2010 Trek Fuel EX 5

[nickandrews]

I've been looking during the past 2 weeks for a FS bike at around the £1000 mark, and the Trek Fuel EX 5 has really caught my eye.

Just want to know if there are any other great bikes in my budget of around £1k. I don't mind going a little over, but I think i'd have to cap it at about £1250

[anonymous-user]

if you are quick, wiggle is your friend.

if heavy hits are your thing, this looks awesome value http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Felt_Compulsion_...
felt compulsion three, its a 2009 but with pike forks up front, a fox float r at the back its going to be a lot of fun! would a 19" fit?


they also have a redemption three on sale too looks absolutely evil!
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Felt_Redemption_...


giant anthem x4 is a very good chassis but can only find them for the rrp of £1400 and no sale or discounts probably due to the reputation of the frame and the good reviews they are getting.

again the lapierre xcontrol 210 is a really nice xc orientated fs bike but a bit over the budget.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 17th June 20:52

[theboymoon]

nickandrews said:

I've been looking during the past 2 weeks for a FS bike at around the £1000 mark, and the Trek Fuel EX 5 has really caught my eye.

Just want to know if there are any other great bikes in my budget of around £1k. I don't mind going a little over, but I think i'd have to cap it at about £1250

the fuel is a good bike at a good price. you could do a lot worse if you are looking for a new full susser for that sort of money. Obvious foil would be a spesh stumpy but its 2k these days

here's what you get kit-wise, not bad but arguably a little low-spec in terms of fork and wheels. 2nd hand wheel sets are cheap enough if you look in the right places and forks, well, might as well ride it for a bit and see how it goes...?



Frame:
Alpha Red Aluminium with ABP, Full Floater, alloy EVO Link, oversized pivot bearings, replaceable derailleur hanger, and 120mm travel
Rear Shock:
Fox Float RP-2 with ProPedal, rebound; 7.0"x2.0"
Fork:
RockShox Tora SL with coil spring, preload, rebound, TurnKey lockout, alloy steerer, and 120mm travel
Front Derailleur:
Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur:
SRAM X.5
Shifters:
SRAM X.5 Trigger
Chainset:
Shimano FC-M442
Chainrings:
44/32/22 tooth Chainrings
Cassette:
SRAM PG950 11-34 tooth, 9 speed
Pedals:
Wellgo alloy platform
Front Brake:
Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disc
Rear Brake:
Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disc
Brake Levers:
Avid Juicy 3
Handlebars:
Bontrager Approved Riser, 25mm rise
Stem:
Bontrager SSR, 10 degree
Rims:
Bontrager Ranger Rims
Front Hub:
Shimano HB-M475-L
Rear Hub:
Shimano HB-M475-L
Front Tyre:
Bontrager XDX, 2.2
Rear Tyre:
Bontrager XDX, 2.2
Saddle:
Bontrager Race
Seatpost:
Bontrager SSR, 31.6, 20mm offset

[Session]

You coudl do a lot worse than the Trek, decent frame and rear shock whcih is crucial on a entry level full susser. Forks are perfectly functional and you can always save weight with an upgrade in the future.

[Raven Flyer]

In road bikes, the frame is 75+% of the deal. I am coming to the conclusion that the percentage is much less in a full suss MTB. The cost of the front and rear shocks will be way more than the frame, let alone adding in the cost of the gears and brakes.

Look for the bike that has a frame which is good enough (the strength v weight argument will depend on where you want to ride it but all £1000+ bikes have good frames) and has top quality shocks, gears and brakes.

Were you to buy a bike on its frame reputation alone and then upgrade the fittings over the next year or so, you could easily spend £1500+ on top of the cost of the original bike.

[militantmandy]

If you can scrape together another 500 or so these are utterly ridiculous value:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/specialized-enduro-...

This was a 3k bike at the start of last year. I've got one, it's fantastic.

[theboymoon]

militantmandy said:

If you can scrape together another 500 or so these are utterly ridiculous value:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/specialized-enduro-...

This was a 3k bike at the start of last year. I've got one, it's fantastic.

holyst balls that's a deal!

crikey got me thinking, I could buy that, swap in a set of 36s i've got here, sell the 32's 'as new' on the bay and walk away with a pretty good and virtually brand new full susser for what 1300 or 1400?

must. resist.

this will only get in the way of my hardtail project build so no no no

Edited by theboymoon on Friday 18th June 10:52

[militantmandy]

theboymoon said:

militantmandy said:

If you can scrape together another 500 or so these are utterly ridiculous value:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/specialized-enduro-...

This was a 3k bike at the start of last year. I've got one, it's fantastic.

holyst balls that's a deal!

crikey got me thinking, I could buy that, swap in a set of 36s i've got here, sell the 32's 'as new' on the bay and walk away with a pretty good and virtually brand new full susser for what 1200 or 1300?

must. resist.

this will only get in the way of my hardtail project build so no no no

It really is an outstanding bike. Under 30lbs and will take anything you can throw at it unless you're second name is Atherton! Has served me incredibly well.

[jonno1968]

I bought a Trek fuel ex5 about 6 months ago and have been very pleased with it. I upgraded the forks when i bought it to Fox 32's. The shop deducted the value of the standard fork (£185) from the Fox fork so I had a good deal. The frame is very good quality and with the Fox fork it is a great bike.
cheers