Trek Fuel EX 9.7 review | Trail Bike of the Year contender

Specific suspension

Trek builds the frame around its ABP (Active Braking Pivot) linkage. This features a rear pivot concentric to the rear axle, marking it out from the usual four-bar or faux-bar linkages, whereby the rear pivot sits in the chainstay or seatstay respectively.

Trek claims this better separates forces from braking and pedalling from the suspension.

While most riders will likely stick with the air shock supplied, the frame is compatible with coil shocks. This is partly thanks to the More/Less chip that lives at the bottom of the shock.

This adds (More) or reduces (Less) the progressivity of the leverage curve, making it more or less progressive.

This can be flipped with the stock shock in place, but the Less position is most suited to air shocks, which naturally have more ‘ramp-up’ later in their stroke. The More position is suited to coil shocks, which are linear throughout their stroke (unless you have a fancy progressive spring or shock).

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 climbing performance

The Fuel EX offers few excuses on the climbs.

The suspension is stable, rarely bobbing in its travel as you pedal, ensuring the majority of your effort is channelled into getting you to the top of the hill.

On lumpier climbs, this means a few more of those bumps and edges are fed through to you, but the stability is much appreciated on steep climbs and long drags alike.

Don’t equate stability with a lack of suppleness, though, because there’s still enough freedom of movement to enable the tyres to find grip.

On tarmac sections, the shock’s lockout lever is within easy reach, for even perkier climbing, and you can easily twist the dial on top of the 36 Rhythm fork to lock that out, too.

The climbing performance is boosted by the geometry. The seat angle is steep, putting your hips in an efficient position over the cranks, while the 440mm chainstays (Large) balance the lengthy front end nicely, ensuring your weight is distributed well between the axles.

When things get steep, it doesn’t settle deep into its travel, maintaining those angles nicely.

Bontrager’s hubs have a very low engagement angle of just over 3 degrees, which makes ratcheting up and through techy lines much easier than a gappier freehub.

The tyres also contribute. Their low block height reduces rolling resistance, speeding up your ascent.

On loose, muddy climbs, though, the tread blocks don’t dig in as well as chunkier rubber. Their relatively hard compound also doesn’t ‘stick’ to rocks and roots as well as the best compounds from other tyre brands.

If steep, techy climbs are your thing and you want a more upright bike, the geometry adjust settings will help you get a more perky feel that's even better suited to navigating complicated terrain.

Trek Fuel EX 9.7 descending performance

The overriding feeling from the Fuel EX is one of composed calmness.

The chassis is robust and largely unshakeable on all grades of trail, whether you’re pummelling through rocks or loading it up through berms.

The rear shock smooths the way effectively, keeping the rear wheel locked to the ground, even when you’re on the brakes.

The damping in the shock mirrors the calmness of the bike. It has a steadfast calmness, rather than a hyperactive feel.

It does a good job of dealing with mid-sized impacts, although there are bikes out there that will offer an even smoother ride – there’s still a communicative feel as you traverse technical tracks.

Hit something big and the bike transitions to the depths of its suspension in a controlled manner, avoiding any harsh bottom-outs and ensuring you remain nicely in control.

The Fuel EX is happy being pumped through rollers, or pushed into the face of a jump, thanks to good mid-stroke support.

This gives it a more urgent feeling than some on more mellow terrain – only boosted by those faster-rolling tyres.

With excellent geometry and a stout frameset, the Fuel EX excels when weighted up through corners. While the shape is pretty long and slack, there’s still an agility that means you can make the most of tight and twisty tracks, thanks to the stubby stem, balanced shape and supportive suspension.

Pitch into a steeper section and the relatively low BB and generous length help give the Fuel EX an unshakeable feeling.

The 36 Rhythm is a fine fork, with the simple GRIP damper offering smooth and comfortable performance that aids the front wheels’s tracking of the ground and helps insulate you from the rough and tumble.

The chassis is sturdy, so it doesn’t choke when you’re battering it through rocks.

The most aggressive riders, though, will start to push its limits. The slight lack of mid-stroke support becomes noticeable, and the fork starts to use more of its travel than is necessary.

That said, you have to be really going some to get to that point.

By then, you’ll have noticed that Bontrager’s tyres don’t perform as well as the best mountain bike tyres.

Their rubber compound is less grippy, leading to a nervous feel on rocks and roots. This is exacerbated by a pingy carcass that skitters away from, rather than shrugs off, glancing blows.

Fortunately, The Line 30 alloy wheels the tyres are wrapped around are good.

They blend decent stiffness with comfort, while the fast pick-up of the rear hub makes accelerating out of corners a joy. As soon as you put some cranks in, the bike drives forward.

I tested the Fuel EX with wheels from another test bike, to see how it would perform with better rubber.

The improvement in grip from the Maxxis tyres was noticeable, enabling you to push the frame and fork further towards their limits, squeezing every drop of available performance out of them.

A more prominent shoulder tread, rather than the rounded profile of the SE5, improves cornering grip, while changing up the compound improves grip in marginal conditions.

I’d happily have this bike in my garage, though the tyres would be an early upgrade to help make the most of it.

I’d also make some alterations to the braking because the organic pads on the SRAM DB8s aren’t as good as the sintered options. My experience of the Marin Rift Zone 29 XR’s DB8 brakes with their HS2 rotors would inspire me to switch up the rotors on the Trek, too – the difference is palpable.

With better tyres and brakes from the off, the score would be higher, but you also have to take price into account. Though it has a carbon frame, the value for money at RRP isn’t great.