trek top fuel 9.9 ssl carbon

Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL review

Trek world racing’s cross-country race rig.

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The Top Fuel 9.9 SSL is a replica of the bike that was ridden to victory by Trek World Racing's Mathias Flueckinger in the 2010 U23 World Cup and World Championships. It's certainly superlight, but after three months of testing, we came away somewhat disappointed. We found two issues: the rear suspension doesn’t produce the pedaling performance expected from a cutting-edge cross-country rocketship and the front end of the bike feels soft, to the point of affecting handling.

Ride & handling: Promising ride stifled by rear shock and front stiffness issues

Our first experience with Trek’s ABP suspension system came when the technology was launched in 2007 (for the 2008 model year) with the Fuel EX. That bike climbed like a champ, with a firm but active suspension platform that offered very little pedal induced shock movement or feedback. On top of great pedaling, it provided the best downhill suspension performance Trek had ever offered.

We expected a similar experience from the Top Fuel, albeit race-tuned for cross-country. Instead, we found the rear suspension disappointing. With the Fox RP2 Boost Valve shock set at Trek’s recommended 25 percent sag — roughly 150psi; about 8psi more than recommended in the setup chart — the bike wallowed and the shock sensed every pedal stroke. This made the 9.9 SSL feel sluggish and heavier than its 22.84lb (without pedals) weight.

Bumping up the spring pressure to 190psi produced good pedalling performance with ProPedal platform damping engaged but left us with just 10 percent sag, reduced usable travel by 20 percent and required us to run the rebound circuit full-closed. We also had to run the fork harder to balance the bike, resulting in the same compromises up front.

This situation wouldn't be acceptable on any bike, let alone one costing close to US$8,000. Experience with the 2009 Top Fuel suggests the suspension design is sound, so it appears to be the latest Boost Valve equipped rear shock that's caused the problem. The suspension's leverage rate appears to be overwhelming the BV controlled pedaling platform. More on this below...

The Top Fuel’s Wisconsin-made OCLV Mountain carbon fiber frame offers good pedaling stiffness, which gives kudos to the new-for-2011 full-carbon rear end . However, while the frame has been given a tapered 1-1/8 to 1-1/2in head tube and correspondingly bigger down tube this year, the front end of the complete bike lacks stiffness. This issue – which we think is largely attributable to the lightweight carbon stem and front wheel; again, more on this below – presents itself at inopportune times.

Bontrager's Race XXX Lite stem threw the performance of the front end off

Charging rock gardens at medium to high speed, the bike felt like it was bending, loading up and pushing back; in a few cases this panicked the rider and in one case it contributed to a get-off. The same sensation of flex somewhere between handlebar and tire tread could be felt when muscling the bike up steep, rocky and technical terrain in the small chainring and 36-tooth low cog, particularly when torque was applied – for example, as the front wheel fell into a hole and the rider tried to correct.

Flex could also be felt in the saddle, where the seatmast produced an annoying bounce, especially when climbing or spinning at a high cadence on dirt roads with the rear shock locked out. However, this lack of stiffness is deliberate. Michael Browne, Trek’s mountain bike brand manager, told us: “It’s by design that it has deflection. And a lot more so than the [Elite 9.9 SSL] hardtail, because it’s a suspension bike and that’s what they were trying to build into the frame.”

These issues aside, the Top Fuel handled well, with a fit and geometry that's best described as performance cross-country. It doesn’t have the super-steep head angle of the race bikes of yesteryear, but it's not progressively slack either, at 70°. Along with a 73.5° seat angle, this gives the 9.9 SSL a neutral feel. It's very well mannered on singletrack or double track in most situations.

The longish top tube (23.8in, effective, on the 18.5in size) and 100mm stem provide a fit that a Lycra-clad racer is likely to appreciate more than an all-day trail rider. The 12.9in bottom bracket isn’t too high, but also not so low that you're constantly clipping rocks with your pedals. Overall, Trek seem to have nailed the geometry on this all-out racer, and you can ride it downhill fast until you start butting up against the stiffness issues.

