tightening the shock bolt is NOT the fix for vertical play. Sounds like you need to replace the DU bushing at minimum, possibly all shock hardware at the lower pivot to get the horizontal tolerances correct. Good thing that's inexpensive ($15-20).

It'd be great to know if these issues are with the Rockshox or Fox shocks & hardware, since the bushings & hardware typically come with the shocks.

EDIT: I saw on FB that some 9.7s with Fox Shocks had them warrantied, for the eyelets being out of tolerance.

My rockshox hardware (w/bronze DU bushing) has been fine, and I swapped that hardware over to an Ohlins shock.

I had the same day-one experience with a noticeable clunk on the lower eyelet of my Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate, and I didn't know this affected all other models.

I took the shock off, and there was noticeable play with just a bolt inserted into the shock.

On the FB post you saw for Fox, do you know if the warranty is from Fox or Trek themselves?

Not sure if I should raise this with Rockshox or Trek.

Tightening the bolt to spec removed the clunk, but it's still disappointing that, for all this money, the tolerances are not perfect.

 

[levity]

Hmm, mrs levity and I have had a different experience than @WNH describes above. We've had our EXe 9.7 bikes for 3 months and over 500 miles, so we have a pretty good comparison with the Levo SL bikes we've owned for two years and about 3,000 miles. We've done many of the same rides in a variety of different terrain conditions. We find that the EXe power comes on stronger at lower rpm (<60rpm), and it seems about the same or better at higher rpm (80-100rpm). We especially appreciate the low end torque of the TQ motor in technical situations. Could the difference @WNH felt be due to different assist and max power settings? The EXe is certainly no weaker than the SL at settings we like to use. It does seem like we get a bit less range/elevation out of the EXe compared to the SL, maybe 5-10% less, but this could be due to the extra power delivered at low rpm.

Bottom line is that the EXe has become our favored emtb. The whisper quiet motor is part of that, but the improved low-end torque curve is the main factor. We've converted our SLs to "street duty" with narrower bars, wheels, and tires, and lowered the fork and rear suspension.

 

[Streddaz]

I did a direct comparison with my friends Levo SL today, me riding my Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 XT. The plan was (originally) to watch his face light up with the difference in power. Instead, he and I both realized the second we swapped, that the SL feels way more powerful (torque wise) on flat and moderate grades, giving you that "break" before you charge in to something steep. Once on the steep inclines, the 2 bikes felt very simular, with the Trek feeling a little more nimble. I was tailing him before we swapped, and immediately passed him once we swapped. I love my Trek, but that was a very unexpected and slightly disappointing moment.

I have and Levo SL and took a Trek EXe for a demo the other weekend and rode the two around a loop back to back, both in Turbo/Max and did notice a little bit more assistance with the Trek but not a huge amount. Both bikes felt very similar but the Trek was so quiet, it was a nice bike to ride, and the power delivery was quite similar and natural like the SL.

 

[Swingset]

I had the same day-one experience with a noticeable clunk on the lower eyelet of my Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate, and I didn't know this affected all other models.

I took the shock off, and there was noticeable play with just a bolt inserted into the shock.

On the FB post you saw for Fox, do you know if the warranty is from Fox or Trek themselves?

Not sure if I should raise this with Rockshox or Trek.

Tightening the bolt to spec removed the clunk, but it's still disappointing that, for all this money, the tolerances are not perfect.

In a previous post I documented all the play in the lower shock mount. The Igus bushings on the lower shaft eyelet are interference fit on the Fox. The only clearance is the hole in the frame and the bolt outside diameter and the bolt OD and the shock spacer. Total is about .005" which feels like a bunch at the rear wheel. The spacer length and distance in the frame shock mount clevis is line to line. The end of the shock shaft has to be clamped. It will bias the play in the compression direction and the friction should be enough in the rebound direction to not rattle. I had the dealer incrementally torque it up to document the value in the case something broke or there is a warranty issue later on. The only thing that can fail is the oblong nut in my opinion. My value was 17Nm which is working fine.

If the spacer is short relative to the frame clevis a very thin washer could be used- but would be a complete pain in the ass to install.

I don't think RS or Fox have any dog in this fight. The lower shock bushings are very reliable and that joint is almost universal on any bike the past twenty years- its proven.

 

[WNH]

I think that comparing the default Turbo/Max level settings of both bikes doesn't provide much useful information because the Turbo/Max level settings of either one can easily be adjusted to be higher or lower assistance.

