THE BEST TRAIL BIKE TREK HAS EVER MADE? | 2023 Trek Fuel EX 8

THE BEST TRAIL BIKE TREK HAS EVER MADE? | 2023 Trek Fuel EX 8 - Gen 6

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Күн бұрын

The Best Trail Bike Trek Has Ever Made?
Price and more info: bit.ly/40fZ8KF
The Gen 6 - 2023 Trek Fuel EX 8 is a newly updated all-mountain trail bike with a lot of customization options. It features a redesigned ABP suspension system, adjustable mino-link rocker, and the ability to run mullet wheels. The bike has a Fox Rhythm 36 fork, a Float X rear shock, and a Shimano SLX and XT drivetrain.
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00:00 The Gen 6 Fuel EX
00:48 What is the Trek Fuel EX
01:33 Frame Features
02:54 Revised ABP Suspension
03:53 Mino-Link Adjustment
04:20 Adjustable Suspension Progressivity
05:14 Bike Suspension Travel
06:10 Adjustable Headset | Angleset
07:19 Mullet Capable
07:57 Online Geometry Tool
09:24 Fuel EX 8 Price
09:41 Suspension Components
10:07 Drivetrain & Brakes
10:34 Wheels & Rapid Drive Hub
11:11 Cockpit Components
11:46 2023 Trek Fuel EX 8 Weight
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DISCLAIMER: This video description contains affiliate links, meaning I'll receive a small commission if you click on one of the product links. I work within the cycling industry, and the views are not representative of the views of my employer. Jamesthebikeguy videos are produced outside of employment obligations and are made of my own volition unless otherwise stated.

Пікірлер: 115

@Semprefi 6 ай бұрын

Someone at Trek deserves a big raise. I don’t remember the last time a company of any kind made this many changes to their product that were each smart and all worked together to make the product vastly better and instantly an industry leader . I love it. Especially in that polished aluminum finish you had here. I’d say it’s as close to being the perfect bike as you can get

@bigdonniebrasco 9 ай бұрын

PEOPLE! Stop complaining about a few pounds! If you aren't tough enough to pedal a few extra pounds, maybe got take a poop before your ride! Problem solved!

@BIIIKES Жыл бұрын

Fantastic bike. Got to ride one the other day. Thanks for the review!

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

You bet!

@rgmtb Жыл бұрын

Quite the bike. The storage is becoming more popular. There seems to be some sweet upgrades to the design. Nice review 👍

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

I'd have a hard time buying a mtb without storage now.

@austinpierce6053 Жыл бұрын

@@Jamesthebikeguy Likewise! It just makes too much sense to have on bikes of these sort :)

@gazg00 Жыл бұрын

Love it. Gen 6 looks fantastic.

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

I think so too!

@dems_mtb Жыл бұрын

Beautiful bike! My friend has one on order. Looking forward to see how it rides.

@dems_mtb 2 ай бұрын

@@henaxl My friend loves it!

@hudsonquay Жыл бұрын

I’m still riding the first generation ex8 29er from 2013. Albeit with new wheels, pike forks, monarch shock, wide carbon handlebars, short stem, dropper post, XT 1x11 transmission, XT brakes. Only the frame is left!

@chase3253 8 ай бұрын

I'm on my '15 lime green 27.5 and love it as much as the day I brought it home. I ride it hard and it's never let me down.

@devonmoyers6337 Жыл бұрын

Suspension setup almost identical to my Devinci Troy. Great design with the rear pivot concentric to the axle. Sweet ride!

@trailpimp6369 Жыл бұрын

Looks like a beauty brother ❤

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

I think so too!

@mtbnoobs Жыл бұрын

I would like to see someone do a thorough comparison of the new fuel ex and the stumpjumper evo. How do they compare in real life rather than just the numbers. P.S. they have the same head tube angle in their stock geo setups.

@spencerimre Жыл бұрын

Fuel ex has a little less travel, pedals a little better. Stumpy evo is a bit more plush and active. Other than that, they're pretty much the same, but if you're choosing between one or the other, I would go with the fuel ex. Has the progression adjustment which I think is really cool, and allows you to run many different shocks. Another big thing: the stumpy evo eats shocks. The strut mount is just a a little off center, so with coil shocks, it puts twisting/shearing forces on the shaft, causing them to be damaged/fail prematurely. For some people, the lack of ability to run a coil won't matter, for others, it's a dealbreaker.

@danegreer2270 Жыл бұрын

Love the reflectors

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Safety first 🦺

@henryvaneyk3769 Жыл бұрын

Reminds me a lot of the Pyga Hyrax.

