Firefox Sirocco (2017) - Review

The Firefox Sirocco has a standard alloy frame with a comfort oriented frame geometry. This frame has rounded tubes, which are neither sleek nor bulky. This means the strength of the frame has not been compromised. The welds on the tubes joints are perfectly formed with minor extra reinforcements in places, which might experience more impact. The alloy rigid forks are slightly flattened on the inside which definitely decreases the overall weight. Even a few grams less on a road bicycle is advantageous for the rider. My body posture was perfect during the test ride and an endurance ride of 1kms will be very comfortable.

Being a budget road bicycle, the Firefox Sirocco was expected to come with Shimano Claris but Firefox surprised us with installing Shimano Sora derailleurs at both the front and rear. These derailleurs worked efficiently during the test ride and its smooth and quick shifting helped maintain a high cadence all along. These gearing components can definitely be considered as a good deal for a road bicycle at this price. An 18 speed Shimano Sora 35 integrated shifters control the Sirocco's gearing, which was easy to use and reactive as well. The long levers made sure the shifters worked efficiently and made it easy to operate.

The Firefox Sirocco comes with a black frame with blue and yellow as secondary colours which are seen all over the bicycle. The simple frame geometry and smooth welds make this bicycle look neat. The colour, coded design is seen on both the rims and saddle which enhance the flashy outlook of this bicycle. Firefox has made sure this budget bicycle looks much more expensive and I must say they have succeeded in it. The Sirocco also comes in a yellow with blue graphics colour variant.

Like majority of road bicycles in the market, the Sirocco also came with a pair of V-brakes. The Tektro brakes were sharp during the test ride. Along with the Shimano 35 STI integrated brake levers these brakes stopped quickly and also felt balanced during the test ride. The brake components were compact and lightweight which is good for a road bicycle. The Zoom alloy road bicycle handlebar measured 27.2 x 3mm. This wide handlebar was perfect for beginners to get used to the road bicycle body posture. The relaxed and comfort oriented handlebar position will make long distance rides an easy affair.

The Firefox Sirocco rolls on a pair of 7C x 23C Wanda road tires. These tires are well supported by double walled alloy rims. The impressive thing about this wheel set was its weight. They were light and this did help the rolling resistance. The treading on these tires could have been better as the sides felt way too smooth with almost no grip which can be a letdown while cornering. An endurance road bicycle requires a saddle to be sat on for long hours and the stock saddle on the Sirocco was ergonomically shaped to keep the sit bones in place and keep the rider free of soreness. The overall ride quality of this bicycle was comfortable on flat tarmacs.