Firefox Athelio Single-Speed - Review

The Athelio is built on a hybrid alloy frame, which is strong and has a comfort frame geometry. This frame isn’t the lightest as the slightly bulky bottom tube will add a little extra weight. The neatly welded tubes can take in enough vibration off the surface so that's a positive for having a heavy frame. The riding posture was relaxed and was perfect for urban commutes and slightly longer fitness rides.The Athelio comes with a front suspension Zoom fork. During the test ride this suspension fork with 45mm travel helped make the ride over speed breakers and bumps little less jittery.

As the name suggests the Athelio comes with a single-speed drivetrain. The 4T crankset provides some solid single speed pedaling on city streets. You will be lucky if you are in a city with flat roads as even a little bit of incline will end up making you pedal off the saddle thereby exerting a lot of energy. This is when you will miss having a multi-geared drivetrain. But this single-speed is good enough for your short commutes.

The bicycle which I test rode came in a black frame with blue and orange graphics. The gloss finish paint job came was neat and the smooth welded edges added elegance to the frame. The curved bottom tube and the thin seat and chain stays made the bicycle look stylish. The Athelio also comes in a silver frame with blue and orange graphics.

The Firefox Athelio's stopping power is taken care of by a pair of Power V-brakes. These brakes are your conventional braking system with reasonably long brake pads which help the bicycle come to a halt in a safe and balanced manner. During the test tide these brakes did help come to quick halts and decelerations to manoeuver through traffic.The 64mm steel handlebar was wide and gave an ‘open chested’ riding position and the grips were padded enough to keep the wrist and palms pain free.

Being a commuter hybrid bicycle the Athelio rolls on a pair of 7x35C Compass tires. These tires were slick and fast which was perfect to ride in the city. The tires were treaded well to keep the bicycle balanced on both wet and dry conditions.The stock saddle from Firefox was the same as found on the Rapide's. While being comfortable with a lot of cushioning they are perfect for urban riding. The overall ride quality was comfortable on city roads.