@reneh.6551 Жыл бұрын

Love the reflectors and plastic cassette wheel 😍

@cessna74 Жыл бұрын

... or so called dork disc. :)

@cliffordrichardc 9 ай бұрын

very clear

@Gerald-iz7mv Жыл бұрын

its still not a carbon frame for that price...? also would be interested to see 2023 trek fuel exe e...

@carpenterbil006 Жыл бұрын

The giant trance x has still got this beat

@ashwinamanna2465 2 ай бұрын

Can you say why? I am looking at the trance x 27.7 and Fuel Ex Gen 6 small 27.5

@MazharAliz Жыл бұрын

So is weight the problem with this?

@anonymous3249 Жыл бұрын

Is it compatible with the new SRAM transmission especially the direct mount derailleur ?

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Yes it sure is. All of the full-suspension bikes in Trek's lineup use SRAM's UDH - Many of which have for years now. Also worth noting the new Roscoe Hardtail does as well.

@mrvwbug4423 Жыл бұрын

For a trail bike that thing is pretty heavy. My Ripmo AF with FR560s only weighs 35lbs. My guess is most of the excess weight is in the frame and wheels. The SLX/XT drivetrain combo is pretty light, The 36 Rhythm fork isn't light, but it's not that bad, a 36 Performance, elite or factory would be lighter as would a Lyrik. Still the sheer amount of adjustability on that frame is insane. I do like that they sell an alloy frame only option, so you can build even the alloy bike to your liking if you want.

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

The weight is mostly coming from the basic cockpit components and the huge amount of frame features. Those Line Comp 30 wheels are not light per-say but they are 1,950g so still way under most stock build wheels + plus the hubs are quite nice. An Ibis Ripmo AF rocks about as basic of a frame as a quality MTB gets. No offense meant here, but it utilizes very standard tubing, no frame adjustment, link adjustment, storage, ect. Nothing wrong with that (arguably prob a benefit for many) but it can be lighter because of that. The frame storage on it's own accounts for over 250g, the replaceable headset cups are 100g or so over integrated races, and the list goes on. If you want light it needs to be simple. If you want adjustment, well that comes with weight. As a trail bike, it is heavy. As a Enduro capable bike it's light. As a bike that can do more than one thing, it seems just about right.

@steven.9263 Жыл бұрын

Too heavy for a pure trailbike though, really. No way it's gonna keep up with 30ish pound bikes on a climb or long ride.

@MTBMOR Жыл бұрын

My Giant Trance x is only 33 lbs. It's amazing how much the new bikes can handle.

@Devin717az Жыл бұрын

9.8 xt weights 33lbs

@mrvwbug4423 Жыл бұрын

@@Devin717az That is really heavy for a carbon trail bike

@joshuaandress3666 Жыл бұрын

Love seeing my bike in videos ❤

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Cheers

@franciscoayon9470 Жыл бұрын

I looking for a first bike,ive seem the marlin,but then i also saw someone selling a 2012 trek fuel ex 7 for 650,what you think it's a better deal

@plmn93 10 ай бұрын

I wouldn't buy a full suspension bike that old. Lot of proprietary parts in rear suspensions and they can be very hard to find after 10 years or so.

@Elvis68spec Жыл бұрын

Very interesting Bike!

@MikP86 6 ай бұрын

This or Top Fuel 8 XT? Basic trails/gravel/park riding. Thank you.

@Diegutpf Ай бұрын

Top Fuel! I have one. Awesome bike.

@noonster55 Жыл бұрын

The rear suspension is kinda like an old Santa Cruz MTB suspension, only a lot more versatility.

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Huh? Santa Cruz has never used or had a suspension design like ABP. They have used Single Pivot, High Pivots and VPP. All of which are significantly different.

@Kinetic_worx Жыл бұрын

My only complaint is that it's within a 200g of an equivalent Trek Slash.

@spencerimre Жыл бұрын

slash is gonna get an update soon

@jaysealenduro5618 Жыл бұрын

I agree, Trek is no doubt the industry leader in almost every category of high performance mtb and road equipped with industry leading and pioneering proprietary Tech. And for trail bike the fuel ex is a great mtb. But for my personal choice I'll prefer the Remedy and for more aggressive i do have an Project 1 Slash.

@zorglub5699 Жыл бұрын

the lights are very important lmao

@timmatteson7897 Жыл бұрын

Don't forget the dork disc!

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Safety First!

@GustavoAdolfoContrerasSoto Жыл бұрын

wait wait wait i remember that... alpha aluminium > alpha Gold > alpha Platinium gen 5 is alpha platium and gen 6 is aluminium? someone explain this to me?

@fullsusloditv5495 Жыл бұрын

nice modern mtb 👍

@daddyduck833 Жыл бұрын

Don't know how they could get away with pricing it doubled from what the specialized status is...

