Trek Fuel EXe vs Cannondale Moterra SL

[Voltameter]

Hello,

I'm in need of and eMTB now that I am disabled with Long-COVID and recovering. This means my body has trouble producing energy and if I over-exert I get sick for a week, but if I manage my energy right I think I could be doing some short-ish eMTB rides this year. Right now in my recovery I can do around 1.5hr of light exertion (Heart Rate under 120bpm).

My background is years of racing enduro, riding the gnarliest shit around, and huge missions. Obviously things are gonna have to change; shorter rides, less aggressive. Before I got sick I was riding a Pivot Firebird and a Chromag Stylus.

My LBS stocks Trek and I've been looking at the Fuel EXe that I would extend the fork to 160mm and probably size up on. I know with this bike I won't be flying blindly into chunder, but can it handle aggressive terrain? Another bike I'm looking at is a demo Cannondale Moterra SL. I'm leaning towards the Fuel because I don't need much range, will be riding with my analog bros, and I'll have LBS support. But the Cannodale is cheaper (demo with warranty) and would offer more assist for my disability.

Can anyone offer me their experience with these bikes and which would best fit my unique needs?

 

[Integralnz]

I have the EXE. Great bike. The Cannondale might suit you better with a bit more power and range as you ride your way back to health.

 

[Twisted Fork]

Because the ex-e forces you to put in a lot more effort and higher cadence to get the most return from the system, it may not be the best choice for you at this point in your recovery. I’ll regularly hit 170+ bpm still while climbing in moderate to steep single track. Keeping under 120 would be difficult in many situations. You’ll probably want a motor that has higher torque output at lower cadences, like a Yamaha or Bosch.

It’s a very capable and lively descender, especially with a 160mm fork in mullet configuration.

 

[Mteam]

Dont worry about whether the Exe can handle the terrain, it'll handle pretty much anything you would have ridden on your previous bikes - maybe slightly slower ,due to a bit less travel at the back, but not by much. The bike itself is very capable, especially if you use a 160mm fork, and some people use a 62.5mm stroke shock to gain an extra 5mm of travel on the rear.

If you're always riding with people on regular bikes, then the TQ motor will do what you need - ie keep your heart rate down and give you a whole load of range, its only when your speed increases to beyond normal bike speeds that the battery consumption increases significantly.

I havent ridden the cannondale, but it does look really good, full power in a lightweight package, it gets decent reviews. Maybe its the better bike of the two?

 

[Kubiertas]

Hey @Voltameter I also suffer from long-covid. A little more than three years now.
I uses to ride a niner rkt rdo. So mostly cross country here in the flat Netherlands.
I love my fuel exe. Should have bought it earlier. But I thought I could recover faster.
I went over my limits to easy when riding my analog bike. I just ended up trying to ride the way I was used to. And then a couple of days later the punnisher walked in…..

So sorry, our use cases are not comparable. But I am very happy with my fuel ex-e. More than enough power for me. (I’m a very big guy)

 

[BouncyCornetto]

Hello,

I'm in need of and eMTB now that I am disabled with Long-COVID and recovering. This means my body has trouble producing energy and if I over-exert I get sick for a week, but if I manage my energy right I think I could be doing some short-ish eMTB rides this year. Right now in my recovery I can do around 1.5hr of light exertion (Heart Rate under 120bpm).

My background is years of racing enduro, riding the gnarliest shit around, and huge missions. Obviously things are gonna have to change; shorter rides, less aggressive. Before I got sick I was riding a Pivot Firebird and a Chromag Stylus.

My LBS stocks Trek and I've been looking at the Fuel EXe that I would extend the fork to 160mm and probably size up on. I know with this bike I won't be flying blindly into chunder, but can it handle aggressive terrain? Another bike I'm looking at is a demo Cannondale Moterra SL. I'm leaning towards the Fuel because I don't need much range, will be riding with my analog bros, and I'll have LBS support. But the Cannodale is cheaper (demo with warranty) and would offer more assist for my disability.

Can anyone offer me their experience with these bikes and which would best fit my unique needs?

Sorry I'm late to the party. I suffer ME/CFS with energy producing issues particularly in mitochondrial. I also get very sick for 2-3 days from over exertion. Hard Cardio for more than a minute or two makes me ill fast.

I only got into emtb due to the illness and the need for support exercising, never rode normal MTBs.

I went haibike hardtail, to turbo levo, to kenevo, to moterra SL. Light weight, mid travel and full power is absolutely game changing for me.

I thought long travel burly on the kenevo would support me better, but actually just knackered me out muscling it around. I could do more on the levo! Very depressing.

If you have an energy condition like ME or long COVID I would prioritise light weight and motor power equally as top priority in order to extend time on the bike and get the most out of it.

My condition is moderately severe and I struggle to walk 5 mins down the road, so YMMV. I feel like an athlete on my moterra SL and more like an 80 year old on my own two feet haha. I can ride a lot more time and more aggressively on the moterra due to the lower energy cost of manipulating the bike.

I've even learned my first (small) bunny hops on moterra SL!
I could front and rear wheel lift the levo okay but not manage flat hops, but could barely even do wheel lifts on the kenevo lol.

I rip up every climb in full turbo and moterra SL is powerful enough but not overpower for my needs, I couldn't even ride on an SL bike properly. I started on a 60Nm haibike hard tail and could barely climb on it on turbo and an easy gear due to the excessive cardio. I'd say I need 80nm minimum to not die on the steepest climbs.

