Having rolled out of Racers Edge Powered By Torpedo 7 with my new 2016 Trek Fuel EX8 29er in late November, I have been so busy taking it on missions and fun trail adventures to take a moment to sit down and reflect on this bike and what I think of it!

I should first start with the main uses and needs that I had in mind when deciding on the Fuel. Prior to this bike I had a Trek Superfly 8 29er, an awesome machine that had me happily carving up trails as well as knocking out some great times in multisport and MTB race events such as Contact Epic, Motatapu and Naseby 12 hour to name a few. I took a look at the specs of the Fuel EX and liked the thought of a little more travel in the suspension as this would allow me to take on more bumps and jumps from than the 100mm travel Superfly allowed me without adding much more weight or compromise on cross country performance at all.

The 2016 Trek Fuel EX8 29er is a fantastic machine that I am really enjoying and finding to be a great all-round bike. Since purchasing it I have used it in many adventures around the Wanaka region from Deans Bank, Sticky Forest and the main MTB highway to work along the riverside trails. I have raced it in the Bannockburn MTB Classic, Motatapu Xterra Tri and most recently in the Contact Epic 125km race around Lake Hawea.

Put simply this bike is awesome – It is a comfortable set up with “all day geometry” that has you finishing rides with legs that are exhausted but a neck and shoulders that feel awesome from the comfort of a well balanced geometry frame.

A couple of features that I am enjoying on this bike are the dropper seat post – great for the more technical drops and dips of Sticky Forest where previously the seat could get ‘in the way’ at times – and the 120mm travel with it’s ability to lock out and adjust to 3 settings both front and rear.

So who is this bike suited to you may ask…. my thoughts would be that this bike is for anyone wanting a ‘do it all bike’.