@logankurtz1933 Жыл бұрын

Go look at the stump jumper evo, that’s what this bike is emulating. Same price if not more expensive

@lenolenoleno 9 ай бұрын

Weight isn't everything but geez that's heavy. It's heavier than a RAAW Madonna frameset - a no compromise alloy enduro bike vs. a Fuel Ex with 140mm travel. The Raaw has plenty flips chips etc. No downtube storage (but does have an additional top tube bottle boss storage). The headset cups shouldn't even add to the weight (and is it even worth it? Unlike Specialized where it's all done by hand, you have to press in a new lower cup to make this change. Trek don't even include this headset in the box. The new upper and lower cups needed to make this adjustment cost almost as much as an angleset from Wolf Tooth/Works Components headset except now you're locked into Trek's useless proprietary headset standard...)

@flashfive23 Жыл бұрын

Anyone else hate the new frame design!

@orriechaffin2850 Жыл бұрын

I like it

@323johnnybravo Жыл бұрын

It’s like an ugly 2018 GT Force. Wish Trek would stop copying GTs designs.

@cesaralexis73 11 ай бұрын

Pivot switchback is way better

@zp2010mo 7 ай бұрын

To who?

@skinny8019 Жыл бұрын

wow...that thing is heavy...ebikes are getting to that weight....though...nice bike....i wouldnt call this a trail bike...i think

@oldkicker8958 Жыл бұрын

Heavy!

@mediasucks Жыл бұрын

These became available to test ride recently at my local Trek dealer.....and just, no. That 78 degree seat tube angle on a TRAIL bike is way over the top. 30 minutes in and my wrists were killing me as I tried to sit as far back on the rear edge of the saddle as possible. Getting on it initially felt a bit like riding a unicycle. The difference from 76 on my current bike was dramatically unpleasant.

@4discussions825 Жыл бұрын

It‘s much to heavy to buy….my old Trek and Votec are about 12kg and this was heavy when I bought them.

@mikerotchburns1622 Жыл бұрын

would be nice if it didnt weigh 36 lbs

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Yeah, its put on a few lbs over the years

@michaelmichaelagnew8503 Жыл бұрын

34 lbs, but for what it does the weight does not matter its not a racing bike and climbs better than all the other trail bikes in its class. It was tested and on video against the other big name brands including Santa Cruz and others. Just google it you should find it.

@kylelongstaff Жыл бұрын

Bruh.. rear reflector on a trail bike... We even take the dork discs off of all Fuels in our store..

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Nah dude safety first

@Grizzleback07 Жыл бұрын

Some States require bikes to have reflectors.

@callawaycass5148 11 ай бұрын

I can't take a trail bike review seriously when it has reflectors and a dork disc.

@rogertheartfuldodger 4 ай бұрын

Come on. The bike is out of the box. Every rider takes those widgets off before the first ride. By the way, have you ridden this bike?

@TheJpep2424 Ай бұрын

No one takes your comment seriously.

@skg901 Жыл бұрын

This is a bit too inspired from the Vitus Escarpe...😂

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Aside from it having two wheels and also being FS I don't see it. They don't share anything in terms of geo or adjustability. Totally different suspension platforms and the Vitus doesn't have much in the way of frame features. I don't see it, maybe the lower shock mount is catching your eye?

@BIIIKES Жыл бұрын

@@Jamesthebikeguy Just a Trek hater. They're out there.

@orbea42 5 ай бұрын

Threaded BBs or nothing. I would rather never ride again than buy a bike with a press fit BB.

@benjy288 Жыл бұрын

A 16kg trail bike? no thanks, its almost 2kg heavier than the previous model

@michaelmichaelagnew8503 Жыл бұрын

Its like almost 2 lbs heavier than the previous not 4lbs, and its all in making the frame more durable for that down hill stuff.

@benjy288 Жыл бұрын

@@michaelmichaelagnew8503 A gen 5 ex8 weighs 13.86kg without pedals, a gen 6 ex8 weighs 15.65 without pedals, so 1.79kg or 3.9lbs heavier, and in regards to the frame, this is supposed to be a trail bike, not an enduro bike, if someone wants a solid heavy duty bike for bombing down trails as fast as possible then they should be looking at the slash, a trail bike is supposed to be a great all rounder.

@jshannon2k8 Жыл бұрын

Not a worthy upgrade from the Gen 5. I'll take the reduced weight all day.

@michaelmichaelagnew8503 Жыл бұрын

Have you riden both? Gen 6 goes up faster, as well as down faster than Gen 5. You can't even notice the extra weight. All around a much better bike than the previous generation.

@zed5129 6 ай бұрын

Get an XC bike

@mohit9374 Жыл бұрын

Trek copied the features from specialized and design from gt and called it a day.

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Certainly took ques from the Stumpjumper, but then again when you combine all the variations, that's the best selling FS mountain bike on the market, so they should have!

