Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe 29″er: Out Of The Box
November 23rd, 2007 by Guitar Ted
Here is the Gary Fisher Deluxe HiFi 29″er in all its glory on a snowy Mid-Western afternoon. The size of this particular speciman is 19″. Here are my initial thoughts upon taking it out of the box and building it up.
Probably the first thing you’ve heard about the 2008 Fisher 29″ers is that many of them are spec’ed with the new Fox F-100 RL 29″er fork. This Deluxe model has one and it is a special G2 offset fork that is only available on certain 2008 Gary Fisher 29″er models. I’ll delve into more detail on G2 in another post. For now let’s just say that the fork looks pretty well thought out with it’s clean, beefy lowers and anodized control knobs.
Their are alot of cool bits on this bike. Another one of the big innovations from Fisher/Bontrager is the Rhythm Tubeless Ready wheel set that is on this bike. It has a wider rim profile than any of the previous Bontrager 29″er rims and is tubeless compatible with the addition of a plastic rim strip insert available separately. The tires are also the Tubeless Ready Bontrager Jones ACX models with a folding bead. The Deluxe comes with tubes, but switching out to Tubeless Ready status isn’t a big deal once you get the kit from your dealer. I’ll get into the Rhythm technology in another post too.
Moving on we have the Fox RP-2 rear damper on this bike which allows for 4 inches of rear wheel travel. The RP-2 has the Pro Pedal feature and a rebound adjustment control. The suspension is of the single pivot linkage driven type with an asymetrical swingarm and big wide pivot points above the rear drop outs. It has carbon fiber co-molded seat stays, which in themselves are a whole ‘nuther story. It all looks really well made and the paint even fades over the seat stays to show the carbon fiber. Nice.
The rest of the bike is finished out in Bontrager bits including a Race Lite seat post, a Race saddle in white and black, a Race Lite stem, and a Race Lite Big Sweep handle bar sporting 12 degrees of bend. The controls are SRAM X-9 shifters which move SRAM X-9 derailluers front and rear. The brakes are Avid Juicy Five hydro units which grab onto 160mm rotors front and rear. The crankset is a Shimano Deore LX two piece affair with external bottom bracket cups.
The bike overall looks pretty nice with the grayish-blue hue and white fork and accents on the saddle tying it all together. The ‘08 graphics are nice on the eye, not garish or odd looking. Things went together pretty smoothly with the exception of my having to wrestle with getting the tires to set up in the rim hooks properly. Airing up to 60psi helped with this. The fit and finish of all the parts is first rate otherwise. Captain Bob came in and took a look and wanted me to point out that the down tube has a useable water bottle mount. He said he was glad to see that Fisher stuck one in there and didn’t make it a “Camelback bike”. I’d have to agree.
The weight came in at about 27.8lbs with my ancient Ritchey pedals installed. The measurements all agreed with the spec sheet with the exception that the static measurements of the head tube and seat tube came ot to 71/73.5 degrees respectively. A bit steeper than what Fisher has published. I’ll have to get Captain Bob rounded up to find the sagged measurements for all of you that are into that sort of thing. Stay tuned for a first ride report soon!
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I’d love to hear some test report on this bike from a rider in the 175 - 190 lbs. range to see how the on the trail performance of the rear triangle feels. I ride the Sugar 293 and sure - there is some rear flex as well as flex on my 2006 Dos, but was curious how the HiFi performed for a rider in that weight range.
Bike looks good, G-Ted. I anxiously await your thoughts on this bike for Iowa singletrack such as Boone, Decorah, Ingawanis, Sockum Ridge, Sugar Bottom, etc… .
Thanks.
Hi Bruce,
I had a short test ride over rough terrain a couple of days ago and noted no flex in the rear triangle. I am in within your target weight range. The bike seemed extremely solid to me. I am torn between this bike and the Superfly. Not because I can afford it, (but because I have no wife restraining me), I may get both.
I like the component mix on the Deluxe beter than the Pro. Plus, (per the Fisher web site), the Deluxe weighs *less* than the Pro. Win, win, I say.
Thank you in advance GT, for giving us the full scoop on the HIFi 29. Much appreciated.
carno
use a crap-ton of talc inside the tires to help with seating. I ALWAYS use a good amount. Mine seated with a nice “pop-pop” at less than 40psi.
Should note, I rode both the 19 and 17.5 models, and found the 17.5 fit me much better….I am 5′ 11.5″ and was swimming in the 19.
It seems (I could be wrong) that the over-all “feel” of the 29er HiFi’s, are that they have a larger fit than the 26er HiFi’s when compared by common size???
I would say try before buy.
carno
To G-Ted once again,
could you be so friendly and send me the first foto in maximum resolution of this Out of box on mail adress hynas@centrum.cz?
Thank you very much….till the container with my bike will not arrive to Moravia, I´d like to get this foto on my monitor.
:o)
Thanks one more!
BruceBrown: I went out and thrashed the HiFi out at Ingawanis, (The Camp) today with Captain Bob, and I let three other guys ride it, all lighter than I getting down to about 165lbs for the lightest guy. Thumbs up all around. I’ll post more detail in the First Impression post soon.
