The look on my little man’s face when this Trek Fuel EX Junior was pulled out of its box was priceless. He was so excited to finally have a ‘proper’ bike as I had been calling it prior to its arrival. He was just starting to out-grow his 20” wheeled Ridgeback, which was heavy and had forks softer than a sponge with the damping abilities of a pogo stick!

He sees bikes come and go from my shed like a shop, with all the testing I do and to finally get him involved and on the long term test team was like a dream come true to me. So with me feeling like the proudest dad in the world we went out together for our first proper ride, to see if he would be happy with it, or whether it would all be a bit overkill, having full suspension for a nine year old boy.

A damn fine looking lil' riper's bike.
A damn fine looking lil’ riper’s bike.

First of all the biggest worry was that he was doing a big jump up from 20” to 26” wheels, missing out the more obvious 24” that his size would be more suited to. The sizing according to Trek is for kids between 1.3 and 1.52m tall, so with Tod being bang in the middle at 1.4m it should be perfect, although with the large (for a kid) 26” wheels it still looked too big at first glance. First job was to weigh it, and with a set of pedals fitted it came in at a tad over 13kg (29lbs) now this is a thoroughly acceptable weight for an adult’s MTB, but for a skinny little kid I worried it may be a bit much for a big ride!

At times I look and think it seems too big, but Tod would strongly disagree!
At times I look and think it seems too big, but Tod would strongly disagree!

Sag setting was an interesting experience from an adult point of view. After pumping the shock and forks up to what I thought would be about right, I realized just how light kids are after it sank about 5% when he stood on the bike! To get the correct 25% it had to be ridiculously soft compared to what an adult would find normal, as I could literally bottom it out with an easy press down with one hand; way out! After it’s initial dent and scratch protection was fitted by Invisiframe, then setting the sag and attaching a Rockguardz mudguard, it was nearly ready for the off, just one more change had to be made. Although coming with nice short bars for kids, the own brand grips are fat adult sized ones which moved, so the narrowest lock-on Fabric grips were fitted for a comfier feel for Tod’s little hands. Excitedly we headed off to the family-friendly Cannock Chase trails for the first ride.

Much narrower Fabric grips fitted for smaller hands.
Much narrower Fabric grips fitted for smaller hands.
The Rockguardz smallest guard had to be fitted, because it is like daddy's!
The Rockguardz smallest guard had to be fitted, because it is like daddy’s!
Invisiframe has already done its job on the couple of lay downs onto stone.
Invisiframe has already done its job on the couple of lay downs onto stone.

When it comes to seat height the seat post has to be down as far as possible, his legs aren’t quite as extended as I would have liked when the pedals are down, but he can just keep the bike upright if he stops with his bum on the seat (how a 1.3m kid would get one I just don’t know!) From the off I was very pleasantly surprised how comfortable he was on the bike, with me riding behind occasionally reminding him to use his gears and to stand up more! As the day went on his confidence grew fast and his skills were coming out of the woodwork, I could tell he loved it.

Tod loves the feel of the suspension, especially cpm paired to his old hardtail.
Tod loves the feel of the suspension, especially compared to his old hardtail.

On the up hills Tod grinded them out cranking past grown men walking, making full use of the smaller granny ring of the two by ten drivetrain, and with the long (for a kid’s bike) wheelbase it never ever seemed to loose grip or try and wheelie whilst ascending, although the only time he fell off was trying to turn tight around an up hill switchback; that being the only real down-side to a longer bike than a 24”. On the flat he was very comfortable and commented several times about how much better it felt than his older smaller bike.

On the climbs, the length of the Trek keeps it so planted.
On the climbs, the length of the Trek keeps it so planted.

On the descents Tod’s wide smile was so noticeable, he kept telling me just how good the squidginess (suspension!) soaked up all the bumps, plus he was trying to ping the front end up off every little rise; his confidence growing by the minute. The most noticeable thing with this bike, pretty much as a beginner rider, was when tackling Cannock’s red-trail rock sections, These bits can see adults getting it wrong and having nasty falls. With me standing by the side (for an emergency bail out) Tod rode these steep, rough DH rock sections with ease, the larger wheels and plush suspension soaking up the bumps amazingly.

Downhills bring out the lad's confidence, this mini enduro bike eats up the rocks.
Downhills bring out the lad’s confidence, this mini enduro bike eats up the rocks.

I think we will look at ditching the two-by when his legs grow stronger and go for a Hope bigger top-half cassette with small front chainring for less clutter, more simplicity and weight saving. Also to save more weight maybe some lighter brakes with shorter levers and lighter bar/stem combo. But first impressions are real good and I look forward to seeing just how well Tod can advance as a rider on this bike alongside his old one, which will now be fitted with slick tyres and turned into a pump track bike.

One lucky boy!
One lucky boy!

Website: trekbikes.com

Update February 2016: In the meanwhile Tod’s Trek Fuel EX Jr has seen some upgrades

Words and photos: Jim Buchanan


Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.