In fact, this is where the bike excels. When properly sagged, the downhill performance of the ABP design is up there with the best – and not just in cross-country race terms; the same platform is used on Trek's Session downhill bike. We threw it on the ground a few times (ie. crashed) without any repercussions, which speaks well for its durability, and we also think it looks darn good.

Equipment: Replica component complement offers good performance, with exception of stem

Despite our misgivings with the rear shock and front end of the Top Fuel, Trek have left no possible hiccup in the specification of this bike. A full complement of Shimano’s new M980 XTR is paired with Bontrager’s top-level XXX components including their carbon rimmed wheelset, carbon stem, RXL handlebar and Evoke 4 saddle with carbon rails. Heck, even the top cap on the Cane Creek IS-3 headset is molded from unidirectional carbon. This thing is blinged out.

The new Shimano XTR offers rougher, yet faster and more forceful shifting performance than previous editions of the top-level group. The 42/30t double crankset paired to the 11-36t cassette providing all of the range any racer will need, World Cup or otherwise. The brakes offer a major step forward in power, even in their cross-country configuration, all the while maintaining the high level of modulation that Shimano brakes are known for.

For cross-country racing, we find two-ring cranksets provide the best possible performance

The 28-spoke wheels are sexy, though we wished the front was stiffer – or 15mm axle compatible. We’ve reached the point where through-axles can be appreciated by all, even World Cup cross-country racers, and in this case the axle may have added crutch to the soft front end of the bike. Despite the carbon rims, the wheels survived occasionally being bounced off rocks and tire pressures of 25psi.

Our bike came with Maxxis CrossMark UST tires, which added considerable weight (705g each, claimed) when compared to the super-light (370g actual), super-fast-rolling 120tpi Bontrager XR0 tube-type tires that grace the production bike. Note that the proper spec tires, set up tubeless like Trek World Racing run them, will drop 670g or 1.47lb, bringing the total package to 21.37lb without pedals and likely still under 22lb with pedals — darn light for a full-suspension rig.

One last issue: replacing the rear derailleur cable requires the cranks and bottom bracket to be removed, while a rear brake line change is even more laborious, involving the additional removal of the fork and the brake line’s threaded lever attachment.

Conclusion: Parts swaps could radically change this bike, but that shouldn't be needed at $8k

A bike costing close to $8,000 should be close to perfect, not hampered by rear shock issues and a lack of front end stiffness – both of which have been confirmed by our technical editor, James Huang. Trek have produced some amazing bikes over the past few years – including the 2009 Top Fuel we reviewed – so we decided to do a bit of digging to get to the root of the problems we encountered with the 2011 bike.

After explaining our issues with the rear shock to Fox Racing Shox’s race team suspension department, we sourced two different mdoels – a Float RPL and prototype RP2 Boost Valve model with a firmer ProPedal platform. We also sent the original RP2 remote shock back for evaluation, just to make sure it was working properly, which it was.

We tested the Top Fuel 9.9 with additional Fox shocks and found the Float RL to best suit our — and the bike's — style. Note that it comes with Fox's Float RP2 Boost Valve shock

The Float RPL offered three settings – open, ProPedal and full lockout – while the prototype used different internals to limit Boost Valve bleed and offer a firmer platform. Both shocks worked better than the original RP2, but the prototype still had too light a pedalling platform, which left us with the RPL as our preferred option for the Top Fuel. Whether on its non-Boost Valve ProPedal setting or full lockout, it gave the bike reasonable manners. The 9.9 SSL wasn’t vaulted to the top of the class, but performance at least fell into an acceptable range.

Fox’s 90g handlebar remote (weight includes cable, housing and shock mounted hardware) doesn't work with the Float RPL. Considering this, and that Trek want to offer handlebar control for both front and rear suspension, we believe the bike would be best equipped with Fox’s stalwart Float RL. This shock would also make the most of the ABP design's excellent downhill performance, offering a firm locked out pedaling platform that can be remote actuated but opens fully for the downhill.

