Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

[luna87824]

I really like the bike so will keep mine if there are issues Trek are a big company they willl sort it out.

They said the same thing about the Specialized Turbo Levo motors for the last six years!!

 

[Jujujuice]

I'm very interested in this one, but I wonder if I should go for the 9.5, 9.7 or the 9.8 XT. I probably won't switch components after I buy it and I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to MTB riding. Probably going to be riding mostly fire roads or some easy trails for now (live in the Bay Area). What is the most bang for the buck? Is the 9.5 enough?

Honestly wouldn’t recommend any of the first versions trek fuel exe but if you had to pick one then the 9.8xt has good specs for its price . I wouldn’t recommend the first versions of the fuel exe just because others have also been having issues with their trek fuels. Understand it’s a new product and everything but it can be frustrating having to go to your LBS frequently especially for the price point . Have attached a pic of what others have been saying about the bike . For reference evo is the distributor for the bikes in NZ and have been helpful with trying to figure out what’s going on . Trek Australia though called me and said there have been no issues with the bikes…

 

[Loamranger]

Oh dear, what a disappointment. Might now wait and see how things develop.

 

[aarfeldt]

Something dosent add up to me.

All the many reviewers has zero issues.
They use the bikes intensivly.

Many users has many different problems.

Why is this so ?

 

[GolfMaster52]

Something dosent add up to me.

All the many reviewers has zero issues.
They use the bikes intensivly.

Many users has many different problems.

Why is this so ?

I was wondering the exact same thing. Are the reviewers required to sign a NDA about not discussing any problems they may have? Or is it like everything else, where those who have issues are more vocal? I get it. When you have a problem, you want to find answers. Someone with the same issue, may have a solution. My girlfriend has had her 9.7 Exe for almost a month. Although she hasn't ridden a lot of miles, she hasn't had any issues and absolutely loves it.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Are the reviewers required to sign a NDA about not discussing any problems they may have?

Never in my experience at all. I don’t even share a video with a brand until it goes live to the general public.

 

[Dave_B]

Although she hasn't ridden a lot of miles

Might be why she has no issues?

 

[GolfMaster52]

Never in my experience at all. I don’t even share a video with a brand until it goes live to the general public.

That is what I thought, but thanks for confirming.

 

[GolfMaster52]

Might be why she has no issues?

Maybe. But unfortunately, JujuJuice had the motor cut out and had an error message after a few rides. She's been on 6 or 7 rides. Recovering from a broken arm, so she's getting back slowly, for her.

 

[Jujujuice]

Maybe. But unfortunately, JujuJuice had the motor cut out and had an error message after a few rides. She's been on 6 or 7 rides. Recovering from a broken arm, so she's getting back slowly, for her.

Not sure if its to do with the production batch for the bikes given its affected my bike, my wife's bike, my mate's bike and his other mate's bike? Also maybe it's to do with the 9.8xts...In New Zealand there have not been many released and not many people have been buying it for the price point to be honest. Also , it is winter here and has been raining almost every day except for a few days so not much riding done by people . I have heard people's 9.7xts are working well so just wondering if the motor issue is isolated to the 9.8xts. They ended up replacing my wife's exe's motor yesterday and are testing it out today to ensure everything is working well.

 

[Mitch@Trek]

Not sure if its to do with the production batch for the bikes given its affected my bike, my wife's bike, my mate's bike and his other mate's bike? Also maybe it's to do with the 9.8xts...In New Zealand there have not been many released and not many people have been buying it for the price point to be honest. Also , it is winter here and has been raining almost every day except for a few days so not much riding done by people . I have heard people's 9.7xts are working well so just wondering if the motor issue is isolated to the 9.8xts. They ended up replacing my wife's exe's motor yesterday and are testing it out today to ensure everything is working well.

We've actually had a high number of these sold in your region - so if a few people are experiencing this, it is pretty low numbers. But this is something we're looking into with TQ since it is a new variable at play and we want to ensure it doesn't continue for bikes like yours. In any case, we'll always take care of anyone if they have trouble!

I know for your case we were working with a narrow timeline as you had a trip planned, but with more time we can dedicate all resources to finding a solution.

 

[yhm003]

Looking forward to hearing how Trek AU/NZ handle your wife's Fuel EXe warranty claim! I am looking to upgrade to a lighter eMTB such as the Fuel EXe 9.7 which is readily available in AU but for the amount of money I'd really hope Trek's warranty holds up.

