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See Our Best Short Travel Mountain Bike Review 2021 Article HERE!

The Bike

A new frame design is one of the first things that you notice on the Fuel EX, making for a much better-looking bike, in my humble opinion. The geo has also, as with most bikes this year, become slacker and longer. With a reach on a large frame of 470mm, it is not as long as some of the other bikes on the list, but it is longer than the predecessor. A decently slack 66.5-degree head tube angle coupled with a 75.5-degree seat tube angle adds the requisite steeper and slacker parts of the equation. Throw in a 435mm chainstay on every frame, and the geo starts to sound pretty interesting.

The Trek Fuel EX has 130mm of rear travel and a 140mm fork. Now with the new frame design, they have added a Knock Block in the head tube. This keeps the crown of the fork from smacking against the downtube of your shiny new bike. Trek does state that it is light, and that makes for a more precise front end. We’ll let you be the judge of that.

Climbing

With 130mm of rear travel, there will likely be some suspension sag while grinding up a steep FSR. Trek also designed the rear suspension with the pedal-assist lever in mind, so you may be reaching for the lockout switch more often than on other bikes. Is this a game-changer? I don’t think so, as it takes less effort than grabbing your water bottle and can help save your legs for the sprint to the cooler at the end of the ride.

Downhill

The new Fox suspension designed for the Trek seems to mute the small rattly roots and rocks that can zap your body of energy over a long day of riding. Though it adds some sag during the climb, it really shines in the descent.

As with all of the new bikes with modern geometry, the world that the Trek belongs in just got a whole lot wider. The confidence-inspiring head tube angle and 36 fork give the rider a lot of forgiveness when the descents get spicy. The Bontrager tires that come on the Trek also add a lot of traction and help to keep the front end pointed down the trail or on the correct line around a safety berm when the geo gives you more confidence than it should have. This bike can be poppy too and may keep you in the air longer than you expected, but that’s only ever a bad thing sometimes. We say—enjoy the freedom of flight!

The Shimano brakes are also solid and keep the speed in check for when the descents get steep and the rider gets confident. This Fuel EX is more versatile than its predecessor but may feel almost too safe for some riders. It is a great bike for someone looking for a capable and comfortable mountain bike for long days in the saddle that will keep you in check if the trail gets squirrely.

Build Options

As you can expect with Trek there are about a thousand build options for the Fuel EX. The bonus of that is that there really is a Trek for every price range and component conscious buyer. Starting with the fancy pants, Trek does offer a wireless drivetrain build using SRAM’s latest and greatest X01 Eagle AXS drivetrain, and it will only set you back $11,999. The Trek Fuel carbon frame family ranges from $5,299 up to $10,649. The aluminum framing options range from $2,499 up to $4,299. There are also four frame only options ranging from $2,499 up to $3,999. So, really there is a Fuel for every wallet size, and the company’s scale does help to get as many people on bikes as they can.

The Bottom Line

Is this a bike for adrenaline junky, speed demons who want to pick the gnarliest line and dance their way down it? Well no. The Trek Fuel EX is a safe buy for riders who want to know that their bike can handle the ups as well as the downs but which, during the downs, has enough suspension and traction to really keep them out of trouble. It will feel almost like the bike isn’t beneath you, which for some riders is great and for others who like the feel of the trail cruising along under them can be a negative.

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