Big Mountain Riding

Review & Images: Randy King

The 29er version of the Gary Fisher HiFi has been on my to-ride list for some time. Along with my curiosity, I brought some baggage with me into this short-term relationship. My best bike for three years was a 26″ wheel HiFi Deluxe. It helped me up my epic race game and went through 1,000’s of miles of mud and dust before coming to a sudden and calamitous demise when the frame broke in three places. These positive memories and nervousness about durability took turns coloring my opinion about how the big-wheeled version would ride. So, how did it go? Well, a bit like that … a mix of good and not-so-good.

Technically, there is no Gary Fisher HiFi. Gary’s bikes have been drawn into the Trek line-up, and now all that remains on the bike of Gary’s name is a copy of his signature on the frame. Hmmph, I say. I’ve met Gary Fisher (I know, I know, Jeremiah Bishop told me not to name drop), and it didn’t even take those meaningful 60-seconds for me to vote that  Fisher should have his own line-up in the Trek conglomerate.

Along with the bigger wheels, the HiFi Pro I tested sports a few other differences from my former bike. Trek has opened up the suspension linkage design a bit.  The bike also gets some upgrades, moving up to a Fox fork and adding three gears with the SRAM — 10 speed drive train. I tested the HiFi Pro model.

What I loved about my 26″ HiFi was its adapt-to-anything attitude. Above all, it was fun to ride. I am glad to see that this vibe is shared by the big wheel HiFi.

I chose the Witchback trail at Angler’s Ridge in Danville, VA for the test. This is a frequent up-and-down six mile loop with several short but gut-busting climbs and several quick and fast descents.  A mini-rock garden and a small drop-off add to the mix to make it a good test trail for trail and XC bikes.

The HiFi Pro tackles climbs with aplomb and good manners. It is stable and tracks well even on sudden steeps. The Bontrager 29-2 Team Issue tires are a good combination of fast and grippy for a trail bike.  The suspension is definitely more noticeable on climbs than it was on the 26″ HiFi – credit in part to the more open suspension design. It is also noticeable on the descents, where the HiFi has pretty good small-bump compliance without the harsh edge that sometimes plagued the 26″ bike.

What I didn’t like about my 26″ HiFi was its lack of durability. Durability is a key virtue in a bike that one hopes to ride for 100 KM or more at a time, over rough terrain.  The first time the frame broke on my 26″ HiFi, I had to climb the side of a mountain to get cell phone reception, limp for several miles out of the woods on stiff-soled cycling shoes, with a lump the size of a baseball on my thigh from a crash earlier in the ride. Durability is good. Unfortunately, the big-wheeled HiFi seems to bring its fragility with it. After less than 5 miles, I noticed some noise coming from the linkage. Hmm. The bolt that connects the top of the shock to the bike had worked loose.

The 29″ HiFi has 100 MM of travel, compared to the 120 of the 26″ version. And despite what so many say, a 29″ wheel is not the same as suspsension. In another words, I miss that extra 4/5 of an inch of travel. In its absence, it makes the bike feel more racy and less rideable.

Parting thoughts:

The $3,600 Gary Fisher HiFi Pro seems like a viable epic racer or enduro bike, and is up to frequent trail rides. While less “racy” than the Superfly 100, and costing less, it still feels less of a true trail bike than a high-priced bike meant mostly for going fast. A different set of tires and a wider riser bar might correct that, and you can get aboard a HiFi Plus for about $2,300, but stock the HiFi Pro feels like a long distance runner for those who can afford it.

© 2011 Big Mountain Riding

Quick Hit: Ergon GX-1 Grips

Review and photo: Scott Schekman

You are probably thinking: how the heck can we consider grips part of big mountain riding? Well, considering that grips are one of the three contact points between us and our bikes, and that big mountain riding often encompasses longer rides and epic conditions, including a review on grips seemed to make sense. Especially if they can make a difference in rider comfort or control.

The grips in this Big Mountain Riding Quick Hit test are Ergon’s basic offering for smaller hands-the GX1. No bar ends are included, although they can be found with another model of the same grip, named the GX2. Along with this model for smaller hands, Ergon offers a full line of grips for a range of riding styles and riders.