Trek World Racing appear to have also worked through this. According to Fox, while the squad use a range of rear shocks with their Top Fuels, the racers can most often be found on the Float RL. However, Michael Browne, Trek’s mountain bike brand manager, told us that, while he can see the appeal of a full lockout shock to top-level racers, the production Top Fuel is aimed more at the type of rider who "goes up to the BC Bike Race, does 100-milers or 24-hour races".  "The conception of this bike... was more about a fighting weight cross-country bike that had trail bike performance to it," he told us.

As for front end stiffness, Trek say the 2011 Top Fuel was four percent stiffer in their full frame torsion test than the 2009 model (which had alloy chainstays). That, in turn, was claimed to be 33 percent stiffer than the 2008 model. (For comparison, The 2011 Fuel EX trail frame is said to be 20 percent stiffer than the 2011 Top Fuel, and 200g heavier.) So, if the flex isn't coming from the frame – or at least not all of it – what's to blame?

The e2 head tube points in the right direction, we'd just like it to be slightly better supported.

On the recommendation of Travis Brown, mountain bike race icon turned Trek product tester, we tested the bike with a different front wheel and a trail-bike-oriented stem. The stock Bontrager RXXXL rims and stem are made from carbon fiber and skewed toward the ‘light’ side of the performance equation. “I think all of our paradigms for stiffness are changing based on [today’s] forks and axles,” said Brown. “I have that bike, but I ride it with a 15mm fork. Set up that way, I feel like that frame, torsionally, is a little better than a [Fuel] EX.”

Switching the wheel and stem separately identified that much of the flex was coming from the carbon RXXXL stem, with the rim adding a little extra vagueness on top. After changing both components, the Top Fuel fell into a more normal and comfortable stiffness range. It was still notably softer than super-stiff rivals like the new Rocky Mountain Element RSL , but in line with other cross-country race bikes.

If you're thinking of buying a 2011 Top Fuel, we think it's worth considering whether the 20 percent stiffer, 200g heavier Fuel EX might better suit your riding style.

This review first appeared on BikeRadar here .

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Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SL first ride review

Reimagined race rocket bursts back on the scene

Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

Josh Patterson

Trek has just released details of its 2016 line and BikeRadar was lucky enough to spend some quality time getting acquainted with Trek’s new flagship cross-country full suspension model. For 2016, the Top Fuel returns to Trek’s line as a thoroughly modern cross-country racer, incorporating a lightweight carbon frame, wider axle spacing, adjustable geometry and Trek’s size-specific wheelsize strategy.

It’s quite early in our testing, but this bike is already proving itself to be incredibly capable. Read on for the details.

• Highs: Stiff and light frame, excellent suspension performance
• Lows: Only holds one water bottle, with no option to mount a second underneath the down tube
• Buy if: You’re serious about cross-country racing and must have the best

Reigniting the Fuel

The Fuel had been a staple in Trek’s cross-country line for many years. The original Top Fuel was introduced for the 2005 model year and went through several revisions before meeting its end in 2012.

“It was a very good bike; it just had the wrong wheel size,” said Travis Ott, Trek’s mountain bike brand manager.

The Top Fuel was steamrolled under the 29er juggernaut and ousted from Trek’s line by the Superfly 100.

It took a few years, but Trek revived this storied model. The new Top Fuel incorporates many of the technologies the company has developed for the longer-travel Fuel EX and Remedy trail bikes into a race-bred package.

“We went into this knowing how cross-country racing is changing. It’s becoming much more technical. The popularity of trail riding has influenced cross-country and we wanted to make a more capable XC race bike,” Ott said.

Design details

Gone is the top tube-mounted link used on the Superfly 100. In its place is a carbon EVO rocker linkage that drives the Top Fuel’s 100mm of rear travel.

The Mino Link allows the rider to fine tune the Top Fuel's handling

Like the Remedy, the new Top Fuel uses Trek’s Mino Link. This offset chip, located at the junction of the seatstays and rocker link, allows the rider to fine tune the frame geometry. The rider can select from a lower, slacker position, with a 70 degree head tube angle and 33cm / 12.9in bottom bracket height, or a higher, steeper setting, with a 70.9 degree head tube angle and a bottom bracket height of 34.1cm / 13.4in.

