Відео

@@okidoke4822 once the shock is repaired 👍 Was great to see you out there and hopefully see you there or around about Victoria anyway!

Just putting it together now and should be posted by morning :)

No problem man, did a great job on the commentary run and showed me some better lines 👍❤️

E-Bike = Motorcycle

If you’re interested in light weight e-MTBs, I’d say it’s worth it. Provided the frame has no structural flaws and the electronics work well, it’s a great bike for an afternoon blast or if you want some pedal assistance but don’t want to compromise handling performance. My personal rule is that if you want to use it every day/week and it does something different your other bikes don’t then go for it 👍

Thanks mate 😃 Oddly enough I am filming more climbing trail videos to help with bike parks like Bright and Haunted Hills in Traralgon due to the fact that not everyone wants to pay for lift tickets and some trail systems lack signage for people to session descents Keep riding and stay awesome!

The FX Sport was definitely a bike I did consider for a while because I own the 2017 FX-1, so the idea of a better performing flat bar bike did appeal to me. One thing I did cut from this review was how I inverted the stem to run angle up to reduce the pressure on my abdomen and back, making it feel better on drops, hoods or even the flats. Personally, I didn’t like the drops at first and I rarely use them still, but with 80-ish percent of my time spent on the hoods like in the video and the remainder shuffling between drop and flat, I wouldn’t change to a flat bar until you see certain you can’t make the stock bars work? Keep riding and stay awesome 👍

@throughanamateurseyes5390 I'm having another demo on Wednesday with the gravel bike I do want it to work with the drops tbh as I feel its a better and lighter bike and I'm worried the fx sport4 won't be much better than the fx3 that I have.

@@lee-annmurphy9237 It really depends on why you are buying either bike to begin with? I look at the FX4 Sport as a better bike path cruiser and competent commuter, while the Checkpoint ALR5 is an excellent all round gravel bike. The main point against the FX4 Sport is the limits of the geometry for speed and the single chain ring reducing gear ratios, but these are also strengths in a comfortable geometry for upright pedalling (a reason why I did consider this at one point as a mountain biker) and the single chain ring does reduce maintenance and complexity of the drive system. The Checkpoint is almost $1000 AUD more expensive and does have the drop bars and gravel bike geometry, but again for the extra money the Shimano GRX components specced are bulletproof and the gravel bike geometry does mean you could put fat road bike tyres for a stable commuter, thinner road tyres for a long reach road bike, or stick with gravel tyres for something to ride all roads when you come across them. Either bike is a win, just depends on if you want to pedal upright for your ride and have a less complex drivetrain, or have drop bars and a great entry point to gravel riding?

I chose the gravel bike,🎉 Trek have been fantastic allowed me to have 2 demos ,I'm allowed to pay for it over the coming weeks 👍 ,I chose the gravel because i can still use it to commute like my hybrid ,but unlike my hybrid i can go loads of other places we can't wait to do bike packing adventures and I'll be able to carry all the kit win win 😊

@@lee-annmurphy9237 once you get used to the drop bars you'll regret not having switched sooner

The weight of the bike on test was 19.45kg (with flat pedals, no battery extender plug in and all other parts being factory). Meters of ascending is difficult to answer seeing as it would be dependent on the rider’s weight, which power modes they use for climbing, gradient of climbs, tyre pressures and whether or not the user implements the Trek Ride App to optimise the route for maximum efficiency. In my testing using Eco mode 75% of the time, I reached 750m of ascending being an average fitness person of 86kg (helmet, hydration pack and Go Pro gear included) with damp trails. After having a lunch break for an hour and letting the shop charge the bike, I did ride a further 131m of elevation with the settings dialled to maximum power in order to complete filming.

I agree, but the price difference has at least decreased between the electric assist bikes and their traditional counterparts. With $2000 AUS being the difference between the 9.7 EX and the 9.7 EXe (without the current sales of normal EX), that’s only a 20% MSRP difference compared to when it was between 50-70% a few years ago. My thoughts will always be if you enjoy riding the bike and get out on it as often as you want, then going traditional or electric assistance is the buyer’s preference. You’re right, pricing right now isn’t great but at least the bikes are better and riding further than when they first came out? Keep riding and stay awesome!

