And that’s with Carbon wheels and bar/stem combo! It’s definitely veered off the race course and decided to pick its own way down the mountain instead.
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This.
Was hoping for another light 100mm f/r race option. My 18 Spark RC has had a rough life and could use replacing but between prices and options the only thing I’d replace it with is a Epic Evo at this point (not a brain fan) and even that’s pushing it for me. Guess I get to save some money and just refresh the Spark yet again this winter.
“XC is changing” they say, but the places I race have been the same for the last 10 years. Is this how one becomes a “retrogrouch”? 
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I could have wrote these exact words! My 18 Spark is beaten up, can’t get a 2022 Spark and the Top Fuel is a no go. Time to feshen up the current bike. So, since my fork is a mess, I ordered a 2022 Sid Ultimate and I’ll try to get a Sycros Frasher handlebar to make the bike feel new again. Also had to replace all the pivot bearings and bushings.
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That’s what I’m looking at doing as well except I’m wanting to try a 100mm Fox 34 sc. Is there anywhere online to pickup a Frasier bar?
I can’t find a Frasier anywhere. I’m going to ask my LBS today, but it’s likely back ordered for many months.
Not yet. I haven’t been to the shop this week to see if we have any. I’m hoping we got at least a couple. I will report back of we do and I can sneak in at least a parking lot ride.
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Ditto. It weighs more than my 2019 Fuel EX 9.9 (mostly X01 build) that also has 130mm travel on both ends.
I like this new bike a bit in concept, but not in reality. Last gen TF was a perfect light trail, heavy XC bike. This is kind of a porky short travel trail bike. It does “fill a gap” in the T line I guess, since the Fuel EX is essentially a light enduro bike now.
But I’m not overly thrilled with where T is going recently. MTB and gravel are headed in directions I don’t like, while other brands seem to be more to my preference lately.
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I continue to feel good about my recent purchase of the 2021 Top Fuel 
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The distinction I’d like to make between a trail bike and, ahem, a down country bike is a much higher anti squat value on the DC bike. Obvioulsy that’s a general statement. I’ve got zero interest in a TF so just trying to offer another perspective in this thread that seems to think that the aggressive XC designs are out of place. I’ll venture a guess and say that this is where the sport is going y’all… hang on.
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@mcneese.chad It’s interesting you say this. Having previously been almost exclusively a Specialized buyer, I was really pleasantly surprised by Trek. To begin with, there were actually multiple Top Fuels in my size in stock within a ~1-2 hour drive. Contrast that to Specialized which is backordered to 2022 at the very earliest. On top of that, I got better components for less $$ than I would have with the Epic Evo.
All told, the experience seriously drew my attention to Trek which I had been mostly ignoring previously.
Maybe I just got really, really lucky finding a Top Fuel in stock 
As a member of a Spesh & Trek shop, I’ve seen and heard some interesting stuff in the last year. I do agree that T has done about as good as possible for keeping stock available in this tough era. S lags behind in many ways from what we have seen.
All that said, the business side is only one aspect, and the product side has seen me transition from a diehard S rider from 1993 to 2014, full swap to T from 2015 to 2019, and a desire to swap back to S based on the bikes in the last 2 years. I love all my current T bikes, but would be forced to compromise if I chose the current crop of bikes.
For my taste and preferences, T is in the middle of a transition where I don’t love their offerings. I suspect I will re-like their gear in another 3-5 years if these trends continue. Luckily, I have all the silly bikes I could really need and will keep them for a few years before considering any real swap.
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If budget and availability were no object, I probably would have gotten an S-Works Epic Evo. That may have been the perfect bike. But with the constraints outlined above, I found Trek incredibly impressive.
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I think Trek have made a more clear delineation between XC and trail riding, this Top Fuel doesn’t really fit in the modern MTB world.
I agree with your statement about antisquat and efficiency, but geo and travel come in to it too. It looks like the new TF is trail in all areas and that Trek wants XC to be SuperCal?