In addition to adjustable frame geometry, the Top Fuel’s chainstays are considerably shorter than the outgoing Superfly 100. Thanks to the use of the wider Boost 148x12mm rear axle, Trek was able to shorten the rear end to just 435mm/17.1in — that’s 17mm/.6in shorter than the Superfly 100.

Trek used the reintroduction of the Top Fuel platform as an opportunity to incorporate its Smart Wheel strategy into the line.

“Ride the fastest wheel that fits,” is the company’s mantra these days. For several of Trek’s female racers, that means riding 27.5in wheels. World cup racer Emily Batty , who stands 1.61m (5ft 3in) tall, had to resort to some drastic cockpit setups in order to achieve her preferred position on a 29er.

Trek’s approach to wheelsize now corresponds with frame size. The Top Fuel is offered in 15.5, 17.5, 18.5. 19.5 and 21.5in sizes. The four largest frames are all designed around 29er wheels, while the 15.5in frame is shod in 27.5in hoops to give shorter riders a better fit without resorting to negative-rise stems.

While the Top Fuel borrows heavily from several of Trek’s existing full suspension models, it also ushers in a new internal cable management system. Dubbed Control Freak, this modular cable system is designed to handle almost any combination of 1- and 2x drivetrains, brake, dropper seatpost and remote lockout scenarios. Oh, and it has to be compatible with electronic drivetrains, too.

The Top Fuel's internal cable routing system can handle almost any combination of cables and hoses

“When we ran the numbers, we realized we needed to account for 54 different cable routing configurations. Control Freak is designed to be a flexible, clean, easy-to-use system,” Ott said.

The Top Fuel has two entry ports at the top of the down tube and an exit port for the rear brake, rear derailleur and (in the case of the Top Fuel 9.9 SL) the hydraulic lockout for the RockShox Monarch XX rear shock. There are also guides along the side of the down tube that allow the rear brake to be run externally.

The Top Fuel also ushers in a change in bottom bracket standards for Trek's carbon mountain bikes. Trek is phasing out its proprietary PF95 bottom brackets in favor of the widely-available PF92 standard. The Top Fuel, Stache, redesigned Fuel EX 29 and new Procaliber all use PF92 bottom brackets, while the Remedy and Slash, which remain unchanged for 2016, retain the PF95 standard.

As the top shelf offering in the line, the Top Fuel 9.9 SL features a full OCLV carbon frame. Our 17.5in tester weighs in at a very respectable 21lb / 9.5kg. Claimed weight for a 17.5in frame with shock and associated hardware is 1,900g / 4.2lb, which is approximately 50g heavier than the Superfly 100 it replaces.

First impressions: all about agility and efficiency

The Top Fuel may come with a slight weight penalty over the outgoing Superfly 100 frame, but it’s better for it.

From the moment the Top Fuel is leaned through the first turn it was readily apparent just how much stiffer, and thus responsive, this bike is. When pushed hard into corners the Top Fuel holds a line and pops in and out of corners with ease.

The Top Fuel's 'boosted' full carbon rear end is appropriately solid

The combination of a shorter rear end, boosted axle spacing, and large diameter seat- and chainstays result in a rock-solid carbon chassis — something that could not be said about the Superfly 100.

The Mino Link, which serves up a 10mm change in bottom bracket height and a degree change in head tube angle, is intended to allow racers to quickly fine-tune the Top Fuel’s handling to suit course conditions.

After a quick bit of experimentation this tester quickly settled on the lower, slacker setting. According to Trek, this is the position preferred by most of the company's sponsored athletes as well.

The matching RS-1 fork ties the build together

While several of our testers, including myself, are still underwhelmed by the price-to-performance ratio of the Rockshox RS-1, there’s no denying that when painted to match, it has a way of tying a build together — and looking good is half the battle, right?

