Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

izzymtb

New Member
Sep 1, 2022
18
12
SoCal
Not true, or I wouldn’t have posted this question. Not too many(if any) bike shops offer you one of their bikes in stock(for sale)unless it’s strictly built as/ for a Demo purpose.

I know where they are in stock and they aren’t for demo.
If you mean demo as in bringing it home and riding it fully, you are right. I meant just riding it around there area to try it out, base on my experience they were okay with that.
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
255
292
Slovak Republic
18,6 KG for that build Cell4Soul? Crazy nice. No corner cutting, solid wheels, solid rear tyre casing, X2 shock, no weight weenie crap anywhere and still such a nice weight. Trek must have made the frame very light since that's about half-kilo less than I would have believed.
My KSL feels fat now :- ). Enjoy the cool build!
 

TheRed

Member
Oct 6, 2022
31
25
Midlands, UK
18,6 KG for that build Cell4Soul? Crazy nice. No corner cutting, solid wheels, solid rear tyre casing, X2 shock, no weight weenie crap anywhere and still such a nice weight. Trek must have made the frame very light since that's about half-kilo less than I would have believed.
My KSL feels fat now :- ). Enjoy the cool build!
Got me wondering where I can trim fat. I'm weighing in at 19.5kg/43lbs and running:
E13 carbon bars
E13 plus stem
E13 LG1 Enduro carbon wheels
E13 Grappler Enduro tyres
Ergon SM Enduro saddle
Hope Tech3 E4 brakes
The std TranzX dropper
Std shock
Lyrik Ultimates
Mainly XT groupo
E13 alloy cranks
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
1,878
1,811
gone
Got me wondering where I can trim fat. I'm weighing in at 19.5kg/43lbs and running:
E13 carbon bars
E13 plus stem
E13 LG1 Enduro carbon wheels
E13 Grappler Enduro tyres
Ergon SM Enduro saddle
Hope Tech3 E4 brakes
The std TranzX dropper
Std shock
Lyrik Ultimates
Mainly XT groupo
E13 alloy cranks

I wouldn't bother just replacing parts for the sake of only saving weight. If something breaks or wears out then by all means find a lighter replacement,or if you have something better/lighter lying around not being used then fair enough,,but just spending a lot of cash on light parts to save grams is (imo) not worth it.

Having said that,the following would be obvious and cheapish places to start

- you can save a bit by swapping the seatpost, a 31.6 diameter post and a shim could save weight. Maybe 100g to be saved
-lighter cassettes are available,maybe 100g to be saved over an xt cassette.
- tyres could be lighter - but tyres are a very personal choice, could save a lot of weight here,but you will end up compromising on puncture protection.
-cranks, could save 100 ish g by using carbon cranks





The cassette would be the obvious choice from the above when yours wears out,but given cassettes are consumables,would you want a more expensive cassette?

Chasing low weights is an expensive game of diminishing returns.

I have a 9.5 turning up next week, I'm going to swap some parts over with some better stuff I have lying around,but I expect the weight will still come in around 19.5 to 20kg.

Will be standard 9.5 spec except for the following

-fox 38 factory fork and RRP mudguard - heavier than stock
-maxxis assegai exo + on front- heavier than stock
-maxxis dhr ii DD on the rear - heavier than stock
-raceface turbine r stem-lighter than stock
-raceface next r carbon bars -lighter than stock
-sram axs mech-about the same as stock

Will replace the (enormously heavy) cassette with a lighter one (xt or e13 probably)when it has worn out in a few months time

May replace the shock witha float x2 I have spare, if I don't like it, but this will be heavier than stock.

May replace the brakes with magura mt7,but will give the stock brakes a fair go first.

All this should make the bike perform better than stock,but prob no lighter,and will cost nothing because I have all these parts already. Will sell off some of the stock parts and get a bit of money back
 
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The Reverend

Member
Aug 13, 2022
52
101
Melbourne
They look like a hybrid between the dhf and dhr2 patterns - I’m finding them okay so far but was also thinking about other trail options, especially that are 2.4in. I’m optimistically an intermediate rider though so I’m probably not on their limits.
The original Bontrager tyres are Ditchfinder 2000 series. I found them utterly treacherous, especially in the wet.

Went for a trusted DHF / DHR option, exo plus casing and 2.5" front 2.4" rear and it has opened the bike up wonderfully.

I'm running inserts for good measure and they just grip and mob through everything. Very happy!
 

