Firefox Fusion 2.6 21 Speed (2017): ChooseMyBicycle.com Expert Review

The Firefox Fusion 2.6 21 Speed surprisingly comes with a steel frame. The reason why I’m surprised is that a urban hard tail MTB costing Rs.12,900 comes with a steel frame rather than an alloy frame. The frame geometry and build makes this bicycle capable of doing some rigorous riding on flat trails and bad urban roads. But once I started riding this bicycle I was only pleasantly surprised as the steel frame was strong but wasn’t too heavy with neat welds. Being a hardtail bicycle, the Fusion comes with a Zoom front suspension fork with a minimal 50mm travel for those minor bumps.

This bicycle which I test rode came in a full green colour with minimal black and white graphics. The bulked up bottom tube and triangular shaped top tube make this bicycle look sharp. The welds were neat and weren’t too prominent at the joints. The gloss paint job was of top quality and the fonts and graphic styling used enhanced the aesthetics of the Firefox Fusion 21 speed. This bicycle also comes in a blue colour variant with orange and white graphics.

Evident with the name of this bicycle, the Firefox Fusion comes with a 21 speed Shimano / Microshift drivetrain. Shimano Tourney / Microshift Mezzo at the front and rear as derailleurs. These are the most basic MTB components there is but for short urban rides and flat trails this is sufficient. The rear derailleur does run into some lag from time to time but nothing which will affect the overall performance. The Shimano EF500 / Microshift TS38 trigger shifters were easy and comfortable to use.

The stopping power on this hardtail MTB is taken care of by a pair of steel V-brakes. These brakes come with standard brake pads which does make stopping comfortable when riding through traffic and on slightly muddy surfaces. But once you start pedaling hard and turn at high speeds, these brakes aren’t the smoothest.

The steel handlebar comes with a slight raise from the middle and is 580mm in length. The 30mm raise gives the rider a comfortable and open chested riding posture.

The Firefox Fusion 21 speed comes with 26inch MTB tires. The Compass branded tires have great tread pattern with good traction on tar and non-tar surfaces. These wheelsets were good for getting up to speed on urban roads as well as being balanced on flat trails.

The stock saddle from Firefox is well cushioned that you wouldn’t need an extra gel seat. But they aren’t shaped the best ergonomically. The overall ride quality was comfortable.