The Trek Fuel EXe debuted last year to considerable fanfare. As the first lightweight e-MTB on the market to be built around the incredibly quiet and compact TQ-HPR50 motor, the Fuel EXe turned heads with its gorgeous looks and stealthy on-trail performance. At the time of launch Trek only offered four models, all of which featured a full carbon chassis. That changes today with the arrival of the Fuel EXe Alloy, which brings this lightweight e-MTB platform down to a more accessible price point.
See our video review of the Trek Fuel EXe here:
An overview of the 2024 Trek Fuel EXe Alloy
The Trek Fuel EXe is a lightweight, mid-travel e-MTB that sits in a similar space to the Specialized Levo SL, the Orbea Rise and Scott Lumen.
Just like the carbon model, the Fuel EXe Alloy features a 150mm travel fork and 140mm of rear travel via the ABP suspension design. It comes with 29in wheels as standard, though Trek says you can set it up as a mullet with a 27.5in rear wheel, providing that you flip the Mino Link chip into the High position.
It’s also possible to extend the fork to 160mm of travel, which is something we experimented with for our Fuel EXe long-term review.
Adjustable head angle & TQ tech
While the 2024 Trek Fuel EXe Alloy incorporates many of the same features as the carbon model, it does bring one new trick to the trail; an adjustable head angle. Borrowed from the latest Fuel EX, the modular headset cups allow you to slacken or steepen the head angle by a degree each way.
Otherwise the geometry is the same between the carbon and alloy frames, and both are built around exactly the same TQ-HPR50 motor and a 360Wh battery. Unlike many other lightweight e-MTBs, the battery is easily removable from the downtube, which will be appealing to those who don’t have a charge point where their bike is stored.
You can control the assistance level via a discreet handlebar remote, and it’s possible to tune the motor output levels on the Fuel EXe via the Trek Central app.
What about weight?
With its all-metal construction, the Trek Fuel EXe Alloy is heavier than its carbon counterpart. We don’t have an individual frame weight, but we can tell you that a complete Fuel EXe 8 weighs 20.4kg in a size Large.
To put that into perspective, the top-end Fuel EXe 9.9 that we tested last year weighed 18.6kg. Of course that bike also came with some fancy parts including carbon wheels and a one-piece RSL cockpit, so the fact that the much cheaper alloy model is only 1.8kg heavier is pretty impressive.
For another point of reference, the Fuel EXe Alloy is around 3-4kg lighter than Trek’s bigger and burlier Rail. Of course if you’re after maximum power and the biggest battery possible the Rail is still the way to go. But if you don’t need as much support and you appreciate a quieter and sprightlier package, the Fuel EXe is the better option out of the two.
Trek Fuel EXe Alloy price & specs
There will be two Trek Fuel EXe Alloy models coming into Australia for 2024. Prices will start at $8,499 AUD for the Fuel EXe 5, which makes it quite possibly the cheapest e-MTB on the market to feature the TQ-HPR50 system.
The top model is the Fuel EXe 8. This bike will sell for $11,499 AUD, which is actually the same price as the Fuel EXe 9.7. While the spec is fairly similar between the two bikes, the alloy Fuel EXe 8 comes fitted with the brand new SRAM GX Eagle Transmission.
2024 Trek Fuel EXe 8 GX AXS
- Frame | Alpha Platinum Alloy, ABP Suspension Design, 140mm Travel
- Fork | Fox Rhythm 36, GRIP Damper, 44mm Offset, 150mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float X, Performance Series, 2-Position Damper, 205x60mm
- Drive Unit | TQ-HPR50, 50Nm Peak Torque
- Battery | TQ 360Wh
- Wheels | Bontrager Line Comp 30, Alloy Rims, 29mm Inner Width
- Tyres | Bontrager XR5 Team Issue 2.5in Front & Rear
- Drivetrain | SRAM GX Eagle AXS 1×12 w/GX Alloy 36T Crankset & 10-52T Cassette
- Brakes | SRAM DB8 4-Piston
- Bar | Bontrager Line, 27.5mm Rise, 780mm Width
- Stem | Bontrager Elite, 45mm Length
- Seatpost | Bontrager Line, 34.9mm Diameter, Travel: 100mm (S), 150mm (M), 170mm (L), 200mm (XL)
- Saddle | Bontrager Verse P3, Chromoly Rails
- RRP | $11,499 AUD
2024 Trek Fuel EXe 5 Deore
- Frame | Alpha Platinum Alloy, ABP Suspension Design, 140mm Travel
- Fork | RockShox Recon Silver, Motion Control Damper, 44mm Offset, 150mm Travel
- Shock | X-Fusion Pro 2, 205x60mm
- Drive Unit | TQ-HPR50, 50Nm Peak Torque
- Battery | TQ 360Wh
- Wheels | Bontrager Line, Alloy Rims, 29mm Inner Width
- Tyres | Bontrager XT3 Elite 2.4in Front & Rear
- Drivetrain | Shimano Deore 1×12 w/e*13 Alloy 36T Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
- Brakes | Tektro HD-M745 4-Piston
- Bar | Bontrager Rhythm Comp, 15mm Rise, 750mm Width
- Stem | Bontrager Alloy, 50mm Length
- Seatpost | TranzX Dropper, 34.9mm Diameter, Travel: 100mm (S), 150mm (M), 170mm (L-XL)
- Saddle | Bontrager Verse P3, Steel Rails
- RRP | $8,499 AUD
