First impressions -the Fuel ex8 is a beasty-looking machine with the big wheels, vertical shock set-up and the charcoal paint job on the alloy frame making it look heavy-duty industrial. All this made the drive-train seem smaller and discrete. It made you feel like you were going out there to slay some trails and take no prisoners. Quite funny really, considering I don't think of downhill as being a strength of mine.
Components. The ex8 had all Shimano components with SLX brakes (which in my opinion, are just as good as XT), M552 cranks, XT Shadow rear derailleur, SLX front derailleur and shifters. I am personally a great fan of Shimano gear so I was quite pleased with this solid package.
On the front was the FOX Evolution series float 32 forks with 120mm travel and manual lock-out. To the rear was FOX Evolution series float with 120mm travel as well. Built to take some big knocks but still having the capability to get up hills.
The Bontager Duster 29er hubs, rim and tyre package felt solid and surprisingly fast rolling with little, if any flex.
While the Fuel ex8 didn't come with a dropper seat post as standard like most all-mountain bikes these days, it didn't feel like it was missing it either. My overall impression was this bike felt bullet proof - if it wasn't necessary, it wasn't there - no gimmicks.
But the real test of a bike is on the trails, and the 2W is RotoVegas endurance Super-D at its best - all of the top trails stitched together into 5 brilliant hard-out runs over a single day. You can read my other post about the race but the Fuel handled everything I threw at it with ease.
The Bontager Duster 29er hubs, rim and tyre package felt solid and surprisingly fast rolling with little, if any flex.
While the Fuel ex8 didn't come with a dropper seat post as standard like most all-mountain bikes these days, it didn't feel like it was missing it either. My overall impression was this bike felt bullet proof - if it wasn't necessary, it wasn't there - no gimmicks.
But the real test of a bike is on the trails, and the 2W is RotoVegas endurance Super-D at its best - all of the top trails stitched together into 5 brilliant hard-out runs over a single day. You can read my other post about the race but the Fuel handled everything I threw at it with ease.
The thing that surprised me most was how solid the Fuel felt for a 29er. I would forget I was on the bigger wheels completely (until I was passing someone). It was easy to 'pop' the bike over roots and drop-offs, making me confident at tackling some of the more knarly sections that I quite often avoid.
The back shock took all the impacts with apparent ease - I genuinely felt nothing, allowing me to race through those technical sections at pace.
Because the shuttle queues could be large I sometimes elected to ride the road back up. The manual lockout was easy to locate and operate, eliminating the 'bob' and making these climbs quite managable.
As expected the Shimano package performed flawlessly - powerful braking, smooth gear changes and responsive shifting.
Overall impression? While the Fuel ex8 is the spec below the top alloy 29er Fuel (the ex9), never the less it was still a great ride. The bike felt like the complete package - nothing was missing. At around $NZ 4,400 has to be up there on some-ones shopping list.
At the end of the day, I really didn't want to give it back - and I guess that's the ultimate test.
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