New Trek Top Fuel 2022 in the first test Suddenly a trail bike?

New Trek Top Fuel 2022 in the first test: With the introduction of the Supercaliber, Trek pushed the actual XC race bike Top Fuel a bit in the direction of trail bikes in 2019. With the revision now presented, the new Trek Top Fuel 2022 takes another step in this direction. We have already been able to drive the new Top Fuel extensively!

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Profile: Trek Top Fuel 2022

The Trek Top Fuel used to be the bike for the Cross Country World Cup. In 2019, Trek followed up with the revolutionary Supercaliber race bike (read our article: Trek Supercaliber test) – and with a little more travel and a slacker steering angle, the Top Fuel got a little push towards becoming a marathon and a light trail bike. The next revision follows after only two years. The direction is clear: The new Trek Top Fuel 2022 is becoming more of a trail bike. Trek talks about "Fast Trail" (whatever that means), elsewhere it says something about Down Country. The fact is: The “little” brother of the Trek Fuel EX is growing up and looking forward to rougher terrain.

The new frame sets and complete bikes for the Trek Top Fuel 2022 should be available now – depending on the equipment at prices from €2,499 (Top Fuel 5) to €11,999 (Top Fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS P1). An aluminum or carbon frame is used, which is also available individually for €2,299 and €3,999 respectively. A weight for the frames could not be given to us at Trek at the moment.

Trek Top Fuel 2022: prices and models

The "P1" entries stand for the Trek Project One. As part of this customization offer, there are various paint finishes for the Trek Top Fuel to choose from, some of which are impressive. It's worth taking a look at the configurator, even if the prices are steep and some paint finishes cost extra.

In detail

Visually, Trek continues to position the freshly redesigned Top Fuel between the fast Supercaliber and the Fuel EX. However, with a new 120 mm spring travel at the rear (+5 mm) and a steering angle that has been flattened to 66° (-1.5°), it is actually relatively close to its big brother, the Fuel EX. 130 mm suspension forks can also be installed at the front should the need arise. The frame weight shows that the Trek Top Fuel has also increased here. Trek puts the Top Fuel's carbon frame at 2.7 kg (probably with a shock). The aluminum frame weighs a full 3.74 kg more. As a sporty trail bike, the focus should be on sufficient reserves for ambitious rides on more demanding trails. At the same time, the new Top Fuel with a revised Active Braking Pivot rear triangle should be efficient enough to convince on long distances and especially on climbs. So Trek then sees the profile with a slight preference for uphill over downhill.

Aside from the travel and geometry changes, there are other adjustments that should make the Trek Top Fuel ready for the 2022 season. Not only has the suspension travel increased to 120 mm, it should also be more efficient to use. The kinematics have been fundamentally revised and should impress with significantly improved drive efficiency. Either RockShox (Deluxe Ultimate) or Fox (DPS Trunnion) models, each with three compression modes, are used as dampers.

On the practical side, both the aluminum and the carbon frames now offer a storage compartment in the down tube with space for the bottle holder on the cover. Trek includes a tool case in the tube, in which a tube, tire levers and CO2 cartridges can be stowed. A large drinking bottle fits from size M, small bottles fit S (up to approx. 600 ml) and XS has its own Bontrager bottle, which is just over 440 ml.

Trek has also optimized the seat tube with a practical focus, which now accommodates 34.9 mm seat posts. These should be more robust, at the same time the insertion depths have been increased. These are now 205 / 245 / 270 / 285 / 300 and 320 mm. Mechanics will be pleased with the internally routed cables that are now continuously routed in the main frame. The Knock Block 2.0 headset also offers more freedom of movement, protecting the top tube from the handlebars and allowing a steering angle of more than 72° (previously 58°). Finally, the bottom bracket uses a conventional BSA bearing, which is widely believed to be easier to maintain and squeak-free. The chain line is 55 mm, maximum chainrings with 36 teeth can be mounted (minimum 28 t).

A look at the compatible shocks shows how seriously Trek takes the topic of trail bikes with the Top Fuel. Not only do the RockShox SID Luxe or Deluxe shocks fit, but also the Super Deluxe with reservoir. The situation is similar at Fox, where the DPX2 and the Float X also fit in addition to the Float DPS. A two-bolt ISCG 05 mount is also available for mounting tacos or chain guides. Meanwhile, there is no front derailleur mount.

geometry

The Trek Top Fuel 2022 is longer and slacker. In concrete terms, this means that compared to its predecessor, the steering angle in the slack setting has been flattened from 67.5° to 66°. At the same time, the seat angle has become steeper by one degree. The reach has also been modernized in the same way. The frame in size MD has become a full 10 mm longer at 450 mm. Trek thus joins the ranks of the current, but not unusually long geometries.

If you want to adjust the geometry, you will find the Trek Mino Link on the lower shock eyelet. This eccentric mount can be mounted in two positions. It is delivered in the flat position, so that the angles can be set steeper by 0.5° in the steep setup. At the same time, the bottom bracket is raised by 8 mm and the reach is minimally extended.

Overall, the Trek Top Fuel 2022 is available in seven frame sizes from XS to XXL, with the sizes XS and XXL being newly introduced compared to the predecessor. While all other sizes ride 29″ wheels, the XS frame comes with 27.5″ wheels. So small people should be offered better handling.

