Trek's Affordable Top Fuel 5 Is Built for Newcomers To Take and Thrust Into the Wild

Folks, this is the Top Fuel 5 MTB, a bicycle designed and built with the average cycle lover in mind. Why do I say this? Simply because Trek, the brains behind the machine, is currently showcasing it for no more than $2,700 (€2,600 at current exchange rates). Sure, your local dealership may tack on a few hundred more, but the next few minutes wandering through our imagination will reveal if it's worth the bucks.

Personally, I feel that the Trek name is strong enough and common to most folks that we can briefly recap who they are. Born in 1975, this bicycle designer, manufacturer, and trendsetter has waltzed to the top of the cycling ranks and can be seen carrying riders across finish lines, snatching gold medals in the process.

Well, that knowledge and years of trial and error have led to what Trek considers the "perfect" bike you need as your first full suspension MTB. Quite the bold statement if you ask me, but then again, it's Trek, and we can expect this sucker to live up to its name.

If you're into these sorts of bikes, then you know that to sell one for this sort of price, the frame is most likely built using aluminum, and it is. Each Fuel 5 uses Trek's in-house alloy blend (Alpha Platinum Aluminum) to create a frame that isn't just stiff but responsive, easy to maneuver, and fit with an array of extra goodies to ensure your trill experience is top-notch.

For example, as you're out there riding along, sometimes the unexpected happens, and before you know it, you're head over heels in some bush. Because the Fuel is equipped with Knock Block, a feature that keeps the fork crown from hitting your frame, you should worry more about yourself. In case the bike has taken a hit, maybe in the form of a flat tire or shifted brake levers, a storage bay hidden in the downtube offers the space to bring some essentials for a quick fix.

After you've gotten up, fixed yourself, and the bike up, it's time to start exploring more of those backwoods you've chosen to ride through. Since you know what you're up against, you start to tamper with the bike's Mino Link system and adjust your machine's geometry to gain an extra 10 mm (0.4 in) of BB height without affecting how everything else performs. This means that the RockShox Recon fork and frame travel of 120 mm (4.7 in) are not influenced in any way, and neither is the X-Fusion shock. A dropper post is also standard for this bugger, yielding between 100 mm (4 in) of travel up to 170 mm (6.7 in), depending on your Fuel 5's size.

Since most of the remaining components are from Bontrager, Trek's in-house brand, I'll just fast forward to the drivetrain. Well, for this sort of cash, Trek has chosen to call upon Shimano to furnish a near-full Deore setup tuned to noting more than 12 speeds and featuring that famed M6100, 10-51T cassette.

With internal cable routing keeping things clean and snag-free, all you need to worry about is what your wheels are in contact with. Final touches include hydraulic disc brakes with up to 180 mm (7.1 in) rotors, frame armor, and altogether you'll be looking at a bike that weighs no more than 15.5 kg (34.2 lbs).

At the end of the day, this bike's frame is the kind you can throw your favorite gear onto, so if you happen to pick one up in the future, don't fret; it can be customized to your liking. Sure, as a first-time rider owning your full suspension MTB, you'll probably want advice from seasoned riders on what is optimum. And that's just it, you'll be able to keep up with the bigger boys, and at nearly half the price. G.G., Trek.