Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

[Flow81]

Interesting....I can't think what could cause number 2, can't imagine it's firmware related if it does it when the motor/system is switched off,as opposed to merely set to the no assist mode, sounds like a hardware fault to me, probably worth going back to the dealer with that one rather than waiting for a firmware fix.

Was yours an early bike? I haven't noticed either of those issues with mine,but I can't tell you what version of the firmware mine is running,only that it's a 2022 bike and it was last updated towards the end of October.

Yea, early bike. If I put the assist very low, lets say 25% I start to feel that same “clamping down” sensation from the motor. I obviously can’t feel it at higher motor watts, but the question is whether I always have that 30-40watt drag down from the motor, I just cant feel it at higher watts.
The bike is a joy at 100%+ assist, but a real dog to ride in a 50% or less assist scenario. Feels like you are pushing against the motor.
Looks like I will have take it to the dealer. They are not too happy to see me anymore

 

[levity]

. . . If I turn the system completely off after I used it for a few minutes, the motor drag is considerable. This is on a flat asphalt road. Also, the harder I pedal, the harder the motor clamps down, almost to the point where I cant pedal the bike. It is almost as if heat in the motor expands the clutches and this is only noticeable when there is no power from the motor ie. all modes off, or system completely off. . .

. . . The bike is a joy at 100%+ assist, but a real dog to ride in a 50% or less assist scenario. . .

I don't know enough about the TQ motor to explain how drag like this could occur.
In any case the EXe should not feel like "a real dog" at 50% assist. 150W assist is quite a boost.

It sounds suspiciously like it may just be a psycho-somatic phenomenon where your legs and brain sense the change in assistance. Do you feel the same thing when you go from Turbo to Trail or from Trail to Eco? It's a common sensation with all ebikes.

If it does turn out to be a problem with the TQ motor we'd like to hear more about the diagnosis.

 

[Gd3fit]

If anyone's interested, I bought the SPEEDi for the Trek Fuel EXe and gave it a test run. It works. Was going 25mph+. The Trek central app reads a lower top speed, but when imported into Strava it shows real actual speeds as recorded on my apple watch to compare. I guess it pulls from the gps speeds for that which is great so my rides can still be recorded accurately even with the 1.5 speed factor on the built-in bike computer.

Bought the SPEEDi e-MTB speed limit increase for my 9.7 EXe

Someone mentioned this SPEEDi over in the megathread and after some debate on if I really wanted this, I bit the bullet and purchased. Neale, the owner? who runs NLS components let me know they offer the "caps" for both the Bontrager freehub and DT370 (which I use for my mullet). I was able to...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[senergy]

I'm looking to retrofit the AXS system but I'd love to have it powered from the main battery. I can't seem to find the part number for the AXS add-on for the battery, does anyone have it?

 

[DBSwiss]

I'm looking to retrofit the AXS system but I'd love to have it powered from the main battery. I can't seem to find the part number for the AXS add-on for the battery, does anyone have it?

Pretty sure you would use the smart box

 

[Smeer]

Has anyone here ridden both an Orbea Rise and an EXe? Currently on a Rise buts its a little small for me and I’d like the bike to be a bit bigger/slacker. My dream bike is a Kenevo SL with 50nm, but that won’t be happening anytime soon it seems.

Also like the Pivot SL but I have a Teek dealer locally, which is preference.

 

[MamboN5]

Has anyone here ridden both an Orbea Rise and an EXe? Currently on a Rise buts its a little small for me and I’d like the bike to be a bit bigger/slacker. My dream bike is a Kenevo SL with 50nm, but that won’t be happening anytime soon it seems.

Also like the Pivot SL but I have a Teek dealer locally, which is preference.

I have the fuel exe and I have tried a rise, on an aesthetic level the EXE seems much more beautiful to me and the TQ motor is great at the performance level but the Shimano is more efficient and pushes more, due to the geometry issue you can leave both to the taste, for the rise there are enduro setups that work very well with 170 mm front and mullet, here the exe has the advantage of the flip chip, apparently the rise in that setup lacks a low bottom bracket, but removing that handicap the two bikes you can leave as a capable enduro.

