First Impression: Gary Fisher Superfly 100

By Josh Patterson

Last year it was the Fisher Superfly 100. This year the Gary Fisher brand has been completely absorbed into the Trek mothership. The Superfly, along with other Fisher 29ers, is a now member of Trek’s "Gary Fisher Collection."

What does this mean to the average Joe? Well, the name on the bikes now reads "Trek" where they once read "Gary Fisher", but more importantly, Trek will have a 29er presence in many more bicycle shops. Consumers shopping for a new 29er will have access to more brands. Choice is good.

With an MSRP of $6,300 this OCLV carbon racer is the cream of the Fisher Collection. And there’s no better way to test a race bike than by racing. The Superfly 100 Elite’s trial-by-fire came during a 13-hour race. Conditions were less than ideal, and despite the rain and mud the XO drivetrain performed flawlessly and the 110mm of rear suspension were much appreciated. Speaking of the suspension, the Superfly 100 uses Trek’s ABP suspension technology, which utilizes a pivot concentric to the rear axle. I’m still dialing it in, though it is proving to be plush and very active.

Handling is predictable in most situations. Though I’m still adjusting to the Superfly’s G2 Geometry, which uses increased fork offset to reduce the bikes trail figure. Less trail means quicker handling. When slowly picking lines through rock gardens the front wheel has a tendency to feel overly light.

At speed the bike feels very stable; the ride is more trail bike than XC racer, which, in my opinion, is a good thing. I’ll be riding this bike for the seven days of the Trans-Sylvania Epic and want a bike that will be forgiving when I’m deep in the pain cave.

Stay tuned to find out if the Superfly 100 Elite and I ever make it out of the pain cave.