The RS-1 fork is paired with a Monarch XX rear shock. Together they deliver sporty suspension performance that provide just enough give to keep the wheels tracking over small bumps, while saving the bulk of their travel for larger impacts.

Do you like hammering out of the saddle? If so, this lever is your new best friend

The RockShox Full Sprint remote simultaneously locks out the fork and rear shock with the push of a button. If you’re gunning for the holeshot, or preparing to rocket up a smooth climb, this is a great weapon to have in your arsenal.

While we’re on the subject of suspension performance, of all the technologies Trek incorporated into the Top Fuel, there is one notable absence: RE:aktiv.

The hydraulic lockout line does a bit of a loop to the Monarch XX shock

Why would Trek leave this much-touted shock technology off its premier race bike when it devoted so much time and effort to co-developing the RE:aktiv suspension technology with the Formula One suspension experts at Penske Racing for its trail bikes?

The reason, according to Ott, is that it’s not simply a matter of bolting on a RE:aktiv damper. “We do think there’s a lot of potential there. However, bringing that technology over to race bikes was not just plug-and-play. Our suspension engineers are exploring it,” Ott said.

Overall, the Top Fuel 9.9 SL is an outstanding cross-country race contender, but it’s not without a few minor shortcomings. The Top Fuel can only carry one water bottle in the mainframe, while its arch rival, the Specialized Epic, is designed to fit two bottles in the main triangle. There’s also no provision to mount a second water bottle on the underside of the down tube — something for endurance racers to take note of.

It’s still early in the testing process, but it's quite clear that Trek has improved its top-end race steed by leaps and bounds. Where the Superfly 100 was light and capable, yet a bit soft-ended, the Top Fuel 9.9 SL adds the chassis stiffness and taut suspension performance that many die-hard cross-country racers crave.

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Trek top fuel 9.9 ssl.

When it came to choosing a suitable bike for the impending Absa Cape Epic (just 16 days away at the time of writing) I first looked at photos and video footage of previous events and chatted to several riders who took part last year, to get an idea of what type of bike I should ride. I came to the conclusion that an uber light short-travel full-susser was the way forward.

So, a shortlist of desirable bikes was quickly drawn up. Carbon seemed more than a luxury in the pursuit of lightness, 100mm travel both ends seemed enough (hardtails were soon thrown off the list in the pursuit of comfort) and a smattering of weight saving components the icing on the cake.

After mulling over the many options, my gaze became fixed upon Trek’s Top Fuel. Phone calls were made. Emails bounced back and forth. And last Friday, a visit to Trek at their UK headquarters in Milton Keynes resulted in the acquisition of a very shiny Top Fuel 9.9 SSL. Talk about hitting the jackpot.

What makes the Top Fuel suitable for the Cape Epic, you might well ask? Quite a lot, it has to be said. Introduced in 2009, this second-generation Top Fuel is radical to look at. Trek’s OCLV process is put to good use to create a frame weighing just 2027g (4.47lb). Weight has been saved across the frame by using carbon manufacturing processes seen on its road cousin the Madone, with net-moulded headtube and 90mm wide bottom bracket doing away with the usual aluminium inserts seen on carbon frames.

All that means, with the race-day ready package the 9.9 SSL is built up with, a sub-22lb complete weight. That’s impressive given the off-the-shelf build, but lighter is are possible. We hear that Lance Armstrong’s Top Fuel weighed just 19lbs when he raced the Leadville 100!

The back-end features all of the current Trek gizmos; ABP dropout, Full Floater design, one-piece magnesium EVO link, oversized bearings, replaceable derailleur hanger and a Fox RP23 shock driven from both ends. Travel is bang on 100mm and is paired with a Fox 32 fork up front, with a nifty handlebar mounted remote lockout lever. And there’s the huge diameter down tube for stiffness and an eyebrow-raising extended ‘No-Cut’ seatmast that almost appears to float off the back of the front triangle. There’s a lot to like.

Hanging off the frame is a package any racer would be drooling over. There’s SRAM XX and Bontrager XXX Lite wheels with tubeless ready carbon rims and a finishing kit that picks the very nicest parts from the Bontrager stable. The only departure is a Race Face Next SL low-riser handlebar.

