This Bike + Good Engine = Podium
Lighter than most 4" travel 26er FS frames/Awesome geometry/51mm offset fork enhances trail/ABP rear pivot is beefy and super stiff/Plush, 4.33" (110mm) of rear travel/Asymmetrical chainstays/Thick downtube and BB equals 100% forward thrust/Carbon frame armor/Equally great climber descender/Stock Bontrager saddle is actually nice/Rock Shox fork with dual air simply rocks
Dated, 2010 tech on front derailleur mount(direct mount/type 2) adds grams/Full-length cable housing for front shifter does not optimize correct cable pull ratio/"Big Sweep" bars feels like a Beach Cruiser/Bontrager RXL 29er wheelset weighs a whopping 2000grams/SRAM XX brakes is unsafe and unreliable - ditch them
After the first-generation(2010) Gary Fisher Superfly 100 frames were deemed a complete reliability nightmare - Trek took over and corrected everything for 2012, by reinforcing unidirectional carbon layups in all affected areas, without compromising weight. Trek also mandated 142x12 rear axles, further beefing up rear stiffness and stability. The ABP rear pivot works as claimed, greatly minimizing tire skidding and keeps the suspension fully active under hard braking.
Overall - the 2012 SF100 Pro is a dream on two wheels; it climbs almost telepathically. When tuned as a Trail bike, this machine is an unreal mixture of log-rolling smoothness and all-day efficiency. On the descents, baby head rock gardens suddenly turn into frozen peas and carrots, allowing you to confidently blaze through them like a 6" travel All-Mountain bike would. Thanks to the short wheelbase - it executes tight switchbacks just like a 26er does. Everything about this bike screams outright fun. I've ridden the BEST of the BEST 29ers out there(S-Works Epic 29/Santa Cruz Tallboy/Turner Czar/Yeti SB95/Niner Jet9 RDO/Ibis Ripley/Intense Spider Comp29/Rocky Mountain 999 RSL/Scott Spark 910) and this bike still has the most balanced of all trail attributes, combined with workable light weight. Want a one-bike, go-anywhere quiver killer you can easily keep for years? You're looking at it...