I have been using these on my geared and single speed rides since 2009. I bought my first pair as I was preparing for big mountain race the Shenandoah 100.  A friend who had completed the ride a few times and was helping me prepare recommended the Ergons. I can honestly say that my hands were one of the few body parts not totally whipped at the completion of the 100-mile epic race.

Through the shape of the paddle section, they actually eliminate the stress on my palms and wrists. My fingers don’t cramp even when I’m riding my single speed with a rigid fork!

It did take a couple of rides to get the position correct on the bars, but once I did they were – as my grand daughter says – SWEET. The only con I have found is that in cold weather,  thick gloves don’t pair well with these grips, as it can be hard to feel comfortable and in control with the grip’s shape.

To summarize: if you don’t find your current grips that comfortable, or you’re looking for a grip to ease the pain of the miles on your palms, give these a try. Your hands, one of your three contact points with the bike, will thank you.

© 2011 Big Mountain Riding

So Simple, So Fun – This Rigid Singlespeed 29er Will Blow You Away

Review and photo by: Scott Schekman

This is a long term review of my first 29er (of hopefully many), the Redline Monocog Flight 29er. This “Mono-cog deluxe” is not to be confused with the straight Redline Monocog. The Flight upgrades the quality of the cromoly frame, adds disc brakes, and sports a better set of wheels than a Plain Jane Monocog.

I bought my Monocog Flight as a complete rigid single speed in early 2008 for only $800. This was the retail price from my LBS, not an internet special. What I got for that price is a 4.75 pound (2.15 KG)  Sanko cromoly steel frame and fork, Ritchey Pro riser bar and seat post, Avid BB5 mechanical brakes, a decent (although heavy) set of wheels, a FSA Alphadrive singlespeed crank set, and a pair of Maxxis Ignitor folding bead tires. A pretty fair deal, I thought.

Clean lines and sturdy welds mark the simple fun of the Flight

For those still on the fence about the big wheel revolution (or the zealous converted looking for a quick ‘Amen’ line) let me begin with a little history of how I came to drink the 29er Kool-Aid before I get to the bike itself. I was riding pretty regularly with a friend who had been on wagon wheel bikes for some time and he had been telling me I should try one. I was somewhat resistant to the idea of these big wheelers since I had heard all the usual complaints; they handled like trucks, they were plagued by slow acceleration, etc. My friend kept after me, and he finally talked me into trying his wife’s 2007 Redline Flight rigid 29er singlespeed. I tried it out at our local trails on Lynchburg, VA’s Candler’s / Liberty Mountain. There were four of us meeting for that fateful afternoon ride. I was blown away and riding on a rigid at that! At that time I was planning on buying a Fisher Hifi demo bike, but it never happened once I had ridden the Redline. Two weeks after riding that Redline I had one of my own. Then I sold both of my 26ers and also bought a Salsa Mamasita frame, which I built up with gears and a Reba fork to go in the quiver with the Flight SS.

I have found the Redline Monocog Flight 29er to be an extremely versatile bike. I have ridden it configured as a rigid single speed, a geared rigid, and have softened up a bit with a Reba suspension fork. Right now it is back in rigid SS mode. The flexible Flight’s next use will probably be with taller gearing and shoed with cyclocross tires for some paved and gravel roads excursions. A pretty flexible cycle, wouldn’t you agree?

The Monocog Flight's sliding dropouts

Piloting the Flight on single track, the first thing that I noticed was the accurate steering (with a rigid fork) and the good ride for no suspension. Pedaling responsiveness is good – not as good as the Salsa Mamasita, but the Redline is not advertised as a race bike. I did race it once when it had gears and a Reba and it carried itself quite well. For most of its life my Monocog Flight has been set up as a rigid SS, and that seems to suit it well. I switched to a tubeless wheelset and a fatter front tire so I could run lower air pressures for some cushion, but I am 54 years old and not as flexible as I used to be. The Monocog Flight frame uses sliders on the chain stays instead of an eccentric bottom bracket to tension the chain. They’ve worked well, and I have not had them slip since new.

