Trek Fuel EX-e 9.7 video review - $7600 best ebike value?

francois · Sep 16, 2022

Full-powered ebikes fit the bill for many early-adopter ebike users, but the concept of a lighter ebike is intriguing for many holdouts out there. The biggest e-mtb objection is usually bike weight, as a 52 lb. bike is harder to stop, jump and change direction with and the ride quality is not as satisfying for some.

The Levo and Kenevo SL have addressed this market, but the 35 NM motor is not quite enough for many riders. The Orbea Rise, especially the alloy with a 540wh battery, has experienced tremendous success with a detuned Shimano EP8 that is oddly efficient while providing satisfying torque. And then there is the onslaught of entries like t Pivot Shuttle SL and Haibike Lyke that offer bikes under 40 lbs with their light motors and sleek batteries.

We spent some time with the Trek Fuel EX-e and have impressions to share in this video. Like many, we were impressed with the noise or almost absolute lack of it. But we dig in deeper into the ride quality that is perhaps the most responsive and agile of any ebike we've tried. And the 9.7 seems to deliver incredible value for the money. So join us in our experience with the Trek Fuel EX-e 9.7 emtb.

Geometry:

Price: $7600
Weight: 42 lbs in Medium, set up tubeless

Jason_MTB · Sep 16, 2022

Interesting! The silent motor seems pretty incredible. I like the sound of the lighter weight and yet more power than the SL's. I love my full power ebike, but have been curious about how the lighter ones feel with less assist power.

jabrabu · Sep 16, 2022

I have one on order, but looks like these are not available on the east coast until December.

REZEN · Sep 16, 2022

I personally do not want the added power compared to my Kenevo SL Comp S4 @ 43lbs 11oz no upgrades from stock, but this is an easy fix with the app to reduce the modes, which I have already done with my SL motor.

As to geo/build I do think this is a GREAT bike for the price. Even though I do not like rocker link suspension, this and the new Pivot are on my short list for trial e-bike #2.

247764 · Sep 16, 2022

Jason_MTB said:
Interesting! The silent motor seems pretty incredible. I like the sound of the lighter weight and yet more power than the SL's. I love my full power ebike, but have been curious about how the lighter ones feel with less assist power.

Good enough that I have ZERO interest in a full power ebike, but am really considering this Trek or the Pivot Shuttle SL for next year. They ride so similar to a traditional mtb, but I have climbed things on my buddy's rise that would have busted my lungs and legs on my bike. Unless you are doing massive climbs or lots of laps, these lightweight bikes are pretty damn cool.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

Jason_MTB said:
Interesting! The silent motor seems pretty incredible. I like the sound of the lighter weight and yet more power than the SL's. I love my full power ebike, but have been curious about how the lighter ones feel with less assist power.

It felt like a rad Trek Fuel EX with the climbing abilities of a 16-lb Top Fuel (if that ever existed). I think this will be a good second bike for a full-powered ebike owner.

And the other use case is the ebike holdout who is very concerned by the over-boosted heavy feel of a full ebike. Or those who never use full Boost or never use up their battery capacity. Older, smaller/weaker riders too who just can't lift or throw around a 50+ lb bike weight can benefit.

A game changer in a space the Levo SL opened up. We'll be doing a lot of testing with power meters and big climbs to see if this power is enough for demanding riders.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

jabrabu said:
I have one on order, but looks like these are not available on the east coast until December.

Really! Sorry to hear. Another option is to just call around the country and have a dealer with inventory ship (bikeflights) it to you.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

REZEN said:
I personally do not want the added power compared to my Kenevo SL Comp S4 @ 43lbs 11oz no upgrades from stock, but this is an easy fix with the app to reduce the modes, which I have already done with my SL motor.

As to geo/build I do think this is a GREAT bike for the price. Even though I do not like rocker link suspension, this and the new Pivot are on my short list for trial e-bike #2.

Yeah, the added power though can open up possibilities. Keep up with other riders and squeeze in a bigger ride in the same timeslot.

The price for the SLX model is really refreshing. I'm a big believer in alloy, low-spec ebikes like the Orbea Rise H15 alloy.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

SprSonik said:
Good enough that I have ZERO interest in a full power ebike, but am really considering this Trek or the Pivot Shuttle SL for next year. They ride so similar to a traditional mtb, but I have climbed things on my buddy's rise that would have busted my lungs and legs on my bike. Unless you are doing massive climbs or lots of laps, these lightweight bikes are pretty damn cool.

Yeah, the front end is sooo light, it's just like an mtb. The battery is small and low and the motor doesn't weigh much. Plus they tuned the suspension to be very active and poppy. On little jumps... it was pedal, pedal... BOOST! That was a missing experience from big ebikes.

DMFT · Sep 16, 2022

Francis Cebedo said:
Yeah, the added power though can open up possibilities. Keep up with other riders and squeeze in a bigger ride in the same timeslot.

The price for the SLX model is really refreshing. I'm a big believer in alloy, low-spec ebikes like the Orbea Rise H15 alloy.

-Hi Francis! Have you long-term tested the Rise H15 Alloy??? I'm super interested in that specific model but have heard some grumblings (pun intended) about Frame & Wheel Bearings.
Any thoughts/insights???

jabrabu · Sep 16, 2022

Francis Cebedo said:
Really! Sorry to hear. Another option is to just call around the country and have a dealer with inventory ship (bikeflights) it to you.

I did message a dealer in CA who had one in stock, asking if they'd ship it to me. i never got a response. Maybe I should try some other shops.

