INITIAL RIDE REPORT!
After work and while my girls were in dance class, I took the Fly Ti out for her maiden voyage after mounting the Egg Beaters. I can tell you this, the bike handling is much more nimble and lot less "lethargic" than the old Fuel EX7. I went over tree roots, rocky and sandy roads, grassy hills, off curbs, etc. Shock absorption worked really well though I did go over a big tree root while seated. There I miss having the full suspension of the EX7. That said though, I climbed a small, but steep grassy hill in a park next to my home. I can tell you that the Fly Ti climbed like a goat! It was almost effortless to a point where I felt like I was cheating (then again, I heard HT climb better than FS anyway). Another thing I did notice is the loud "CLANK" of the rear drivetrain as I land from flying off of curbs. I guess this is normal on hardtails because I didn't remember the Fuel EX7 doing that.
Shifting performance was very good. Although not as smooth and buttery as my road bikes, but each shift was confident and reliable. My goal is to stay in the middle ring as often as possible.
Whatever the case, I had a blast with the bike and will be hitting an actual trail possibly this weekend. I still have to weigh it too so stay tuned!