As already mentioned, the front triangle is a truly massive construct and contributes greatly to the Superfly 100’s pedalling efficiency, precise steering and reassuringly solid feel under hard braking. Gary Fisher didn’t hit that feathery frame weight by tossing a lot of extra material into the formula, and aside from the pivot and dropout hardware, nearly everything is carbon fibre, from the suspension mounting points to the bottom bracket bearing seats to the rear dropouts. The massive head tube area contributes to the impressive front triangle rigidity: the massive head tube area contributes to the impressive front triangle rigidity James Huangįrame: Lots of carbon and virtually nothing else That low bottom bracket that’s so welcome in fast corners also places the cranks and pedals in a more vulnerable position, and we definitely smashed into a few more rocks and boulders than usual (FYI, Race Face’s ‘Keith the Sheath’ crankarm protectors also fit on the Truvativ Noir arms). In addition, the asymmetrical rear end tends to flex to one side when trying to load the suspension on G-outs in mid-corner, which can make for some unpredictability when charging hard. In spite of Gary Fisher’s frame engineers’ efforts to the contrary and the robust pedalling platform, there’s noticeable torsional flex in the rear end on fast and rocky descents as the rear wheel struggles to stay in-plane. Some limitations start to present themselves as the terrain gets rougher, though. Oh, and did we mention yet that the Superfly 100 is light? Total weight for a stock medium bike is just 11.05kg (24.36lb) without pedals and the bare frame and rear shock come in at only 2,170g (4.78lb) – impressive numbers for any full-suspension machine, regardless of wheel size, and the lack of mass is especially noticeable on longer ascents. Thankfully, the larger wheels’ shallower angle of attack takes care of most of the trail chatter on their own so it isn’t much of an issue. Likewise, it tackles technical climbs with uncanny prowess, clawing its way over square-edged rocks and maintaining a surprising degree of grip.Īlso aiding the bike’s quick reflexes under power is the taut and athletic-feeling rear suspension, which is impressively capable on medium-to-large impacts in spite of just 110mm of wheel travel but clearly tuned more on the efficiency end of the spectrum rather than pure bump-eating. Stomp on the pedals and it moves forward with the authority you’d expect from a race machine, regardless of wheel diameter, and the front end’s rock-solid stiffness means you can torque the bars to your heart’s content with little noticeable twist. Pedalling performance is good too, and especially with the speed-oriented stock tyres in place (more on that later), the Superfly 100 is a competition-worthy rig.
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In spite of what you may think 29ers are supposed to feel like, the Superfly 100 is quick to change direction on fast, twisty singletrack, yet surprisingly adept at low-speed uphill or downhill switchbacks.Ĭombined with the bigger wheels’ generally better traction and ability to steamroll trail obstacles plus a low bottom bracket, we found ourselves carrying more speed not only on the wide-open sections but also through most corners – and then exiting them with more vigour.
The Superfly 100’s greatest trick is masking the bigger wheels’ (29in rather than the normal mountain bike size of 26in) typically slower handling.