My only intention was to provide (@Dave_B) my personal, non scientific, rudimentary A-B quick test regarding his open query. Also, both bikes were not default Turbo/Max. Both were adjusted full power through their respective apps. I enjoyed hearing others opinions and just wanted to share mine.

 

[az2au]

I have a Levo SL and Fuel EXe in my garage right now (not much longer for the Levo as I've sold it and am just waiting for the box to ship). I think you have to dial in your settings to make them similar or they can seem very different.

Either way, it is no comparison for me. There's not a single thing I like better about the Levo than the EXe and there are a number of things I like more about the EXe.

 

[Emailsucks98]

I took the shock off, and there was noticeable play with just a bolt inserted into the shock.

On the FB post you saw for Fox, do you know if the warranty is from Fox or Trek themselves?

That's not right, shock hardware should definitely be an interference fit into the bushing.

On FB, I believe it was the Aus EXe board, a few people had their Fox shocks warrantied through Trek dealers. Eyelets being out of tolerance was reported, but who knows. I think you would want to go through Trek who will expedite the warranty from Fox (if needed).

In case it helps: When I bought the Ohlins TTX1, it came with a white Igus bushing, which I assume was the Fox standard. The hardware off my Trek was a very sloppy fit, so I removed the igus bushing and pressed in a standard bronze DU bushing (these seem to be the Rockshox standard)- perfect fit. I think 99% of the time, the shock & frame are within tolerances, and any issues are really the result of a mismatch between bushings and shock hardware. I'd certainly try a new DU bushing and $10 hardware kit before a warranty that could take weeks.

 

[DugT]

How to get a replacement upper shock bolt? This is for the 9.8 RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ RT. Trek says they are backordered and they don't know when they will get more. Is this a Trek frame part or a RockShox part? I'm wondering if I should try to get the bolt from Rockshox? It is part 1 in the picture. My LBS broke mine on November 3 so I am starting to get concerned, disappointed, annoyed, angry.....etc.

View attachment 101870

Trek USA has them in stock now in one of their USA warehouses.

 

[levity]

My only intention was to provide (@Dave_B) my personal, non scientific, rudimentary A-B quick test regarding his open query. Also, both bikes were not default Turbo/Max. Both were adjusted full power through their respective apps. I enjoyed hearing others opinions and just wanted to share mine.

I get it. These are all "seat-of-the-pants" impressions, not accurate measurements.
In any case it's all good as long as you're happy with whatever bike you choose.

 

[WNH]

I get it. These are all "seat-of-the-pants" impressions, not accurate measurements.
In any case it's all good as long as you're happy with whatever bike you choose.

well...accurate to me.

 

[Swingset]

That's not right, shock hardware should definitely be an interference fit into the bushing.

On FB, I believe it was the Aus EXe board, a few people had their Fox shocks warrantied through Trek dealers. Eyelets being out of tolerance was reported, but who knows. I think you would want to go through Trek who will expedite the warranty from Fox (if needed).

In case it helps: When I bought the Ohlins TTX1, it came with a white Igus bushing, which I assume was the Fox standard. The hardware off my Trek was a very sloppy fit, so I removed the igus bushing and pressed in a standard bronze DU bushing (these seem to be the Rockshox standard)- perfect fit. I think 99% of the time, the shock & frame are within tolerances, and any issues are really the result of a mismatch between bushings and shock hardware. I'd certainly try a new DU bushing and $10 hardware kit before a warranty that could take weeks.

Pretty easy test to find play. Put your thumb on each joint and pick the bike up. Try once from the frame to the spacer on the shock, then try from the spacer to the eyelet on the shock.

 

[FWK]

Mine has a fair bit of resistance when pushing backwards, it's similar to how my other ebike feels when you push it backwards, that bike has a Bosch gen4 motor. I figure it's normal because when the chainring is running in reverse it cant disengage the motor mechanism,so you are running the entire motor mechanism when you push it backwards.

That doesn't explain how the bike you pushed backwards in the shop didn't have any resistance,but I'm not concerned I reckon it's normal.

Thanks for the response and glimmer of hope, will see how it feels with new display and compare to shop models
I like to think I’m a pretty observant guy, and would have noticed this resistance before

 

[Zubius]

How are people mounting Garmins on the integrated bar/stem? Is there a special mount available?

 

[Swingset]

How are people mounting Garmins on the integrated bar/stem? Is there a special mount available?

I looked into this. Bontrager has a range of adapters for these bars

 

[Shades]

I used one of these: Garmin Edge® Mountain Bike Mount to mount an Edge 830 on my 9.7.