 

[Smeer]

I have the fuel exe and I have tried a rise, on an aesthetic level the EXE seems much more beautiful to me and the TQ motor is great at the performance level but the Shimano is more efficient and pushes more, due to the geometry issue you can leave both to the taste, for the rise there are enduro setups that work very well with 170 mm front and mullet, here the exe has the advantage of the flip chip, apparently the rise in that setup lacks a low bottom bracket, but removing that handicap the two bikes you can leave as a capable enduro.

What do you mean when you say ‘it pushes more’? It has more assist, so I can imagine the EXe having less (60nm vs 50nm). I have a range extender too but have never needed it. Also have never gotten even close to emptying the battery fully. I like the workout, a small medical issue just prohibits me from riding a regular mtb.

I’ve had the rise for 1500+ km in a year. I ride in the North Shore/squamish area of Vancouver, Canada. We have some gnarly trails! I don’t feel the Rise has held me back necessarily, but I did buy it without testing and the biggest downsides for me are that it seems to small. The dropper insertion length is also tiny, so I always feel either to low on the climb, or to high on steep descents.

 

[MamboN5]

What do you mean when you say ‘it pushes more’? It has more assist, so I can imagine the EXe having less (60nm vs 50nm). I have a range extender too but have never needed it. Also have never gotten even close to emptying the battery fully. I like the workout, a small medical issue just prohibits me from riding a regular mtb.

I’ve had the rise for 1500+ km in a year. I ride in the North Shore/squamish area of Vancouver, Canada. We have some gnarly trails! I don’t feel the Rise has held me back necessarily, but I did buy it without testing and the biggest downsides for me are that it seems to small. The dropper insertion length is also tiny, so I always feel either to low on the climb, or to high on steep descents.

To function with low assistance, in my opinion the TQ engine has no rival, so in that sense according to your profile it is perfect for you, but at the geometry level the Fuel Exe is also a trail bike like the rise, the truth is that with a fork With a 160 and a shock absorber to have 152 of travel, it remains a very enduro bike while maintaining agility but as standard I think that the sensations will be similar to the Rise.

 

[rzr]

Hi,

There's a Speedi speed limit hack now available for the Fuel EXe. Does anybody try one ?

SPEEDi - E-Bike Speed Limit Increaser by NLS Components

Shop our mechanical e-bike speed limit increaser. Electric bike speed limiter removal. Designed, manufactured and tested in New Zealand. Compatible with e-bikes from Specialized, Trek, Giant and more. Easy to install and remove. We ship internationally.

nlscomponents.com

amazing piece of machinery, worth 5 eur, sold for 100 ! haha world truly believes that ebikers are rich and stupid...
anyway, good idea, i'll try to design and print it myself

 

[MamboN5]

The added value is for having the idea and implementing it, the necessary machining center to machine that part and the time spent making prototypes and testing them, no matter how well printed these parts are, they will never have the resistance, durability and reliability that some machined ones, we are speaking of teeth of just 1 mm.
The brands have already proven that we are stupid with the absurd and unjustified price increases in recent years... €15,000 for a bike?

 

[Gd3fit]

amazing piece of machinery, worth 5 eur, sold for 100 ! haha world truly believes that ebikers are rich and stupid...
anyway, good idea, i'll try to design and print it myself

I guess it depends on how you look at it. I am fortunate to get paid well enough where the time spent on design, measuring and whatever else necessary to claim I only spent $5 in parts and give myself a pat on the back, I’ve already made at work to purchase the product and install and be done with it. I’m certainly not stupid but I am able to find value in R&D.
With that said I do a lot of my own work on my bike. I prefer saving money that way as I enjoy it and it helps my mental health.

 

[rzr]

ok, i see that small cog is CNCed? (metal), but outer races looks like printed anyway (or maybe machined too). I can appreciatesomeones work, just not stupid prices
yep. if you look like this, bike for 10000e, so one small improvement for 1% of it is nothing

 

[MamboN5]

ok, i see that small cog is CNCed? (metal), but outer races looks like printed anyway (or maybe machined too). I can appreciatesomeones work, just not stupid prices
yep. if you look like this, bike for 10000e, so one small improvement for 1% of it is nothing

I have had one in my hands and all the parts are CNC machined with an excellent finish.

