NBD. The "didn't you have one of these?" Trek Fuel ex9.8

[weeksy]

Just swapped the Slayer for a 2022 Trek Fuel ex9.8

I felt it'd suit my riding better than the Slayer. Lovely condition, Fox X2 on back, Fox 36 on front, CODE RSC stoppers. Nice.

Just waiting for the guy to get back as he'd forgotten the front axle

Straight off to FoD then to play and get it dialled in.

[Numnut]

Very nice!

[Mr Moofo]

And adult sized

[weeksy]

IMG_20231006_121217 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

IMG_20231006_121224 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

IMG_20231006_121241 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

IMG_20231006_121156 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

IMG_20231006_121151 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

IMG_20231006_121206 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

So day 1 is done on the bike and we're most happy

It took a little while to get to grips with it being a VERY different ride on the trails and i'm still missing a few lines on corners due to needing to shift my weight differently. But i'd also set the pressures on both front and rear a bit too soft, having now gone up 10psi in the front and 20 in the rear to try and find my happy place with it, i was pretty much bottoming it out on the jumps at Dowies. But it handled them really nicely and rides lovely. As you'd expect of course.

It was missing the internal frame tool bag, which i've just bought, at £18 it was less than i expected.

The headset in it is a complete pile of crap, it's been neglected there, so in the car-park i threw a new set of bearings in the upper and lower and it's sweet again.

Other than that, it's as per the pics, a very nice, very clean 2022 EX9.8.

All week we've been exchanging mails and i really expected him to come back with "i want £500+ on top of the Slayer". His bike was up for £3000 and it wasn't massively optimistic in terms of price i thought when looking at Ebay and Pinkbike. I felt the Slayer was closer to £2000 on a good day, so was more than happy.

[mboy]

Nice spec overall, but seems odd that it's got a GRIP damper in the fork not a GRIP2... Also a Factory shock, but performance fork...? Suspect the original fork has been replaced at some point with lower spec item, as Trek are usually very hot on matchy matchy on their bikes.

[weeksy]

It's the opposite way around. The DPX2 is aftermarket, standard being lower spec

[weeksy]

Talk about a proper baptism of fire.
IMG_20231008_161133 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Out with stupid fast child and @crust on his ebike. We did a load of trails, woods and fun, then some jumps and beers, chips and chats. Then more trails, but by this stage my legs were saying no and my HR and effort were maxed time and time again.
On road to pub 2 I tried to gap them, sitting at 19+ mph but I died in last 100m and they caught me. More beer, then Ridgeway and stupid flat out trails to home.
I'm a sweaty gibbering mess! My legs are soooo tired.

Trek was ace though

[weeksy]

It's not all roses and prosecco though. I do have a weird clunky noise. I was 95% sure it's the seatpost as I've read about it before on the Bontrager Elite posts. I'm also pretty sure my previous Fuel had it, until I swapped the post.

I've just whipped the post off and before fitting a new cable I was bouncing the bike, the jiggling the post in my hand and I'm now 99.9% it's the post.

I fitted for now with a new inner as I need to work out what post and how to afford one, then I'll get it sorted.

[weeksy]

Yeah we like this... it rides and goes welll

IMG_20231011_095836 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Very much friends. I do need to find a decent/nice saddle i like... but that seems somewhat challenging at times.

[weeksy]

Playing at Tirpentwys today, have to say there's some stuff here that makes my arse clench. Way outside of my happy place

IMG_20231014_102705 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[Cousin Jack]

As a non-MTB rider that looks slightly weird?

My road bikes had big chain wheels and small sprockets on the back. Even my last (mountain) bike had a big chain wheel and smaller sprockets on the back. What sort of gearing does that give?

[MingtheMerciless]

People normally run anywhere from a 30T front to 36T front depending on fitness and hills in the area, rear cassette 12 speed is 10T-52Tish. Gearing range is approx an old MTB double chainring setup, with a bit less top speed on pedally downhills. (I probably spin out at around 38mph with 36T front).

[Count Steer]

As a non-MTB rider that looks slightly weird?

My road bikes had big chain wheels and small sprockets on the back. Even my last (mountain) bike had a big chain wheel and smaller sprockets on the back. What sort of gearing does that give?