Tight trail switchbacks? No problem. Fast sweeping turns? The Flight’s got ‘em. Rooty, rocky trails? If you remember this is full rigid and line choice is critical to keeping momentum, the Redline Monocog Flight will back up its BMX heritage in its bombproofness. Every time I rode this bike for the first year I was always smiling because it’s just that fun.

I think for a budget single speed 29er it is a tremendous deal; it does everything it should and does it all well. In the market for a 29er single speed? The Redline Flight deserves a serious look.

© 2010 Big Mountain Riding

Number 9, Number 9 – Fuel EX 9 is Another Soldier in Trek’s Quiet Revolution

Review: Randy King
Photo: Trek Bicycle Co.

MORE PHOTOS COMING SOON

I have a new squeeze.  It wasn’t my choice to move on, but sometimes one member of the relationship just wants out, and the other half is left to pick up the pieces. That’s where I was when my 2007 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe broke in three places. Trek and my LBS, Bikes Unlimited in Lynchburg, promised to replace it under warranty. While this took longer than expected – more than two months – I won in the end, getting a 2011 Trek Fuel EX 9 frame.

Pretty to look at, fun to ride: 2011 Fuel EX 9. Photo courtesy of Trek

Onto the frame went my Fox TALAS fork, XT rear derailleur, LX front derailleur, Avid Juicy 5 brakes, Thomson seat post, Bontrager Race riser bar and stem and wheels, SPD pedals, and a new Shimano SLX crankset and arms and new Aheadset. Built up so, the bike tips the scales right at 30 pounds (13.6 KG). I would guess that in its from-the-factory kit, the Fuel EX 9 weighs around 27-28 pounds.

I was excited to get the Fuel EX 9, with its Fox DRCV RP-23 shock, which I first had ridden on a 2010 Fuel EX 9.9 and loved. The 9’s “nude aluminum” finish also hooked me.  For the first time in a long time, I started dreaming about color-matching parts and how to bling out my bike. The days drug out while I waited for the word that it had arrived and been rebuilt.

Finally I got the newbie’s tires onto the trail.  Bikes Unlimited, with the on-again-off-again style that plagues their work, had put the wrong air pressure in the shock, and had not test rode the bike, so the cables were not tight. My first ride was like cruising on a barcolounger. So much plush! Unfortunately it did not shift or climb so well.

I looked up the owners manual online and got the air pressure closer on the shock. Now it was an efficient climber, but some of the fun was gone. After a few rides, I left for a week in Moab, where I rode a Giant Reign 7 with the Fox DHX Air shock. I came back East, took off on my Fuel EX 9 (back from the Bike Medic shop with all the cables tightened and the bolts wrenched) and felt like I was aboard a rigid – on a 5″ travel bike.  Time to use all of those knobs that festooned both my TALAS RLC and the DRCV RP-23 with Boost Valve.  After fiddling with compression and slow rebound and the boost valve, I came up  with settings I liked better.

It’s winter now, and my riding is more about getting outdoors and having fun, versus about training or the sheer miles. So, I like the softer settings. I took the Trek Fuel EX 9 to Lynchburg’s Peaks View Park to ride the improved trails. The plusher suspension setting survived casing the landing on Dusty Bottoms, the 32″ vertical ramp that is one of the the park’s Three Amigos (a 12″, 22″ and 32″ set of well-built ramps), and made the three-foot drop-off on Gorilla Soap trail easy to digest.

Compared to the Gary Fisher HiFi, which excelled as an epic race bike, the Fuel EX 9 has a more active suspension. A glance at their linkage designs highlights the differences. In fact, it’s marvelous how efficient the Fuel EX 9 is on climbs, given a linkage design that looks like a Kona. The extra plush and activeness in the suspension works for me, as it unleashes a bolder, more aggressive riding style. A good big mountain riding bike should act as an extension of the rider, and the less that it causes the rider to hesitate before tackling a line – whether tech climb or gnarly descent – the better the bike. Another piece of technology that works well on the Fuel EX 9 – along with the Fox DRCV shock – is the ABP, Trek’s floating pivot aimed at reducing brake jack. Brake jack was something I only noticed in its absence. I had read about it without understanding it, yet flying down rooty descents at Danville, VA’s Angler’s Ridge park, I can tell the difference in the rear suspension not stacking up under braking. It is just another piece of R&D that pays its way by not seeming to be there at all on the Fuel EX 9.

