Submitted by
bikerock2020
a Weekend Warrior
from Telluride, CO
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2010
Strengths: Great frame, performance, one of the great bikes for the money ever made. It's very responsive on single track, and the suspension relates well to the frame.
Weaknesses: None that I have found. Comes with good components.
Bottom Line:
Love this bike. Bought it in very good condition for under $1000, can't beat that. It takes a hell of a licking. Great US frame.
Bike Setup: Custom pedals, everything else standard.
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Submitted by
Dr. Awesome
a Cross Country Rider
from British Columbia
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2010
Strengths: Light, tough frame. Plush suspension,front and rear. great brakes.
Weaknesses: nothing
Bottom Line:
It is an awesome bike and I would buy another one just like it when I out grow mine(I am 5 foot 3 and 100 lbs). It is great for all terrain with adjustable travel on the front.
Bike Setup: Hayes hydrolic discs. Front rock Shox. Rear fox float racing shock. Bontrager sprockets, handle bars and backe tire (other is a Kenda).
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Submitted by
Brian Agron
a
from Fairfax, California, USA
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2007
Strengths: Quick nimble handling,easy climbing and a delight to ride
Weaknesses: Rear brake would vibrate so severely air pump disassembled and the noise was intollerable. Fix was to add extra brace between brake and frame. Chain suck was a probelm until stock chain replaced. Frame (aluminum)just fractured behind a weld at 4,600 miles but factory is replacing frame.
Bottom Line:
I do not regret purchasing the Fuel 90 as it is all I could desire as far as performance and fit is involved. However the issues with the vibrating brake and the fractured frame (I am 60 and my days of fast and fearless downhill are over. The frame failure was due to a defect in materials or workmanship, not abuse on my part) made this bike problematic.
Similar Products Used: Old Schwinn rigid. Rode like a truck, handled like a truck and never broke down.
Bike Setup: Stock except for the seat which was immediately replaced and the chain.
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Submitted by
Jo
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary,Canada.
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2006
Strengths: 2004 fuel 90 much better frame than earlier models.
Weaknesses: Front fork, rock shox duke xc dust seals came out all the time and air leaked all the time.
Bottom Line:
if your looking for a real bike and happen to find a 2004 fuel 90 buy it quick. I'm a big guy 220 lbs and probably why shock kept failing, but in two years i put this baby through hell and back over 19,000 kms on this bike, don't think I could find a better bike out there. thats why I did all the latest upgrades fox forx talas rlc made a completely new bike, rear fox still works like new. I also ride all winter as cold as -18 deg c. This also very hard on bikes. I would buy this bike all over again and have two other treks a session 7 and a modified 4300 hardtail.
Bike Setup: now fox talas rlc 90-130, xtr drive train shifters and derailers carbon seat, post, bar, stem, hanger banger, chris king.
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Submitted by
Morgan Gruehl
a Racer
from Sunnyvale Ca
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2006
Strengths: Great ride, light frame. Handles great. strong build
Weaknesses: tires don't hold well in the turns, and the headset wasn't a chris king, pedals were also pretty weak
Bottom Line:
Go out and swoop if you want a bike that will take you up and down hills with equality. Find a deal and get some new pedals, a new headset and some tires
Bike Setup: stock except for the king headset, and the shimano DX platform pedals
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Submitted by
Celeste
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2005
Strengths: Trek Fuel 90 WSD. Great handling, comfortable, light enough to climb efficiently. Overall, it has a feel of being very high quality.
Weaknesses: Even after a year, none found, except the tires which were very mediocre and I switched them out quick! And the pedals...forget about riding in anything slightly muddy unless you have good mud shedding ability, and the standard shimano pedals have NONE!
Bottom Line:
I don't know why, but female geometry makes a HUGE difference in how comfortable a bike is how easy it is to manuver. I raced for the first time with this bike and was near the top in both Sport and Beginnner categories.
Similar Products Used: '01 Rock Hopper (hard tail)
Bike Setup: Stock except tires and pedals. Switched to mythos XC in the rear and Panaracer FireXCPro in front. Made all the difference in the world on cornering!
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Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2005
Strengths: Quality build. Awesome handling and braking power. Climbs well, shifts like 'budda. Looks sharp.
Weaknesses: little on the heavy side compared to my old Trek 8000 hardtail. Makes it tougher to get 'er up in the air without a launch.
ive ridden a 4300 trek for the past 2 years. decided that it was time to lay down some bux for a bike with all the bells and whistles. i tried many of the high end trek models 8000 other fuels 70, 80...and this was by far the best bang for the buck. the ride is extremely clean and smooth and it blows away any other bicycle ive ridden. try one out at your local trek dealer.
