Submitted by
unalakleet123
a Weekend Warrior
from eskimopie2147@verizon.net
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2009
Strengths: Carbon/nimble/a looker
Weaknesses: Ordinary/not worth the money/way over priced for the components.
Bottom Line:
Simply put, the bike is not worth the asking price. I can see $2,000.00 or a bit more but no more. The bike is like the attitude you get from making a 4 wheel truck 5 feet high. Impressive but just not worth the effort or the money.
Strengths: *Very Light *Comfortable, spacious and ride/suspension well balanced (19.5" frame & 6'2" Rider)
Weaknesses: It would have been nice if it would have come with a 180mm XTRcrankset, they make a world of difference if you're tall. But then I have never heard of a manufacturer that specs them.
Bottom Line:
So far I have no complaints. I am 6'2" and weigh in at 295 lbs. and I ride mostly XC and on double track and gravel roads with plenty of uphills and downhills. Going uphill I can settle in and just pedal smoothly, the suspension is steady not bouncy either front or rear. The (lack of) weight of the bike is a phenomenal feeling going uphill, the bike feels like it wasn't there...its as if every little bit of push you put into the pedals gets translated into forward movement. Downhill the bike is just point and shoot and the suspension does its job without any special attention.
Similar Products Used: Hadn't ridden consistantly in about 7 years before I bought this bike and my previous bikes, though high end bikes, don't even come close to this level of performance.
Bike Setup: XTR/Bontrager Carbon goodies. Added Bontrager carbon bar-ends and I'm using an old pair of 747's until my new Frogs come in.
Strengths: The Shimano XTR is sweet and the Bontrager kit works fine.
Weaknesses: The frame
Bottom Line:
The frame has cracked again in the same place as before top tub and seat tube but this time after 3 rides 2 races and a xc sunday run.
The chain line has been off so my gears have been shot after Trek replaced the front triangle, oh yeah and a nasty scratch was picked up on the shock body cheers Trek.
So im waiting to here whats going on. I think my last reveiw was far to kind 1 chili is to kind.
Submitted by
Daniel Goode
a Racer
from Birmingham west mids England
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2007
Strengths: Very Light and fast.
Weaknesses: Frame not very strong.
Bottom Line:
Not at all happy i've raced this bike five times. Total number of hours used fifteen and its just over a month old i find two cracks in the frame one on the top tube and the other on the seat tube i weigh 165 pounds and im a smooth rider its not good at all. Trek are going to replace the frame but its the middle of the race season and i don't have a bike. On a plus point it is very fast and light.
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Albequerque
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2007
Strengths: Light, fast, great suspension redesign.
Weaknesses: Have broken 2 frames already, trek is releasing no more of them.
Bottom Line:
These frames are failing. They are replacing them, but a lifetime warranty on a bike design that fractures 2 times in three months, both times catastrophically, and with standard cross country riding....needs looked at. At least they are not sending anymore out until they redesign them. Great riding bike, but they don't make it 500 miles before the carbon fails. Something must have gone wrong with this bike, none of the other treks I have owned, carbon included, have ever done this.
Similar Products Used: Top Fuel 110, Fuel EX 9.5, Giant Trance
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff Sherrod
a Racer
from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2007
Strengths: I have been waiting for this bike for years! With all the Bontrager carbon goodies and the full ’07 XTR group this bike is set up! The frame is latterly stiffer than the fuel of past not to mention lighter. Very efficient suspension, with little to no pedal or rider induced bob, it climbs SO NICE! In or out of the saddle. The rear shock is easy to set up. I love the top tube on this bike it allows for plenty of room. The bike tips the scale at an unbelievable 23.2 lbs for a 19.5 (Large) bike. I also added a Fox fork which is heavier than the Manitou R7.
Weaknesses: I don’t see a major weakness with this bike. The only small complaint is that I need to buy rim strips to go tubeless, and I swapped the R7 out for a Fox RLT 100, but that is more of a personal preference because I have heard great thing about the R7.
Bottom Line:
Very light very fast, and very easy on the eyes. This bike is a racers dream, but it has enough travel and the disc brakes make it a great bike for 24 hour racing also.
Similar Products Used: Ellsworth truth, Trek top fuel 110, Trek STP, Cannondale Scalpel
Bike Setup: 07 XTR group, bontrager race X Lite wheels, Fork is a Fox RLT 100, Bontrager XXX Carbon bar, stem and seatpost
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Boris
a Racer
from Birmingham, AL. USA
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2007
Strengths: This bike is super stiff and has practically no lateral flex. The geometry is great and there is no brake jack or suspension bob. The top tube is a low as a 4x bike, so de-mountain is no problem. The bike came with my favorite fork, the R7 and a really easy to set up rear shock (S-type SLR). The new XTR is simply awesome. It looks good, it feels sharper than X.O when it shifts. The fact that they kept the brakes/shifters seperate is really convenient becuase they allow me to set up the shifters just where i want them. The handlebartape-like grips are really light and sweet too. The frame is nice and wide up top, not a perfect circle like it look sin the photos. It's got tubes that remind me of a cannondale system six ( a good thing). And, with the 17.5 weighing in (with my 4-ti crank bro's pedals and bontrager carbon bottle cage and bottle (and tubed tires), it weighed in at 22.55 lbs).
Weaknesses: The wheels require that you purchase a special rimstrip to go tubeless. for $6600, they should include that. The tires provided are not very good for winter training, but i switched the forn to a nobby tubeless panaracer and it's great now. There aren't any ride quality weaknesses and the component choice is all great.
Bottom Line:
This is the nicest bike i have ever owned. The bikes is the lightest full-suspension on the market, beating a team scalpel by a full pound, and the wheels are also the lightest out there (with the rimstrip, too!) Don't buy anything other than this. It's got enought travel for the trail, but can be set up just right and haul's ass in races. I mean, Chris Eatough rides it, so what else is there to say?? if you have any questions about this bike, email me at borisimo@uab.edu, I work at a bike shop and will be happy to help you out or show you the bike if you live around birmingham.
Similar Products Used: Trek fuel ex 9.5 carbon, cannondale scalpel 3000, cannondal rush team carbon, specialized s-works epic, specialized s-works M5 HT
Bike Setup: full 07 xtr, race xxx lite/ race x lite mix. crank bros 4-ti pedals..schwalbe fast fred rear tire, panaracer fire xc pro 2.1 tubeless front.
First I would just like to say that I am desperately missing California right now as I look out the window across a field half covered in snow. Why did I move back to Wisconsin... Read More »
I'm hoping someone has an idea that can keep me from blowing through BB bearings. I have a Top Fuel 9.8 that's about 7 moths old. I bought the bike as my race bike and do most of m Read More »
I'm building up a 2011 Top Fuel SSL 9.9 that I received as a warranty frame. I'm trying to transfer parts off my old bike. Will the triple cranks and front dérailleur work? I don Read More »
I'm trying to find the specs (seat tube, top tube, head tube, chain stay, lengths etc. and geometry) for the 2007 Top Fuel 9.8 (smallest frame).
Can anyone point me in the right Read More »
I think I'm going to buy a new Trek Top Fuel 9.9 soon. Frame only. So I'm wondering what fork to buy. The fork will be 100 travel, taper and 15QR.
I'm 148 lbs and race in Minnes Read More »