It’s a shame as I’ve been trying to steer a mate of mine into a (2021) Top Fuel for a year and a half. He’ll have to go used now or for something like the Canyon Lux Trail.
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They’re going all in with the Supercaliber for XCO I guess? I get it, you either have a TF with geometry that I suppose most of the folks in this thread thinks is too relaxed for the average XC course, or you have what is essentially a soft tail and zip in between.
Selfishly, I love where this is going as it suits my targeted terrain but I do understand that 66 degree HA and 120 travel might not be a lot of XC racers first choice as foreign as that may sound to me personally.
I do still maintain that an efficient pedaling platform is the biggest driver in XC performance, but that’s me. We’ll see.
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But is this likely to be an efficient pedaling platform? No handlebar controls for the suspension and the suspension layout it has makes me think it is more targeted for just cruising.
The bikes that claim to not need lockout seem to all have in line shocks?
I know they claim it’s stiff and efficient in power transfer through the frame. The Spark is the same, but a part of that, and it’s leaning towards activeness means it relies on Traction mode often.
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If it’s not an efficient pedaling platform then the comments on this just being a re-branded EX are founded. Not that the EX is a bad pedaling bike of course, but you get what I’m saying. I’ve ridden bikes that really do not need a remote lock out and I’ve ridden bikes that definitely do, so I understand. Scott likes super active bikes, and so does Trek, so I understand the trepidation here. Show me the anti-squat values! Not all ABP bikes are created equal and moving a pivot location even just a little can influence a bike’s pedaling character a lot. One would think they’d put a premium on efficiency when slapping on the Top Fuel pedigree.
They get points from me for the ABP design in general, every Trek I’ve ridden with this design rides very well, although I did use the “cheater” switch a lot. They also seem to have finally moved away from propreitary suspension, again more points. Whether or not this is going to be a suitable XC tool would rely heavily on that pedaling platform IMO.
Two negatives, you can’t get one this year, lol - and apparently there are some Pink Bike commenters that claim relatively high weight for complete bikes. Like 26-27 LBS complete, that’s a really fair criticism.
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66 degree HA and 120 travel might not be a lot of XC racers first choice
That’s not too extreme, but the builds range from 27.5-29 lbs which put it cleanly into the Trail category. Epic Evo is 66.5 but any model with carbon rims is under 25 and over at weight weenies you can find a dozen builds under 20lbs race-ready. It’s especially interesting to see the 1lb increase across the lineup compared to the 2021 edition, there are still heavier trail bikes in the short travel category like the Tallboy but it definitely fits in more there than the “downcountry”/overforked EVOs, TRs, SEs on the market.
The Top Fuel is what the Fuel EX was until the latest editions, the right trail bike for 75% of casual riders who don’t live in the mountains. It has completely moved away from the dedicated racing community.
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Comment Gold from the Pinker’s!
In response to the Trek Top Fuel “Can’t wait for the UpCountry version”
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I have always loved listening to your knowledge about bikes @mcneese.chad . Quick question…I currently have a 2013 Focus Raven (Carbon Hardtail) that I have been using for mountain biking. It is super fast but not the most fun to be on for extended periods. About 8 months ago, I ordered a Trek Top Fuel for more marathon style racing and general fun. I did confirm with Trek yesterday that the current Trek I am waiting on is going to be the 2021 (old model). I know not much is known about the new model, but in your opinion, should I cancel the order and switch it to the 2022 model? I would like to think I am pretty competitive but not a pro by any means. Is the new top fuel too heavy and too trail oriented? Should I stick with the 2021 model? Should I just buy a Supercaliber? I live in Missouri and we have punchy climbs but nothing sustained. A lot of our longer mountain bike races include some spicy rock gardens and other moderate technical features. I am hoping to do Leadville whenever they pick my number as well. The 2022 is how I am leaning, however, the added weight and trail orientation make me worry it is going to slow me down. Thoughts or opinions?
I don’t disagree, but it’s a bit hard to compare. Any model Evo with carbon rims is an extra $2k over an XT spec TF in Aus. No stock of the Evo either.