 

[GolfMaster52]

man Don’t break your woman’s arm

Geez... Now you tell me... Ha... She hit a monster drop with a little too much speed, got a little squirrelly, slid off trail into a big rock. Snapped her carbon bars and her ulna and radius. She happy to be back out riding...

 

[Jujujuice]

Looking forward to hearing how Trek AU/NZ handle your wife's Fuel EXe warranty claim! I am looking to upgrade to a lighter eMTB such as the Fuel EXe 9.7 which is readily available in AU but for the amount of money I'd really hope Trek's warranty holds up.

It’s a cool bike . So my wife got her fuel exe 9.8 xt’s motor replaced yesterday however today the same issue happened after about one hour of riding the new motor. The motor started rattling again and was becoming quite loud so we called up the LBS and they are going to have a look at it on Monday as we are actually on a mountain bike holiday pretty far away. Evo cycles have been really helpful so thankful for that . I just hope for the issue to be fixed . I’m not sure if it’s just a bad batch of motors but if they replace this motor again it will be my wife’s third motor in less than two weeks .

 

[Jujujuice]

Just for reference , this is from the gopro video today . Pretty noisy and distracting for my wife haha

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

 

[flash]

Just for reference , this is from the gopro video today . Pretty noisy and distracting for my wife haha

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

Damn. That sucks!

Got something similar (clicking under load and cadence) on my brand new Forestal. Pushy’s are replacing the whole bike. They have a motor for replacement but want to ride the bike and disect the motor to see what the issue is. So they asked if I’d mind a whole new bike while they play with this one for testing purposes. They’ve been working with Forestal as well. They’re going to swap out the upraded bar and stem I had fitted and I’ll keep the original wheels as Id already changed the tyres and made them tubeless. Bike will be ready mid next week but I’m away until next Sunday any way.

I’m also on my third motor on my Levo expert….. Which seems to finally be a good one. Specialised Oz were good. It’s likely a smallish number considering the amount of Levos sold. Just a frustrating experience getting two bad apples in a row.

Beta testing can be frustrating but, for me, as long as the companies are working with me and doing their best then I’m able to live with issues as long as they’re not forever. I’d rather have a few issues with good support than one with bad service.

I’m not put off Forestal, or Specialized because the support is there and it’ll get sorted, even if it takes a few goes. There are a few companies I’ve seen the opposite from and I’m voting with my wallet.

I really hope your wife’s bike is sorted soon.

Gordon

 

[irie]

Just for reference , this is from the gopro video today . Pretty noisy and distracting for my wife haha

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

What a strange sound!

 

[Jujujuice]

Is she pedaling really slow and the motor is shuddering because it needs to be pedaled faster?

When they switched motors did they switch batteries and wiring system too? to Me it seems like either the electrical system is incapable of delivering the power properly, be it battery or controller, or the bike is being slow pedaled and can’t handle it.

Possibly a controller that has early programming, and I say this because bikers would program an ebike to work within a normal bikers pedaling speed say 70-110 rpm. I’ve seen so many ebike riders riding up hill in low gear if not the lowest giving little effort while the motor does all the work and this is not how bikes are designed.

nope she’s pedalling at a normal speed on mid mode and she’s fit i.e. runs 60km a week and used to do lots of CrossFit . Has also represented her alma mater in a marathon . The sound actually isn’t there when she’s pedalling slowly and it’s only when she’s pedalling at a normal to high cadence. Her normal cadence is 90rpm. Also this isn’t the trek rail where the motor does all the work.

 

[Chicane]

They should each be fine for you. Get whichever model you can find locally if you want one now or sooner than later. This afternoon I picked up what I believe was the only Large 9.7 in California. Could not find any Large 9.5 or 9.8 models. Good luck and have fun!

Did you get it at the Tustin shop?

 

[The Reverend]

Hi all, I'm a new Fuel Ex-e 9.8 XT owner, have yet to ride the bike (waiting for the RideWrap kit to arrive) and I'm excited yet concerned having read earlier posts. I'm based in Melbourne Australia so it's a little close to home.

Trek have looked after me in the past which is why I went for one for my first ebike.

Looking forward to hearing how other owners get on.

First mod after the RideWrap, is likely to be 160mm airshaft once they become available, along with a change of bars + stem as the roll doesn't quite suit me on the RSL bars. And a One Up Components 240mm dropper as I'm pretty tall.

