Fuel EXe Trek Fuel EXe Megathread!

[Ribinrobin]

Finally giving up on the stock tyres, i have a mary/betty to go on. A friend said the bontrager carbon wheels are a nightmare to get tyres seated on and you have to change rim tape? can anyone confirm this?

 

[Magnacus]

Finally giving up on the stock tyres, i have a mary/betty to go on. A friend said the bontrager carbon wheels are a nightmare to get tyres seated on and you have to change rim tape? can anyone confirm this?

There is a rubber "rim tape" in the rim bed. You have to take it out and replace it with a tubeless rim tape. Changing the tires with the rubber tape installed is very, very difficult.

Edit:
If you can't get the old tires off the rim, you can also cut them. For the wire in the bead, you might need a bowden cable cutter. Be careful. But it's probably better than using a tire lever.

 

[Ribinrobin]

There is a rubber "rim tape" in the rim bed. You have to take it out and replace it with a tubeless rim tape. Changing the tires with the rubber tape installed is very, very difficult.

Edit:
If you can't get the old tires off the rim, you can also cut them. For the wire in the bead, you might need a bowden cable cutter. Be careful. But it's probably better than using a tire lever.

thanks mate that saves some hassle. Do you know what size rim tape it needs?

 

[Magnacus]

thanks mate that saves some hassle. Do you know what size rim tape it needs?

The rim is 30mm wide on the inside. Then a 31 or 32mm wide rim tape should fit well.

 

[njatherton]

The rim is 30mm wide on the inside. Then a 31 or 32mm wide rim tape should fit well.

Finally giving up on the stock tyres, i have a mary/betty to go on. A friend said the bontrager carbon wheels are a nightmare to get tyres seated on and you have to change rim tape? can anyone confirm this?

A great tip I have used when I originally struggled to replace the tires/tyres is to warm up the beads with, eg, a hairdryer. This makes them more flexible. I fitted an Assegai F & a Kryptotal R no problem using this method without replacing the rim tape.

 

[Stihldog]

Using a specific width rim tape for your rim is helpful. (30mm tape for a 30mm rim.) Don’t tape up the walls of your rim. This could cause some problems.

Learn how to apply rim tape correctly. Do not use your fingers to press the tape into the valley or channel of your rim. Use and press/chase with a soft cloth instead. Push out any trapped air bubbles.

Spoke holes can slice or cut rim tape …especially alloy rims. Sometimes a small burr is left during the manufacture process. A small round slice, in the plastic insert or rim tape, can act like a flap to release air. Psi can slowly escape through the spoke holes or small rim vents. ( Very difficult to seal, detect or see).

I discard the Bontrager rim insert when I install a new tire and use a correct width rim tape instead. I’ve had two Bontrager plastic rim inserts fail.

 

[Ribinrobin]

Using a specific width rim tape for your rim is helpful. (30mm tape for a 30mm rim.) Don’t tape up the walls of your rim. This could cause some problems.

Learn how to apply rim tape correctly. Do not use your fingers to press the tape into the valley or channel of your rim. Use and press/chase with a soft cloth instead. Push out any trapped air bubbles.

Spoke holes can slice or cut rim tape …especially alloy rims. Sometimes a small burr is left during the manufacture process. A small round slice, in the plastic insert or rim tape, can act like a flap to release air. Psi can slowly escape through the spoke holes or small rim vents. ( Very difficult to seal, detect or see).

I discard the Bontrager rim insert when I install a new tire and use a correct width rim tape instead. I’ve had two Bontrager plastic rim inserts fail.

Thanks for the detailed response!

 

[EnduroIntern]

Finally giving up on the stock tyres, i have a mary/betty to go on. A friend said the bontrager carbon wheels are a nightmare to get tyres seated on and you have to change rim tape? can anyone confirm this?

I don't mind the bonti rim tape.
It is harder to sit some tyres.
Exo+ is fine to take on or off. DH casing is impossible and would not reccomend

 

[Mark C]

Been enjoying my exe for two years and about 10km riding now. A recent issue has been the motor making an intermittent grinding sound and power drop off (down to 100 to 200W) when climbing hills. A pause brings the power back up temporarily but then drops off again on next hill. I wonder if this is the over heating sensor cutting the power, perhaps due to friction? This is a replacement motor from about 18 months ago and this problem was apparent for long hill climbs from early on. But it is much worse now despite the outside temperature being only about 5C? Anyone else experienced anything like this? I am guessing it will need to go back to the Trek dealer again, sigh.

 

[njatherton]

Been enjoying my exe for two years and about 10km riding now. A recent issue has been the motor making an intermittent grinding sound and power drop off (down to 100 to 200W) when climbing hills. A pause brings the power back up temporarily but then drops off again on next hill. I wonder if this is the over heating sensor cutting the power, perhaps due to friction? This is a replacement motor from about 18 months ago and this problem was apparent for long hill climbs from early on. But it is much worse now despite the outside temperature being only about 5C? Anyone else experienced anything like this? I am guessing it will need to go back to the Trek dealer again, sigh.

For the first time in 2 years I felt like I had something similar last night whilst out riding. Temperature was around 3C (35F). I had just done a short steep climb in high power then when I went down to mid power the motor felt like it was dragging & wouldn't speed up. I'm hoping it is just the cold