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Baltimore, MD
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004
Strengths: Trek Quality, Fit, tires
Weaknesses: Sram Cassette is very heavy, plastic saddle
Bottom Line:
Once you get used to the new geometry (24" top tube), and more upright position-which I hate, so I inverted the stem-this bike is a real confidence booster. It handles better than my oclv. People have complained about the tires, but I think people are going off what some beginner riders have said. These tires arent made to be mud tires! They are fast, light cross-country tires. By the way NO tire hooks up great in the mud. I got mine down to 26 lbs. by replacing the 400gram cassette with an xt and ditched the 3/4 lb saddle for my trusty and old vetta tri shock. I have raced this bike at he 24 hours of snowshoe and others, never flatted nothing. and i was turning 1hour lap times! Gete this bike and with a few personal mods, this bike will reward you with many enjoyable rides!
Similar Products Used: Cannondale super v, trek 9800 oclv
Bike Setup: xt shifter/brale levers, xtr derailleurs and v brakes, mavic crossride wheels and stock jones acx tires
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Submitted by
BigLarry
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose, CA
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2004
Strengths: Fuel 90 Disc climbs stiff like my years on a hard tail. It's light weight and performs well. Disc brakes are great in handling steep technical downhills. Shifts nicely. My butt stopped hurting after buying this bike, even on 6 hour rides with the Bontrager saddle (which I'm one of the few that's happy with it). The rear shock was easily adjusted for my weight with enough pressure, but then that may have been what broke the frame after a year.
Weaknesses: Frame strength - I'm 250-270 lb and a terror to bike frames. Well, the 2002 Fuel 90 only lasted about a year (~900 hard technical climbing miles for me). I was given a free (with $120 overhaul fee) frame replacement to the new 2003 ZR frame that has held up for six months now. My Manitou Black front shocks are too weak for my size, even with the strongest spring (only rated up to 215 lb) and I endo real easy - gotta keep the weight way back. I snap chains and have horrible chain suck in general, so I got a Shimano LX crank on purchase but even then got immediate chain suck in the slightest wet conditions, but I found my standard trick of using White Lightning completely eliminated chain suck. I had to get the torsion bar to eliminate squeal in the rear disc. I also burn out the hydraulic fluid in long descents (>3000') due to my size. Loosing all brakes on steep switchback is no fun, and now stop periodically to allow disc brake cooling.
Bottom Line:
As stated, I'm very big and do a lot (>1000 mile/year) of climbing and modest technical (6"-12" rock hopping). I broke my Univega frame chain stay on a hard stroke in a climb. I was up in the Sierras about to start a 30+ trek running on a narrow single track on the side of a cliff when I heard a loud snap and saw the seat tube broke just above the crank. I now realize the Fuels don't have a pivot there, and rely on frame flexing. Fortunately, I was only 1 mile from the entrance, but was pissed because I had four days of fantastic ridding planned. (But my family saw much more of me.) I got upgraded to the new ZR frame and hope it will not leave me in the middle of nowhere (Oh, and I'm loosing weight - already down to 240 - to help the bike frame.) This is a great bike that performs and climbs well. It only has problems are related to my size that also affect other components. Today I would spring instead for the Liquid that on tests at the LBS handled much better for my size, and has a stronger frame that won't leave me stranded in nowhere.
Similar Products Used: Univega hard tail, tried Liquid 20 in LBS and loved it - will upgrade when I get the $$. Liquids should handle my size better too.
Bike Setup: Fuel 90 Disc with Shimano LX cranks, Velociraptor tires (Bontrager tires filled with mud and became slicks).
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Submitted by
Bikegal
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2004
Strengths: Fuel 90 WSD - Amazing ergs for female anatomy, not too girly design, very lightweight, minimal bob, suspension is very responsive
Weaknesses: Chainsuck blows - happened to me 2/3x on the trails which was a waste of time. I just checked the Trek website and they have tips for this problem. Chain and gears creaking a lot but I hear this gets worked out the more you use it.
Bottom Line:
Unbelieveable price for this demo bike. It is the perfect entry level dual suspension bike for me being a small framed, female rider. The quality suspension and lightweight frame/components has improved my skills on the trails by leaps and bounds and I haven't had any problems with bob and energy loss.
Once I make minor adjustments to get rid of the chainsuck it will be perfect. I'll probably upgrade the brake pads and bontrager knobby tires soon as suggested in other reviews. All in all, I love this bike so far.
Weaknesses: broke rear triangle, now broke the seat tube. Bontrager cranks suck. Bonty tires suck. Stock vbrakes weak. Lx front der weak. Stock seat- better off riding on a pallet.
Bottom Line:
This is an update to an older post. Since the bike is so great to ride I've been upping the ante in my riding. A month ago after a local ride I was cleaning the bike and noticed a crack on the rear triangle just behind the BB. I brought it to the good folks at the Bike Rack and they sent it off for warranty. I got a call from their manager a couple of weeks later and he said that they had "a black triangle in NJ, the silver (stock) was backordered. Would the black one be ok?" I was stoked when I picked up the bike- the rear triangle is carbon fiber! But after hammering onthe trails for a couple more weeks I just found a major crack on the seat tube just above the front derailleur clamp. I'm glad it has the warranty but I really want to be riding...
