Back in late 2011, I made a somewhat controversial jump into the world of 29er dual suspension mountain bikes. The decision came after I had the pleasure of test riding the Superfly 100 at the Trek World dealer show in Canberra in September. Out of all the new bikes I got to ride over those 2 days on the trails of Mt Stromlo, the Carbon 29er stood out to me as one of the fastest and most stable XC bikes I had ever ridden, and was an experience that was echoed by pretty much every other dealer I spoke to. Although I had only recently upgraded my current mountain bike, the lure of the shiney Black & White carbon frame was just too much to handle and I sought to do anything that was necessary to make it mine.
Although I would have loved to have gotten the blingy X0 specced Superfly 100 Elite, my unglamorous bike shop employee income somehow didn't allow me to stretch to an $8k budget so I had to settle with the "entry level" version. My plan was to ride the snot out of this bike, slowly upgrade parts as I would see fit and monitor the performance changes as I swapped out new components to end up with a bike just how I want it.
When people think of a Custom Build, they generally visualise a frame being built up with specific components before it is complete. In my case, my custom build started with a complete bike that has evolved over time. Listed below are some of the changes I have made as well as some comments on how those components have affected the bike out on the trail.
Suspension
For the stock Trek Superfly 100, the suspension was never particularly shabby but it did lack some of the adjustment that comes on the higher end dampers from Fox. The stock fork is a Fox F100 29er fork with adjustable air pressure, rebound and lockout, while the shock is a Float RP2 that shares the same external adjustments. What I really wanted for the rear suspension was a Boost Valve equipped shock for a more consistent feel over rough terrain, as I had been finding the stock RP2 to be a little overwhelmed when facing repeated hits and high-speed chatter. The 2012 Fox RP23 rear shock comes equipped with both Speed and Position sensitive damping and so features a consistent and controlled feel all the way through the travel. The latest Adaptive Logic model can also be custom tuned by Fox in Sydney before it even goes on the bike; Boost Valve pressure, Velocity tune and Rebound tune are all tweaked for the Superfly 100's leverage ratio. I've had my shock set up to the stock Trek settings to start off with, though may play around with the tune down the track.
Up front, the Fox Float 29 RLC fork was quite the mission to acquire, due to the need for the G2 crown offset to maintain the Trek's nimble handling. With a slightly further offset crown, the fork took about 6 weeks to arrive from Fox USA, though it was well worth the wait. The closed FIT cartridge was the big reason I upgraded, as in a similar way to the Boost Valve in the rear shock it increases the dampers consistency over choppy terrain. Adjustable low speed compression makes a noticeable affect in reducing brake dive and the "wallow" I was getting on steep switchbacks. Both the fork & shock feature the Gold Kashima coating that reduces seal friction and combined with the redesigned SKF wipers, makes for a buttery action - oh and the gold finish looks sweet too!
Wheelset
After I had decided I was decking the SF100 out with new suspension, the logical upgrade for the fork was to with a QR15 thru axle to stiffen up the front of the bike and improve steering response. To do that however, would require a new front wheel, and, well let's be honest, a new rear wheel to match. DT Swiss 240 hubs on Mavic TN719 rims with DT Swiss Supercomp triple butted spokes make for a reasonably light but bulletproof, and more importantly, stiff wheelset. Jerry spent many hours sweating, lacing, tensioning, cursing, de-stressing and truing up these wheels, and the end result is a very high quality artisan build that I just couldn't get from factory built wheels. Out on the trail the difference is quite remarkable, and I have found both acceleration and handling response to have improved ten-fold over the stock wheels.
Wrapping the rims is a set of Maxxis Ignitor tyres in their 29er EXO format, which are designed as an all conditions tyre that emphasises grip over rolling resistance. Compared to Racing Ralphs or Ikons, they're certainly not as fast rolling on smooth terrain but once things get loose they hold on with impressive traction and allow me to hold a line with much more confidence. Combined with the 29er wheels and ABP rear suspension on the Superfly, I rarely find myself skidding or breaking traction - the bike just sticks to the ground like glue.
Cockpit
While perhaps not full of necessary upgrades, the cockpit on my SF100 has seen a couple of changes in pursuit of that "just right" setup that achieves the balance of comfort, control and stability. Changing out the bar to the carbon Bontrager RXL flatbar was motivated by a desire to try a different sweep, though thus far I'm not convinced of the 660mm width, having previously run a 690mm wide bar. The narrower stance has reduced some of the stability from the bike, though the trade-off has been faster steering through tight singletrack.
Changing out the stem to a Thomson X4 was a pretty obvious choice, though I really splashed out on the Masterpiece seatpost and carbon-railed Bontrager Evoke saddle, which dropped a substantial amount of grams from the bike.
Drivetrain & Brakes
Nothing particularly unusual here, though I did swap the 42t chainring for an E*13 Turbocharger bashguard as I found I was only using the big ring as a pseudo-bash plate anyway. 2x10 Drivetrain is quite slick, though I am tempted to go for a single ring setup up front in the pursuit of simplicity and reduced weight... Brakes were swapped out for the 2012 Shimano XT Brakes, which look very shiny and neat with their stout brake lever designed for one-finger braking. Pedals are Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 units, and no; I didn't purposefully set out to match the bikes paintjob, but yes; they do look fantastic on there don't they! I certainly prefer the extra float and ease of entry/exit that the Eggbeater pedals provide and have used numerous sets on my bikes over the years.
All in all, a pretty sweet setup if you ask me. A reasonable amount has changed on there since the bike first emerged from it's cardboard box, but I find it's part of the fun of owning a mountain bike that becomes your personal ride. Sure, not everything on there is perfect or was a fantastic choice, but learning how each component affects the bike and thusly the overall ride is an excellent learning experience that each one of us @ My Mountain goes through with their own bikes.
Keep an eye out for future updates on the SF100 as I'll do my best to detail my experiences over time with the bike and it's components. And if you have any questions or comments about any particular parts on the bike, feel free to post them below.
Happy endTrails
Wilis
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