Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

[DancingWithMyself]

It’s a 9.7. I just went with the recommended settings from the app and it just seems harsh on small to medium stuff. Then I lowered the pressures a little and it still feels harsh. Although lowering the pressures can sometimes make the fork blow through the initial soft part of the travel. That’s what it feels like with the lower pressures. But, I only have about 100 miles on it. So there’s that. I’m just hoping they free up a little.

Fuel EXe 9.7 - Trek Bikes

Discover your next great ride with 36365_2023. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

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Very few forks are going to feel truly good until you burnish/resize the bushings. It makes a big difference.

I couldn't get along with tune on that Float X. Either harsh off the top or not enough support. Swapped it.

 

[DancingWithMyself]

Wow I'm surprised that the full battery is almost same price as the extender. In that case it makes a lot of sense just to go with full battery.

Second battery totally the way to go. But if you want to swap quickly, you've got to buy the adapters for the ends separately. I ordered more bolts as well (cause those are separate too . . . ), but they were stupid expensive for what they are. I should have tried to source those from somewhere else.

Don't just pick the new battery up from the shop. Take your bike in and get them to install the battery and then run firmware updates. Learned the hard way when I swapped in my new 2nd battery at the trail.

 

[Canyon Shawn]

I was able to use the TQ app to add a cadence to the screen. It adds another screen to scroll through.

 

[Emailsucks98]

Don't just pick the new battery up from the shop. Take your bike in and get them to install the battery and then run firmware updates. Learned the hard way when I swapped in my new 2nd battery at the trail.

Can you elaborate on this? The firmware is only in the motor & display, not the batteries correct?
Im curious because my very helpful local trek store just updated my firmware, battery is due in 3 weeks.

 

[Canyon Shawn]

Can you elaborate on this? The firmware is only in the motor & display, not the batteries correct?
Im curious because my very helpful local trek store just updated my firmware, battery is due in 3 weeks.

Software updates for e-bikes with TQ-HPR50

The latest software updates for TQ e-bike components. Bring your e-bike up to date and use the full range of functions. View updates now!

www.tq-ebike.com

 

[Mteam]

Can you elaborate on this? The firmware is only in the motor & display, not the batteries correct?
Im curious because my very helpful local trek store just updated my firmware, battery is due in 3 weeks.

The battery has its own firmware too.

However ,with my second battery , I haven't had it updated and it works fine. Maybe it already had the latest version installed?

 

[shure2]

I went for a ride today with two batteries , having an enormous amount of wh available does change the ride , due to the fact that you don't need to be keeping it in eco as much as possible to get the range means that you can just use mid or max modes most of the time, average speed is higher,more like a full fat ride.

It was good,nice to not be watching the watts all the time.

That's how I feel with the Ego battery attached (albeit lower Wh than two main batteries) when riding with my mate, I just leave it on Max power.

 

[DancingWithMyself]

The battery has its own firmware too.

However ,with my second battery , I haven't had it updated and it works fine. Maybe it already had the latest version installed

That's my understanding (now) as well. Battery has firmware.

And you're battery must have had the latest installed. My battery arrived within the past week or so and did not. When I put it in my bike, battery percentage bounced around weirdly and the bike would not go past the low, less-than-10%-battery power level.

I ended up dropping just the battery off at the shop. They stuck in another EXe and updated the firmware and now it works fine. So you might be able to get your shop to do this and not even have to take your bike in.

Really stoked to take some trips and put in some big days. I picked up a portable power station for a couple hundred bucks in a thanksgiving sale. It'll get a battery from 10% back up to about 70%. Plan is to ride battery 1 until about drained, install battery 2 for more riding while battery 1 is in my car charging, and then go back to battery 1 for a third bite of the apple.

You can obviously go nicer on the portable power station and get all the way back to 100%, but pretty sure the above is going to give me all I can handle and allow me to use a lot of power on the way up for big winch-and-plummet riding days.

 

[Canyon Shawn]

That's how I feel with the Ego battery attached (albeit lower Wh than two main batteries) when riding with my mate, I just leave it on Max power.

You do realize that if you take a good fall, that ego battery is going to hit something and break your down tube. That battery can put a lot of leverage at the attachment points.

 

[Piccirilli]

I was just quoted $599USD for extender battery with mid-May availability and $750USD for the main battery from a local Trek store. Are these the prices everyone else is getting quoted?

 

[Emailsucks98]

Really stoked to take some trips and put in some big days. I picked up a portable power station for a couple hundred bucks in a thanksgiving sale. It'll get a battery from 10% back up to about 70%. Plan is to ride battery 1 until about drained, install battery 2 for more riding while battery 1 is in my car charging, and then go back to battery 1 for a third bite of the apple.

Thanks for the battery info!
Here's something that got me very stoked on eBikes. I have this camper with solar on the roof. Last summer we discovered the camper was capable of recharging 2 eBikes (my girlfriend has a Levo) which consumes about 2/3 it's battery. We'd go ride and if the camper wasn't parked in the shade, it would be 100% by the time we returned. Some trips we went 3-4 days like that, recharging the eBikes daily, big descents and cold beer in the DC fridge afterwards. I call it solar shuttling!

