Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

DugT

Active member
Sep 4, 2022
136
119
Truckee, CA
I heard occasional high pitched clicks that didn't sound too bad to me. It sounded a lot better than the steady rattle from the bike of Jujujuice's wife. Maybe this bike needs to the new motor bolt torque procedure.

Different subject but, I don't see how anyone can often ride a gnarly trail that fast and not eventually suffer a serious injury. It makes me grateful for water sports.
 

Cell4soul

E*POWAH Master
Jul 11, 2022
518
1,325
Mesa, AZ
New bike day yesterday. Just received my 9.5 EXe in Dnister Black. This is a full custom build, every part except the frame and motor.

I took it for a ride this morning on some easy trails. My bike shop mechanic wanted me to go for an easy ride and bring the bike back in to re-torque the spokes. The bike has an incredibly natural feel, at times, I wasn’t sure the assist was working because the power delivery was so smooth. The motor is absolutely silent on the trail, I never heard a thing. My trails are kitty litter over hard pack, so “crunchy” sounding, which may have masked the sound a little, but again, I couldn’t hear a thing. The bike is extremely comfortable and I can easily toss it around and pop off natural features. I sized up as I am exactly between a medium and large. I made the absolute right choice. I am running this mullet with a 160 mm fork. It is definitely more lively agile than 29” front and rear. The geometry of this bike is REALLY good and I can’t wait to take it on some steeper descents.

I have ridden my previous EMTB, an Orbea Rise. The EXe is better handling, much quieter, with no motor rattling. It has a more natural feeling pedal assist than the Rise, which is hard to believe as the Rise felt really natural. It is better than the Rise in pretty much every category, except power delivery. The difference in the 50 nm motor vs. the 60 nm motor is noticeable for sure. This does not bother me as I do not want a lot of assist, I’d still like to use my legs a lot. I’ve ridden my wife’s Turbo Levo SL, and it is definitely more powerful than that bike.

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BikingBad

Member
Sep 6, 2022
81
35
USA
New bike day yesterday. Just received my 9.5 EXe in Dnister Black. This is a full custom build, every part except the frame and motor.

I took it for a ride this morning on some easy trails. My bike shop mechanic wanted me to go for an easy ride and bring the bike back in to re-torque the spokes. The bike has an incredibly natural feel, at times, I wasn’t sure the assist was working because the power delivery was so smooth. The motor is absolutely silent on the trail, I never heard a thing. My trails are kitty litter over hard pack, so “crunchy” sounding, which may have masked the sound a little, but again, I couldn’t hear a thing. The bike is extremely comfortable and I can easily toss it around and pop off natural features. I sized up as I am exactly between a medium and large. I made the absolute right choice. I am running this mullet with a 160 mm fork. It is definitely more lively agile than 29” front and rear. The geometry of this bike is REALLY good and I can’t wait to take it on some steeper descents.

I have ridden my previous EMTB, an Orbea Rise. The EXe is better handling, much quieter, with no motor rattling. It has a more natural feeling pedal assist than the Rise, which is hard to believe as the Rise felt really natural. It is better than the Rise in pretty much every category, except power delivery. The difference in the 50 nm motor vs. the 60 nm motor is noticeable for sure. This does not bother me as I do not want a lot of assist, I’d still like to use my legs a lot. I’ve ridden my wife’s Turbo Levo SL, and it is definitely more powerful than that bike.
That’s a beauty, congrats. For the shock, what travel did you go with? I assume currently there’s no way to install a longer travel shock?
 
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HoodMTB

Member
Jul 25, 2020
9
4
Oregon
Thanks for the update about Treks lack of an update. Did you or the bike shop take the chain off of the chainwheel and spin the crank to see if the noise continues?
There's no noise when motor is turned off, or with motor turned on and no load. I was able to produce the noise on the bike stand by applying the rear brake for some resistance.
I dunno, maybe they forgot to add gear oil? ;-). Every once in awhile the motor goes dead silent, seemingly at random.

On the trail the motor performs fine otherwise. The bike rides great - very solid trail bike with no real weaknesses. Fun to ride in mellower stuff and can be pushed in steeper and chunkier terrain. Geometry of XL spot-on for me (6'2") and suspension a major improvement over the 1st Gen Levo SL, even with upgraded fork and shock.
 

DugT

Active member
Sep 4, 2022
136
119
Truckee, CA
I just semi-committed to getting a blue Fuel EXe 9.8 XT before the end of September. I hope the rattle problem is solved before then.
 

DugT

Active member
Sep 4, 2022
136
119
Truckee, CA
There's no noise when motor is turned off, or with motor turned on and no load. I was able to produce the noise on the bike stand by applying the rear brake for some resistance.
I dunno, maybe they forgot to add gear oil? ;-). Every once in awhile the motor goes dead silent, seemingly at random.

