[3jm11]

I'm in the market for a new Mountain Bike and I was just wondering what everyone's opinion is on the Trek Fuel 90 or 80. I will most likley be doing a combination of trail riding, uphill/downhill over mountains, and eventually some small drop offs. Do you think this will be a solid bike for this? Also, is it at all possible to upgrade the rear shock at some point to get more travel? or do you think 3 inches of travel rear, and 4 inches front will be sufficient enough to handle downhill trails at a good pace?

 

[bjanga]

I think the bike could handle all of that but I think the bike would be a bit skittish over some of the gnarlier stuff. 3 inches of rear travel is not a whole lot, and you would not be able to get a longer shock to change the travel.

Look for a FS or hardtail with 4" of travel minimum. My suggestion would be to buy a cheaper, beefed up hardtail and replace the fork on it (see if the shop can give you a break). Entry level forks usually leave something to be desired.

 

[sneakysnake]

you might also want to look at a used santa cruz bullit. if set up right they can pedal amazingly well for a bike with 7 inches of rear suspension, and they have freeridish geometry, which would be able to navigate you through more than minor drops. and it performs wonderfully on the dh as well.

you can find a used '03 or '04 bullit for around 1200-1400

 

[ridetoofast]

how big are you and how hard do you ride?

im 5'10", 220, and have ridden a fuel 90 since the first year it came out.

i won't lie, there has been problems, but that was what i'd call a first production run issue.

i've used it for hard xc, some urban assualt, a little dj, and even some dh thrown in.

it corners and climbs well, but it is only 3" afterall. if you even think you're going to want to go above and beyond xc into all mountain/light freeride territory (sp?) do yourself a favor, and go for a 4-5" travel bike.

if you will only do xc its a decent bike, there are certainly better out there, but for a standard fare walking beam suspension with 3" of travel it does xc just dandy.

my $0.02..

 

[BIRDMAN111]

ive got a jamis dakar xlt and i love it. i pretty much do every thing on it. xc, jumping, some urban, dh and am gonna put some slick tires and lock out the fork and shock to do a 60+ mile road race. it climbs great. it is heavier than a lower travel xc fs but it doesnt make too much of a difference. with 5" travel in the back and the same in the front i feel comfterble doing 6' drops almost to flat. i recomend that.

 

[Changleen]

Don't buy a Trek.

 

[bikenweed]

One of my best friends rode a Trek 90 for years. It had a Manitou Black fork, Hayes hydro discs, and super strong Bontrager XC wheels. The bike was really good. We put a short stem on it, and some 2.2/2.3 tires and he kept right up. Seriously, it's a great bike. It doesn't look all that cool, but it rides trails just fine. He bought a Blur4x just because he was afraid the thing was going to break, and wanted some more agro geometry.

Get it. That's a great bike. Good geometry, light, strong, and cheap. I will always think a nice hardtail is way better for a beginner, but old people's backs won't agree.

*oh, and in my avatar, I'm riding that Bontrager front wheel and Manitou Black fork from that same Fuel 90. Good stuff, survived casing from 10'+ of air without even getting the smallest flat spot, and the fork never broke off. Trek's not as cool as a small company, but they still make good bikes.

 

[BIRDMAN111]

yeah ive got a black on my dakar its awsome. i did some sweet east coast dh the other week and ripped it up

 

[Quo Fan]

I wouldn't drop the fuel from any highter than 2 feet unless you can land a hardtail softly from higher. People new at dropping (myself included) tend to land incorrectly and therefore are hard on the bikes. The shorter travel will teach you better bike handling skills, because it won't put up with sloppy handling. Get it and learn to ride smoothly, then get a bike with more travel and rip up the trails.