Aside from that it should be good!

Thanks for reading.

 

[Moe Ped]

Hi all, I'm a new Fuel Ex-e 9.8 XT owner, have yet to ride the bike (waiting for the RideWrap kit to arrive) and I'm excited yet concerned having read earlier posts. I'm based in Melbourne Australia so it's a little close to home.

Thanks for reading.

How long have they said before the ridewrap is available? I looked yesterday and it said pre-order.?

 

[The Reverend]

How long have they said before the ridewrap is available? I looked yesterday and it said pre-order.?

It's taking a while. I ordered mine 2 weeks ago and was told it would be ~1 month. So have about 2 weeks to wait.

When I collected mine they didn't have the carbon cranks on it so I took it home with the understanding that when they got the right cranks they'd fit them. That happened this week so I need to collect it.

I was tempted to put an AMS kit on it but the coverage even with the XXL kit was a bit light on the sides of the down tube.

Certainly I'm not looking forward to fitting the kit but I'll leave the bike unridden until I do as it's easier on a clean frame. And knowing my luck I'm bound to get a scuff on it before I apply it.

Frameskin don't seem to have the kit for it, and Invisiframe does but it costs more and comes from the UK so will be slower.
Having used Invisiframe on one bike and RideWrap on the other, I give the slight nod to the latter.

 

[Gw0175]

Hi all, I'm a new Fuel Ex-e 9.8 XT owner, have yet to ride the bike (waiting for the RideWrap kit to arrive) and I'm excited yet concerned having read earlier posts. I'm based in Melbourne Australia so it's a little close to home.

Trek have looked after me in the past which is why I went for one for my first ebike.

Looking forward to hearing how other owners get on.

First mod after the RideWrap, is likely to be 160mm airshaft once they become available, along with a change of bars + stem as the roll doesn't quite suit me on the RSL bars. And a One Up Components 240mm dropper as I'm pretty tall.

Aside from that it should be good!

Thanks for reading.

Interested to see how you get on mate as I have the 9.8 XT lined up here in the UK due September time! Keep us posted

 

[Cell4soul]

Hopefully they get any issues worked out. I have a 9.5 coming in 2 weeks. My Trek dealer (not a factory store, my LBS). My LBS is going to strip every single part off the frame and build the bike exactly as I want. They are ordering and installing the parts before I ever take it for a spin. I am going to trust that Trek will take care of any issues. It would not be good to do $6k+ in customizing a bike, only to have warranty issues. I am sure this won’t be the case. Trek already has someone chiming in to this thread and seems eager to resolve any issues.

 

[levity]

We’re getting ready for our annual fall trip to Utah and Colorado and are excited to take two new Trek Fuel EXe “Special Edition” bikes this time.

my “EXe 9.7 Colorado”

mrs levity’s “EXe 9.7 Utah”

 

[Sebov]

We've actually had a high number of these sold in your region - so if a few people are experiencing this, it is pretty low numbers. But this is something we're looking into with TQ since it is a new variable at play and we want to ensure it doesn't continue for bikes like yours. In any case, we'll always take care of anyone if they have trouble!

I know for your case we were working with a narrow timeline as you had a trip planned, but with more time we can dedicate all resources to finding a solution.

I always appreciate when companies take care of their customers and answer in forums as well. Thumbs up!
I think the problem will be solved until my Slash-e will arrive

 

[Wooders]

Yup my LBS have said Trek have not really been open to what is going on with the bike and have said they want to take the components apart from the bike. However I have told them I am very reluctant given that I have only used it a couple of times and also with the money spent etc.

I have uploaded a video with the warning error on the TQ screen which has now made the fuel exe useless. My LBS has said they have run out of options to fix it however they need to wait for Trek to give them the go ahead to replace it.

This is the link to the warning error below

Thanks for posting this. I've watched so many EXe videos already that YouTube actually put that video into my feed and I was coming here to post a link to it!

It's definitely giving me pause for thought, but I'm also not good at following the "don't buy version 1 of anything rule"!

Kudos to @Mitch@Trek for getting involved though, that is somewhat reassuring.

 

[CrashMaster]

60 Nm sounds okay, but is 300 Watts peak enough? Torque will be way less than 60 at high rpm, otherwise the advertised peak power would be higher. As a comparison, the Rise EP8 RS is 60 Nm / 350 Watts peak, and that peak power has deliberately been reduced by Orbea for battery saving purposes (and you can feel it). What do you guys think?

