First ride review: Trek Top Fuel Gen 4

The Trek Top Fuel name has long been synonymous with Trek Factory XC racing and the lengthy list of podiums, gold medals and world championships that have been won atop the storied bike. The Top Fuel has been through a few different identities since it’s seen the top of a world cup podium. It has morphed from the top tier race bike into a longer distance marathon machine, before transforming from a race bike into a shorter travel trail bike.

The newest iteration of the Top Fuel doesn’t stray too far from its previous design. The bike still comes with 130-mm fork and 120 mm of rear wheel travel ideal for aggressive XC or light enduro type riding, however some new features make it even more capable and adjustable while maintaining its race pedigree.

What’s new: Trek Top Fuel Gen 4

Is a new model of bike even new if it’s not lighter? Well Trek took care of that and the new Top Fuel frame comes in 220 g lighter than the previous version. Trek did this by borrowing some tech from its current flagship XC race bike the Supercaliber. Utilizing smaller tube shapes and softer edges helped Trek shave the weight without sacrificing any performance or durability. Although the tubes have changed slightly their geometry has remained similar.

Reach and seat tube angle remain the same with a half degree slacker head tube at 65.5 instead of the previous 66. The biggest change in the geo department comes with the inclusion of size specific chainstays. Small and medium sizes share a 435-mm length where ML and Large share a 440-mm length. The XL gets its own rear end at 445 mm. Compared to the previous Top Fuel, which had the same 435-mm chainstays on all models, the size specific change will help every size feel more balanced and optimize handling. Speaking of optimizing, Trek has chosen to drop the Knock Block headset system stating that fork crown/down tube clearance is no longer an issue. This is a huge win in my books because you no longer need a proprietary stem and or a headset spacer adapter.

Also, the Top Fuels down-tube storage sees an upgrade that includes a bigger opening, tighter seal and an improved tool/tube storage bag. Basically it’s just easier to get your flat repair kit and multi-tool into/out of the down tube without worrying about snagging cables.

Adjustability: Mino Link grows up

Also new for the 2024 model is a host of…