Stiff, nimble, light, and fast...all are good antonyms for me on a bike. However, they are great words for describing the Trek Top Fuel 98. Weighing in at 26 lbs with all XT components, this full suspension carbon fiber bike has only a few flaws. If you are ready to drop $3,500 on your next bike, you need to consider the Top Fuel.
Let me start with my complaints first: (1) The Bontrager tires are the WORST EVER. I honestly have a hard time with the fact that Trek matched these tires to this bike. I have such respect for Trek as a company, but seriously wonder if the design team was smoking crack the day they made that decision. Luckily, when you are dropping this much on a bike, your LBS will swap them out for you. The LBS didn't have the tires I wanted in stock, so I left the shop with the Bontrager's, and a promise to ship Panaracer's. From the moment I got on the bike, I felt complete confidence...too much confidence. The bike is well put together, and just begs you to go fast. My first time out I hit a hard turn on a steepish decent, and the Bontrager's grabbed nothing, sending me sliding down the remainder of a steep downhill. (2) The suspension lock out cable system stinks. These cables came loose after only a few rides, rendering the system useless. To be honest, I don't really like the system. I never find myself "dialing in" to a particular setting at various points in the ride. I've tried to dial in, but have never found noticeable gains in doing so. Maybe I'm just too much of a novice to notice a difference, or perhaps just too concerned with trying not to kill myself.
Once I swapped out the tires, this bike has been flawless. The biggest notice from my previous bike (Jamis Dakar) is how nimble the bike it. It turns on a dime, and holds the trail like a champ. That said, I've had my fair share of hard crashes, but I can easily chalk them up to rider error. The bike has never skipped a beat. Everyone that I let ride this bike has the same reaction...that the bike is fantastic.
The components are ideally matched for this bike. Get the complete specs on the Trek Top Fuel 98 here. I've already written about how impressed I am with the XT Dual Control levers. I was a bit concerned about the durability of the RockShox SID Team fork for two reasons (1) I'm a fat ass, and (2) I typically suffer from uncontrolled crashes. Neither of these facts have hindered the performance of the SID, and I'd highly recommend it. The RockShox MC 3 rear shock is outstanding, providing you the pedaling efficiency of a hard tail and the all the damping you need on big bumps and ruts. The OCLV carbon frame is outstanding, and provides excellent stiffness. I've heard people complain about carbon frames, and how unreliable they are. With as bad as I tend to crash, I would have expected to damage the frame by now. Perhaps the nay-sayers concerns are a bit overblown.
Now the $3,500 question: Is this bike worth $3,500? Answer: It depends. It depends on your budget, how often you ride, the type of riding you do, and a host of other factors. If you are like me (you've got a few coins to throw at cycling, like to ride more often than you know you have time for, and like to stay with tried and true technology) then this might be the right bike for you. The Trek Top Fuel 98 cost me 5 times what my first mountain bike cost me, and I'm not 5 times better now that I'm on the 98 (G and Vicious still smoke past me going up the hills). Maybe I get up a few more hills, maybe I don't crash quite as often, maybe I have more confidence on the 98, maybe I just like the way the bike looks. I know one thing is for sure: Now that its in my stable of bikes, I would NOT give this bike up for any other XC bike out there. If I had to buy again, I'd buy the Top Fuel 98.