On the trail the motor performs fine otherwise. The bike rides great - very solid trail bike with no real weaknesses. Fun to ride in mellower stuff and can be pushed in steeper and chunkier terrain. Geometry of XL spot-on for me (6'2") and suspension a major improvement over the 1st Gen Levo SL, even with upgraded fork and shock.

Thanks for that.

I would think someone at TQ could pinpoint the problem quickly if they saw that video. By now, TQ probably already knows exactly what the problem is and now they are trying to decide how to solve the problem, and or impliment the fix on motors in the bikes that EXe customers already have. These things can take time. It may involve negotiations between TQ and Trek. Big companies can be too proud to realize they made a mistake and admit responsibility. Since they probably haven't shipped hundreds already, it shouldn't be a huge problem for either company so my wild semi educated guess is we will have some answers within a couple of weeks. I used to be involved in this sort of thing in the computer industry.

Edit: But, if the solution requires a redesign of something, like a gear, or different materials, then lead time for the new part could be months. So, the main thing is, try not to remember anything I said because I really don't know.
 
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aptperson

New Member
Sep 6, 2022
3
6
Australia
I went with the factory size 140 mm

Beautiful bike!

I am seriously considering going the same route, 160mm fork and mullet.

What size is yours? I'm concerned about the seat tube angle and that the mullet will slacken it out too much for me. I'm 6'2" and all legs so don't want to be too far over the back wheel.

Also, is the shock 60mm stroke? Did you consider 65mm?
 

Cell4soul

E*POWAH Master
Jul 11, 2022
518
1,325
Mesa, AZ
Looks like an awesome build. I know this is a weird question but have you tried riding it with the battery removed?

I haven’t tried. My first ride on the bike was yesterday morning. The temperatures here in Arizona are 86 degrees at 6:00 am, so until it cools down, I probably won’t ride it without the battery. I think it will ride similar to a heavy enduro bike on hills…the weight would be about 38 lbs without the battery, not bad. there is very little to no drag without assistance, so it should pedal well.
 

bbirkhahn

New Member
Sep 7, 2022
2
0
Austria
Are there good videos or photos of the „Mulsanne Blue“ color?
I would like to order the 9.8 XT, expected delivery time is Spring 2023 in Austria…
 

Cell4soul

E*POWAH Master
Jul 11, 2022
518
1,325
Mesa, AZ
Beautiful bike!

I am seriously considering going the same route, 160mm fork and mullet.

What size is yours? I'm concerned about the seat tube angle and that the mullet will slacken it out too much for me. I'm 6'2" and all legs so don't want to be too far over the back wheel.

Also, is the shock 60mm stroke? Did you consider 65mm?

My bike is a large and I am 5’9”. I am exactly in between the medium and large size and went with the large. Sizing up was the right call. I was worried about the wheel base lengthening and slackening out the bike with the 160 mm fork and 27.5 rear wheeI. I thought it may affect handling, poppiness and tight turns. I’ve only take one ride thus far, but based on the first ride, none of the above will be an issue. I will have it out on a couple rides this weekend on some bigger, faster trails and will report back. I went with the factory length shock in a Fox Float X2.
 

addthebadd

New Member
Sep 7, 2022
15
27
Wales, UK
I haven’t tried. My first ride on the bike was yesterday morning. The temperatures here in Arizona are 86 degrees at 6:00 am, so until it cools down, I probably won’t ride it without the battery. I think it will ride similar to a heavy enduro bike on hills…the weight would be about 38 lbs without the battery, not bad. there is very little to no drag without assistance, so it should pedal well.
Most excellent, I would love to hear what it's like if you do get a chance!
 

irie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
May 2, 2022
2,640
2,705
Chichester, W.Sussex, UK
That doesn’t sound good. I don't think it's unique to the 9.8 XT models either, as they all have the same engine.

In the following YouTube test, the engine doesn't sound good either. You can hear a clicking noise with every step.

In the video the reviewer says:

"This bike has an advantage compared to normal ones ... it weighs 3-4 kg more ... that keep it firmer on the ground on rough trails."

Perhaps another 3-4 kg would keep it even firmer on the ground on rough trails?

Or even just an extra 1-1.5kg for a Bosch CX4 motor? ;)

Screenshot_20220907-175756_Chrome~3.jpg


Screenshot_20220907-175758_Chrome~2.jpg


Screenshot_20220907-175802_Chrome~3.jpg
 
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DugT

Active member
Sep 4, 2022
136
119
Truckee, CA
Are there good videos or photos of the „Mulsanne Blue“ color?
I would like to order the 9.8 XT, expected delivery time is Spring 2023 in Austria…

I couldn't find any. Bentley had a model car called Mulsanne and the blue version is the same shade of blue. I think it isn't a coincidence.

blue Mulsanne Bentley

I'm going to name my mulsanne blue Fuel, "Bentley".
 