George_KSL

Active member
Sep 11, 2021
255
292
Slovak Republic
Got me wondering where I can trim fat. I'm weighing in at 19.5kg/43lbs and running:
E13 carbon bars
E13 plus stem
E13 LG1 Enduro carbon wheels
E13 Grappler Enduro tyres
Ergon SM Enduro saddle
Hope Tech3 E4 brakes
The std TranzX dropper
Std shock
Lyrik Ultimates
Mainly XT groupo
E13 alloy cranks
It's the wheelset + tyres, your set is 600-700 grams heavier than his setup just because of those two +/-. 100 grams at alloy cranks but that's about it, rest is meaningless. And there's your difference :- ).
If you would add 38/ZEB and X2 you would get close to 20KG just like I expect MTeam's build.

LG1 wheelset + GrapplersEnduro on both ends ("Assegais in DD casing") is rather bomb-proof bikepark worthy setup.

I always forget just how much wheelset + tyres make until I calculate it again. The reason all brands weight their stock builds with some 900 gram paper crap.
 

The Reverend

Member
Aug 13, 2022
52
101
Melbourne
Who ditched the integrated bar and stem that comes with the 9.8 and higher and why?
Thinking of getting one for my 9.7.
I did. It looks ace but with the low stack the bike has coupled with the low bar rise and slightly rolled back set up, I didn't like it.

Went for One Up Components 35mm ride bars an RF Turbine stem.

It's personal for everyone I'm sure.
 

Germent21

Member
Oct 23, 2022
3
2
Spain
Hi guys,

A new video of Sam’s bikes YouTube channel is going to be released in 3 hours reviewing the range of the EXe,

Let’s check it out!!

 
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izzymtb

New Member
Sep 1, 2022
18
12
SoCal
So I rode again today and heard a slight low sound grinding from the motor that comes randomly. Not much of a bother as it seem to go away as soon as I notice it. Is this to be considered normal as it is not consistent?
 

prolix2

Member
Aug 21, 2022
65
33
United States
So I rode again today and heard a slight low sound grinding from the motor that comes randomly. Not much of a bother as it seem to go away as soon as I notice it. Is this to be considered normal as it is not consistent?
There are a couple of posts about this previously in this forum, around post number 530 or so. There are several videos on YouTube if you search for trek TQ motor noise. Mine occurs After I’ve downshifted and catching cadence up to the speed of the bike, with very minor torque applied, or no torque applied from my peddling, the sound goes away when you’re applying enough torque to activate the motor.
 

Cell4soul

E*POWAH Master
Jul 11, 2022
518
1,325
Mesa, AZ
You could easily climb 2,000’ of fire road over 4.5 miles, just not sure about the time
Anyone know of a bike shop in the Southern California/ Orange County where you can demo one of these bikes? I’m currently on a Rise would love to see how one of these compares for myself.

If you were in AZ or wanted to make the trip out, I’d be happy to let you ride mine. We have some awesome trails and great temps right now. I can ride my wife’s Turbo Levo SL. We would ride Hawes in Mesa, AZ. Let me know if you want to make the trip, living in SoCal, you would be really stoked on these trails.
 

Cell4soul

E*POWAH Master
Jul 11, 2022
518
1,325
Mesa, AZ
18,6 KG for that build Cell4Soul? Crazy nice. No corner cutting, solid wheels, solid rear tyre casing, X2 shock, no weight weenie crap anywhere and still such a nice weight. Trek must have made the frame very light since that's about half-kilo less than I would have believed.
My KSL feels fat now :- ). Enjoy the cool build!
Thanks. I am happy with the weight. I was really hoping to get it down to 40 lbs (18.18 kilos), but I won’t notice the extra 1/2 kilo.
 

Black8917

Member
Jun 17, 2021
34
11
PNW
You could easily climb 2,000’ of fire road over 4.5 miles, just not sure about the time


If you were in AZ or wanted to make the trip out, I’d be happy to let you ride mine. We have some awesome trails and great temps right now. I can ride my wife’s Turbo Levo SL. We would ride Hawes in Mesa, AZ. Let me know if you want to make the trip, living in SoCal, you would be really stoked on these trails.
Thanks! I’m in the PNW and absolutely love my rail. But I think I would enjoy the fuel exe more. Especially if I could swap out range extenders if I needed.
 

AMbmb2168

Member
Aug 9, 2022
12
24
Canada
Hi all,

Got an error code whilst riding today after a short climb: error 4414 batt hw
Looked it up on the TQ error code document (well what do you know, it isn't there :LOL: )
it can be found here for reference: TQ ERROR CODES
anybody else experienced this error code? I turned the bike off and on again, rode, crashed and it never came back.
That happened to me one time about 3 minutes into a ride. I turned the bike off and on and it worked after that.

