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Cycle and Work
A road focused hybrid bicycle with performance packed components for commuting and long distance rides.
Firefox recently launched 2 new bicycle models, which are purely performance focused with high-end components. One of them is the Surfelo, a hybrid bicycle which we got the opportunity to test ride extensively. Read on to know how this bicycle faired in our test ride.
Frame, Fit and Comfort
The lightweight rigid alloy frame comes in 2 sizes, 18” and 19.5”
The Surfelo is a built on a lightweight alloy frame. The frame geometry is a bit aggressive and thus makes the bicycle look a bit like a road-focused hybrid. The build and welds were of top quality and felt super rigid as well. The bladed forks and thin seat stays makes the bicycle weigh less. But the frame does let the rider feel a lot of vibration on urban roads when going over bumps and speed breakers thus making it slightly uncomfortable, especially when riding without gloves. The aggressiveness in the frame geometry helped with acceleration on flat roads.
Design
The Surfelo comes in just 1 colour variant; Blue with Orange/Black/White graphics
The bicycle that I test rode came with blue as the primary colour and a combination of orange, black and white as the secondary colours. The gloss paint job is of superior quality and makes the bicycle look shiny. The welds on the tubes are smooth and the internal cable routing on the frame makes the bicycle look neat. While aesthetics are very subjective the Surfelo’s design with multiple colours does look funky and bright. This is a rather new line of thinking from Firefox for a bicycle that is priced high and it does look refreshing.
Gearing
The Shimano Tiagra 2x10 speed derailleurs are road gearing components and helped make acceleration and climbing easy
The drivetrain on the Surfelo is the most exciting feature. This road-focused hybrid bicycle consists of Shimano Tiagra at the front and rear as derailleurs. These are road bicycle gearing components found on 70k + road bicycles built for pure performance. During the test ride these gears worked flawlessly and the 20-Speed range helped climb those flyovers and hills with ease as well as accelerate quickly on flat roads. The Shimano Tiagra 4700 2x10 speed shifters were lightning quick and easy to use. Going farther ahead of commuting needs, the gears on the Surfelo will help you ride those 100km rides with ease and at good speeds.
Brakes and Steering
Tektro’s mechanical disc brakes felt safe and balanced to use on both wet and dry conditions
The Surfelo is equipped with Tektro’s mechanical disc brakes at both the front and rear. During the test ride on both highways and urban roads these brakes were efficient and helped be in control while riding amidst traffic. The brakes functioned in a balanced manner when trying to brake at intervals and jamming the brakes as well. But for the price of this bicycle, I was expecting to see a pair of hydraulic disc brakes than the mechanical ones.
The Uno alloy handlebar was one of the components on the Surfelo which makes it road inclined. This handlebar is fully flat and measures 620mm in width. This give the rider an aggressive riding posture and the ergonomic curved grips make it comfortable on the palms.
Ride Quality
The Kenda Kriterium 700x25c road tires along with alloy rims make this wheelset fast rolling
The double walled alloy rims along with Kenda’s K1018 Kriterium tires on the Firefox Surfelo made this wheelset roll fast. The 700x25c tires are suited for both commuting and racing. During the test ride on fairly decent urban roads I did encounter a puncture and thus it is recommended to get some puncture protection liners if your ride routes might have some unexpected rough patches.
The Cionilli/Firefox performance saddle was designed ergonomically to keep the rider sore free on long rides with ideal length and width. The overall ride quality was comfortable and fast on urban roads.
Overall Rating
- Lightweight alloy frame
- Shimano Tiagra 20-Speed drivetrain
- Balanced Tektro mechanical disc brakes
- Frame transfers vibration to the rider on rough patches
This is a road focused hybrid bicycle, which is best suited to be ridden on flat and smooth urban roads/highways. The internal cable routing and smooth welds make this bicycle look good. The Shimano Tiagra road derailleurs help with acceleration and climbing. Priced at Rs.52,900 the Firefox Surfelo is a performance packed and road focused hybrid bicycle built for urban commuting and long distance rides on smooth roads.
Prices are subject to change by the brand, without due notice.