That is a great question! So I did ride the same trails on my 2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.8 in the same conditions and a regular MTB with 29x2.6 felt good, so no assist climbing is that hard. I did test a Merida e-One Twenty a few years previous on these very trails, and it was as much of a burden on the climbs in no assist mode as this. The reason why I love this question so much is considering the mechanical principles of the TQ motor. Even when you shut off the assist, the rotor and stator would give some resistance when spinning, so the resistance felt would most likely be down to the weight of the bike (19.05kg for medium vs 13.13kg for the non-eMTB variant) but there would be mechanical resistance from the harmonic drive ring of the TQ motor and electrical braking from the rotor assembly. As for fitness and climbing, a lightweight e-MTB does have its advantages. Make no mistake, you still have to put in muscle power to climb since being a diabetic I can see how much my blood sugars drop when using any bike. Having an e-MTB of any sort isn’t “cheating”, it’s like riding in a tail wind on a flat road. A wind won’t necessarily push you up to 25km/hr, but having a tail wind does make it easier to maintain speed. Going faster than what the tail wind can help with (say a 12km/hr wind) will need you to put in more effort and this is true for e-MTBs depending on the assistance level and the upper speed limit (for Australia we get assistance up to 25km/hr). Having an e-MTB in general helps you ride further and improve fitness in different ways. More descending time helps with upper body and core fitness, especially having to manoeuvre the additional weight. If you now have the ability to deploy power on climbs that ordinarily drain you which may put you into neuromuscular/anaerobic exercise, now you can stay in a lower heart rate which puts less strain on your heart and muscles. Fitness is a weird thing where you can perform at the extreme end for a short time, or pace your stamina and go longer, so with an e-MTB you can technically do both? Plus, if there is a pesky climb on your ride and that’s why your procrastinate from riding that, now you can power through it! In the end, choose the bike you want to ride and will enjoy riding because that’s how you will improve fitness, getting out and having fun on trails. Keep riding and stay awesome!

1000 other reviewers say the exe uniquely shows practically no drag when switched off. This guy is the complete exception to that portion of the review. He’s been on high powered ebikes too long.

Thanks for the kind reply there! Going to make one recommendation though, make sure you have a multi-tool somewhere on the bike? The chain slipped between chainring and the motor, with the only real solution being removing the bash guard to allow the chain to get out. Otherwise, I was stranded for about half an hour waiting for someone to come by with a multi-tool. Hopefully you can take the EXes on new adventures and have a great time! Keep riding and stay awesome 👍

Thanks for noticing the trails mate! I have a few Go Pro Guides of Tasmania with this bike and my main Fuel EX if you want to enjoy them some more? Keep riding and stay awesome!

@@throughanamateurseyes5390 it only has 50 miles on it. I think I may grab it

Acoustic makes no sense.... neither does analog. I've heard that many times.

Ditto, I think using a writting convention discribing a mtb an 'acoustic" does not imply you pedal it. Maybe call it a MTB or EMTB happy days. (MTB) Manual while (EMTB) could be relabelled as (AMTB) Assisted Mountain Bike as it will not confuse the person reading the title of Manual or Assisted regardless of the power source such as battery, fosal fuels, wind ! Just Imagine hi I'm riding my acoustic today tomorrow I'll be riding my Electric. Is that my acoustic guitar and electric guitar see how easy it is to confuse the purpose if your describing something. Any way I bought a MB and just about to buy a Powered assisted MB.

Yeah, they're "mountain bikes" and these are E-bikes.

Nice mate! I think the upgrade in drivetrain and brakes will be worth it to a point Hope you enjoy this absolute trail weapon 👍

Love the UA-cam handle their chief, was “FatBikesAndBeer” before I changed it to the current channel name 👍 So you went more downhill and aggressive? Mind posting the tyre, pedal and grip combo? Keep riding and stay awesome mate 👍

Felt like a force push all of a sudden in the highest assistance setting. Just one moment nothing and then it just launches you forward after an awkward amount of time and crank position. Flow Mountain Bike are still trying to tinker with their review bike with the Boost Mode in the Trek Central app and nothing has been overly fruitful. I might have to look into the harmonic drive more precisely to see if there is a electromechanical reason why this is happening, or if it is strange programming?

