I have a Fuel 70 and I enjoy it. In stock configuration the 70 tips in at a hefty 32 pounds, but that is mainly because of the very heavy Axel Comp (over 6 pounds) fork and the Maverick wheelset. I imagine the 80 is going to run in the 28 - 29 pound range.
I've swapped out the Axel Comp for a Skareb on my 70, which lightened it considerably, and I'm looking for a lighter wheelset, too, which should bring the bike into the 27 - 28 pound range. The nice thing about the Fuel 70s & 80s are you can strip quite a bit of weight from it with smart upgrades.
Riding-wise the 70 is a very stable and very forgiving platform. You can drift the rear wheel pretty far before hitting the "point of no return" and front wheel drift is very controllable. The suspension is good enough that you can ride horrible lines and it rolls over it like a tank. I did race my Fuel 70 this spring. I'm a novice to racing and having a trustworthy platform like the Fuel underneath me was definitely reassuring.
I've swapped out the Axel Comp for a Skareb on my 70, which lightened it considerably, and I'm looking for a lighter wheelset, too, which should bring the bike into the 27 - 28 pound range. The nice thing about the Fuel 70s & 80s are you can strip quite a bit of weight from it with smart upgrades.
Riding-wise the 70 is a very stable and very forgiving platform. You can drift the rear wheel pretty far before hitting the "point of no return" and front wheel drift is very controllable. The suspension is good enough that you can ride horrible lines and it rolls over it like a tank. I did race my Fuel 70 this spring. I'm a novice to racing and having a trustworthy platform like the Fuel underneath me was definitely reassuring.