If you set up the bike with a 130 mm suspension fork, you will achieve the following geometry values:

facilities

Trek offers the Top Fuel 2022 in two frame sets (aluminum, €2,299 and carbon, €3,999) and ten complete bike configurations (3x aluminum, 7x carbon). The entry-level model is the Trek Top Fuel 5 for €2,499. It comes with a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain, RockShox Recon SL fork and Shimano M200 brakes and marks the absolute entry point into the Trek Top Fuel world. At the other end of the spectrum is the Trek Top Fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS P1 with SRAM equipment for €11,999. Alternatively, the top model is also available with a complete Shimano XTR 12-speed drivetrain, Fox 34 Factory suspension fork and carbon wheels. However, there is no bike with the new RockShox Flight Attendant suspension yet – this update is reserved for the Trek Slash enduro bike for the time being. You can find the different equipment in detail in the following table, below we show the complete wheels in an overview.

On the trail

The Trek Top Fuel is positioned as a bike between trail and cross country. That's exactly what I was looking for in my test: a real mountain bike. Setup is quick thanks to the sag indicator on the shock and the pressure table on the fork. I leave the open mode compression platform on the shock in the middle of the three positions. Just set the rebound and off you go on the trails. Almost, because there is still work to be done on the cockpit. In the bike park I ride with two spacers under the stem, on long climbs I put all three spacers available on the test bike over the same. Since the handlebar height has a significant influence on the weight distribution, I can vary significantly between a more uphill-oriented setup or a more downhill-oriented setup.

This is how the following picture emerges: On climbs, the Top Fuel climbs willingly and sensitively with a high-traction, but (in the open mode) rear end that is not entirely free of wobbling. There is enough weight on the front wheel, especially with a low front, and the seating position is comfortably central. So there is no back pain even on long tours. Since Trek is based on tried and tested dimensions for both the reach and the steering angle, technical climbs can also be tackled without any problems. The gravel ramps are just as fast going uphill.

All of this applies at least as long as the legs are right – because our test bike is by no means lightweight at 14.42 kg (without pedals, tubeless, size M). This robs the 2022 Trek Top Fuel of the tested configuration of the liveliness that is intuitively associated with a cross-country bike.

Weight isn't exactly a direct problem going downhill, but it could be distributed differently. The geometry of the Top Fuel is also characterized by a successful balance that makes it easy to push yourself to the limit. The bike soaks up curvy flow trails and, at surprisingly high speeds, can take on technically more demanding terrain. Welcome to the new world of 120mm chassis that can do a lot. How should the weight be distributed differently?

On rough trails, I've noticed time and again that I'm riding the bike relatively hard from behind. The reason for this is that the rear end is superior to the (really light) RockShox SID suspension fork installed at the front. It works more happily and with a better usable characteristic curve; feels like more travel and a tight trail bike. The fork, on the other hand, reaches its limits in terms of damping at high speeds and reminds you of where the bike actually comes from. However, the tires certainly have the greatest influence on the weight and character of the Trek Top Fuel: The Bontrager XR4 Team Issue (29 x 2.4″, maximum tire clearance 2.5″) are a successful all-rounder. However, they do not seem to be suitable for XC racing in any way (too heavy at 780 g according to the manufacturer) and are not really convincing on downhills either (insufficient cushioning, insufficient grip on wet and loose surfaces).

At the end of the first test, the feeling remains that at least the equipment we tested cannot quite do the balancing act that product management intended. The geometry and rear triangle of the frame are convincing and ensure that the new Trek Top Fuel is a lot of fun and easy to ride on a variety of trails (or even on flat gravel roads). Even more, it allows a very high speed measured by the spring travel. However, its high weight and the compromises described mean that at the end of the day it feels like it falls short of its potential. In den (deutlich) teureren Ausstattungen werden die Kompromisse kleiner und das Gewicht sinkt, was dem – dann aus Kohlefaser gefertigten – Rahmen klar besser steht. Wäre da nicht die Sache mit dem Geldbeutel …

We noticed that

Erster Eindruck: Trek Top Fuel 2022

Das Trek Top Fuel mausert sich in der neusten Überarbeitung zum Trail Bike, hadert jedoch insbesondere in den "günstigeren" Ausstattungen mit den Anforderungen der Disziplin. Der Hinterbau liefert 120 mm feinsten Federweg und die Geometrie bietet bergab genug Selbstvertrauen, um das Gas stehen zu lassen. Dennoch sind wir nicht ganz überzeugt. Das von uns gefahrene Trek Top Fuel 8 mit Aluminiumrahmen kommt bei 3.999 € auf ein Gewicht von 14,42 kg (ohne Pedale). Mit Down oder sogar Cross Country hat das nicht mehr wirklich zu tun und nimmt dem Rad viel von seiner theoretisch möglichen Spritzigkeit. Gleichzeitig sind die Federgabel und auch Reifen dem ernsthaften Trail-Einsatz nur bedingt gewachsen. So bleibt der Verweis auf teurere Versionen - doch das sollte bei 3.999 € eigentlich nicht nötig sein.