Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

Jazzii

New Member
Jan 25, 2024
52
94
Slovakia
I would like to know their logic. Let's say you used the stock bushings, custom reducers could easily be turned down on a lathe from aluminum (if not CNC'd or even 3D printed). Going a step further, you could start with a fox hardware kit and replace only the inner sleeve- a simple tube. Machining threads and a bolt head out of steel (or stainless) seems inifinitely more complicated.

Burgtec is another company to keep in mind. I wonder if their santa cruz bolt kits might include a match for the EXe.
https://burgtec.co.uk/product-category/products/bolt-kits/
Logic was that when you want to make inner exact diameter within 0,01 mm (for example 7,88mm) its difficult, because tool presses to thin wall of rotating alu sleeve from inside…. Instead they took existing M10 ss bolt from shelf, took down it on lathe to 7,99mm, did 6mm long M8 thread and job was done within minutes. Anyway, there is for sure more solitions, aim is to make the gap between bolt and sleeve about 0,01mm.
 
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deapsquatter

New Member
Jul 20, 2024
6
5
South Africa
Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa. Our group of EXe riders also has one skilled with a lathe. Thanks to the great write up a few posts back we too managed to make a bolt that fits snug. I've had movement in the lower shock since day 1 and this fixed it for me. Pics below. Would be able to make a few more but probably makes sense for local people only. Cost around R400 (ZAR). Happy riding! bolt3.jpeg bolt2.jpeg bolt1.jpeg
 

tkdbboy

New Member
Jun 13, 2024
9
8
Melbourne
Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa. Our group of EXe riders also has one skilled with a lathe. Thanks to the great write up a few posts back we too managed to make a bolt that fits snug. I've had movement in the lower shock since day 1 and this fixed it for me. Pics below. Would be able to make a few more but probably makes sense for local people only. Cost around R400 (ZAR). Happy riding! View attachment 144074

Nice one! Is your crank bolt outer missing?
 

GoRingo

New Member
Jul 26, 2024
2
0
Czech Republic
Hi Guys! I am a new owner of Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 AXS-T comming from 2018 Trek Fuel Ex 8, so carbon and emtb/AXS is very new to me, so far very happy!

As my warranty check approaches, I have a couple of questions to you who rides this bike for longer time:
1) I have the Code R Bronze brakes. What surprises me is very noticable difference in colour shade between front and rear brake levers. Basically one of the levers is much darker in colour, about 20-30% percent. I havent found any reference on SRAM that those brakes comes with different shades, it looks like they come from entirery different batch? Is any of the SRAM Code owners seeing the same phenomena? Looks quite silly.
2) Anyone replaced the stock RSL Integrated Stem/Handlebars? I have very mixed feelings about this one (partly because I cant mount my bikepack rollbag anymore and I struggled with Garmin mount as well - sometimes I do hammocking trips in the woods) but more importantly I have seen some broken handlebars on Trek's review site and now I have trust issues.

Thanks for replies.
Tomas
 

Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
3,564
5,023
Coquitlam, BC
My Fuel EXE came with DB8 Sram brakes, therefore the Sram green tint mineral oil. At first I thought I would change them out to Magura MT7’s. But after a few weeks I got use to them.

A different shade or different batch colour would cause me confusion 😉.

Get the stem that works for you 👍🏻, that’s a nice little upgrade …especially for carbon bars.
 

njatherton

Member
Dec 1, 2022
69
30
PA USA
First thing I replaced on my Exe was the handlebar/stem.
1: my light mount would not fit next to the stem where I like it.
2: you can not roll the bars to your prefered position.

Plus, I managed to sell the bars for more than it cost to replace them :)
 

mmcengineer

Member
Jan 3, 2022
69
65
Sheffield
First thing I replaced on my Exe was the handlebar/stem.
1: my light mount would not fit next to the stem where I like it.
2: you can not roll the bars to your prefered position.

Plus, I managed to sell the bars for more than it cost to replace them :)
Same here seems a waste to have a fancy carbon shmarbon bar stem you can do nothing with but .......
 
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mmcengineer

Member
Jan 3, 2022
69
65
Sheffield
Hi Guys! I am a new owner of Trek Fuel EXe 9.8 AXS-T comming from 2018 Trek Fuel Ex 8, so carbon and emtb/AXS is very new to me, so far very happy!

As my warranty check approaches, I have a couple of questions to you who rides this bike for longer time:
1) I have the Code R Bronze brakes. What surprises me is very noticable difference in colour shade between front and rear brake levers. Basically one of the levers is much darker in colour, about 20-30% percent. I havent found any reference on SRAM that those brakes comes with different shades, it looks like they come from entirery different batch? Is any of the SRAM Code owners seeing the same phenomena? Looks quite silly.
2) Anyone replaced the stock RSL Integrated Stem/Handlebars? I have very mixed feelings about this one (partly because I cant mount my bikepack rollbag anymore and I struggled with Garmin mount as well - sometimes I do hammocking trips in the woods) but more importantly I have seen some broken handlebars on Trek's review site and now I have trust issues.

