I feel like at that price point you would be better off with the Roscoe, a quick look at the specs of the Fuel EX 5 Plus is less than ideal to me at least. For a little extra you could get a discounted 2019 Remedy 7.

 

Ex5!

I have a '17 EX5 and it's awesome! I upgraded the wheel-set so I could run tubeless but that's about the only thing I've changed aside from pedals and grips. The geometry is spot on and it's handled everything I've thrown at it here in New England. Definitely glad I went with it! :thumbsup:

 

I have a '17 EX5 29er and it's awesome! I upgraded the wheel-set so I could run tubeless but that's about the only thing I've changed aside from pedals. The geometry is spot on and it's handled everything I've thrown at it here in New England. Definitely glad I went with it!

 

I'd also go with the EX5. It's a great frame that will serve you well. You can always upgrade stuff as you wear it out or find it doesn't suit you. Lower end parts these days are still very good and absolutely usable.

A Roscoe will always be a hardtail and might leave you wanting more. I don't see myself every riding a hardtail again.

Disclaimer: i have a Fuel EX

 

The '18 FEX5 27.5+ is a great bike for me. I had my LBS install a Bontrager Dropline dropper...125...into the 18.5 frame before delivery plus I had the wheels set up tubeless. I've also added Pedaling Innovations oversized pedals and Ergon grips. Otherwise, all other running gear is stock.

If you are riding mostly flowy trails with minimal jumps/drops, the lighter HT may be the better choice...and you might want to consider the 27.5+ Roscoe...I ride with a friend who has one and he likes the extra cush of the + tires. Most of my riding is technical and rooty plus I like to challenge the wooden features so the heavier FS suits me better.

Remember, the frame on the 5 is the same as the 7 and 8 frames so as running gear/brakes wear or are damaged, upgrading to 7 or 8 level components gets you to those levels.

HTH

 

About 26% off list. If you find another 19 bike you'll like more use that amount to figure what to offer a manager only on that one. If Trek has a 19 in a warehouse(not just your shop inventory) you can put a 60% no refund deposit on it for the next regular shipment(no special extra cost) to the shop. Good luck.

 

I would get the hardtail unless the price of that Fuel EX comes down to more like $1500. The lack of a dropper post is a serious strike against the Fuel EX; I would be scared to death at a bike park without one. I'm also not crazy about the suspension on either bike.

 

If you are just going to ride trails then probably the fuel ex5 would be fine, I do have a trek roscoe 8 (2019) and it's really playful and fun, i recently changed out the suspension though, if you want to do harder trails (rockier, jumps and drops) I switched to a 27.5 150mm revelation, it's a huge upgrade, the 2020 already has the suspension sorted, looks like a budget revelation.

If you don't want complications with the boost 141 hub go with the fuel ex as it has a rear boost thru axle. the brakes on the ex5 are more budget friendly, the mt200's (roscoe 8 2019 brakes) are a good brake for a light rider, whereas the 2020 roscoe has the mt500's a more powerful but not a huge difference they also have a bit more modulation. Deore SLX is probably the best bang for buck.

The Deore drivetrain would do the job, if you wanted something with a better clutch or shifters, you can always change to a sram NX eagle as that uses a shimano freehub body.

The ex5 has a boost thru axle which would is a lot stiffer and easier to change the hub/wheelset. the geometry seems quite versatile for really anything on both bikes. the 2019 ex5 has a 51mm offset which is probably better for 29er's. while the roscoe has a 42mm offset, which would make the bike a lot more stable, but then fuel ex would have the dual suspension.


For the price I'd go with the fuel ex so you have more flexibility with the rear thru axle, i think it's a great deal.