Now I’ve got the bike, there really is no turning back; the challenge of the event is starting to sink in. More than anything however, I can’t wait to get out there and race this bike. It looks fast standing still, and should hopefully be a real blast to race on. I’ll be making a few changes to the setup and position, and will report back with a first ride soon.

www.trekbikes.com

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The Trek Top Fuel 9.8 SL Is a Purebred XC Race Bike

A lightweight frame and carbon wheels make this bike fly

In a world full of trail bikes and long-travel enduro bikes that are made to blast over anything in their path, the Top Fuel 9.8 SL stands out as a no-compromise XC race bike aimed at the go-fast everywhere (not just go-fast downhill) crowd. The OCLV carbon frame rolls on carbon Bontrager Kovee Elite 30 hoops, and the 2.2-inch Bontrager XR2 tires have minimal tread—just enough to grab the trail without adding unnecessary rolling resistance. Shimano XT brakes and SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain give the type of high-end performance you'd expect on a dream bike without the premium price tag that typically goes along with it. Bontrager carbon handlebars and seat post, paired with a Bontrager Montrose Elite saddle with titanium rails, shave a few more grams and complete this lust-worthy build.

Solid and responsive to pedaling input, the bike is a pleasure to ride uphill, both on rough, technical terrain and, thanks to the Twistloc remote that locks out both the fork and the shock, on paved climbs as well. On the trails you get balanced handling that gives you a feeling of stability while also being incredibly nimble when you're navigating tight, slow turns. This is an XC racer's dream bike that comes at a reasonable price.

Five outstanding Top Fuel features

Trek Top Fuel 9.8 SL Detail Gallery

SRAM GX Eagle Drivetrain

32t front ring and 10-50 cassette give you all the go-fast and climb-easy gearing you need.

Rockshox Twistloc Remote

Lock out the fork and shock with the Twistloc remote located on the left grip.

Bontrager XR2 Team Issue Tires

These lightweight race tires have minimal tread to avoid unneeded rolling resistance.

Shimano XT Brakes

The Shimano/SRAM blend gives you superb braking and the expanded gearing from 12-speed.

Full Floater EVO Link Suspension

The rear shock floats between two shock mounts and gets compressed at both ends.

Smooth, Fast Suspension

The Top Fuel 9.8 boasts the same OCLV carbon main frame and seat stays as Trek's flagship XC bike, the Top Fuel 9.9 SL, the only difference is that this one has aluminum chain stays instead of carbon. The RockShox SID RL fork boasts 100mm of smooth travel, and the Fox Performance Elite shock is nestled into Trek's Full Floater, EVO Link suspension and provides 100mm of travel at the rear wheel. Both the fork and the shock have remote lockouts, activated by the Twistloc remote on the handlebar.

The design, which uses a pivot that rotates around the rear axle feels efficient and smooth, especially on rough terrain, where it helps the rear wheel find extra traction. That means you can worry less about your wheels slipping and stay on the gas longer in many situations, potentially gaining seconds on your rivals. Instead of connecting one end of the shock to a fixed point, like on many other suspension designs, Trek attaches it to pivots at both ends. That's what it calls Full Floater, and it gives engineers a little more latitude when plotting the kinematics to find a better balance between bump absorption and crisp pedaling. And in situation where you need even more efficiency, you can lock completely lock it out.

Components and Features that Standout

Trek blended Shimano XT hydraulic disc brakes with a SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain , taking advantage of both the amazing power and modulation of Shimano brakes and the expanded gearing range of SRAM's 12-speed, that comes with a 10-50 cassette and 32t chain ring, paired with a set of Truvativ Stylo Carbon Eagle cranks. This combination gives you such a great range of gears you'll have everything you need to handle ripping fast downhills, fast dirt roads, and long, steep, lung-busting climbs where you need that 32 x 50 to get to the top without feeling your heart jumping out of your chest.