 

[Emailsucks98]

I was just quoted $599USD for extender battery with mid-May availability and $750USD for the main battery from a local Trek store. Are these the prices everyone else is getting quoted?

Yes, I was quoted $750 for the full battery back in Nov. Not including end caps & handle

 

[steveL]

Thanks for the battery info!
Here's something that got me very stoked on eBikes. I have this camper with solar on the roof. Last summer we discovered the camper was capable of recharging 2 eBikes (my girlfriend has a Levo) which consumes about 2/3 it's battery. We'd go ride and if the camper wasn't parked in the shade, it would be 100% by the time we returned. Some trips we went 3-4 days like that, recharging the eBikes daily, big descents and cold beer in the DC fridge afterwards. I call it solar shuttling!

How are you hooking it up to charge the battery? Does it have an inverter and you just plug it in or???

 

[volts]

I have ordered the second battery but now I'm not so sure anymore. It seems super easy to crossthread the bolt going into the battery. Is it just me who had to faff 10 10 minutes to be completely sure it dudn't cross thread? Mine seemed like it really really want to eat the thread until I adjusted it a 3rd time.

 

[Emailsucks98]

How are you hooking it up to charge the battery? Does it have an inverter and you just plug it in or???

Yeah, it has an inverter. It's a pretty cool camper, I bought it used and later found mackelmore was the previous owner! Using the inverter & AC really sucks battery, so charging the eBikes is basically the only time I go that route. Fridge is DC. I can run an extension cord outside and charge bikes while they're locked up.

 

[Mteam]

I have ordered the second battery but now I'm not so sure anymore. It seems super easy to crossthread the bolt going into the battery. Is it just me who had to faff 10 10 minutes to be completely sure it dudn't cross thread? Mine seemed like it really really want to eat the thread until I adjusted it a 3rd time.

Haven't had a problem screwing th battery bolts in, they just go straight in,but even if you cross thread them it's not the end of the world because the threaded part that the bolt screws into is part of the plastic end cap that is replaceable for about £6 ,and not part of the battery itself.

 

[Dhobi]

What about strapping it to the top tube? One won't need to read the display since remaining power is no longer an issue?

I'll get my EXe in April. I'm still hesitating between ordering an extender or a second battery, but I'm leaning more toward the battery. In that case, I prefer to carry it on the down tube to keep its weight low.

So I've started looking for a suitable bike-packing downtube bag, but there's not much choice, and they all seem too short. I like this one from Tailfin the most, especially how it's strapped to the frame, but unfortunately, it's short too. The battery itself, without end caps, is 383mm x 48mm x 64mm, but the slimmer 1,7l variant is just 290mm long.

Downtube Packs

Downtube Packs allow you to add extra storage to a frame without traditional cargo mounting points when bikepacking.

www.tailfin.cc

If I can't find anything longer, I may buy it and have some bagman lengthen it...

 

[steveL]

Yeah, it has an inverter. It's a pretty cool camper, I bought it used and later found mackelmore was the previous owner! Using the inverter & AC really sucks battery, so charging the eBikes is basically the only time I go that route. Fridge is DC. I can run an extension cord outside and charge bikes while they're locked up.

View attachment 108240

Looks cool, mind sharing the solar panel wattage, battery setup and inverter capacity? I am hoping to achieve the same bike charging on my trailer, so far I don't have an inverter.

 

[steveL]

I'll get my EXe in April. I'm still hesitating between ordering an extender or a second battery, but I'm leaning more toward the battery. In that case, I prefer to carry it on the down tube to keep its weight low.

So I've started looking for a suitable bike-packing downtube bag, but there's not much choice, and they all seem too short. I like this one from Tailfin the most, especially how it's strapped to the frame, but unfortunately, it's short too. The battery itself, without end caps, is 383mm x 48mm x 64mm, but the slimmer 1,7l variant is just 290mm long.

Downtube Packs

Downtube Packs allow you to add extra storage to a frame without traditional cargo mounting points when bikepacking.

www.tailfin.cc

If I can't find anything longer, I may buy it and have some bagman lengthen it...

I can't help but wonder if you are adding a battery and that weight to the frame that maybe something like the Trek Rail would be more suitable? Then you wouldn't have these range issues, messy battery holders and changing the battery trailside, etc.? Please enlighten me.

Steve

 

[Emailsucks98]

Looks cool, mind sharing the solar panel wattage, battery setup and inverter capacity? I am hoping to achieve the same bike charging on my trailer, so far I don't have an inverter.

Yeah, so 800w of solar panels on the roof, a 2000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter Charger, & (2) 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Batteries. It’s all ~7yrs old, probably better stuff out now, but it works!

As for the Fuel vs Rail, the Fuel is great for 90% of my riding, and I love the lighter weight. I really like the option of adding a battery/range extender when desired vs always carrying the extra weight. Plus the benefits of it being quieter, more natural feeling etc. A fuel with two batteries is still much lighter than a Rail.