By the way, we were able to fit all the riders there on the 19″ size mostly because of the slightly shorter effective top tube measurement from the ‘07 Fishers. Probably not ideal for a couple of the guys, but the smaller size wouldn’t have worked for any of us but one. Your mileage may vary.
Hynas: I am currently on a different computer and access to the requested photo will not be available to me until tomorrow, but I will send that out.
I would have driven over to join everyone for the Ingawanis ride, but my idea of a Saturday morning ride begins at about 12 noon.
Not to mention I live at least 2 hours away.
Glad to hear the flex issue seems to be moot. I should check around in Des Moines at the Trek/Fisher dealers to see if anyone is planning on getting a 29″er HiFi in stock. It would be nice to toss my leg over one and get an idea. My main curiosity would be to see how much better, equal of different it is my Sugar 293 with the geometry change.
I rode the exact bike at a Demo Day. Unfortunately, I needed an XL and they didn’t have one there. It did not feel as nice as the 26er Hi-Fi that was my size. Only XL will tell.
To BearSquirrel:
Hi, and how tall are you a how much do you weight?….I am also between L and XL size, and your info could help me to choose the right size for testing from our local exporter.
Thanks more.
:o)
I’m interested to know why they spec a 160 front rotor on the 29er, when it’s a 180 on the 26er ! Surely it should have been the other way around if anything.
I just love the blended seat stays on the 29er, compared to the ugly castings on the 26er. Both types are apparently co-moulded, but look very different.
Gren: I sent in a question to my Fisher contact to see if I can get an answer for you on this. I’m guessing that you are specifically asking about the carbon seat stay junction with the aluminum end just above the rear drop out pivot, correct? I’m guessing that is a kind of lug that is glued, most likely, but we will se the why of it perhaps in the forth coming answer to my e-mail. I’ll post on it soon as I get the answer for you.
Gren,
My heals constantly hit on the HiFi 26er seat stays, but not at all on the HiFi 29er’s. The 26er carbon piece is bulkier, (as well as ugly, as you note)…that may be the reason??
Sorry….meant “heels”
Gren, carno: The answer is that the 26″er version uses a different technique to join the drop out pivot to the seat stay. It is a “lug” of sorts that is glued into place. The resulting joint is necessarily larger and more easily seen. The 29″er version got the whole co-molded technology dealio, so it’s much cleaner looking, stronger, and lighter than the 26″er HiFi’s. This is a main reason why the 29″er HiFi frame weighs the same as the 26 inch version!
Why Fisher did this would probably be best answered by the fact that the 26″er version pre-dates the 29″er version. The later frame gets the latest technology.
Good for 29″er fans.
Hynas,
I’m 6′3″ with a real 35″ inseam (I’m fat now so my pants only say it’s a 32). I currently riding an XL Karate Monkey and I consider it a perfect fit.
Bear Squirrel
CAMO- if you’re using cliples, you should really get a fitting done. If you’ve had a fitting done, go get one done somewhere else. That type of this shouldn’t happen with proper form.
The shock adjustment level is mounted in the least comvenient position. I’d swap the head and tail around, and then rotate it 180 degrees. This would move the lever from top rear to bottom front - any thoughts.
To Gren: I think, no problem to change shock, I have done the same on my sugar, my new RP23 has the same position as you write.
Yeah, they went with co-molded for ‘08. I’m not sure if the 26er got the same treatment. I rode the 9er pro at Interbike, and loved it. It handled better than any other bike I’ve ever ridden, which I grant is limited, but I can tell you folks that the G2 geometry combined with the 29″ wheels is wonderful. I had a confidence and stability on this bike at any speed that is unmatched by anything else I’ve ever thrown a leg over. I’m 250lbs, and the bike perfomed flawlessly, even over some small drops, hops, g-outs, ruts, and the extra inch and a half bb clearance was appreciated on the cliffhanging sidehills in Boulder City (especially in the US with no health insurance). The suspension, designed for x-country at about 3″ front and rear is just right, well damped, not squishy, I never felt any bottoming out, it ramps up nicely. In my opinion, this bike is a work of art, pro or deluxe. although I like the deluxe colour better. Never was a fan of baby blue.
Yeah, they went with co-molded for ‘08. I’m not sure if the 26er got the same treatment. I rode the 9er pro at Interbike, and loved it. It handled better than any other bike I’ve ever ridden, which I grant is limited, but I can tell you folks that the G2 geometry combined with the 29″ wheels is wonderful. I had a confidence and stability on this bike at any speed that is unmatched by anything else I’ve ever thrown a leg over. I’m 250lbs, and the bike perfomed flawlessly, even over some small drops, hops, g-outs, ruts, and the extra inch and a half bb clearance was appreciated on the cliffhanging sidehills in Boulder City (especially in the US with no health insurance). The suspension, designed for x-country at about 3″ front and rear is just right, well damped, not squishy, I never felt any bottoming out, it ramps up nicely. In my opinion, this bike is a work of art, pro or deluxe. although I like the deluxe colour better. Never was a fan of baby blue.
sorry about that. I realised I forgot my info when I hit submit. I didn’t want to re-type, so I hit stop. hence the double-post. oops.