I decided earlier this year that I was going to finally replace my Epic, a bike that has been my trusty trail ride since I bought it in 2004. Since then, there’s been a raft of technology updates, and recently it became clear that it was time.

So today, B&L Bicycles let me borrow a 2011 HiFi Pro for the weekend. They did so knowing that I would likely never buy this particular bike, but it would be “really close” to the current Superfly 100, a bike that I do have on my watch list.

First, the good:

  • it steers nearly as quickly as my Epic, which is very impressive when you consider the wheels are 3” bigger in diameter. I really didn’t expect it to be that competitive
  • it “felt” faster on flat or downhill terrain (I have yet to verify this)
  • out of saddle climbing was much better, the 29” tires don’t readily spin like the 26” tires
  • like the 29er Giant Anthem I rode for 100 yards in the spring, I felt like I was “in” the bike—I was part of the bike instead of on it.
  • ABP works every bit as well as Trek says it does. This is worth repeating. ABP works every bit as well as Trek says it does.
  • The bike is light as hell.
  • If you ask, it leaves the ground without complaint. If you don’t, it stays where it belongs.
  • Climbing out of the seat was surprisingly good. Plenty of bob, but didn’t feel like it was sapping my energy.

Now, the bad (none of which are serious):

  • 700+mm bars are too damned wide. When I can’t navigate the trail, it’s a problem. Good news, they are only a little too wide, so I would only slice maybe an inch off. That’s easy enough to do. I consider bar ends a must with these wide things, they protect your hands from rocks.
  • Seated climbing “felt” slower and harder than my Epic.
  • The XT front derailleur is not as good as the LX version I have on my current bike under load. This is strange to me.

All in all, a pretty good bike. I look forward to testing it some more on Sunday after I spend some time getting the shock dialed in. Maybe then I will see a difference between ProPedal and wide open.