@@throughanamateurseyes5390 , yes, there is this push allways at the same position. But at my bike this moment feels like if a mechanical gearbox flips into gear. Very strange.

Apparently there is a firmware update to fix this

I hope you enjoy it! Everything is pretty good except for the remote for the dropper? Just seems awkward and some of the cut footage from this review was me failing to trigger the TranzX Keep riding and stay awesome!

I have one, love it. Make them do a suspension service before (it changes the bike feel a lot) and check the crank screws, because they are sometimes loose.

Hey mate! Yeah, it's been well over a year now since I've visited Five Mile and it's one of the places I want to ride as I rehab my spine. Shame it doesn't sound like Parks NSW is doing much to keep it running, hope the club is trying to keep it somewhat up to scratch? Wall rides are a significant weakness in my riding in general, I hope one day to be able to do even small ones like at Five Mile. Keep riding and stay awesome JB!

@@samuelpearsall8624 Thanks so much for the reply Sam. Its no good to hear about your spine and I hope that gets better soon. Unfourntley the parks rarely do anything to fix and maintain it.

@@jbmtb22 I'm trying to remember if they hosted the Moama 3 Hr this year? But hopefully the club will be able to work on the local trails and maybe add some new features to vitalise it soon

Hi mate! I have the 2021 Fuel EX 9.8 (same chainstay as 2020 EX 8) and have had no problems. Initially, I did want to install a 30T chainring since I prefer more torque and less top end speed, but that would mean the chain would saw into the chainstay protector. So the EX frames work around 32-36T chainrings at best. Haven't experienced or heard of any significant problems with carbon or alloy chainstays as manufacturer faults, and the split axle of the ABP is solid enough. Hope this helps!

Hi JD! Been a while since I’ve thought of these tyres. Reports of current generation Michelin Force XC tyres is more favourable than the review I gave in the end (video on this channel and written review on Through An Amateur’s Eyes Wordpress), but I do have a current strong recommendation. Specialized Sawtooths in 27.5x1.95 are brilliant for pavement and light trail use, turning any MTB into a chunky cyclocross bike. Wear characteristics are great, and you can convert a 29 inch with a 700Cx40C like I did with a Marlin 4

Thanks mate! As much as I dread trying to take the corner, when it's a clean run it has to be the most rewarding feeling! Suppose mountain biking needs those moments Keep riding and stay awesome!

In Epsom/Huntly in Victoria Australia. This is the second part in three that helps to make a loop

Ah cool I'll go have a look. I haven't ridden much that side of town

@@dazza382001 If you go onto Trail Forks, there are a few segments already on there. Otherwise, look up "Backyard Nordschliefer" or "Megawatts Loop" and that gives you an idea of some of the larger loops out here

@@dazza382001 And the Bendigo Mountain Bike Club is running a social event out there on the 30th of January to introduce people to the trail network. 8:30 start from in front of Human Mechanics, no need to be a member, but bring supplies to sustain yourself for the ride Keep riding and stay awesome!

I’ve ridden it before and I use flats so there shouldn’t be a reason why it’s not ok. Really fun trail btw!

I have used flat pedals for my entire mountain biking career and prefer to be able to jump off at any point within a fraction of a second. Granted, you could overcome some major stall moments by having clips provide a bit of extra power on the lifting up rotation, in the end you should ride with whatever you are most comfortable with. All of TNBC use clipless pedals and have been fine on Trail 7, so go with flats for easier walking or faster ejection time if you want to stay safe? Keep riding and stay awesome mate 👍 Also, love the word play of peristalsis 👌

It is! Just out past the gold club heading towards Narrendera

Few mates of mine agree with you, probably because you guys are better descenders than I am 😂 Once things settle down, I do want to go back and film Purple and Yellow Keep riding and stay awesome! 👍