I’m looking forward to getting my style dialed-in on this new squeeze in time for May’s Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race. I think the Fuel EX 9 will take the edge off the miles and bring grins on epic descents. The bike is trail-oriented. By that I mean that it is an efficient climber with suspension enough to take the edge off roots and rocks and mix it up on small drops and jumps. It is not an all-out XC race machine – a few extra pounds and the more relaxed angles would grow tiresome while sprinting or on competitive climbs.  Nor would I have wanted to trade it for the Giant Reign 7 I rode in Moab – which felt so solid and confident as I dead-sailored it off of rock ledges and powered through rock gardens.

So, what’s the verdict? This is another expensive bit of fun from Trek. Like the Fuel EX 9.9 and the Remedy 8 we reviewed earlier, the Trek Fuel EX 9 rides like cheap fun, belying the science and craftsmanship that it takes to turn out a bike that can do so much so well. A complete bike is priced at more than $3,500.  The technology mostly works in harmony, and gives the rider options to tune the bike to suit several styles – efficient epic racer, or plusher rough-and-ready trail bike, etc.  It is definitely a big mountain riding bike, as well as being just plain fun to ride.

© 2010 Big Mountain Riding

Riding All-Mountain on Niner’s XC Race Bike, the Air 9

The Atomic Blue color stands out, as does the Air 9's responsive frame

Review & Photos by: Randy King

Video by: Randy Lewis

Climbing toward the sharp, steep switchback, I grinned in anticipation. With only 20-minutes of saddle time on the Niner Air 9, I already knew that I had a shot at making this challenge – one of those hiking trail switchbacks that cut back on themselves like barely-open scissors. This bike was made for just this type of momentum- and traction-defying situation.

I rode straight at the dirt bank that signaled the end of my current wheel path, running wide at the outside edge of the trail. At the last second, I let off the power and the bike slowed almost to a stop. Now! I turned the bars just as the front wheel contacted the steep benched bank, cranking once to power the front wheel in a nearly 90° slice across the bank. Pivoting with the front wheel, I was almost pointed back down the trail before I could straighten out enough to apply real power. Now the bike threatened to go off the inside corner of the switchback. I spun away at the pedals, rolling the front tire right along the edge of the trail and back on track as I climbed through the eroded heart of the switchback. The Niner Air 9 straightened out and I climbed onward.

The Niner Air 9 rewards riders who have the vision and the ability to leverage its considerable powers. Its Easton GX2 Scandium/Aluminum frame is responsive and lightweight. Although the Air 9 I rode had been kitted out with a mediocre parts spec, its race breeding shone through.

Out for a Niner field day, Randy Lewis (on his Niner E.M.D. 9) and I covered much of the varied terrain of Roanoke, VA’s huge Carvin’s Cove trail system. Temps surged past 90 and then cooled later as a big T-storm rumbled threateningly and stacked up against the nearby Blue Ridge. We ended the day racing the impending rain back to the parking lot.

Here the Niner Air 9 showed off the racing genes of its stiff frame and aggressive, forward-leaning cockpit set-up. Although at low speeds I could really feel the drag of the heavy wheel set, once I powered up the Air 9, I found myself pushing the big chain ring uphill, going faster and faster. What a joy to climb on this bike!

Read the rest of the review in Part 2 …

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

This review is sponsored by Just the Right Gear
bike shop, Salem, VA.

Continued from Part 1 …

However, I got to see the Niner Air 9 handle a lot of terrain between that tech-rider’s dream of a switchback and the final race against the rain. Once we attained the ridge via Buck, we rode up the double track and then down. Here I experienced firsthand the effect of inertia on those big wheels. We had to stop mid-thrill ride though, to peel off the fire road for the sketchy descent on the narrow, hoof-pocked singletrack of Hemlock Tunnel.

