Firefox Mountana - Single Speed - Review

The Firefox Mountana - Single Speed is a hardtail MTB which is built on an alloy frame. This frame was strong and did feel heavy but being a bicycle for trail riding, it is okay for the frame to be heavy. The welding on the tubes was good especially at the front where the top tube and bottom tube joins. This makes the frame take in a lot of vibration of the surface.The Zoom front suspension fork comes with 6mm of travel. During the test ride this fork was enough to get you through those minor bumps but it surely isn’t meant for rigorous trails.

As the name suggests the Mountana is equipped with a single-speed drivetrain. The 16T chain ring was smooth to pedal but it is still single-speed, which means there are limits to the speed. This is a major setback on trails when you need that push to roll over rough patches and climb inclined roads as well. A single-speed drivetrain on a 29er MTB doesn’t quite go together when it comes to functionality. That being said there are riders who prefer a simple ride experience on occasional short trail rides and this bicycle will be a good pick for them.

The Mountana - Single Speed which I test rode came in an ink blue frame with white and orange graphics. The gloss paint job was top notch and made the colours stand out. The curved bottom tube added a new look and dimension to the frame's design. The handlebar wasn’t flat and that took away the aggressive look of this bicycle, which every MTB needs. The bicycle also comes in a black colour variant with blue and yellow graphics.

The Firefox Mountana - Single Speed is equipped with Power V-brakes. These brakes were good enough only on rough urban roads and on flat trails at moderate speeds. They weren’t the best on fast turns on trails and for sudden braking. The brake levers were plastic and felt very low in quality. This was a letdown in terms of braking performance on a 29er MTB.The steel handlebar was 64mm in length with a 3mm raise. The handlebar resembled the ones found on basic city bicycles. There was hardly any grip on the bars and could turn tricky if riding without gloves with sweaty palms.

The Mountana - Single Speed rolls on a pair of Compass 29” x 2.1” tires. These tires were heavily treaded and can handle the roughest of surfaces. The Alloy rims made the wheelset stronger yet lighter. During the test ride the tires for sure helped ride fast and turn safely on trails. The stock saddle was well cushioned but wasn’t the most ergonomic. The ride quality was good on harsh urban roads.