 

[MamboN5]

I don't know if the mullet issue has been discussed at some point, I am very interested in the opinion of those of you who have tried it.

 

[Gd3fit]

I don't know if the mullet issue has been discussed at some point, I am very interested in the opinion of those of you who have tried it.

I am still testing since the mullet has a very low bottom bracket height but I changed cranks to 155mm. I was on a full 27.5” SC 5010 before and was comfortable on that with the smaller wheels and being 5’6” height. Full 29” I would get butt buzz and sometimes just felt too tall when I would dismount as I like a low Standover height as well. I will say the 29” setup rides really well am would consider going back if my next full ride with mullet continues to get pedal strikes with 155mm cranks. I haven’t tested those out yet.

 

[MamboN5]

I am still testing since the mullet has a very low bottom bracket height but I changed cranks to 155mm. I was on a full 27.5” SC 5010 before and was comfortable on that with the smaller wheels and being 5’6” height. Full 29” I would get butt buzz and sometimes just felt too tall when I would dismount as I like a low Standover height as well. I will say the 29” setup rides really well am would consider going back if my next full ride with mullet continues to get pedal strikes with 155mm cranks. I haven’t tested those out yet.

changing the flip chip does not compensate for the height loss in the bottom bracket?

 

[CJaMTB]

I am still testing since the mullet has a very low bottom bracket height but I changed cranks to 155mm. I was on a full 27.5” SC 5010 before and was comfortable on that with the smaller wheels and being 5’6” height. Full 29” I would get butt buzz and sometimes just felt too tall when I would dismount as I like a low Standover height as well. I will say the 29” setup rides really well am would consider going back if my next full ride with mullet continues to get pedal strikes with 155mm cranks. I haven’t tested those out yet.

I'm also 5'6" and have historically had the same problems with wheel-arse contact, on previous 29ers. On this EXe, I've reduced the stroke of my shock to 57.5mm (controversial, I know!), giving 135mm of rear travel. It's bloody brilliant! I get the speed benefits of running a full 29er, with only an v.occasional kiss on the ass! Would honestly highly recommend it for those of us more vertically challenged. Running 160mm cranks BTW.

 

[Mitchiel]

Same here. Pull, loctite, and torque out of the box, regardless of time of purchase. And if you do this kind of thIng yourself, be aware that you'll likely need some new (but inexpensive) tools if you haven't dealt with ISIS before.

Hi mate,
On my Trek Fuel EXe, when i ride and turn the assistance off (even switching off), and paddle the is a knocking noise coming from the motor area. When i put the assistance to eco, it goes away. Is this normal or anyone else experiencing this.

My local bile bike had a look and said was the chain length and is still doing the same.

Update: the chainring was loose, so i tightened it to 50nm. Though maybe the sram chain, put a shimano on, still does the same.

I have video clip of this knocking noise.

Mitch

 

[DBSwiss]

Hi mate,
On my Trek Fuel EXe, when i ride and turn the assistance off (even switching off), and paddle the is a knocking noise coming from the motor area. When i put the assistance to eco, it goes away. Is this normal or anyone else experiencing this.

My local bile bike had a look and said was the chain length and is still doing the same.

Update: the chainring was loose, so i tightened it to 50nm. Though maybe the sram chain, put a shimano on, still does the same.

I have video clip of this knocking noise.

Mitch

I don’t have any noise or resistance with the motor off. I often turn it off on steep climbs on gravel/fire roads to compare times to my stumpjumper and the times are surprisingly close.

 

[Smeer]

What is the range you you guys get on these?

 

[DBSwiss]

What is the range you you guys get on these?

A typical ride I do is 20 miles with 1800 feet of climbing and I would return with about 40 battery left.
i ride mostly in trail and weigh about 160-165 lbs ready to ride. Hope this helps.

