Ride report:
I don't have pics because I only demo'd the bike, but wow.
I had to go out of my way to write a review.
About me: my first really good mountain bike was a gary fisher tassajara hardtail with 140mm fork and full xtr. So I am smitten with a more burly type of hardtail. Also, I really like trek in general. The bikes literally feel like they are alive. They're so responsive. Anywho, I have owned and tested a fair amount of 29rs. Other than a rigid ss sir9 (which is a very different type of ride), I didn't like any of them a whole lot. I saw the potential, but they always had something I didn't like. None were quite there yet. Too heavy, to slow in the corners, doesn't like catching air, doesn't like being flicked etc....
I'm not aware of, are atleast haven't tested 29 hardtail that wasn't a small travel/carbon race machine.
So when I saw the stache in the works I was really excited. If anyone could nail a trail 29 hardtail, I was sure trek could.
And wow, they did not disappoint.
The bike: It was amazing. It was set up with xt brakes and slx shifters. My favorite. It had the 130mm fox fork (forget which one) so you can tackle more gnar without sacrificing a whole lot. But you all know that. The details were amazing. The paint was just a clear coat (with green highlights) so you could see where they had buffed the metal underneath. It was a work of art. Even down to the green raceface cranks. Beautiful.
The ride: Amazing, of course. The first thing I noticed was the cornering ability. It only had 2.2 tires (didn't catch what they were) but it held a sharp corner with abandon. It was just begging to be turned and twisted and played with. As soon as you tilted it, it was like a dog let off the leash. The bike literally felt happy (or maybe that was just me). It felt more confident in a sharp turn than any 2.4 gnarly tire that I've ever tried. Maybe it was the geometry. It was alive in the corners. I've never felt anything like it. I never knew I had been missing so much in the corners.
One thing I've never liked about 29rs is how they like to stay on the ground. I can't bunny hop them. Not the stache. I got more air on it that even the lightest 26 wheeled bike. Amazing.
Maybe it was because my legs were dead, but it felt kind of slow in a straight line. Not sure if that was me, the gear ratio i was in, or the bike. It was certainly light enough though so that shouldn't have been the reason.
I was too tired to climb, so I wasn't able to take it down or up a hill, but I talked to my buddy and he said it felt "like butter" downhill, and hammered uphill. I believe it.
In the end, trek made a 29r that doesn't have the traditional 29 problems: sluggish, sits on the ground, weird in the corners. It not only got rid of the problems, but it blew past what you would expect. It was amazing to ride. Light, cornered like crazy, was really fun to flick around, and put a smile on my face

Sure, you could tell it was a 29r, but it didn't have any problems at all. I would say it's the most fun 29r ever made, or atleast that I've tried.
Dead on. I'll ride trek till the day I die. And of course, you should too.
Buy this bike.