TREK say – ‘Superfly is THE choice for the speed aficionado seeking the ultimate efficiency of a hardtail and bigger 29″ wheels’

Assuming that this statement is true why does it feel considerably more sluggish and less engaging to ride than my 2009 Gary Fisher Cobia? Out of the box weight is a respectable 26.22 lbs. but the bike seems to have a real sense of inertia on anything other than a downhill gradient.

I’m convinced that the wide bar & mid-length stem combination is a major contributor to the dull feel of the bike; the steering feels nowhere near as snappy as my Gary Fisher or an On One Scandal that I have recently ridden (both of which run narrower bars & shorter stems).

Naturally I’m now looking for a cost-effective ‘quick fix’ (to sharpen things up and add a turn of speed) and would be grateful of any guidance / advice from anyone else who has experienced a little bit of ‘out of the box’ disappointment from there new 29er?

Hi
I will be watching this with interest.
I demoed a pro version of this and was impressed enough to buy the demo bike.
Picking it up at the weekend but I have to say I didn’t think it was sluggish at all-quite the reverse.
Am new to 29ers though. The only other one I have ridden was a demo Solaris the same day.
Sorry doesn’t help you much.
Cheers
Steve

It has a sense of inertia, unless my dictionary is wrong this is a good thing, no?

Edit: just checked, you are right, i get what u mean *amends internal dictionary*

Feels sluggish or actually is sluggish ? Sometimes because you don’t get beaten to death it can feel as though you are not going as fast as you actually are . Try some timed runs with the Cobia vs the Superfly . Feeling less engaging could be down to contact points or you may just be used to the Cobia , although there shouldn’t be much between them feel wise . Does your Cobia have that funny backswept bar ?

Thanks Chaps. In response, yes, the Cobia does have the distinctly curved bar and it’s certainly narrower than the super-wide 710mm bar that has been fitted on the Superfly.

I fear that there may be a combination of factors at play here; primarily, that I am simply more comfortable and familiar with the Cobia’s contact points / riding position. So as suggested I will try a few timed rides (to see if the greater sensation of speed on the Fisher it is just an illusion) and try switching the bar & stem on the Trek for something a bit flatter & narrower to see if I can’t try and inject a bit spunk into the Superfly…

measure up the way you have the cobia set up. Take measurements from the floor up to the bars, bb and saddle height, saddle position relative to the BB and the distance from saddle to grips. A bit of jiggery pokery (taking the BB height out of the equation) and set the Superfly up as close as possible and try it. It’ll be a good start point.

I have a rig and a cobia, both medium but ride completely differently,

it’s all about the contact points as above i reckon.