JKA · Sep 16, 2022

I rode a Trek Fuel EXe this past weekend and i can definitely verify that the motor is nearly silent. Very cool. I have a Rise which is pretty quiet (until you go downhill over bumps), but the Trek was quieter. I did notice the decrease in torque compared to my RIse which kind of surprised me since it's not a huge drop (50Nm compared to 60 on the Rise), but I definitely felt the decrease in assist. It's still an awesome bike. Seemed to handle well and fun to ride.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

jabrabu said:
I did message a dealer in CA who had one in stock, asking if they'd ship it to me. i never got a response. Maybe I should try some other shops.

For sure yeah. Two of my friends got bikes that day. Just devote a couple hours to it, you'll get one I'm confident.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

JKA said:
I rode a Trek Fuel EXe this past weekend and i can definitely verify that the motor is nearly silent. Very cool. I have a Rise which is pretty quiet (until you go downhill over bumps), but the Trek was quieter. I did notice the decrease in torque compared to my RIse which kind of surprised me since it's not a huge drop (50Nm compared to 60 on the Rise), but I definitely felt the decrease in assist. It's still an awesome bike. Seemed to handle well and fun to ride.

Yeah, so quiet even climbing and coasting. The Shimano EP8 has a clutch that engages, disengages, and creates more noise than the Trek's TQ motor entirely. The EP8 clatter is a whole other matter.

The Trek definitely has less torque and power delivery. It wants you to get the RPMs up before it delivers power. So the 10nm difference is a big understatement of the real-world feel. I bought some pedal power meters and I will quantify exactly what the difference is in power delivery on defined laps and constant rider pedal output.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

DMFT said:
-Hi Francis! Have you long-term tested the Rise H15 Alloy??? I'm super interested in that specific model but have heard some grumblings (pun intended) about Frame & Wheel Bearings.
Any thoughts/insights???

Yes! I have over 1000 miles on mine and it's been flawless in terms of frame and bearings. I actually have about 10 friends with that bike in H10 to H30 range and we've had no problems at all with the suspension.

There is a significant problem though the H series of Orbea bikes and I'm working on a video for that. And there's a solution.... Teaser, I know.

Flyer · Sep 16, 2022

I sold my Pivot Shuttle and bought a Levo SL, which is far nicer for my riding style. I don't miss the power and none of my friends have full-power bikes either. I still ride my normal mountain bike and prefer the handling to the heavier e-bikes, by far....especially the handling in technical sections and fast downhills. This does look interesting, as does the Pivot. I don't really need the power (I'm 80% is ECO and 20% in TRAIL on the Levo SL) especially a full-power boost but at the same weight, there isn't a downside, in my opinion. Great to see these lighter e-bikes.

francois · Sep 16, 2022

Flyer said:
I sold my Pivot Shuttle and bought a Levo SL, which is far nicer for my riding style. I don't miss the power and none of my friends have full-power bikes either. I still ride my normal mountain bike and prefer the handling to the heavier e-bikes, by far....especially the handling in technical sections and fast downhills. This does look interesting, as does the Pivot. I don't really need the power (I'm 80% is ECO and 20% in TRAIL on the Levo SL) especially a full-power boost but at the same weight, there isn't a downside, in my opinion. Great to see these lighter e-bikes.

We're on the same path! I had a Pivot Shuttle years ago, and I enjoyed my Levo SL and Kenevo SL. 5 years ago, I had about 2 friends with ebikes. Fast forward to today and I have over 100 ebike folks here in the mountains of Santa Cruz. Definitely need to keep up, and SLs can't do it without extenders.

Then Gen3 Levo is an amazing bike and so is the Scor 4060. Even on my solo rides, I knock out a 'weekend' ride in an hour and a half. But we have big climbs here.

This new Trek Fuel EX-e is intriguing for sure. One thing I forgot to mention is this bike seems to have a lot of drag when power is off. There's no clutch and the cranks are always on the motor. I'll attempt to quantify that soon.

Flyer · Sep 16, 2022

The drag does not sound great. I can pedal my Levo SL without power and even on climbs, though I can tell it is a 40 lbs bike. There seems to be almost no drag and it does not squat into its travel much. We do a lot of climbing here in Colorado too, and at altitude. I'm taking the Ripmo to 10K today and over 3,000 ft of riding, I'll top out close to 12,000 ft.

I think e-bikes are still looked down upon over here, and I only know one rider with a Levo SL as well. As I got older, I tend to not ride in groups so I have the same small group of friends. They pretty much all just ride regular bikes. Plus, e-bikes are banned in higher areas like the ski resorts. I think that is legit since otherwise, tourists on throttle bikes (they rent them there) and they seriously clog the paved paths and have zero etiquette plus headphones, would overrun the trails and then break bones on the technical downhills.

So for now, the Ripmo it is and the Levo SL when I am in the Denver area looking for an easy ride or a recovery ride or even a long ride without crushing myself. I am very curious to see if the Pivot has any drag when the motor is off. Sometimes I like torturing myself on climbs, just to see if I still have enough pain tolerance left in my old age.

JKA · Sep 16, 2022

Francis Cebedo said:
One thing I forgot to mention is this bike seems to have a lot of drag when power is off. There's no clutch and the cranks are always on the motor. I'll attempt to quantify that soon.

I noticed the drag with motor off too. It was not pleasant to pedal with the motor off. My RIse rides just fine with the motor off. I guess that's the benefit of a noisy EP8 motor. At least the clutch allows it to disengage from the crank.

DMFT · Sep 16, 2022

Francis Cebedo said:
Yes! I have over 1000 miles on mine and it's been flawless in terms of frame and bearings. I actually have about 10 friends with that bike in H10 to H30 range and we've had no problems at all with the suspension.

There is a significant problem though the H series of Orbea bikes and I'm working on a video for that. And there's a solution.... Teaser, I know.

-COOL! Excellent info. as always F.C!!!

Trek Fuel EX-e 9.7 video review - $7600 best ebike value?

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