The New Whip: 2020 Top Fuel 9.7

For a long time I’ve resisted buying a full suspension bike. Not that I haven’t owned some before, two to be exact, but I didn’t really enjoy riding them as much as I did hardtails…singlespeeds to be specific. Then there was also the money factor; to buy a quality full squish bike is no cheap investment. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I thought I could stave off full squish by running 27.5 Plus, but while those bikes were fun, they were just too sluggish for my riding tastes. So when I set off to find a full squish bike I started off with a list of qualifications and bikes and then started eliminating bikes that didn't hit what I was looking for. The list was below:

  • Since it was going to be a race bike it needed to be as light as possible. So I decided on either carbon fiber or titanium frame.

  • Again, this was to be a race bike, so 29 inch wheels were the choice here.

  • My races of choice are 6 Hour races and long distance epics. As such the bike needed to be comfortable for many hours in the saddle.

  • I set my budget for the bike for $4000, leaving some room for upgrades and to set it up personalized for myself.

  • Knowing that a lot of my rides and races were going to have long road and/or gravel sections and big climbs, I wanted to have remote lockout or similar functionality at least on the rear of the bike.

  • If was going to go to a full squish bike I wanted it to have some chops when the trail pointed downhill. Plus this was going to be my primary bike. It needed to blur the line a little between race bike and trail bike.

  • I wanted to buy a bike from a local shop in town. Both because I want to support my local bike shops, but also because I wanted a place that I could easily get the bike fixed should warranty issues come up.

Those requirements eliminated a lot of really nice bikes. I was especially unhappy to check off the the Pivot Mach 4 and Santa Cruz Blur. After all the chips fell the Top Fuel was the only one left standing. It was the only bike that hit everything I wanted. But would I actually like it? A quick trip up to Scott’s Bicycle Center in Cleveland, TN, a demo bike, and two blistering laps at Enterprise confirmed that the Top Fuel was what I was looking for. Tons of PRs all over the course and I wasn’t even pushing all that hard. So now that I’ve got a shiny new Top Fuel what’s next?

Upgrades

To put it mildly, I’m neurotic about the parts I spec on my bike. In some places I can deal with lesser spec parts, but in others I’m often uncompromising…and that’s putting it kindly. Thus far my upgrades limited to a few areas where I felt I was getting the most bang for the buck, though there was one change I made that was purely visual and has little effect on performance.

  • The first thing to get tossed was the stock saddle. I gave it a go on the demo ride and didn’t like it, so I swapped over to my preferred one: WTB Silverado

  • The second part to go was the brake rotors. I hated the way the stock rotors looked, so I swapped them over to some Shimano RT-66’s. This probably has very little performance benefit, but it basically cost me nothing since I had them in my spare parts bin already.

  • Next to go was the wheels. The stock wheelset was heavy and the engagement on the hubs was meh…at least compared to what I usually ride. So I purchased a set of Bontrager Kovee Pro 30 Carbon wheels. The reason I selected these wheels over other is that they were a great mix of price($1300), weight(1500 grams), internal rim width(29.5mm), hub engagement (3 degrees), and Trek’s amazing warranty.

  • Drive-train upgrades remain minor. The SRAM NX groupset, while not blingtastic, works just fine. I could save some weight by going to a GX cassette, but those cost TWICE as much to replace. So I’ll stay with the NX shifter/RD/Cassette for the foreseeable future. I did pull off the SRAM XX1 crankset off my singlespeed and install it on the Top Fuel with the help of a SRAM PressFit GXP Bottom Bracket and a Boost offset chain ring.

  • I have a Bontrager Line Pro 35 Carbon Handlebar and a Bontrager Line Pro Stem incoming as well. While I may not see much direct performance benefit from this, carbon bars do allow for some flex and additional vibration damping. So it was a worthwhile upgrade given my long distance race aspirations.

  • In the future I may swap out the Bontrager XR3 Team Issue tires, but 4 rides in and I like them just fine. If/when they do get swapped out I’ll most likely go with a Maxxis Ardent Race/Ikon combo.

How Does It Ride

In a word…FAST!!! One of my concerns regarding full suspension bikes was feeling like I was pedaling in sand. I’m happy to say this was an invalid concern. Previous geared, full squish experiences were 8 plus years ago and with 3 and 2x10 setups. Modern 12 speed drive-trains and suspension technology have obviously come a long way since then. So while I do miss some of the immediacy of singlespeed; it’s no where near as bad as I thought. The bike pedals great.

The other concern I had was feeling disconnected from the trail. Part of the reason I like hardtails is because I can feel the trail beneath me and react accordingly. This concern was also invalid. The bike never feels like its floating above the trail, a testament to the suspension tuning. While I can now stay seated over bumpy sections of trail, I’m not isolated from it.

The first big ride on the bike went great; 62 miles on Lookout Mountain with Thom Lerch. I’ve got much “re-learning” to do with this bike. Trusting that the front end is going to stay planted uphill is an issue, while how the bike is going to react through rough sections is another. This isn’t a comment on the bike, but a difference in riding styles that I need to get used to again. Whereas before I look at a rock garden and figure out a way to pick my way through it, now I have the option of going OVER it. Speaking of riding styles; I also need to view my line options differently now. Thom even commented on how I was still taking a lot of singlespeed lines; which isn’t a problem persay, but there are certainly more lines available to me now with 115mm of rear suspension travel.

One of the most surprising things to me is just how laterally stiff the bike is. Turn in is crisp, even with the stock wheels, and the bike holds the chosen line like a rabid dog. While I was expecting an increase in stiffness given my previous bike, I wasn’t ready for this level rigidity.

Things I’m Not Crazy About

This list is short since I had reasonable expectations given the 9.7 is the “entry level” carbon fiber bike in the Top Fuel lineup. Meaning that these issues are fixable or just something I need to get used to given they differ from my usual preferences.

  • I don’t like the grips. Normally this would be an easy swap to something else, but the lockout mechanism is integrated into the left grip. So swapping out the grips would require removing the lockout (not an option) or moving to the Bontrager DropLock Remote. So for now they stay on and see if I get used to them.

  • The RockShox Reba RL is a perfectly serviceable fork, but not my preferred option. I’d rather have a Fox. While I’d like to swap out the fork, given how much money I spent on other upgrades its probably not in the cards for a long time, if ever. I was running a SID on my SS, so I have nothing against them, but in a perfect world all my bikes would be running Fox forks.

  • While the SRAM NX drivetrain works pretty flawlessly, it’ll take some time for me and my legs to get used to the gaps in the gearing. The jumps from gear to gear are wider in places then I’ve been previously used to. The good news is riding a singlespeed all this time has gotten me accustomed to always being in the wrong gear. So if I’m spinning or grinding at an imperfect cadence it’s not the end of the world.

Final Thoughts

Thus far I’m thoroughly enjoying my new bike. One of the best parts of this bike is being able to plan a stupid long and difficult ride and know that while I may be tired afterwards, at least I won’t be hurt. I’m looking forward to trashing this bike in the future and seeing what its truly capable of. My transition to the geared racing classes starts on July 18th!!!