Descending did not seem deadly on the Niner Air 9 thanks largely to the wide Ritchey bar and the capable WTB Moto Raptor tires. However, the bike is a stiff-riding hardtail with an 80MM travel RockShox Reba SL fork, and unless you are Jedi enough to descend sans brakes, you will probably agree that the Air 9’s forte is climbing. I don’t know if it would have handled descents better with hydraulic brakes or not, but I felt that the ride grew very harsh when I tried to scrub speed on the rough downhill runs of Hemlock Tunnel and Comet. Yet when I let off the Avid BB7 stoppies, the Air 9 flowed over the chatter bumps and rock bars like art in motion. It made me wish I had the Force at my ready disposal.

Along the bottom we tackled the log piles of Enchanted Forest, and the Niner Air 9 proved a well-balanced machine, predictable at low speeds and over obstacles. On Little Bell and Schoolhouse, I loved the way the bike carved turns. The WTB Moto Raptor tires were reliable and gripped the trail more fiercely than an overeager car salesman’s handshake. The same applied to climbing, I don’t think I ever broke traction on the rear wheel, even standing up with my head way in front of the bars on steep climbs. If I could put power to the pedals, the Moto Raptors kept climbing. Great big mountain riding tires!

On the return leg via Arrowhead and Songbird, the Air 9 rocked and rolled over the small jumps and log rides, without the skittishness of some high-strung racing bikes. It rode like a play bike on these fun trails.

The atmosphere altered as we started up Brushy Mountain. The wind pushed and pulled meaningfully, making the leaves show their light underbellies in a clear warning to us. We turned onto Four Gorges trail and put the hammer down on our two Niners. Yeah, the storm was coming fast … but I was riding an Atomic Blue Niner Air 9 and it was just the right bike for what needed doing. I pushed into the big chain ring and powered up those big wheels.

Parting thoughts:
The Air 9 frame retails for $799. Give it the parts build it deserves. The bike I rode weighed a portly 28-lbs. The same shop had a Medium frame Air 9 built to 24-lbs. Mine did not feel heavy other than in the wheels, so I shudder to think how fast this racer would feel with a much lighter wheelset. Spend wisely, young Skywalker!

Most of my complaints about the Niner Air 9 that I rode stem from either the fact that is a hardtail – something that cannot be changed – or its mediocre parts spec – something easily changed; I had no complaints with the essence of the bike (a race-oriented hardtail). In fact, I thought it performed well in the more all-mountain conditions of our ride. However, efficient suspension designs have led to +5” travel bikes that climb well and spare spines. For those who have ridden double-squish for a long time it hurts to go back to a hardtail bike. With today’s technology, the question comes down to what type of riding makes you smile the most.  If you are comfortable on descents, but light up when mastering a technical or prolonged climb and your spine can put up with long miles on a hardtail (‘cause you ride like water), the Niner Air 9 may be the bike to help you speed to the finish of your next big mountain riding event.

Now to clarify a misunderstanding: 29” wheels do not equal an inch of suspension. A 29” hardtail rides like a hardtail bike. The wheels do not suck up bumps, or smooth over the vagaries of the trail. However, big wheels do roll over obstacles and square-edged bumps better than an inch or so of suspension on a 26” wheeled bike.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

This review is sponsored by Just the Right Gear
bike shop, Salem, VA.

Long Term Review of Salsa’s super-fast 29er hard tail, the Mamasita

The Salsa Mamasita is a capable back country explorer and XC racer

Review by:

Scott Schekman

Photos by: Scott Schekman and Randy King

Now that I have been riding my Salsa Mamasita for more than a year, it is time for a long term review. My Mamasita is built up pretty much as a race/play 29er hard tail with a ROCK SHOX REBA Race 29″ fork, RACE FACE Deus crankset, Stan’s 355 rims laced to a DT Swiss 240 front & Stans ZTR rear hub, Easton Monkeylite XC bar, SRAM X-9 triggers and rear derailleur and Hope Mini disc brakes. This build is average in weight at 24.5 lbs, but that works for me and I didn’t have to cash in my IRA to build it. New Mamasita frames are available online for about $750; complete bikes for less than $2,000.