I have the Trek Fuel EXe 9.7 and my other half has the Orbea Rise M10. The Trek Fuel EXe only has 50 Nm / 300 Watts whereas the Rise has 60 Nm+ (this can be changed in settings). I really like the power delivery of the Fuel -- is very natural and engages and disengages very smoothly. The EP8 RS on the Rise isn't as smooth or natural. The EXe in Boost will hang out at 300 watts for a long time in climbs. I'm not sure exactly what the Rise is doing because the on bike display doesn't provide that info but I feel like the Orbea might have slightly more power going up hills but isn't that noticeable. What is noticeable is the Trek seems to provide more low cadence power, smoother roll on and roll off and is SUPER quiet. 99.9% of people I ride with don't even notice my bike is an eMTB. The Rise is noticeably loud and there's no hiding that it's an eMTB.

Both are great bikes! I really like the motor system in the Trek more than the Orbea, but I like the Orbea frame and build (M10 XT) more than my Trek (9.7 Mix of mostly SLX with XT derailleur). To me, the Orbea feels a little more lively and snappy.

 

[Humdinger]

I’ve been sitting on the fence about upgrading my eMTB for years, but the EXe looks like the ducks guts for me. Trek built an eMTB with my name on it!

After reading lots of reviews and forum discussions on various eMTB’s, I can’t help but think that the term “eMTB” covers an enormous sub-category of bikes, and riders with different wants and needs from their perfect eMTB. Agreed that the EXe won’t keep up with full power MTB’s uphill, but for me … I don’t want more power, or more torque, or a bigger battery. There are eMTB’s out there that tick those boxes if that's what you need.

I ride solo occasionally, but mostly I ride in a club with MTB’s. I like to ride with relatively low power settings … for cardio exercise, for better control on technical ascents, and so I don’t run into the back of the MTB in front of me! Last Sunday’s 2 hour MTB park ride was done with customised settings of 100 kW max power, 30 Nm max torque and 35% assistance. On these settings I rode at a similar pace to the MTB’s with me, and used 30% of the 500 Wh battery. Occasionally I even ride with the assistance off (but riding with the E8000 motor off feels a bit like I'm dragging a dead body behind the bike). For me and my specific wants and needs, eMTB’s with bigger batteries and more torque aren’t appealing. But I need an eMTB to accommodate a knee injury ... if the knee goes "pop" during a ride, it's Turbo mode to get home!

My perfect bike is probably an eMTB/MTB hybrid. Something with assistance when I need it but that rides like an MTB with the motor off. Enter the EXe. I went for a demo ride and the first thing I did was turn the power off. The bike felt amazingly "analogue". And with assistance on the power transition on was seamless.

The EXe concept of small battery, low torque, low drag eMTB/MTB hybrid won’t work for everyone, but it works for me.

Whatever your ride and however you ride, have fun and see you on the trails!

 

[Trail Blazer]

I have the Trek Fuel EXe 9.7 and my other half has the Orbea Rise M10. The Trek Fuel EXe only has 50 Nm / 300 Watts whereas the Rise has 60 Nm+ (this can be changed in settings). I really like the power delivery of the Fuel -- is very natural and engages and disengages very smoothly. The EP8 RS on the Rise isn't as smooth or natural. The EXe in Boost will hang out at 300 watts for a long time in climbs. I'm not sure exactly what the Rise is doing because the on bike display doesn't provide that info but I feel like the Orbea might have slightly more power going up hills but isn't that noticeable. What is noticeable is the Trek seems to provide more low cadence power, smoother roll on and roll off and is SUPER quiet. 99.9% of people I ride with don't even notice my bike is an eMTB. The Rise is noticeably loud and there's no hiding that it's an eMTB.

Both are great bikes! I really like the motor system in the Trek more than the Orbea, but I like the Orbea frame and build (M10 XT) more than my Trek (9.7 Mix of mostly SLX with XT derailleur). To me, the Orbea feels a little more lively and snappy.

Thx great review. I have the M10 for XC Trail and Levo Gen 3 for mountain and are looking for something in between. Guess the Pivot, Transition and or next SP SL will be interesting to evaluate as an alternative. Ibis is set to release an e-bike too…

Think winners will be the one that really makes the best sw hw and customer service integration like Tesla in the automotives. Maybe that’s why Porsche acquired Fazua to maybe do this. Then it becomes a platform business.