The Bontrager Kovee Elite 30 carbon wheels, shod in 2.2-inch Bontrager XR2 Team Issue tires are light, fast wheels made to haul ass through the woods. The tires have enough tread to be grippy when you need it, but not so much to slow you down on fast terrain. They're great on dry race courses and less so on wet, rocky, or muddy conditions. You might need a second set of tires if you plan on doing more trail riding with this bike. And you should. Even though this bike is built for speed it's also impressive, for a short-travel bike, on pretty gnarly terrain.

Top Fuel Family

The Top Fuel 9.9 SL ($9,300) is Trek's top-of-the-line XC bike, with a full carbon OCLV main frame and stays, RockShox SID SE carbon fork with 100mm of travel, Fox Factor Float DPS shock giving 100mm of travel at the rear wheel, and Bontrager Kovee Pro 30 carbon hoops. The Top Fuel 8 ($3,150) has an all aluminum frame, RockSox Recon RL 100mm fork, and a Fox Performance Float DPS shock providing 100mm of travel at the rear wheel.

Nimble, Steady Handling

The geometry on this bike is pretty much what you'd expect from a short-travel XC bike. My 21.5-inch test bike had a reach of 472mm and a stack height of 606mm, which is pretty consistent with similar bikes. Cannondale's Scalpel-Si is slightly shorter at 466mm of reach and slightly taller with a 615mm stack height. The Specialized S-Works Epic is even taller at 630mm, but only just over half a centimeter longer with 475mm of reach.

On paper the Top Fuel most closely mirrors the Scalpel-Si. The Top Fuel's wheel base is 1166mm, which is only 3mm shorter than the Scalpel-Si, bottom bracket drop is 39mm for the Trek and 38mm for the Cannondale, and even the trail is very close, with the Top Fuel having just 3om more trail at 80mm, compared to 77mm for the Scalpel-Si.

Riding (and Racing) the Top Fuel

This bike is made to go fast, and that's what it does best. That's not to say it isn't an absolute pleasure to take on a casual trail ride, but to ride this bike is to feel the urge to push it harder and faster, as the bike amazes with what it can handle. It offers tight but not twitchy steering, which is incredibly welcome while navigating slow, rocky singletrack.

Sharp, low-speed turns, both uphill and downhill, were very easy to navigate, and mid-turn line corrections weren't troublesome at all. As nimble as this bike is in the tight stuff, it tracks beautifully at high speed and lets you dig into and whip around bermed corners. And don't be afraid to get sendy on this bike, either. It may be a short-travel XC bike but this thing feels stable in the air and the suspension helped make landings seamless and smooth.

4 Helmets for Singletrack Lovers

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Giro Montaro Giro’s top trail helmet has MIPS and is ready for anything. $82.47 to $149.95 | Backcountry

Insta-Ready

Bell Sixer An integrated camera mount lets you capture the action. $169.95 | Competitive Cyclist

Women’s Choice

Fox Flux Has 17 vents, and comes in an XS size. $104.97 | Competitive Cyclist

All the Style

POC Tectal Super protective, with tons of style $190 | Competitive Cyclist

Over the course of the test, I kept pushing the bike harder and harder, testing the limits, until I actually found them much further from what I'd expect a bike this fast to be capable of. On numerous occasions I was ready for a trip over the bars when, to my surprise, the fork just absorbed it and the wheels kept rolling.

Even with the suspension set very soft to handle the rocky terrain we have in eastern PA, the bike pedaled smoothly with minimal bouncing. Even paved climbs weren't a drag thanks to convenient Twistloc dual remote lock-out. With both the fork and the shock locked out, the bike felt stiff and responsive, ready to sprint up a hill or off the start line chasing the hole shot. Anyone looking to step up their XC game without paying a small fortune should check out this bike.

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Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL

• AUS $ NZD $ USD $ CAD $ GBP £ EUR €

Colour / Trek World Racing

Size / 15.5, 17.5, 18.5, 19.5, 21.5"

At a glance

Where to buy.