This size small frame is made of Scandium/aluminum alloy with carbon seat stays. I have read of various advantages of Scandium alloys, but not being a metalurgist, I don’t actually know what is fact or not.  The Mamasita’s geometry is fairly standard for a 29er hardtail frame [See chart].

The Salsa Mamasita features clean lines and rider-friendly geometry

So far I have raced the Mamasita in two mountain-X races and the epic Shenandoah 100. All my other rides have been local trail rides at Candlers/Liberty mountain, Danville, VA’s Anglers Ridge, Bedford, VA’s Falling Creek Park or Roanoke, VA’s Carvins Cove. The Mamasita rock ‘n’ rolled through all of this terrain variety that included log hopping, rock gardens, swoopy smooth singletrack and typical east coast-roots, rocks, tree limbs, technical climbs and fast descents.

Riding this bike is like riding a small self-powered rocket. All the pedaling energy seems to transform immediately into forward motion. This bike will climb like a scared cat! I seem to favor technical difficult climbs, especially the kind most people only like to ride down. [Editor's note: He's not kidding!] The “Mama” excels at this.  I do run the Reba at 100mm travel which means I have to keep some weight forward on steeps to keep the front end down, but like on any bike, the rider has to learn how to distribute his weight to the bike’s advantage.

Descending is a flat out rush; this bike will go faster than my brain will let it. I have never yet missed full suspension on the downhills. It might be the combination of wagon wheels and carbon stays or just the geometry, but this is the fastest XC bike I have ridden yet. The only time I notice any limitations is when I am trying to keep a smooth cadence on choppy (roots and small rocks) flat ground. This is probably a disadvantage of any 29er hard tail. It tends to kick me off the saddle some, which disrupts my pedaling so I installed a USE suspension seat post which helps – but is still no substitute for rear suspension.

The carbon seatstays and big wheels soften up the ride a bit on this rocket-fast hard tail

All in all, the Salsa Mamasita is a blast to ride or race. It is a screaming fast descender, a mountain goat climber, nimble and quick without any twitchiness in steering control. The Mamasita rider feels confident and in control climbing up or blazing down the mountain. The Salsa Mamasita is definitely worth a closer look for XC and epic racers and big mountain riders – as long as you’re not a downhill-only rider, or into frequent jumping or drops bigger than two feet.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

Review and Photos: Randy King

The Remedy eggs you to take the rough route home

Cruising Moab’s main drag for the first time, my brother and I dug all the signs of this vibrant culture we had joined: the Moab Cyclery safari truck with mounts for 20 bikes, the Gonzo Inn, the Poison Spider Bikes mural. One of our favorites was a campground that boasted: Fun Pigs stay at Slickrock. The Trek Remedy 8 is made for those self-same fun pigs. It is a bike that eggs on its rider and will feed your porcine speed-needs until you find yourself hours later, still pushing personal limits and stuttering gibberish like that laughable Looney Tunes porker.

It takes craft to make something that rides like such cheap fun, and this is a well-made all-mountain rig. Trek redesigned the Remedy with matched 150MM (6″) of quality Fox travel front and back, and it rips along the trail. Although it seemed a bit portly on the climbs, I rode a Large frame (not the XL that Trek recommends for my height), and the Remedy is spec’d with a wide, low-rise bar. I think a bit more of a rise on the bars and the correct size frame would make the bike climb better for me. As it was, I felt too low for really efficient climbing – especially in my knees and hands.  The suspension and geometry did not seem to be the culprits in this climbing conundrum.

Yet who are we kidding here, with all this talk about climbing? A bike like this pays its way at high speeds and on the descents. Know that aboard the Remedy you will not have to walk up too many hills, and when you get to the top, you can expect a stable, velvety ride during the gravity-fed madness that awaits.

The Fox Float RP-2 with DRCV shines on the Remedy

Riding the Remedy at Bedford Co’s Falling Creek Park, I instinctively veered toward the rough lines, and flowed over natural obstacles instead of following the path more traveled that swung around them. Indeed, the bike and I both wanted more challenges, although I did not test the Remedy on any drops higher than a couple of feet.