Ace Freely

Active member
Jul 31, 2019
146
196
Wenatchee, Wa
In the video the reviewer says:

"This bike has an advantage compared to normal ones ... it weighs 3-4 kg more ... that keep it firmer on the ground on rough trails."

Perhaps another 3-4 kg would keep it even firmer on the ground on rough trails?

Or even just an extra 1-1.5kg for a Bosch CX4 motor? ;)

View attachment 96625

View attachment 96626

View attachment 96627


...IMO, adding another 3 lbs AND a noisy motor isn't what this bike is about...

Ace
 

The Reverend

Member
Aug 13, 2022
52
101
Melbourne
Mine was creaking and clicking like a farm gate as I pedalled.

The noise coming from the carbon cranks / bottom bracket area, but Trek sorted it as they've seen a few come back with the chainring at the old torque spec.

As noted earlier in the thread, this has been updated.
 

Kepler

Member
Sep 8, 2019
17
60
Australia
If you remove the battery to run the bike acoustic only, there is meant to be a spring clip with a threaded hole that you take off the lower battery cover (storage tab shown) and clip it over the lower mounting hole in the frame so you can re attached the lower cover. Mine didn't come with this and the bike shop says none of their bikes came with it. Is this the same for everyone?
20220908_162331.jpg
 

Rob Rides EMTB

Administrator
Staff member
Subscriber
Jan 14, 2018
6,260
13,701
Surrey, UK
If you remove the battery to run the bike acoustic only, there is meant to be a spring clip with a threaded hole that you take off the lower battery cover (storage tab shown) and clip it over the lower mounting hole in the frame so you can re attached the lower cover. Mine didn't come with this and the bike shop says none of their bikes came with it. Is this the same for everyone? View attachment 96656
Mine came in a bag of accessories with some other pieces (tokens etc). Here’s what it looks like.

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Kepler

Member
Sep 8, 2019
17
60
Australia
Thanks Rob. I will go back to the bike shop and ask a few more questions. Didn't get any tokens either. Maybe the 9.7 doesn't come with tokens though.
 

Doppo

New Member
Sep 8, 2022
2
1
Brisbane
Hi all havin a problem with my Exe, I've got a clicking noise when peddling which i can feel through both pedals it's not there all the time and is more harsh when riding unassisted ,obviously I've done all the checks pedals ,chainring ,crank arms ,linkages, rear derailleur engine bolts and seat post just wondering if anyone else has had or having this issue ....???
2F922505-3684-4BA5-B50C-1CB432F2DC57.jpeg
 

JP-NZ

E*POWAH Elite
Feb 17, 2022
1,202
920
Christchurch - New Zealand
Hi all havin a problem with my Exe, I've got a clicking noise when peddling which i can feel through both pedals it's not there all the time and is more harsh when riding unassisted ,obviously I've done all the checks pedals ,chainring ,crank arms ,linkages, rear derailleur engine bolts and seat post just wondering if anyone else has had or having this issue ....???

I'd start with reading this thread from page 1...
 
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Ohozohoz

New Member
Sep 8, 2022
2
0
Brisbane
Picked up my Fuel ex-e two days ago and mine has alloy cranks. Serial number says it was made in February 2022. There is no way Trek Australia didn't know this was coming. They just chose to not tell us. Question is, if I hadn't noticed, would they call me in to change to the carbon cranks when they become available? Trek tell me they don't have a date for carbon crank stock coming in but they did tell me the second delivery will have carbon cranks and is expected in November.
Basically, Trek just sold bikes that do not meet specifications advertised, this is unlawful in Australia. Shame they couldn't have just been honest enough to explain this to us all at the time of purchase.
Don't forget, if you leave the alloy cranks on, second hand value will be lower.
Trek told me that my local factory store (main Trek dealers) did not know about this issue until 24 hours prior to me calling them the day after I bought my bike. I find this hard believe. Trek management must have been aware from an early stage that their first container delivery of these bikes was going to be subject to a component shortage. They had plenty of time to be transparent and open to everyone concerned as well as to organise a plan to recall the bikes when the carbon cranks became available.
One last thing, don't count on getting the correct cranks soon. Some people may have to wait a long time.
 

The Reverend

Member
Aug 13, 2022
52
101
Melbourne
I'm also in Australia and mine turned up without the right cranks like yours. I noticed and they apologised for it.

It took them one week to get the carbon ones on so it may not be a very long delay

Trek Australia might well have known but the LBS literally get the bike and build it. I certainly don't blame them and they were very helpful.
 

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