So my adventure continues...
I am fairly certain I'm buying a Stache hardtail (pictured above). I'm waiting for my source at Trek, who has me waiting a week or so until the new carbon version comes out... Well, bad news, it's going to be more like 6 weeks now. This is ok IMHO, as I'm looking at a bike for the next 10-15 years, so I want to get it right.
Fast forward a couple days, and I'm hanging out at my neighborhood pool. A neighbor buddy (and fellow cyclist) introduces me to a new neighbor, who is an engineer at Trek. He offers some solid advice... To not jump into the Stache before trying out ALL the options, just to verify the Stache is what I really want. He's right, of course.
We set up a time to ride (this last Monday) during his lunch break (at Trek). I get another shot at the secret trails, woot!!!! AND, I get to ride a couple more prototype (or soon to be released) bikes. One is a Stache (full carbon), and another is a new Fuel EX. I was considering a Fuel EX with the 27.5 + tires, but the consensus from everyone was that the 29ers would suit me much better. The 27.5+ version is available currently for dealer orders and employee purchases, but the 29er version is NOT. It's not even on the employee purchase or main Trek website. Here's a link to the
27.5+ Fuel EX website. All the same features, just different wheels.
Ride-report: The trails were sic! Just amazing. The video above does capture the essence of the trails. Just amazingly well cared for. Hell, the trail head (remind me to take a photo of the that if I ever get the chance) has a self serve pavilion with an entire bike shop of tools (just sitting in the open/fairly well organized), pumps, wrenches, bike stand, tubes, etc... The trails are about a mile/two from the Trek HQ, so they're not always monitored, so it's just crazy to have all that sitting unsecured...
My neighbor and I are riding the new Stache and new Fuel EX 29er.
The Fuel:
We take turns trading off and on, and my impressions were the suspension on the Fuel is set too soft for my weight. Apparently, I ate to many of my mother-in-law's cookies at the MTTD this year.
The Fuel's handling is superb, climbing/descending are fantastic. The flats suffered, and to some degree so did the hills, likely due to the soft suspension. However, overall I was impressed. It handled like a $5,000 bike is suppsed to handle. My shift levers were individualized to the owner (an unknown Trek employee who had loaned us the bike to test), so I didn't adjust anything but the seat height. The levers were angled down, which made it difficult to shift easily without reaching over the bars. Not ideal, but easily corrected if I owned the bike.
Handling: 9/10
Descending: 10/10
Climbing: 8/10 (suspension?)
Flat pedaling: 7/10 (suspension?)
Components/funtions: 7/10 (would have been 10/10 had it not been hard to shift due to level mal-adjustment).
Overall: 9/10
I'll include a few promo pics of the 27.5+ version (essentially the same bike)
The Stache:
This bike was nicer than the last carbon stache I rode at Trek. This one had a "Project One" paint job (flame/orange w/ black accents, simply stunning). I was asked not to share photos of the bikes prior to their release to market (I need to respect this). The bike was not set up for me, suspension-wise or tire pressure-wise. However, it still was as (if not a hair more) agile than the EX due to the shorter wheelbase. It was lighter too. The Fuel likely weighed in at 27-28lbs, and the Stache (even with + tires) only weighed 25 lbs. The lack of FS saves a ton of weight. However, with the tires too inflated, I was getting a lot of "bounce" from the rear tire. We tried lowering the pressure, and it only helped marginally. With more time, I felt like we might have been able to dial in a better performance in this area. However, like the Fuel, I was trying to eval the bikes how they might perform at their peak. I didn't want to knock them for issues that could be corrected with adjustment.
The + sized 3" tires were sure-footed and grippy. I was able to hang with the Fuel, and felt stable. The bouncy feeling was certainly an issue over roots and small rock gardens, and it certainly threw me off my cadence. I had to "think" more about riding, picking lines, etc... than I did with the Fuel. I wonder about bikers these days. Every bike feature I've seen makes it seem like it makes a pro out of the average rider, makes it so you don't have to pick lines anymore, just roll over stuff without thinking. Kinda takes the skill out of it, lol... I'm just an engine, and the bike does all the thinking... lol. In all seriousness, it's progress. If they're making bikes easier to ride, awesome!
OK, back to the bounce... It was at this point that I made up my mind about which bike to purchase. The Stache was an amazingly fun ride. It would certainly be my bike of choice for "certain" trails. However, I don't think it would be as versatile as the Fuel (as my ONE do-all MTB).
Here's how I'd rate it:
Handling: 8/10 (primarily the bounce)
Descending: 8/10
Climbing: 7/10
Flat pedaling: 8/10
Components/funtions: 8/10 .
Overall: 8/10
So I finished up with my buddy (we rode 90 minutes in 90 deg heat) and headed off to my local bike shop. They started the process to get me hooked up, and I now have a Fuel EX on order... before they come out (and at a very good price). I'm stoked! Should be here in a week. I'll be sure to post a TR when I get the new ride on the trails.
On a side note, another of my contacts from Trek is having me back out in 2-weeks to provide a workshop for some of their staff on slow-speed bike skills, and to run them through some team building drills. Should be fun. Most of that stuff is done in the parking lot, but if I can get back onto their secret trails afterwards, I'll be sure to snag some photos of the trail-head workshop!
