With the Gary Fisher brand folding into Trek this year, I was interested to demo a bike from the new Gary Fisher Collection, the Superfly Elite. The Superfly Elite is a carbon fiber, hardtail 29er that, beyond the new name, really hasnt changed that much for 2011. Gary Fisher 29ers always had a reputation for being great bikes and fortunately I can say thats still the case.
One of the things that makes the Superfly Elite unique among 29ers is the shorter chainstays made possible, in part, because of the direct mount front derailleur. Shorter chainstays make the bike more agile on the trail and eliminate the tractor driving feeling some might expect from a 29er. Plus direct mount is definitely the way to go with carbon bikes nothing worse than cracking a seat tube from over-torquing a bolt.
The Superfly Elite is shockingly lightweight for a 29er thanks to the carbon frame and SRAM X0 2×10 groupo. It climbs super efficiently and accelerates well despite the big wheels.
On the trail the Superfly Elite felt extremely stiff which is good for going fast but honestly its not the most comfortable ride out there. This is a race machine and it shows, right down to the narrow, flat handlebars.
If you want to win races, its hard to go wrong with the Gary Fisher Collection Superfly Elite. Its lightweight, climbs like a champ, and isnt too shabby in the corners thanks to its refined geometry. Just dont plan on riding this one on all day epics that might be painful. 🙂
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