If you look at the earlier pic up there ^^^ you'll see the variation of the rear sprockets (I don't think that old dérailleurs would cope with it!). The biggest one is big cf the front but if you've got a lot of uphill to get to the downhill bits I expect you'd appreciate it. Although you might be pedalling a lot for little forward motion.

(My old MTB front cog wasn't actually round...there was a theory that this gave better ergonomics but that seems to have gone the way of many other 'good ideas').

[Cousin Jack]

I remember that my Ridgeback had an oval front ring. IIRC they called it 'biopace' or something like that.

And I'm damn sure my old derailleur would not have coped. It didn't much like the extremes of the range I had. Spinning out at 38mph would not have suited me, I liked big gears, and passing cars on long downhills.

[Count Steer]

I remember that my Ridgeback had an oval front ring. IIRC they called it 'biopace' or something like that.

And I'm damn sure my old derailleur would not have coped. It didn't much like the extremes of the range I had. Spinning out at 38mph would not have suited me, I liked big gears, and passing cars on long downhills.

Funnily enough, mine was a Ridgeback too. I gave it to a mate who was going out to work in Malawi, ooh...20 years ago? It's probably still in use.

(I did do the London to Brighton ride on it and I remember my missus floating past me, legs barely moving, on her 4-speed, Sturmey Archer equipped Bickerton when a bunch of us rode around Rutland Water ).

[G.P]

As a non-MTB rider that looks slightly weird?

My road bikes had big chain wheels and small sprockets on the back. Even my last (mountain) bike had a big chain wheel and smaller sprockets on the back. What sort of gearing does that give?

My first decent road bike had 52/ 40 at the front! That was a very long time ago though

[Count Steer]

As a non-MTB rider that looks slightly weird?

My road bikes had big chain wheels and small sprockets on the back. Even my last (mountain) bike had a big chain wheel and smaller sprockets on the back. What sort of gearing does that give?

My first decent road bike had 52/ 40 at the front! That was a very long time ago though

Ooh! A 'double clanger' - you were posh. We had to make do with 5 gears and aspired to Campagnolo dérailleurs. (How very continental...derailers).

[Cousin Jack]

Yes, mine was a double clanger too, operated by a bolt mechanism (turn and push) on the down tube. 55 and 45 IIRC, with 12 - 22 on the back. I shudder to think what modern people made of my technique, which was to use the highest gear for 90% of the time. It was quick downhill though.

[Count Steer]

Yes, mine was a double clanger too, operated by a bolt mechanism (turn and push) on the down tube. 55 and 45 IIRC, with 12 - 22 on the back. I shudder to think what modern people made of my technique, which was to use the highest gear for 90% of the time. It was quick downhill though.

Not your Ridgeback though? They were the first 'indexed gears' with little levers on the bars that I ever had. When I was a sprog, my first bike was a Sturmey Archer 3 speed, then I got a quite second hand 'racing bike' with 5 speed dérailleurs. Meanwhile my school friend (his dad owned a shoe factory) was having a bike built for him by the LBS...Jacques Anquetil frame and all the (very light) trimmings. Even the handlebars appeared to have an engraving of a TdF route on them.

Meanwhile, my other mates were riding fixies, which I quite admired.

[weeksy]

Yesterday after scaring myself all day, i thought today should be a bit more gentle. So up at reasonable o'clock for a gentle sort of one and a bit of local only.
I do have a somewhat annoying noise at times on the bike and last night i stripped the back end down and greased, lubed and checked everything. It sounds like a pivot bearing but i'm 99% sure it's not. I think it's the seatpost. The Bontrager Line Pro seatpost does have a reputation for being clunky, noisy etc and i'm pretty sure that's why i removed the previous one on the Fuel, as well as it being sluggish to extend.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/r ... r-seatpost

Chainreaction have a post without lever (i have one fitted of course), cheapy cheap and another 10% off for 'UPGRADE' code, so £72 all in and in warranty, thought it was rude not to at that price and jumped on it. Fitted a static seatpost for some testing and it appears to be silent. So even more sure it's that now.

The other thing i notice is just how bloody efficient the EX9.8 is... it goes up and along stuff a LOT easier than the Slayer and in it's defence the Slayer was good at just getting on with things. But i think it's the geometry, riding position, angles etc that means the Fuel is just excellent at cruising along.

We're debating a SDW attack next summer and i think the Fuel will be PERFECT for it.