Tested: 2007 Trek Fuel EX 9.5

WHAT: Trek Fuel EX 9.5
WHERE: trekbikes.com; 920-478-2191
HOW MUCH: $6,600

I approached the Trek Fuel EX 9.5 warily. The bike’s matte OCLV carbon frame, gray XTR kit and fairly standard silhouette failed to reach out and scream “Ride me!” After all, this is the suspension platform of choice of President George W. Bush, the Weekend Warrior in Chief, and all politics aside the man is as much a mountain biker as he is a rancher.

But then I rode it, and I hereby eat my above words. I quickly found that just like Dubya, deep down, this bike wants to party. It wasn’t long after the first ride before I was dreading having to eventually return the bike to Trek.

The immediate sensation this bike inspired was something like vertigo. That is, trails I previously knew as flat turned into downhills, and suddenly I was milking momentum out of slight uphill grades.

This bike feels most at home ripping up and down fast singletrack. I rode it with the Fox RP23 rear shock’s ProPedal lever switched on most of the time, and the bike felt about as nimble as any hardtail. But having 5 inches of full-suspension travel in reserve gave me the confidence to carry speed into any kind of terrain I encountered.

I hung off the back through some pretty hairy rock gardens, and the Fox TALAS 130 plowed through most everything I threw at it. The DT Swiss-equipped Bontrager wheels did feel a mite flexy in the real rough stuff, but it’s important to keep in mind that this bike falls into Trek’s “Trail” category, which the company specifically separates from its “All-Mountain” bikes. Another reminder of this bike’s intended use is its Bontrager Race Lite series carbon stem, bars and seatpost.

In fast, loose corners, the bike’s 69.5-degree headtube angle (based on a 130-millimeter fork setting) felt a little sketchy, but that was a small price to pay for its otherwise tight trail handling.

Overall, the rear shock did a great job of masking any potential nagging points with the bike’s single-pivot suspension, although I did get a little herky-jerkiness while mashing in the granny gear. The upside is that with a bike weighing in at just 25 pounds, the granny gear didn’t see much action.

Whether you’re the leader of the free world or just some guy who likes to hammer singletrack and has about seven grand to blow on a new bike, the Fuel EX 9.5 leaves little to be desired.