I take NADH, L-carnitine, Sunflower Lecithin, methyl B vitamin complex, trace minerals, COQ10 and beta alanine supplements before a ride and it helps to reduce the damage and up my performance / ride length.

I also always drink some bicarbonate of soda before a ride to reduce acidity and electrolytes after to enhance recovery

Sorry for big info dump. Hopefully my experience can help you or other energy impeded riders!

 

[crapforbrains]

I'm assuming @Voltameter already made his decision, but I guess it can't hurt to share my experience.

Been riding since 2015, mostly on my enduro hardtail the last 5 years - until I got a pretty bad infection in 2023 which turned into suspected ME/cfs. Tried a Canyon Strive:ON last year but hated it (I missed the buzz from getting the effort in, also not playful at all) and built up an Airdrop Edit MX instead. Managed to get a few rides in but ultimately switched to a 2024 Focus Sam2 6.8 as I realized analog bikes are bad for my health right now.

I agree on what has been said here earlier; max torque and battery capacity are key to keep your HR down, also weight - depending on where you're riding and how. My Focus is an absolute tank, but the weight and suspension also makes for a more planted and smooth ride which might be less fatiguing. I still have the Airdrop (it's sitting pretty in the living room) for when things get better again.
I mostly ride in Bosch' EMTB-mode which is brilliant as it adapts its output to your input, then when I'm fatigued I switch to Turbo-mode.

Most importantly: pace yourself and - even though it might sound dull - keep track of what you're doing and don't overdo it. If you're feeling tired you're basically already too much and risking PEM/crash.

Here's a heart rate plot from two laps on a nearby trail with some pretty steep climbs (Kwintelooijen for the Dutchies out here), first lap was in EMTB-mode, second in Turbo.

@BouncyCornetto Curious to hear what your findings are with the supplements you're taking and general progress.

 

[BouncyCornetto]

I'm assuming @Voltameter already made his decision, but I guess it can't hurt to share my experience.

Been riding since 2015, mostly on my enduro hardtail the last 5 years - until I got a pretty bad infection in 2023 which turned into suspected ME/cfs. Tried a Canyon Strive:ON last year but hated it (I missed the buzz from getting the effort in, also not playful at all) and built up an Airdrop Edit MX instead. Managed to get a few rides in but ultimately switched to a 2024 Focus Sam2 6.8 as I realized analog bikes are bad for my health right now.

I agree on what has been said here earlier; max torque and battery capacity are key to keep your HR down, also weight - depending on where you're riding and how. My Focus is an absolute tank, but the weight and suspension also makes for a more planted and smooth ride which might be less fatiguing. I still have the Airdrop (it's sitting pretty in the living room) for when things get better again.
I mostly ride in Bosch' EMTB-mode which is brilliant as it adapts its output to your input, then when I'm fatigued I switch to Turbo-mode.

Most importantly: pace yourself and - even though it might sound dull - keep track of what you're doing and don't overdo it. If you're feeling tired you're basically already too much and risking PEM/crash.

Here's a heart rate plot from two laps on a nearby trail with some pretty steep climbs (Kwintelooijen for the Dutchies out here), first lap was in EMTB-mode, second in Turbo.

View attachment 155659 View attachment 155660

@BouncyCornetto Curious to hear what your findings are with the supplements you're taking and general progress.

Doubt I could even ride without the supplements, updated my other post with some other ones I take which I forgot! They altogether make a huge difference to me.

I get close to PEM on my longest ride days if I'm pushing myself and feel good on the day, the easiest time to overdo it lol! (About 3-4 hours leaving home to returning home). That ends up closer to 1.5 hours actual riding time I think, maybe less. I rest a lot. Before the matera SL it was more like 2-3 hours as my Max ride day length (determined by proximity to PEM) with probably 1hr or less ride time.

I only ride once a week, even on the moterra. My next two days are always tired and a little rough, even avoiding a full crash into PEM which I usually do manage. Twice a week would have me constantly run down and not bouncing back fully between rides, and also struggling to meet general life responsibilities.

Losing 100wh battery going to moterra SL, made no difference to me. Even at 600Wh I finish my longest sessions with at least half battery. I prefer the weight saving of this size battery and find no negatives. Ofc the lighter bike also drains it's battery less, as less mass to lug, something to consider. YMMV on how you ride and your local spots though, couldn't agree more!

I mainly ride mini gravity style trails as it's all we have locally. The descents and climbs are only a few minutes tops. Even the local bike parks are this style, if a minute or two longer each way. The climbs are either moderately steep and short in length, or incredibly steep and tiny in length.

This style fits with my MECFS better than longer more consistent output rides would. I'm moderately severe. My burst power output is okayish on a good day, but consistent output starts to kill me after less than 5 minutes (aerobic bad!), even on the best of days. The jumps and drops (only small for me so far) add some muscle building element due to impact, and the suspension takes out the actual impact, so I don't feel too damaged. It feels more like I have done some suitable weight machines at the gym after a ride. I'm building and maintaining muscle mass for the first time in my 6 years of MECFS., and no longer struggle as much with the stairs! (I've tried bodyweight exercises, weightlifting, and swimming, I couldn't get as good workout as safely or consistently as emtb from any of them).

I spin up climbs with minimal effort in full turbo whilst taking repeated huge breaths to max out oxygen, then at the top I take a large rest, continuing to breath deeply until my heart rate and breathing feel neutral. A few minutes later (just to be safe), I descend in the mode below turbo, which I've customised to be rather punchy and eager on the assist to avoid the cardio of doom.