(Ill be honest, I was pushing the weight limit for that suspension setup)
Now that we got that out of the way; as soon as Trek dropped the news about the new and improved Top Fuel I had the blinders on. I loved everything I was reading about this bike! The styling was great, the reviews that were out so far were awesome, not to mention the promo videos from Trek. I would say that everyday I was doing more and more research on the bike and with every passing day I wanted it more and more. I was a little skeptical of the Boost setup but I also read all there is out there on it and I was digging that as well. I love the 29er wheels and getting a stronger wheel with widening the hub to allow for a steeper spoke angle to strengthen the wheel impressed me even more!
I would say by the second day of research my "old" Superfly was up for sale. I had originally decided to try to just get a frame and use my 15' Superfly Fork and components which would also force me to buy a new rear hub for the boost. After a little consideration I decided to just order a complete bike and set it up the way I wanted. I knew I wanted to run a 1X setup. I have always been a sucker for Black bikes with clean lines so the Top Fuel 8 was the perfect fit for me. Didn't take long to sell the Superfly and the next day the Top Fuel was ordered from the great crew down at EPBicycles.
After waiting for a couple days the new bike had arrived. Once assembled I already started a few modifications. I set it up with a Race Face 30T ring and removed the front derailleur. Also changed out the grips and cut the ugly decals off the wheels for a more custom look. I tooled around the neighborhood for the first couple weeks. It was hard to find time to go out to the mountains to ride. I did sneak out to the local trail project at Poor House Farm Park and get 5 miles on actual singletrack. Even though it was only a few miles I could tell this was the best bike I had ever ridden. I have ridden quite a few bikes too...
I felt so comfortable on the bike, the suspension responded so well. I climbed everything there without locking anything out. I didn't get the bobbing while turning the pedals with decent force. I told my wife when I got back from the ride that it was a good thing I bought the bike, because it I was just doing a test ride I would have been doing all I needed to get one. That all being said, the wider hubs and beefier 29er wheel led to better control on the trail. The bike rides like a all-mountain bike. The 30T 1X setup makes climbing fun and enough gearing for bombing the downs. I cannot wait to get more miles under the tires of this bike. I will try to write another review when I get 50+ miles.