In Big Mountain Riding Review #6, I highlighted Trek’s proprietary Fox Float’s with DRCV. The extra-volume shock shines on the Remedy 8 too, making the back-end feel bottomless during aggressive trail riding over roots, rocks and features. Although I did not drop it off anything of size, the bike’s suspension, solidness and geometry feel like it would handle easily drops of 3-5 feet (0.9 -1.5 M). That’s more than enough for me – as drops above 3-feet make me grow increasingly attached to my front teeth (and to keeping them intact).

Other spec highlights that shone on the $3,700 Remedy 8:
Fox 32 Talas RL fork

Avid Elixir R Carbon disc brakes with 203 MM rotors

The Remedy 8 wears its brawn well, tipping the scales at under 30 pounds (13.6 KG) and rumor has it that a few upgrades can trim off a couple more pounds without removing muscle. Today’s efficient suspension and light weight materials enable all-mountain riding, and when pulled together in bikes like this, they inspire fun pigs everywhere to point their front wheel toward the big mountains and ride a little farther. Go for it; nobody would understand your gibberish back in civilization anyway, Porky.

© Big Mountain Riding

Fun Pigs will find much to like in the Remedy's smooth travel and light weight

Trek Fuel EX = A Rico Suave All-Around Bike

Reviewer: Randy King

Photos: Scott Schekman & Randy King

The Trek Fuel EX 9.9 is an inspiring all-around bike, great for big mountain riding: it is fast, light weight and cheeky. The top of the Fuel line model is a sort of James Bond super agent of bikes. Yes, some other bikes can run, jump and fight as well, and yet others share its dark good looks. However, the Fuel EX 9.9 does both at the same time, making its rider look as good and as competent merely by association.

The Trek Fuel EX 9.9 rides like a dream - a very, very expensive dream

The demo bike I tested was dressed to kill, decked out with the best offerings from SRAM, Fox, Shimano and others. The parts worked together well, carrying the bike smoothly and nimbly over the rough roots and short, tight steeps of Bedford, VA’s Falling Creek Park. The all-carbon frame, crank and bar rode like a dream of all that carbon is hyped up to be.

Riding the XL-sized frame put me in a little more stretched out versus upright riding position. I liked this because I felt more actively engaged with the bike – not perched on top of it. I found myself pedaling faster and pushing the bike through turns. Interestingly, the riding position also seemed to keep me seated more, even through small rough patches.

However, I think most of the Fuel EX’s buttery smoothness flows right from the Fox suspension. Specifically, Trek’s proprietary Fox RP-23 design, with DRCV (Dual Rate Control Valve). According to Trek, the twin-chambered shock is designed to eliminate the ramp-up at the end of the shock’s travel without adding the weight of an external chamber, meaning a smoother ride over varied terrain. The shock acts like a normal RP-23, until a bigger hit. Then the compression opens the valve into the second section of the chamber – the little extra bit visible on the top of the shock in the pictures – and the bump is eaten up at the same compression rate. In theory, it should feel more like the linear compression of a coil spring, but with air shock weight. “Right on,” I say. The DRCV shock performed beautifully.

This is a high-speed machine that would handle many challenges with aplomb. It weighs just 25-pounds (11.34KG) in its carbon suit. The aluminum versions reputedly weigh in at only a pound (454G) more for the frame. That’s light, and it feels even lighter. Still, the 5-inches (120MM) of travel are meant for going places off the beaten path, and the Fuel EX does this with the bold cheek of a much burlier bike. You could race this bike; you could ride it all day, every day.

So what’s the bad news? Well it has to do with all those little green pieces of paper. Specifically, the more than 6,700 of them it takes to buy the Trek Fuel EX 9.9. That’s a lot of money for something stamped “Made in Wisconsin.” That’s a lot of money period.

Still, if you ride it, you’ll probably want this bike. I did. And you know what? I’m not gonna try to convince you that you can’t rationalize the purchase. Everybody has dreams. Why not a glam, all-carbon, $6,700 one from Wisconsin?

©Big Mountain Riding

The DRCV shock, carbon crankset and the EVO pivot