Thanks for replies.
Tomas
Yes renthal bar and a nukeproof stem its just more adjustable in terms of bar angle
 

mmcengineer

Member
Jan 3, 2022
69
65
Sheffield
I asked in garage for this and was told, that its technically MUCH EASIER to make 7,99 mm outer diameter bolt then to make 0,01 mm wider inner diameter of mounting sleeve/hardware. And, second problem is, that standard bolts are not produced within 0,01 mm tolerance, so every bolt would need custom sleeve. Anyway its fun for me to read how big talk is about one absolutely easy job - precise bolt. Two years ago I bought exe, shock was knocking, I measured the original bolt, was small in standard 8mm mounting hardware. I went to local garage, asked for five custom bolts, were made in two days and problem was solved. I posted it here much later, because was wondering how strange stupid solutions where written here, like "change rock shox for fox mounting hardware" etc... Dont get crazy, take your bike to local garage, ask for custom bolt and you will forget for this problem forever.
Believe it or not precision bolts are quite common ,maybe your looking at stock iso bolts , stripper bolts (yes i recall thats the name) are precision ground in various tolerances we use mainly h7 in titanium , theyre a standard tolerance, i think engineers in general expect so much more, I often wonder when the bike world is going to up its game on products that can cost 10k + then figure its a mass produced item built to a price with a 30-40 percent markup at retail put to gether by people often working for the love of bikes not a top flite salary plus the shop discount just so they can afford to ride. My honda cost 6k in comparison
 
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gmoss

New Member
Mar 21, 2024
104
38
Hickory, NC
Rode the integrated bar/stem once. Hands and wrists were sore, sold them and put my set up that I have ran on very bike for the last 8 years. I don't understand that as a stock item for a mass produced bike. On a race xc bike, I get it, but not this bike.

On another note, took mine to the shop this week. Drive side crank keeps lososening, have a creak from down there that may or not be the crank, and the chain guide is loose and slides up and down. Asked them to check for software updates. Not too disappointed for first issue in 400 miles.
 

GoRingo

New Member
Jul 26, 2024
2
0
Czech Republic
First thing I replaced on my Exe was the handlebar/stem.
1: my light mount would not fit next to the stem where I like it.
2: you can not roll the bars to your prefered position.

Plus, I managed to sell the bars for more than it cost to replace them :)
What was your choice? I am looking at OneUp Carbon (eMTB or 35).

I am really undecided which stem lenght to pair it., OneUp makes 42 mm or 50 mm, OEM is 45 mm.
 
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Swingset

Active member
Sep 9, 2022
276
310
Southern Cal
Believe it or not precision bolts are quite common ,maybe your looking at stock iso bolts , stripper bolts (yes i recall thats the name) are precision ground in various tolerances we use mainly h7 in titanium , theyre a standard tolerance, i think engineers in general expect so much more, I often wonder when the bike world is going to up its game on products that can cost 10k + then figure its a mass produced item built to a price with a 30-40 percent markup at retail put to gether by people often working for the love of bikes not a top flite salary plus the shop discount just so they can afford to ride. My honda cost 6k in comparison
Refreshing this a bit. Did a tolerance stack a while back. There are two sources of play on the bolt. The shock bushing and the frame. You cant solve the frame sloppiness unless you match ream everything to a new bolt size. You need to clamp the orange bushing to the frame to reduce the frame bore tolerance issue. The frame fitting is very stiff and you need to make sure you have the widest/closest fitting bushing possible.

I bought a 40mm kit and torqued it up to about 20nm and that fixed it over a year ago.
 

Attachments

  • EXe lower shock mount layout.PDF
    144.6 KB · Views: 111

Yobbo

New Member
Jun 29, 2024
2
0
Cambridgeshire
I am wanting to change the standard axle and removable hex key set up to an integral lever type quick release axle for convenience. The standard removable Hex key lever either gets lost on a ride (twice), gets miss-placed somewhere or gets accidentally left at home, hence why I want a QR axle with an integral lever.

The front axle is easy to do as Rockshox/SRAM do a very reliable Maxle ultimate quick release for the Lyrik which I have on several of my mountain bikes. However, the rear axle is a total nightmare to obtain a quick release as the standard axle despite being Boost spacing has a slightly longer than usual 185mm overall length and more importantly uses an M12 x 1.0 pitch thread which is quite rare on MTB axles, so I am struggling to find a suitable quick release.

