2001 products from the solid hearted beef and cheese eaters from Wisconsin. Or as they’re known by friends; Trek.

How giddy we were at the prospect of a new bike to get Trek back on track again after the wilderness years of the VRX series (moral of that story, a little too heavy and a little too late). How initially dissapointed we were when it looked like a Fisher Sugar with a couple of bits re- arranged. OK that’s cruel. The truth is there aren’t that there aren’t that many intelligent ways to join the crucial dots of suspension systems, and the Fisher Sugar was one of the few valid new systems last year.

The Trek Fuel uses a conventional butted aluminium front end for maximum torsional stiffness (something the Fisher lacks) and easy shouldering as well as twin bottle cage mounts on the down tube. The main pivot point is the same granny / middle ring height position as the Sugar as are the chainstay bridge, chainstays, dropouts (now with disc). The seatstays use the same Sugar ‘flexible link’ idea (top line models use carbon, lesser beasts thinwall aluminium) that stops the need for a pivot near the dropout. The difference is that the chainstay bridge operates twin rocker plates that drive a shock vertically mounted in front of the seat tube, rather than a vertical link and almost horizontal shock of the Sugar.

With the whip spring effect of the carbon stays the initial travel is very fast to rebound, stopping any deep wallow under power that can afflict bikes with lower pivots like this. Slap something hard and the rear end moves progressively through it’s full 3in of travel. Not what you’d call plush but smooth enough to keep you settled and still hooked up for stop and go traction. The slight lateral flex of the rear end gives a hint of high quality hardtail playfulness while Trek’s shorter front end, long centre ‘Pro’ geometry provides a well poised position for speedwork or tight singletrack scooting.

With weight around 25lb for the top dog model the Fuel’s looking like another well sorted bike we’d be happy to recommend for all reasons and seasons. it’ll come in 3 o 4 build ups (more money gets you Fox air shock rather than coil, as well as a dedicated Women’s Specific WSD version). The carbon STP Softail carries on to confuse and confound us with its minimal travel, twangy yet breathtakingly fast performance, that has it ranked as one of the top race and fast trail bikes we’ve ever ridden. The rest of the range is also almost unchanged except for detail tweaks and a few lost grams here and there, but why change what’s hard to fault. Especially when there’s large quantities of cheese, beef and beer to consume.

Trek’s satellite brand Fisher is obviously resting having had it’s sugar hindquarters removed for donor duty on both the Trek and Klein bikes. There’s a few more versions of the Sugar with fatter tires, riser bars and disc brakes, but this “hardcore attitude” really doesn’t suit such a light, whippy and tight clearance chassis so we’ll stick with the original ultra fast trail twisters thank you.
More good news for girls comes in the shape of two new women’s specific “Genesisters” bikes, but alas no sign of a Pezzo pink Sugar, despite us asking for one very nicely. All that could change if she wins the Olympics again.