To EMTB or Not to EMTB? Testing Trek's Fuel EXe in the Surrey Hills | A Buyer's Dilemma

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Join me on an adventure as I delve into the world of electric mountain bikes (EMTBs) and put Trek's Fuel EXe to the test in the rugged terrain of the Surrey Hills. In this video, I'll share my firsthand experience riding the Fuel EXe, a full suspension EMTB from Trek, and discuss whether investing in an EMTB is the right choice for mountain biking enthusiasts. From the exhilarating trails to the practical considerations of owning an electric bike, we'll explore the pros and cons, and ultimately debate whether purchasing an EMTB is worth it. If you're on the fence about buying an electric mountain bike, this video might just help you make that decision. Let's ride and discover together!
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[@BlacqueJacqueShellacque_]

I leave mine "on" all of the time, but set the low setting to be just barely noticeable to cancel out the slight drag from the motor+additional weight. "Off" is harder to pedal than a normal MTB. My medium setting is set to where it gives me enough power to make climbing easier, but still requires some effort. High is just set to full blast to tackle the steepest of steep pitches. More often than not I'm riding between low and medium with very rare use of high.

[@DanEscapes]

That’s a really good set up! How you finding your battery life/what kind of range are you getting when you can it set like this?

[@enduro-intern]

Just bought the exe a month ago or so, upgrading for a gen 5 fuel ex. Must say, this is worth it every day. I'm riding more, more days, and longer rides. Also have room for only one bike, but no way I'm going to acoustic only. Just love riding this thing

[@DanEscapes]

Ahh amazing! I’m still debating which bike to go for! What one did you get in the end?

[@enduro-intern]

@apesThe its a 9.5 (the black one :O) with some parts from my Fuel ex and fox suspension from the 9.7

[@DanEscapes]

@@enduro-intern the black 9.5 looked really nice! Especially with the upgraded suspension 👌🏼

[@johnwrycza]

still have my 2019 Fuel EX 9.8 carbon, with Line 30 carbon wheelset GX I test rode the alu EXe 9.5 bought the 9.8 EXe XT b/c Trek has a sale going on (dropped about $1,000.00 off the price) - rode in trail/boost for about 2hrs / 25mi on single track, mud & long grass/weeks before the battery hit %0, (I'm 200lbs 'loaded') and then rode another 1mi+ home - the Trek Fuel EXe is a game changer - thanks for the video + review

[@DanEscapes]

The fuel exe is a great bike!! Need to figure out which one I can get hold of!

[@davefreeman9347]

Agree with what you say absolutely I got a Trek fuel exe 9.5 which is the entry carbon I got it for £3895 got a pair of fox factory 36 for £500 off chain reaction and a pair of hunt wheels for £369 and TBH the Evo T4 slate brakes I can’t tell the difference between them and the XT’s I have in my acoustic hardtail and the Deore drivetrain hasn’t skipped a beat and yet again wouldn’t tell the difference from XT from my hardtail apart from the shifter, overall I absolutely love it and when you own the bike you can download the app and custom to motor output in each mode to your liking 👍

[@DanEscapes]

Sounds a like a really good deal and the ideal set up! I was weighing up how much I’d spend to upgrade all the components on the entry level. Interested about the brakes though, so many different options on the market.

[@davefreeman9347]

@@DanEscapes we are spoilt for choice 😂

[@edteach3r]

The Fuel EXE is my bucket list bike. I wish I could afford it.

[@DanEscapes]

Really like this bike, there’s a lot of deals on worth shopping around!

[@JohnWilson-jh5iz]

Did you download the trek app and set the motor to suit your usage or did you just use it as set up by the shop. Did you adjust the motor settings in any way to see how the bike functions in various scenarios

[@DanEscapes]

Unfortunately I didn’t, just kept it as the standard settings. Would love to have the bike a bit longer to try it out though. The standard setting were enough for me as I try not to use the motor until I get to a tough section.

[@quazar912]

so where is the fun when you drain your battery after 3-4 hours? I`m about to buy my first eMTB with atleast 630Wh battery and 85nm of torque. I don`t do jumps or other dangerous stuff. Just want to ride more with less effort.

[@DanEscapes]

Depends what you want from the bike, I can easily ride this bike without the power all day. I only turn it on when the hill gets abit too much and that’s what these light powered e-bikes are for. If you want full assist all the time then go for the big batteries and more power! I’ve tried both and having the extra power is super fun but for what I want the light powered assist is perfect. All down to personal preference.

[@oiuqreofnqoiruegnqerg]

I like the look of these glasses, would you mind sharing the brand and model?

[@DanEscapes]

They are from melon optics and called the alleycat. Been riding with them for 3 years now and still going strong.

[@oiuqreofnqoiruegnqerg]

@@DanEscapes thank you

[@DanEscapes]

@@oiuqreofnqoiruegnqerg no problem!

[@Rubblechops]

Jeez, my medium laufey is jist over 16kg (a bit lardy really) so the Exe without the battery is really light! Might pop it out on uplift days

[@DanEscapes]

Great thing about this e-bike is being able to remove the battery and still ride with it and the fact you can keep a spare battery in the car!

[@jamespond7496]

New Subscriber here. What train did you catch?

[@brokenlegz]

What’s it like to pedal when the motor is off? Or above its speed limit?

[@DanEscapes]

I found it pretty easy to pedal without the assist, but once you go full power and hit the speed limit of the motor you really feel the weight of the bike. Personally I prefer to ride it like a normal bike on the flats and when the hills get too much then add the assist. If It was a higher powered e-bike I’d just leave the assist on the whole time.

[@brokenlegz]

@@DanEscapesyeah on my turbo levo it’s nearly unrideable turned off. Way too much drag and weight. And hitting the speed limit is like hitting a patch of sand! I’m very tempted by the exe but I’d definitely have to ride one.

[@DanEscapes]

@@brokenlegz some trek stores carry in demo fuel exe’s and some of the 2023 models have gone on sale now. Have you tried the turbo levo SL?

[@brokenlegz]

@@DanEscapesno I have not. What’s that like?

[@psxdadz]

I also have a loan Trek Fuel from Trek, my other e-bike is a Marlin + 8 just wondering do you find the front end twitchy not sure if it’s the tyres or that’s the way it is

[@SergejGrabun]

maybe Trek's cockpit is too long for you and you ain't putting center of mass enough towards front?

[@DanEscapes]

I didn’t feel like it was twitchy, felt really good to me up front. It didn’t feel great when I lost all the air out of the front tire but once fixed didn’t a notice. How you finding the Marlin + 8?

[@DanEscapes]

On the aluminium versions you can adjust the head angle by the few degrees.

[@psxdadz]

@@DanEscapes it’s my first e-bike and I really can’t fault it perhaps it just suits me better or fits me better than the fuel but it does seem more stable, also I am new to mountain biking and only just started doing the blue trails I do like the fuel though the power comes in so smooth you hardly notice it

[@DanEscapes]

@@psxdadz that’s good that you like it, definitely want to try one out! Keep practicing on the blues and you’ll be hitting the red and black in no time!

[@c.1211]

Can the trek exe become a mullet?👍

[@DanEscapes]

You can run it Mullet, you might need to run a 160mm fork and change the minolink into the high position. The only thing is the speed sensor cannot be calibrated for a 27.5 wheel unless they bring out an update.

[@c.1211]

Good to know. Thanks👍👊

[@helicopter12345678]

Buy a Mondraker Neat

[@DanEscapes]

I have been looking at the Mondraker neat! Love that you can run a bottle even with the range extender