I did the Attack on Swayback this weekend and there was a good number of racers on the Hi-Fi. I don’t know that any were expert class but there sure were a few in the Sport class. In fact, 29ers made quite a good showing at the race. I’d say a good 1/4th of the field in Sport overall was on 29ers and the SS ratio was even higher. What blew me away was the Hi-Fi Deluxe singlespeed (using what looked like a Paul chain tensioner).

I did not test ride one prior to purchasing my Sultan (and don’t regret the Sultan one bit) but I think Fisher executed this bike pretty well.

My only addition would be that if you see yourself mountain biking twenty years from now, the FS will see to it that you have a chance to get there and enjoy it. A hardtail? Not so much.

In my limited experience (four years riding mtn bikes), the full squish is helpful for a number of reasons. For me, the first and foremost reason to have full suspension is that my back tire rarely bounces over anything on a climb which leads to continual forward momentum. Probably because I started so late in the game mtn biking, I never learned how to finesse the rocks and roots and other stuff that comes up in front of me. When climbing on a hardtail, this frequently led to my rear end bouncing up over stuff which left nothing on the ground propelling me forward; hence I’d lose forward momentum, land on a wheel that was spinning too fast, spin out and be done with that climb. So, long story longer, full sus was a way to cheat my way out of that. 29er full sus was cheating even more and there’s not much I can’t get up and over now. Am I a better rider? Probably not…but my buddies think I am. And I’m having more fun than ever. Still, I’m aware that I’m cheating (but don’t care)

I’m 35 right now, and most of my riding partners are in the 40-50 age range; all but one ride full-sus for its forgiving qualities. The weight penalties for them and for me, are worth it in order to avoid all the jolts your body has to take otherwise. On a 6-hour ride over New England roots and rocks, it makes a difference in whose got fresher legs (and butt, and back) at the end of the day. On the other hand, on a one-hour rip through the woods, our HT guy will leave many of us in the dust.

Finally, I’d really have to say that any and all of this decision comes down to a personal preference. No bike is good for everything for everyone. The 29′er hardtail will feel more squishy than a 26″ hardtail, no doubt about it. And dual suspension will feel even squishier. See if you can demo an X-Cal and a HiFi from your lbs. Ask them if they’ll apply the demo cost (or half, or part…) towards the purchase of a bike. Even if they won’t, a $50 rental for the weekend is worth it when you consider you might otherwise come home with a $2,500 bike you’re not totally happy with.

For what it’s worth, the HiFi is the first bike I brought home and had no sense of buyers remorse. I’ve been happy with the money I spent, and I’m really confident that this will be my bike for a long, long time. Now I’ve just got to get my pals to stop pestering me to switch pedals: they ride Time and I’m on SPDs and they want to give the HiFi a shot, but can’t. They sit there and drool with envy.

cheers,
Alex

I’d recommend a test ride, if you could, to verify this. I think you might be just fine.

Does the HiFi 29er climb as well there as a 26er, or is this where you make a sacrifice for all of the other advantages of a 29er?

Thanks,

Mark