Trek Fuel EX5 2010

Author
Discussion

Mad_Matt83

Original Poster:

30 posts

198 months

Monday 8th February 2010
quotequote all
HI guys,

Just wondered if anyone has ridden one of theses, looks like pretty good value for money at £1,250, i believe the frame is from last year Trek Fuel EX9 which was selling about £2.5k last year. not to keen on the front Derailleur but i will change that once the chain is ready....


http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/fuel-ex-5...

Thanks

Matt

anonymous-user

55 months

Monday 8th February 2010
quotequote all
Trek will have you believe its the same frame but i am not convinced.

i have a friend who has just bought a specialized fsr pro and its a really nice bike for the money. it has reba air forks not the coil sprung toras on the trek and they have the same rear shock for all want and purposes... its a bit more cash but plenty of places should be able to sort you out with a 5 or 10% discount which makes it almost the same price. if you cant stretch to the pro, i would still say the the fsr xc expert is a better bike than the trek (and i dont recommend specialized very often!!) personally i think spesh offer the best full sus bikes under £1500 in terms of ride and equipment.

it never fails to amaze me how many people worry about the front mech, jeez its deore, i have a deore front mech, given the work it has to do its perfectly adequate. why fret about that when the wheels are heavy and clunky stuff straight from the bontrager spares bin....

save your money and get some mavic 717s as the first upgrade.

seriously, an xtr front mech will not make you a better rider and with reference to the trek, i have sram rear mech and shifters and they are a pain in the arse, they are forever going out of sync and when they wear out they will certainly not get replaced with more sram stuff....

to summarise, forks, frame, wheels, rear shock, crankset, other stuff....

Gooby

9,268 posts

235 months

Monday 8th February 2010
quotequote all
Having ridden last years ex9 - for that money GO BUY IT!
Do it with a BIG smile on your face and dont look back.

I found the ride a little harsh over smaller bumps but handles the big lumps well (with the kit on the ex9).

slomax

6,662 posts

193 months

Tuesday 9th February 2010
quotequote all
within the same kind of range you could get one of these
http://www.realcycles.com/products.php?plid=m1b0s1...
the spec is a lot better and its also cheaper! i havnt ridden a commencal bike but have heard that they are very good frames.

anonymous-user

55 months

Tuesday 9th February 2010
quotequote all
Gooby said:
Having ridden last years ex9 - for that money GO BUY IT!
Do it with a BIG smile on your face and dont look back.

I found the ride a little harsh over smaller bumps but handles the big lumps well (with the kit on the ex9).
"with the kit on the ex9"

and there in is the difference between the two bikes, you cant say buy a cheaper bike on the basis that the much more expensive version is awesome because the expensive bike has far superior forks/shock and components and they all add to making it a better bike!...

Gooby

9,268 posts

235 months

Tuesday 9th February 2010
quotequote all
pablo said:
Gooby said:
Having ridden last years ex9 - for that money GO BUY IT!
Do it with a BIG smile on your face and dont look back.

I found the ride a little harsh over smaller bumps but handles the big lumps well (with the kit on the ex9).
"with the kit on the ex9"

and there in is the difference between the two bikes, you cant say buy a cheaper bike on the basis that the much more expensive version is awesome because the expensive bike has far superior forks/shock and components and they all add to making it a better bike!...
Totally agree, but many people will look at upgrades as thier skills improve and if that frame is as described, it will handle the upgrades well and actually warrant good treatment unlike many other budget bikes.

snotrag

14,475 posts

212 months

Tuesday 9th February 2010
quotequote all
pablo said:
personally i think spesh offer the best full sus bikes under £1500 in terms of ride and equipment.
Close... but the real winner is Giant.

So, so often overlooked because they are not 'trendy', Giant have THE best suspension platform going (ive tried lots) and the frames are works of art - they are the masters of frame building.




anonymous-user

55 months

Tuesday 9th February 2010
quotequote all
snotrag said:
pablo said:
personally i think spesh offer the best full sus bikes under £1500 in terms of ride and equipment.
Close... but the real winner is Giant.

So, so often overlooked because they are not 'trendy', Giant have THE best suspension platform going (ive tried lots) and the frames are works of art - they are the masters of frame building.
good point, well made. the maestro suspension system is a very nice ride, the 2010 x4 is a bargain, fox shocks front and rear for £1400..... oh buts its a deore front mech wink