 

[Smeer]

A typical ride I do is 20 miles with 1800 feet of climbing and I would return with about 40 battery left.
i ride mostly in trail and weigh about 160-165 lbs ready to ride. Hope this helps.

Thats helpful! My rides are shorter with about the same elevation gain.

My average rides are around 8-10 miles with around 2500 ft elevation. So shorter, but more elevation (in Canada).

Haven’t ever run out of battery on rise. Most I’ve used has been about 60%.

 

[Mteam]

What is the range you you guys get on these?

It varies, the lowest I have had was 2000feet of climbing over 12 miles ( the ride was done mainly in max mode), the highest was 3500 feet of climbing over 20 miles ( using a mix of eco ,mid,max)

 

[Bullit]

Yeah, even though Rob may get away with it for now, I am a bit hesitant as well. I ran +5mm over stroked shock on my Rail with Pro-rate spring coil and 30% sag with kissing my seat tube to rear end a couple of times on compressive hits, that I said not worth it. +2.5mm stroke has been fine though, so likely do that with Fuel once replace Float X that is bit of a dud for me

I ride the Ölins TTX2 with 65 mm stroke and have no clearance problems, already have had several bottom outs...
The frame size is Large.

 

[Cell4soul]

What is the range you you guys get on these?

20-22 miles, 2,500 to 2,700‘. This depends on ho much I use eco, but I do need to help a good bit. This is draining the battery to nearly 0%. I am 175 lbs ready to ride. My bike is 43 lbs ready to ride with Cush Core and a coil shock.

 

[az2au]

20-22 miles, 2,500 to 2,700‘. This depends on ho much I use eco, but I do need to help a good bit. This is draining the battery to nearly 0%. I am 175 lbs ready to ride. My bike is 43 lbs ready to ride with Cush Core and a coil shock.

I’m 20lbs heavier but my numbers are very similar to yours. 22-24 miles with ~2100’-2300’ gain on my most common routes and the battery is near empty when return. Roughly 2 hours of riding time.

I put a kids shotgun on mine and take my 4 year old out often as well. Add 45lbs for him. The most common route I take him on is 12 miles with 900’ of elevation gain and I still usually have above 40%. I’m also positive that I use more assistance with him in the front even though it is still mostly eco mode. It is more efficient than I expected when doing that.

 

[Cell4soul]

I’m 20lbs heavier but my numbers are very similar to yours. 22-24 miles with ~2100’-2300’ gain on my most common routes and the battery is near empty when return. Roughly 2 hours of riding time.

I put a kids shotgun on mine and take my 4 year old out often as well. Add 45lbs for him. The most common route I take him on is 12 miles with 900’ of elevation gain and I still usually have above 40%. I’m also positive that I use more assistance with him in the front even though it is still mostly eco mode. It is more efficient than I expected when doing that.

I‘d say that is real world range if 2 people are getting such similar numbers.

 

[rockymountaindude]

So I have an EXE on order. I've read through this Megathread.

At this point, what is the takeaway regarding this bike? Is it a dumpster fire piece of trash lemon; or is it good? My summary of issues I've read, and wondering if these things are widespread:

• Engine noise from the clutch when there's not enough torque to engage the engine.
• Water: water can seep into the battery compartment or damage the display.
• Downgrades of components and Trek not being upfront about it.
• TQ not being quick enough on a fix and lack of communication regarding the engine noise.

 

[ebikerider]

So I have an EXE on order. I've read through this Megathread.

At this point, what is the takeaway regarding this bike? Is it a dumpster fire piece of trash lemon; or is it good? My summary of issues I've read, and wondering if these things are widespread:

• Engine noise from the clutch when there's not enough torque to engage the engine.
• Water: water can seep into the battery compartment or damage the display.
• Downgrades of components and Trek not being upfront about it.
• TQ not being quick enough on a fix and lack of communication regarding the engine noise.

I've got an idea as you have already ordered your new shiny toy. Stay off the forum until you ride your bike for at least a week to get an idea of what you think. Then log back on with your experience and opinion.