I took the bike back to the store the next day. The service department checked all the wire connections for loose wires. They found one wire that might have been loose but not by very much if at all. They were not sure that was the problem.

I’ve put about 120kms on the bike since then with no recurrence.
 

Chicane

Active member
Nov 11, 2020
364
318
SoCal
You could easily climb 2,000’ of fire road over 4.5 miles, just not sure about the time


If you were in AZ or wanted to make the trip out, I’d be happy to let you ride mine. We have some awesome trails and great temps right now. I can ride my wife’s Turbo Levo SL. We would ride Hawes in Mesa, AZ. Let me know if you want to make the trip, living in SoCal, you would be really stoked on these trails.
Thanks for the offer. I would love to if I had the time, but would also prefer to ride it on my familiar trails, which will give me the best comparison. I still like my Rise, but always have the itch to try something new.
 

The Reverend

Member
Aug 13, 2022
52
101
Melbourne
This might have been asked previously, but has anyone managed to fit a decent and effective bashguard on the fuel Ex-e?

The chainguide mounting bolts are not ideally placed to make that work and I hate having the chain and chainring exposed like they are...
 

Hitorogoshi

Active member
May 19, 2020
117
122
South Africa
I've gotten the 4414 error code a few times and it always goes away when I restart the system. It is my understanding that it is a software error that Trek will fix soon with a firmware update.

Here is the official response directly from TQ.

Thank you for your message and Interest in HPR50 Drive.

The error code 4414 refers to the battery,

As the BMS is constantly monitoring the battery and releasing current to the talking one, small overcurrents were probably detected that were outside the permissible range and the BMS switched off for safety reasons. By switching it off and on, the values have normalised and the fault has been rectified.

We are working on software that will normalise the process when switched on.

The software will be released by 04.11.2022.
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
1,878
1,811
gone
can you update the firmware on the motor/battery etc yourself, or does it need to go to a trek dealer for firmware updates?
 

TorAtle

Member
Aug 4, 2018
102
95
OSLO
Would a Marzocchi Bomber CR shock fit this bike? I'm confused by the metric/metric trunnion/imperial standards. What type and size please :)
 

Kinger

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2020
103
153
Vancouver, BC
Has anyone tried fitting 5Dev eCranks on their EXe?

Not a fan of the eThirteens. Praxis were alright on my KSL.
Love the 5Dev products.

From what I know the TQ is an isis interface and might work with these:

 

Fieryavenger

New Member
Sep 23, 2022
3
11
Bay Area
Nope. At least the 9.7 doesn’t.
You’ll need a crank extractor like the one @DancingWithMyself mentioned above.
Still, it’s an easy 10 min job.
The carbon E13 cranks have a self extractor. This is straight from Trek’s website and referenced on E13‘s website somewhere in the user manual.

”E*thirteen Crank Arms E*spec Race Carbon, 165mm length, w/Self Extractor Bolt, Black, E*Thirteen Part Number CS4LRM-102”

Strangely, it it’s unclear for the 9.7. Under the 9.7 it lists a ”crank” and ”crank arm”, one with and one without a self extractor. Maybe it depends on which part number you happened to get.

“E*thirteen E*spec Plus, with Self Extractor, 165mm length, Black, E*Thirteen Part Number CS3LPM-110”
”e-Thirteen Crankarm e-MTB e-Spec for Fazua, 55mm Boost Chainline 170mm Arms”
 

Moe Ped

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2020
215
357
Perth Australia
Finished my build fitted a 160 air shaft and gold Fox decals on the forks, really like this bike it does everything really well.

Below are pictures with the 170 travel (red fox decal) and updated with 160 air shaft (gold fox decal)

B2D4A786-8610-4A11-9A99-DC2E5DD090AB.jpeg CB6B4D7D-CF4D-4742-B491-95B083970A36.jpeg 106DC6AF-9269-4E8B-8F7F-19011E471A91.jpeg
 
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Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
1,878
1,811
gone
My size large 9.5 just arrived, stock without pedals it weighs a couple of grams over 20kg.

Interestingly, it came with the shimano deore 4 pot brakes, I was expecting tektro 4 pots, so thats a pleasant surprise. And it also came with a shimano xt derailuer, when the spec sheet says it should come with a deore derailluer.

