Magazine editors or their bike testing gear writers don’t win World Cup
races. However, getting to test-ride a World Cup-winning bike-in fact, the
actual bike piloted to victory by the 2002 World Cup title holder, Canadian
Roland Green-is downright cool. Green, I might add, put this bike in the
history books as the first suspension bike to ever win a World Cup
Cross-Country race.

The bike arrived set up exactly to Green’s preferred race-day specs,
and not only was it beautiful and light, it was also startlingly similar to
the ’02 Fuel 100 that’s at your local Trek dealer. First, the similarities:
Green’s Fuel 100 uses the same new ultralight, thin-walled ZR9000 aluminum
front triangle and OCLV carbon rear end, along with a cool OCLV carbon
rocker link connecting the rear triangle to the Fox Vanilla Float RL rear
shock. The Bontrager RaceLite Wheels, XTR rear derailleur, Bontrager bar,
stem, and seatpost are completely off-the-shelf. However, there were a few
differences: Roland’s XTR cranks were set up without a granny gear, the
bottom bracket shell was custom-machined to 68mm to accept a road-width
bottom bracket for optimal 2×9 performance, and the XTR V-brakes were set
up using thinner shifter cables for reduced friction. Green also prefers a
Mythos/Notos combination of IRC tires, runs custom grips (thin rubber grips
with two fat wraps of roadie cork bar tape), and uses a custom Black Box
SID from RockShox’s racing development department (identical to the
now-available ’02 RockShox SID Race Ti).

Let’s make one thing clear about the Fuel 100: this is one seriously
fast bike. Takeoff was instantaneous, whether it was by making the first
pedal stroke, or simply letting go of the brakes on a descent. Getting up
to cruising speed was never an issue, nor was staying there-the Fuel simply
had a natural tendency to go fast. For times when I wanted the highest
sensation of efficiency, I flipped both front and rear shock lockouts and
sprinted into the distance. However, I was more interested in the
suspension, and as easy as they were to use, the lockouts were rarely
relied upon for anything except the occasional long climb.

The Fuel delivers 80mm of rear wheel travel, and while it’s far from
plush, it succeeds in adding rear wheel travel without affecting the speed,
or sensation of speed, that cross-country racers rely on. Up front, the
new, very slippery titanium nitride coating on the RockShox stanchions made
the fork so supple that it further veiled the rear suspension: the
well-matched 80mm of front wheel travel was so smooth that I almost never
felt the sensation of rear travel, not unlike some 25mm travel pivotless
suspension designs I’ve ridden in the past. The O-rings on the shock piston
ensured that I was in fact using every bit of available travel, but still I
couldn’t shake the feeling that I was on a light, fast hardtail.

The geometry was dialed for fast trails, with a mid-height handlebar
position and a healthy stack of spacers beneath the stem. The top tube was
beautifully stretched out and really promoted a racing posture, and I found
it startlingly comfortable even on long rides. Darting in and around trees
on rolling, open single track was a speedy process indeed, and I was only
let down on the rare occasion when I wasn’t looking far enough ahead and
had to make a frenzied last-minute change of direction. The flex in the
radially laced Bontrager front wheel, combined with a thinner front-tire
profile than I’d prefer, made for some squirrelly front-end handling under
duress. At lower speeds, I found the Fuel burnt a bit more slowly, which I
attributed to a high-ish front end. And the height made steering feel
weighted and flip-floppy through really tight switchbacks and other
technical low-speed sections. It’s certainly happier at higher speeds-not a
concern for dedicated cross-country racers. This bike is engineered to win
races!

Descents, although sometimes plagued by front wheel wandering, were
generally very comfortable; the wide bar position and geometry made easy
work of nasty rock drops and chutes. The low bottom bracket likely added to
the overall stability, but also accounted for the scratches on pedals and
chainrings.

Climbs were where the Fuel really catches fire-its combination of
precision ground-tracking ability and light weight provided the traction
and the ability to haul ass up any hill I could find. The front end showed
no tendency to wander, even on steep inclines, and regardless of the
terrain, climbs were simply ridden and forgotten.

What may be the coolest thing about this bike is not that it’s Roland
Green’s ride, but, that it could be anybody’s , save Green’s modifications.
All you need to supply is the superhuman strength and stamina. Talk about
not being able to blame the bike, eh?

Trek Fuel

Price: Priceless ($4,730)

Weight: Stinkin’ light

Components: XTR drivetrain and brakes, Bontrager Race Lite Wheels, and IRC
tires

Frame & Fork: ZR9000 zirconium-alloy front
triangle, OCLV carbon stays and rocker, Fox Vanilla Float
RL rear shock, and RockShox SID Race Ti “Black Box” fork

Geometry: 71º head angle, 73.5º seat angle

Sizes: S, M, L (tested), XL

Comments: Clinically proven to be the fastest XC
suspension bike on the planet.

www.trekbike.com