Specifications

• Frame OCLV Mountain Carbon main frame, OCLV Carbon seatstay & chainstay, Net Molded tapered head tube, BB90 w/Precision Fit Sockets, internal control routing, no-cut off-road seatmast, ABP Race, Full Floater, magnesium EVO Link, oversized pivot bearings, replac
• Wheels Bontrager Race XXX Lite Disc wheel system, 28 hole, center lock, tubeless ready
• Wheel Size 26"
• Tires Bontrager XR0 Team, 26x2.1"
• Crank Shimano XTR, 42/30
• Front Derailleur Shimano XTR
• Rear Derailleur Shimano XTR
• Shifters Shimano XTR, 10 speed
• Brakeset Shimano XTR hydraulic disc brakes
• Handlebar Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon Low Riser, 31.8mm, 25mm rise, 9 degree sweep
• Saddle Bontrager Evoke 4, carbon rails
• Seatpost Bontrager Race XXX Lite, 34.0mm, 5mm offset
• Stem Bontrager Race XXX Lite, 31.8mm
• Headset Cane Creek IS-3, E2, alloy cartridge

Q: What size wheels does the 2011 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL have?

The 2011 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL has 26" wheels.

Q: What size 2011 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL should I get?

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• Rider Notes

2009 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL

A 26″ carbon frame full suspension crosscountry bike with ultra high-end components. Compare the full range

For This Bike

View more similar bikes →

A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

Top Fuel 9.9 SSL

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Add custom gearing

5'0" – 5'7"

5'5" – 5'11"

5'9" – 6'3"

6'1" – 6'6"

🐐 Estimated

Do you have this bike? Help other riders make a decision about which size will work for them by sharing your own size and fit notes. Report your fit

May 2010 · VeloNews.com

From climbing to cornering to accelerating, the Top Fuel 9.8 wants to race.

Read Review

Aug 2009 · Lennard Zinn

As we've already reported, several Trek-supported riders are on hand in the high country of central Colorado to keep the pace high as Lance Armstrong takes his second stab at the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race.

Jun 2009 · Technical Editor,

Cross-country rocket ship

Jun 2009 · James Huang

Superlight build, excellent suspension and smooth handling, but very expensive and race component spec occasionally compromises overall utility

Over the holiday week I met Trek’s Southeast demo guy, Tom Jenkins, at the IMBA Epic Santos Trails in Ocala, FL, for a solid 3+ hour cross country test of the new 2009 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL. This course is an Epic for a reason.  There are more than 40 miles of singletrack, ranging …

Last updated June 29 Not listed for 2,555 days

• Top Fuel 9.8 XT Gen 3

We'll take care of you. Period.

It's our mission to provide you with world-class hospitality every time you visit us online or in-store. We're always here to help you. It's the Trek way.

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All bikes ordered online ship to your local Trek shop for professional assembly. Participating retailers will even deliver your new ride to your doorstep.

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If for any reason you aren't 100% happy with your trekbikes.com purchase, you can return it in like new condition within 30 days - no questions asked.

MBUK’s Trail Bike of the Year 2022

“It’s easy to look at the bike from afar and assume this is just another downcountry rig... It wasn’t until I’d fired it over some jumps, nosed it down the odd steep chute and slung it through my test loops’ berms that I realised the Top Fuel is, simply put, a bloody brilliant trail bike.”

"Enduro’s Best Downcountry Bike of 2022"

"Top Fuel 9.9 XX1 AXS earned top honors in Enduro’s round-up of best downcountry rippers, thanks to the bike’s clean look, practical details, and progressive suspension."

"This is a really, really good bike"

"The Top Fuel is a very capable descender, but its well-proportioned geometry is just half the story. It manages to strike a great balance between grip, tracking, and precision. The whole bike seems to just will you on to hit things faster and with more precision."

"This thing rips"

"The new Top Fuel is also much more composed on rough and fast descents. Thanks to the longer reach and slacker head angle, the overall wheelbase length has grown by almost 40mm. That’s huge, and it offers a vastly more planted feel at speed. Along with the big tyres and active suspension, this really is a solid little trail bike."

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