Has anyone found a quick release Rear axle for a Carbon Fuel EXE where the lever isn't removable ?
I can answer my own question. After a great deal of searching I couldn't find an off-the-shelf 12mm rear axle with a fully integrated quick release lever to replace the standard removable lever set-up. What I did instead was to buy a fat bike 12mm integrated lever QR axle that is way too long for the Fuel EXE. I then cut it to the required 185mm length and using a die with an M12x1.0 pitch I cut the thread onto the axle myself.

Anyone thinking of doing this needs to be very careful of the overall axle length as the female frame insert is semi-blind, so if the axle is a couple of mm too long it will butt up against the end of the frame insert and so will not squeeze the rear triangle and tighten the axle properly. The head of the QR axle must also be quite small as its seat in the frame is inset and the axle head with the integrated lever has to insert about 5mm into the rear triangle.

Anyway, It worked perfectly. Luckily the folded lever ended up exactly where I wanted it to be. I am very pleased with the outcome.
 

EnduroIntern

New Member
Feb 6, 2024
33
23
Israel
After a shop did a shock service, and bolts were tightened to spec, I now noticed the "head” of the bolt is gone, on both sides.
Anyone had this happen?
Think it might be unsafe?
Or just bad since bearings are exposed to dust


1000011093.jpg
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
1,870
1,807
gone
After a shop did a shock service, and bolts were tightened to spec, I now noticed the "head” of the bolt is gone, on both sides.
Anyone had this happen?
Think it might be unsafe?
Or just bad since bearings are exposed to dust


View attachment 144723
That's terrible, probably not actually super unsafe (but not safe either) , but you could do damage to the shock or linkage if you rode it like that for a significant period.

The shop have sheared the head off the bolt and hoped you wouldn't notice. I'd be raging at the shop if that were my bike.

Time to take it back and get them to replace the bolt and never use that shop again, I wonder what else they've ballsed up?
 

Swingset

Active member
Sep 9, 2022
276
310
Southern Cal
Went to get a firmware update the other day. One of the goals was to hopefully get the TQ app to have functionality in setting up the center button and see what versions I have. Sadly the Android interface just wont let me see these. Have deleted and reinstalled the app with no luck. I swear the motor is more quiet now than it was. But nothing earth shattering in update from what I can tell.
 

Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
3,564
5,023
Coquitlam, BC
Hey trek fuel exe owners.

Is this noise when backpedaling normal? The bike is off in this video though it does not seem to matter.
The bike is a few months old and I cannot recall if it did it when new.
I have had some pretty intense pedal strikes that are making me wonder if any damage has been done to the motor.
Would appreciate if others could test their own motors to compare!
Hmmm? My TQ motor is quiet …regardless of which direction I peddle. Under load, coasting, backpedaling.

Ps; the only thing I hear is the terrain under my tires and insects hitting my teeth. 🐜 🕷️ 🐞
 
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Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
1,870
1,807
gone
Hey trek fuel exe owners.

Is this noise when backpedaling normal? The bike is off in this video though it does not seem to matter.
The bike is a few months old and I cannot recall if it did it when new.
I have had some pretty intense pedal strikes that are making me wonder if any damage has been done to the motor.
Would appreciate if others could test their own motors to compare!

No, that's not normal.
 

woody65

New Member
Aug 12, 2024
9
6
UK
Hi
Does anyone know the pantone colour of the logo on the deep smoke, would like to get some fork graphics made up to match?
Also does anyone have a 3d print file for a tq battery charger holder?
Thanks
 

Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
3,564
5,023
Coquitlam, BC
Hi
Does anyone know the pantone colour of the logo on the deep smoke, would like to get some fork graphics made up to match?
Also does anyone have a 3d print file for a tq battery charger holder?
Thanks
I think I purchased my lyric fork decals from Silk Graphics, based out of the UK maybe? After they helped me solve logistics of delivery to Canada …I was happy with their service. There seemed to be lots of colour/favor options.
 

woody65

New Member
Aug 12, 2024
9
6
UK
I think I purchased my lyric fork decals from Silk Graphics, based out of the UK maybe? After they helped me solve logistics of delivery to Canada …I was happy with their service. There seemed to be lots of colour/favor options.
Yes I’ve bought from them before they are really good, Nukeproof were able to tell me the exact colour but Trek not so helpful.
 

gmoss

New Member
Mar 21, 2024
104
38
Hickory, NC
Hi
Does anyone know the pantone colour of the logo on the deep smoke, would like to get some fork graphics made up to match?
Also does anyone have a 3d print file for a tq battery charger holder?
Thanks
The problem is the color comes from the tint in the clear. It can vary and changes with the light. I'd say Slik is as likely as anyone to have something close.
 

woody65

New Member
Aug 12, 2024
9
6
UK
Theft, they said it was too expensive.
My other bikes are covered they won’t do this one.
I’ll use one of dedicated bike insurers
 

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