Anyway, it will stay stock except for

-fox 38 fork
- raceface next r bars
-raceface turbine stem
- sram axs gears
- maxxis assegai exo + & maxxis dhri doubledown tyres

I'll wear the cassette out and replace with something a lot lighter, I may swap the wheels for my dt swiss hx 1501 set.

edit: heres a quick pic with the forks ,bars, and mech fitted, apologies for the scruffy garage

bike.jpg
 
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DBSwiss

Member
Oct 25, 2022
107
88
United States
Hello everyone. I had my Trek Fuel EXe 9.8XT now for 25 days and so far I put about 190 miles on it. I really like the ride feel as it responds pretty much like a normal MTB. I also ride a 2022 Stumpjumper. Of course the weight difference is 12 lbs. but on the trail it seems to disappear. The bike is very well balanced hops very easily due to the short chain stays and is stable due to the weight but also the 2.5” tires. The bike also feels rock solid. I had a chance to ride a Levo SL a few times and to me the EXe feels a lot better. I am 5’7”, 160 and I got a medium. I dropped the fork pressure about 10 psi from the recommended setting which improved the ride. The integrated carbon handle bar is very wide at 820mm and very stiff. I may need to cut or replace that. The motor assist is extremely natural in low and medium settings. The high setting is strange. It seems to come on very strong at first and then cut out. Not sure if that is a software issue Or normal But I could not find a good setting for the high mode. Ride mostly in low and med.

The app is very good but it always takes long time to start up or it doesn’t start at all on my iPhone 13. I stopped using it to record the rides and just use it to set the motor variables. Maybe some early kinks that will improve with the next update.

i would recommend you protect tha paint somehow, before the first ride. I have the Mulsanne Blue which looks awesome but the paint seems to be too hard and chips easily. I rode it a couple times before putting on some helicopter tape on the chain and seat stays and already had a couple chips.

What worries me however is the grinding noise I am hearing now coming from the motor. The same noise that has been described here earlier in this thread (I read through all of it). It is only intermittent now and very difficult to reproduce but it has me worried given some of the stories on here. I also saw that my cranks are the AL cranks and not the carbon ones as spec’d on the 9.8XT version. I even asked the shop when I picked up te bike if the bike had any substitutions due to supply chain issues, and they said no. Not great from Trek. I bought it from a factory store. I checked the major components but not the cranks. Just read about it on the thread here last night and checked them. I really like the bike but am considering returning it within the 30 day period Due to the motor risk and waiting a bit until TQ works out the kinks or check out the Fazua60 system. Dropping the bike off tomorrow To get the motor checked. let’s see.

ACA7BDDF-1208-4FEA-B02C-6FC862F37FE5.jpeg
 

prolix2

Member
Aug 21, 2022
65
33
United States
Perfect post. Matches my observations exactly. I also have a turbo levo SL and your observations are right I think. My grinding noise started at about 30 miles. I’ve had my bike to two dealers, including a company store and they both did the same kinds of updates and firmware etc. but neither has made a difference. The last dealer is supposedly interacting with Trek and TQ to try to get some kind of answers. When I took it to the second dealer to inquire about returning it before the 30 day date, they said they would extend the return time however long it took to make the bike right or to decide that it was not fixable, and I could return it. The first shop said they talked with Trek a lot and their final decision was that it might take 150 miles for the sensors to calibrate. My opinion is that neither trek nor TQ really know what’s going on with these motor sounds, and don’t want to replace the motors unless they really have to, and are hoping that the customer will give up. I now know how to reproduce the grinding sound reliably and would be interested in trying another bike to see if I can do it and whether it’s a universal phenomenon that is so intermittent that people don’t notice it, or whether it’s just a few motors.
 

rdbowden

Member
Oct 21, 2022
6
2
Tewksbury, MA
I had a thought on the TQ motor grinding noise that has been reported by some owners. What if it is a combination of the type of shock, the settings of the shock, the weight of the rider, the cadence of the rider, the derailleur type, the derailleur cutch setting, the selected gear and the rapid drive 108 hub? Possibly a positive feedback between a slight pedal bob and the TQ internal clutch? Does the TQ have some sort of internal clutch? Trek has never indicated they found anything wrong with a TQ, like excessive wear.

I think one post indicated the shop could reproduce it on a new bike, so that would negate my theory. It would be interesting to see if it only occurs with RockShox Super Deluxe Select or Ultimate shocks. I am not saying there is anything wrong with any of the components, but it is the combination of components, setup and rider is causing the issue. Just google the Tacoma river bridge collapse for example of how things can go wrong when a combination of things happen just the right way.
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
1,878
1,811
gone
Waiting for the same black 9.5, also had a Caterham 7 for 15 years (sadly now sold). Brilliant car :)
I've owned the car for 20 years now,it doesn't get much use these days, too much traffic, too many speed cameras etc.
 

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