 

[steveL]

Yeah, so 800w of solar panels on the roof, a 2000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter Charger, & (2) 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Batteries. It’s all ~7yrs old, probably better stuff out now, but it works!

As for the Fuel vs Rail, the Fuel is great for 90% of my riding, and I love the lighter weight. I really like the option of adding a battery/range extender when desired vs always carrying the extra weight. Plus the benefits of it being quieter, more natural feeling etc. A fuel with two batteries is still much lighter than a Rail.

Cool thanks! My 200w solar panel and 2 6V 100Ah batteries might be a stretch for that job.

I too am loving the light weight and quiet motor on my Fuel EXe, it only got 150 km's last fall before winter set in, spring should arrive soon.

Steve

 

[Dhobi]

I can't help but wonder if you are adding a battery and that weight to the frame that maybe something like the Trek Rail would be more suitable? Then you wouldn't have these range issues, messy battery holders and changing the battery trailside, etc.? Please enlighten me.

Steve

I mostly ride short local trails where I prefer light Exe and it's small battery is enough. But sometimes I do a long epic ride and in this case second battery is better option then extender. And unfortunately I can't afford to buy both Exe and Rail so I have chosen Exe

 

[volts]

I can't help but wonder if you are adding a battery and that weight to the frame that maybe something like the Trek Rail would be more suitable? Then you wouldn't have these range issues, messy battery holders and changing the battery trailside, etc.? Please enlighten me.

Steve

I'm in the same boat. I can just speak for myself but 99% of the time I ride either in a park where getting to the car is easy or just for 2-3 hours where the 360wh is enough but then there is that one epic ride per year where you need 720wh and that's where strapping the battery to the bike or putting in a backpack makes sense.

 

[Piccirilli]

I just found out how easy it will be to swap out the main battery, for reasons previously mentioned. For $150 more for twice the Kwh compared to the small extender battery I will likely order the full battery too.
On another note, I wasn't too happy with the paint schemes Trek offers on these bikes. Here's what I did to create some added bling on an otherwise boring paint job. These decals were put on after installing the ride wrap, so I can easily change out to new theme decals. Next week I'm bringing the bike in to have the Rockshox fork upgraded to 160mm travel with the buttercups. Trek store manager claims the buttercups are well worth the upgrade.... I'll report later if that's true, compared to the stock fork on the 9.8.

 

[volts]

I just found out how easy it will be to swap out the main battery, for reasons previously mentioned. For $150 more for twice the Kwh compared to the small extender battery I will likely order the full battery too.
On another note, I wasn't too happy with the paint schemes Trek offers on these bikes. Here's what I did to create some added bling on an otherwise boring paint job. These decals were put on after installing the ride wrap, so I can easily change out to new theme decals. Next week I'm bringing the bike in to have the Rockshox fork upgraded to 160mm travel with the buttercups. Trek store manager claims the buttercups are well worth the upgrade.... I'll report later if that's true, compared to the stock fork on the 9.8.

View attachment 108309

I think the spring going from 2022 to 2023 does make a big difference. It's way different. But I have doubts about the buttercups. Those are mostly marketing in my optics. I didn't notice a difference. It's just that bike/fork reviewers can't make a boring video saying they don't do much. Cool paint job now. I wish I had that. I don't care much for the huge branding on the side of the downtube on mine.

 

[Piccirilli]

I think the spring going from 2022 to 2023 does make a big difference. It's way different. But I have doubts about the buttercups. Those are mostly marketing in my optics. I didn't notice a difference. It's just that bike/fork reviewers can't make a boring video saying they don't do much. Cool paint job now. I wish I had that. I don't care much for the huge branding on the side of the downtube.

I hope your wrong about the buttercups, though the entire upgrade will be $400 including install. The decals were easy to install and price was ~ $50 for everything. Though the head badge decal came out looking bad and I'll replace it with a thick aluminum one. I'll pass along the links to buy the decals if anyone's interested. BTW, do not repaint the frame as I wanted to do. It voids the warranty. Same for the fork.

 

[volts]

I hope your wrong about the buttercups, though the entire upgrade will be $400 including install. The decals were easy to install and price was ~ $50 for everything. Though the head badge decal came out looking bad and I'll replace it with a thick aluminum one. I'll pass along the links to buy the decals if anyone's interested. BTW, do not repaint the frame as I wanted to do. It voids the warranty. Same for the fork.

$400 for swapping a $40 part and 20 minutes of work? I hope they are doing more than swapping the spring.

 

[towzer]

Anybody have a uk 9.8 gx axs, Presumably the 9.8 axs gx comes without a gear cable installed and presumably installing one would be a right pita.

 

[droffsite]

Anybody have a uk 9.8 gx axs, Presumably the 9.8 axs gx comes without a gear cable installed and presumably installing one would be a right pita.

I have a US 9.9 XX AXS. No gear cable installed. The rear derailleur is wired to the main battery; the seat post has its own battery.

 

[Piccirilli]

$400 for swapping a $40 part and 20 minutes of work? I hope they are doing more than swapping the spring.

They are replacing both the air spring on left side (160mm) and dampener on right side with added buttercups. The price they quoted is actually reasonable considering both parts retail for $460.