Submitted by
Will
a Weekend Warrior
from Knoxville TN USA
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2004
Strengths: Lightness, climbs like a cat, shifts like butter (after some tweaking) stops on a dime (get the discs!) great looking paint job, IT'S A TREK!
Weaknesses: Though I'm by no stretch of the imagination an expert, the R/S Duke seems a little on the flimsy side. Again, not a major criticism, and it took some thought to come up with a weakness, so don't be put off by my comment-maybe it's just MY perception.
Bottom Line:
My story: I went on a mission last summer after some weight and cholesterol concerns. Major change in diet and an inclusive exercise routine allowed me to drop 40 lbs from July 15th to Sept 1st. Running every day, though, soon became quiet boring, so my wife suggested getting a bike. I had ridden mountain bikes (cheap ones) about 15 years ago and remembered it as being a relatively, pleasant experience. I had no idea of what brand to look for-I just knew that I wanted decent quality. Being a follower of the Superbike series, I saw that TREK was a sponsor of Mat Mladin, who rides for Suzuki. I know that this sounds goofy, but being a very satisfied Suzuki owner I thought that TREK must be a reputable manufacturer to be associated with such a team. Sorry for the rambling digression! After my intitial purchase of the 4500 hardtail, I loved it so much that I went back and bought my wife and daughter Navigator 100's, and my four year old a Jet 16-the family thing, you know??!! A couple of weeks after that I bought my dad and mom a couple of Trek Classics. I couldn't get the prospect of a full suspension out of my mind, though. So about a month ago I went for the Fuel. I really can't say enough good things about this bike: It handles anything that you can throw at it and then some! When I said it climbs like a cat, that's an understatement! If you can muscel it the bike will climb it! There were some (minor) shifting issues during the initial break-in, but after a quick adjustment by the guys at Cedar Bluff they have completely disappeared. BTW, I ride a six mile loop every day, twice a day and try to visit different trails on the weekends. This bike simply has it all! If you've ever wondered about the differences between a cheap bike and a quality machine, I can tell you emphatically: There is no comparison! If you're considering the Fuel 90, buy it! If you're more into downhill, or blasting off of major drops you might want to look toward one of the Liquid models (more travel)Otherwise, this is your bike for off-roading. AND, it should not go unsaid that the folks (Tim, Chris Mike, Jerry, et al) at Cedar Bluff Cycles are there for YOU. I will, no doubt, be a TREK customer for life.
Favorite Trail: Any trail that a wheel will roll over.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At: Cedar Bluff Cycles Knoxville
Similar Products Used: Trek 4500-prior to that, just discount-store junk.
Bike Setup: Stock Fuel 90 w/disc option. (Go with the discs-stopping power is unreal-be careful!)
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Submitted by
EMR
a Weekend Warrior
from South Carolina
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2004
Strengths: Solid engineering and quality assembly. Price as a leftover was a tremendous deal for a bike of this level wiht disks. I have just started riding MTB, and the Fuel 90 suspension works great for a clydesdale like me, even when tuned to the soft side. Hayes hydraulic disks are amazing. No chainsuck problems -- I try to keep the chain clean and well lubed. See Trek's website FAQs for their fix on this issue.
Weaknesses: Bontrager ACX tires -- the first time I rode in muddy conditions, I fell every 100 yards! Replaced with Michelin Hot-S and what a difference.
Bottom Line:
You owe it to yourself to test ride this bike -- it is a lot of value for the money
Bike Setup: Stock Fuel 90(Disk Option) with Michelin Hot-S tires
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Submitted by
jumbo
a Cross Country Rider
from western New York
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2004
Strengths: Great bang for the buck. Climbs great, very little bob even for a clydesdale like me. Components are more than sufficient. You want better components? Spend more money. Besides half the fun is in making upgrades. Great deals on leftover 03's Trek stands behind their product.
Weaknesses: Had a little chainsuck problem, which I attribute mostly to poor shifting technique, not the engineering of the bike. Had a slight problem brakes but that was after a major crash.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike. I've ridden singletrack, used it with slicks for commutes and I'm planning to race it very soon. This bike is hard to beat for the money. It's a quality setup that is very much upgradable. Buy this bike if your serious about mountain biking but don't want to break the bank.
I am buying a Trek Fuel 90 frame and I will need a fork for it. BikePedia says the bike came with an 80mm fork. Do I need to stay with an 80mm fork or can I go to a 100mm fork?
Read More »
So my super old 2001 Trek Fuel 90 got a crack where the top tube is welded to the seat tube. It happened when I was powering up a hill, I heard that tell tale creaking and even tho Read More »
Hey guys just wanted to get your input on this bike. The seller is selling it for $200 but I'mma going to ask for $180 is possible. He says he bought the bike about 10yrs ago for $ Read More »
Hi guys I'll try to keep it short found a 18" Trek Fuel 90 Disc on craigslist the posters willing to sell it for 600. He didnt post the year but it looks fairly new is this a good Read More »
Giant has lower end components but 5" of travel and is brand new. Can be had for between $1200-1400
Trek has XT components but only 4" of travel and is being sold by my LBS and Read More »
