Fuji SLM 29 1.3 (2013)
Pros
More comfortable that you think a hard tail should be, without compromising on stability!
Cons
Cockpit leaves a little to be desired, and we mean very little.
Review
The first thing we noticed was that this is a comfortable bike; it’s not just fast -- it really feels good too. The SLM climbs, descends, and traverses the trail from side to side far better than I could have imagined. With the shorter chain stays in the rear, acceleration was immediate. Head tube angle and size equated to uber-responsive steering and there is some magic happening in the rear end somewhere with small bump compliance. Don’t get us wrong -- this is a hard tail for sure but there seems to be an enormous amount of forgiveness in the rear end we're just not used to. As far as our hesitation on the Oval Concepts cockpit we will keep our rant short and just say that the grips and saddles are really more of an intimate decision and as such should not be chosen lightly, so no cool points have been deducted.
More guts and greater value, the SLM 29 1.3 eats its competitors for lunch. Shimano's XT group has been around longer than any other component line out there; we trust XT to get the job done for racers and riders alike. The Fox Float Performance fork with CTD technology allows for on-the-fly adjustments, so you can own the trail wherever it takes you.
| Carbon w/ Silver - Matte | |
| Performance Bicycle | Stocks this brand | Contact Store |
