Superfly 100 AL Elite, Rumblefish Elite or Stumpjumper FSR Comp 29?
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I own a 2011 trek x-cal and recently had to get work done to it. THe trek store lent me the Rumblefish Pro and it was amazing. Climbs great and handles rough downhills like a dream. My vote is for the Rumblefish. I ride XC and downhill and this bike was perfect.
All over= A little around the neighborhood riding, mild trails with the family, and more aggressive climbing and down hill with my buddies.
IMO you have 2 oranges and an apple.
The Superfly is a great climber with moderate suspension. If you're more worried about climbing than descending, it's a natural. It also a tight handler for a 29 so it works great on really tight singletrack and flowy but manicured stuff. It's a good light trail bike but it's quick handling keeps it from being the most confident descender. It could be a decent sport level cross country raced without a lot of mods.
The Rumblefish has tougher wheels, more suspension (drcv to boot). It's a little more capable, but it won't climb like a Superfly. It's a little slacker and you can take hits a little easier. It's also more stable in a straight line. You'll have a little more fun on the way down then you would on the superfly- but you'll earn it.
The Stumpjumper rides a little closer to the Rumblefish IMO. It's a little slacker and a little longer legged. IIRC the Stumpjumper and the Rumblefish have identical bottom bracket heights whereas the Superfly is a little lower.
So when people ask about your type of riding- I think they mean: are you riding in the primordial forest or are you riding some buff IMBA sanitized stuff. If the trails around you have been manicured, i'd take the superfly all day long for the speed and handling. If you're bouncing off roots- I'd take one of the other 2.
The Superfly is a great climber with moderate suspension. If you're more worried about climbing than descending, it's a natural. It also a tight handler for a 29 so it works great on really tight singletrack and flowy but manicured stuff. It's a good light trail bike but it's quick handling keeps it from being the most confident descender. It could be a decent sport level cross country raced without a lot of mods.
The Rumblefish has tougher wheels, more suspension (drcv to boot). It's a little more capable, but it won't climb like a Superfly. It's a little slacker and you can take hits a little easier. It's also more stable in a straight line. You'll have a little more fun on the way down then you would on the superfly- but you'll earn it.
The Stumpjumper rides a little closer to the Rumblefish IMO. It's a little slacker and a little longer legged. IIRC the Stumpjumper and the Rumblefish have identical bottom bracket heights whereas the Superfly is a little lower.
So when people ask about your type of riding- I think they mean: are you riding in the primordial forest or are you riding some buff IMBA sanitized stuff. If the trails around you have been manicured, i'd take the superfly all day long for the speed and handling. If you're bouncing off roots- I'd take one of the other 2.
Im more in the forest. I live in the Tuolumne County area, there is a great thread in the NorCal Forum that has great pictures of the general terrain that is up here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/california-norcal/pinecrest-aka-chunkcrest-808448.html
http://forums.mtbr.com/california-norcal/pinecrest-aka-chunkcrest-808448.html
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72 Posts
If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, you should probably look at any bike company besides Trek or Specialized, as you tend to pay a lot more for the name. You can find a lot better components and suspension designs for the same price with other bikes. What other companies are available in your area?
x2....that is a little more chunk than I prefer, definitely not the place for Superfly even al. The flowy sections look nice though.
The only major brands within my area is Trek and Specialized. I could travel over an hour to other shops but would rather stick to the guys here in town.
Kona makes good stuff if you have a dealer near you. I don't think that terrain is a great place for the anthem, it's basically another cross country type bike that competes with the superfly. 29 trance coming out shortly.
Trek and Specialized really do have pretty well sorted suspensions. Not sure where you'll find a better suspension design for less.
Trek and Specialized really do have pretty well sorted suspensions. Not sure where you'll find a better suspension design for less.
Superfly 100 actually does well in rough stuff like that, nothing in the pics is that crazy for what it can handle well. That said, if that is the average trail you ride, then go Rumblefish. If that is unusual and only an occasional ride, then superfly is better in the tamer stuff, but I am amazed at how well it does as an all purpose trail bike while still excelling in XC buff stuff and right switchbacks. For what you described, I would lean toward SF100.
I wouldn't say this is average, but it is something that I will be on occasionally. Most of the trails are rocky/rooted (not super chunky) though
What if I throw the Specialized Camber Comp 29 in the mix? Still leaning to the Rumblefish?.
What if I throw the Specialized Camber Comp 29 in the mix? Still leaning to the Rumblefish?.
Yes, I sometimes ride with a guy about 210 lbs who rides Superfly CF and it seems to hold up fine for him. I've seen him break ti pedals due to strength and weight, so I'm amazed that such a light bike holds up for him, even in the rough rocky trails. I'd ride one.
Yes, guitly of this myself lol. Go with the one that you feel most comfortable on. I know hard to do in parking lot, but it's a start and rental test ride if you can. I never have luck finding rental bikes in my area that I was actually considering buying.
Yeah rentals are out of the question, hell having the bike in stock that I want to buy is tough. This is a small town so they dont keep in stock alot of the higher end models. I sat on the entry level Superfly100 yesterday and it felt pretty good, going to go by the specialized shop today or tomorrow to see if they have something similar to the Stumpy or Camber to try and compare. I do like the colors of this years Specialized so maybe that will be a factor as well.
The hardest part for both brands is if I should spend an extra $250 for more travel. All else seems identical.
The hardest part for both brands is if I should spend an extra $250 for more travel. All else seems identical.
I've posted the same thing over and over in these types of threads. Take the time to travel and demo! It will save you a ton of money in the long run.
I'm selling a 3k Stumpjumper 29 Comp with less than 100 miles on it, because I didn't demo it first. I wasn't happy with it. Walked into the shop where I bought it and they had gotten in a TBc and TBLT for demoing.
Once I tried the SC Tallboy, I didn't want to ride my SJ anymore. You don't want to end up where I'm at. A few calls and a little bit of driving around would have saved me a bunch of money and gotten me on the right bike the first time.
As far as the Trek and Specialized you have in you list, 2 things I don't like about both are the proprietary shocks. After trying to upgrade the shock on my SJ, I'll never buy another bike with a proprietary shock again.
At least with Niner, SC, Intense, Pivot, Mojo etc... all use standard shocks- yes the tunes are different, but they can be replaced/upgraded easily.
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