@michaelmichaelagnew8503 Жыл бұрын

@@Jamesthebikeguy Which StumpJumper are we talking about since they have a stumpJumper for XC, one for Trails, and one for Enduro?

@marksandoval5361 Жыл бұрын

The Fuex might be the best bike Trek has ever made but it is also the ugliest bike Trek has ever made. The frame just looks cobbled together.

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Hmm maybe it's just this color, but I like it's look

@plmn93 10 ай бұрын

Looks are subjective. I think it's some pretty amazing metal working. First time I saw one I thought it was carbon until I saw the welds.

@gregsparks Жыл бұрын

Sorry, not even close to the Polygon Sisku T8 for the price. Lots of useless dumb gimmicks on the Trek.

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

How so?

@gregsparks Жыл бұрын

@@Jamesthebikeguy Price and useless gimmicks.

@painteater19 Жыл бұрын

@@gregsparks the most effectively adjustable mass market frame in the business is full of "dumb gimmicks", ok bud. Show me on this doll where trek hurt you.

@ArturoMartinez-jn9us 9 ай бұрын

I went for the ex 8 over the t8. Can’t complain

@squirtmph Жыл бұрын

It's not even ebike why so over $

@battistaverardi1240 Жыл бұрын

I have never liked this suspension design. It’s not original and many bikes have this design, Santa Cruz for one. There are much better suspension designs out there. The ultimate is the Jamis Dakar MP2, award winning and totally original!

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

There is literally no other brand that has ABP suspension. The closest is Split Pivot from Dave Weagel and used on a few brands. Santa Cruz uses VPP and that's a wildly different platform, and a Single Pivot on the Blur.

@battistaverardi1240 Жыл бұрын

@@Jamesthebikeguy ABP? sorry but that suspension design is garbage. Trek is not known as a mountain bike brand, ask anyone who knows. Even the Jamis EVO blows that out of the water. Jamis was the first company to create a full suspension mountain bike and it is the Dakar which they still make today that has the award winning MP2 suspension. Even the VPP is nothing special, Dakar has been around since 1979, tell me another brand that has been around that long. Specialized came out with the FSR stumpjumper to compete with Jamis in 1982 but to no avail. To many companies coming out with their " patented " suspension design that is nothing but a gimmick.

@painteater19 Жыл бұрын

@@battistaverardi1240 you are out your damn chair if you think Trek isn't "known as a mountain bike brand". ABP, while not as trendy and cool as the DW-link, VPP, or switch infinity suspension designs, is a very effective workhorse for many riders.

@battistaverardi1240 Жыл бұрын

@@painteater19 lol, trek is utter trash! Never have won any accolades such as bike of the year or not as well known on the mountain biking scene. I’ve ridden this suspension design and was immediately uncomfortable and coming out of the corners was a disaster. Trek should just stick to hard tails and sell them as budget bikes!

@terrybull4604 Жыл бұрын

Isn't the devinci troy pretty much exactly the same suspension design?...I don't agree with this fellas statement. I have been quite happy with my gen 5. thinking of buying the gen 6 but we have alot of pedaling and climbing in my area. Which do you figure climbs better?

@tntexplosivefighter Ай бұрын

The obesity pandemic has spread amongst the trek fuel ex🎉😂

@romma11 Жыл бұрын

single pivot = chain growth; outdated design

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I don't think you have a solid understanding of axle path and suspension designs. It's worth revisiting suspension designs to consider chain growth, which affects almost all bikes and can be exacerbated by travel and suspension designs. Single pivot or modified single pivot designs tend to have the most consistent axle path curve, while suspension designs such as VPP create a sine wave-like shape. Four-bar linkages like Horst link / FSR are relatively linear up to 90-100mm travel length, but longer travel setups produce a distinct arch. The question is whether chain growth matters. It can impact anti-squat characteristics and extreme circumstances, and used to be an issue before clutched derailleurs were invented. However, on properly designed bikes like this one and most modern suspension designs, including true single pivots, chain growth is typically a non-issue.

@romma11 Жыл бұрын

@@Jamesthebikeguy it is simple math even good visualization will do. The fact that they join pivot on axle is the problem compare to horst linkage from specialized for example

@Jamesthebikeguy Жыл бұрын

Are you deciding to ignore suspension kinematics then? Sure horst link axle path is relatively straight in a 90mm suspension bike, but not when you get to modern day travels. If it were still the best, why is it Specialized has gone away from it on most bikes? P.s. Horst link was introduced by AMP in 1990. When you talk about outdated, horst link is one of the oldest mountain bikes suspension designs. That by no means indicates whether or not it is still good, as in many cases it is. But when you say outdated, the ABP suspension on this particular bike was patented over 17 years later, so how is that outdated and the other suspension is not?