i have a 2001 trek fuel 80 and i find it a lot more forgiving than my ti hardtail,i dont feel so beat up after a ride and i feel that i can descend more confidently with the fuel,i was reluctant to get a fs bike because of the weight issue (my ti hardtail weighed 21.75 lbs)but i've managed to bring the fuel down to 22.50 lbs so the weights are not too far apart (and i really enjoyed making the bike lighter!)so i'm now a devoted fs biker.do you guys feel the same about fs bikes and the ones who have made their bike lighter did you enjoy doing this?
I love full suss and on the contrary to you I have made mine fatter. 5" of travel and meaty disc brakes baby, much better than sticking on some shitty, flexy 80mm fork and weak ass v-brakes.
I made the move to FS in about 3 month back, a Trek fuel 98. I have not altered it much but find that I cannot tell even when I first bought it if there was a weight difference between my Scott Team racing (late 90's model) HT. The difference to riding is great and I wish I had done it earlier. I am now looking for a Fuel WSD 14in for my wife who has a Spesh HT, which I rode last week and thought UUUrgh!!
The Trek is a very easy bike to ride, no bob when under power and tends to stick to the trial and not bounce off like a HT. On a trail I do after work I found that I was 10mph quicker on the Trek and it still wasn't the white knuckle ride my Scott had been, which I tended to hang on and breath a sigh of relief when I came to the bottom still on and intact.
63 mm of travel ben actually and i haven't tried disks yet i might yet but i'm thinking of getting some front teeth dental repairs as those ceramic padded v-brakes on ceramic rims have a tendency to hurtle my 15.5 stones body over the bars!
Wanted the 90 disc version when I was looking and managed to get the 98 at same price, one of the things I wanted was discs but thought I would upgrade next year, however I don't know now if I shall bother, I am a similar weight (for similar read slightly heavier) to you Marco and find that upto now I can stop as quick as I have needed to.
I've now passed 3000kms on my Fuel 90! Still now sure about disc-brakes as the ceramic braking surfaces on the Crossmaxes seem more than adequate; I think maybe on very long descents when I need to feather the brakes a great deal, it's quite fatiguing on the arms. Otherwise, the bike's basically stock and I just can't fault the good design - my no-excuse bike!
What changes have you guys made and how effective are they? I reckon the bikes about 25lbs but did I read in the forum someone has got his down to 22?
i have my hardtail which is seriously lightweight (sub 20lb) and i have the full susser which has carbon bars, crank, sid worldcups, king wheels and other lightweight goodies but i have put hope M4 disc brakes on it and all the lightweight components have been added with an element of reliability and strength, but it is still a decent weight and capable of doing the 24 hour events in comfort.
well done ryan for getting your hardtail to sub 20 lbs! i think its myself that has got his fuel down to 22.5 lbs frankH e-mail me if you want the specs.
I too, have gone in the opposite direction, going from 80mm at the front to 100 to 130, and from 80mm at the back to 100/130/150 adjustable. Have also fitted heavier wheels and tyres, and gone to disks. I much prefer the way it rides now, but it was never particularly light to start with. i think it must have started at about 28 to 30lbs now it must be over 33!
I can see the attraction to a light bike, and if i was fit enough for fast XC i'd like a light full susser, but for the kind of riding i like best, i prefer to be able to plough through the rough stuff with total confidence, and never worry about pinch-flatting, denting a rims, losing traction due to lame suspension, or the forks flexing all over the place (though my Z1s aren't very stiff really :-/ )
