Firefox Tornado 27.5D - Review

The Firefox Tornado 27.5D is built on an Alloy hardtail frame. This frame is strong and robust which makes this bicycle ready for some hard-hitting trails and rough urban roads. The frame geometry was a good mix of both aggression and comfort. The top tube is slanting which gives extra standover clearance for the rider. Being a hardtail bicycle, the Tornado 27.5D comes with a Zoom front suspension fork with a smooth functioning 6mm travel for a comfortable ride over rough surfaces. The suspension lockout was useful for riding faster on flat surfaces.

The Tornado 27.5D comes with entry-level Shimano/Microshift MTB gearing components with Shimano Tourney TY5 / Microshift M2 3-Speed at the front and Shimano Tourney TY3B / Microshift M26L 8-Speed at the rear as derailleurs. These derailleurs even though being basic worked well during the test ride. The shifting process was smooth and ideal for trails and urban roads with a bit of incline.

The Tornado 27.5D which I test rode came in a Red/Orange dual primary colour on the frame with Black and Yellow graphics. The matte finish paint job was smooth and enhanced the bright colours. The graphics and text font were bold and racy with a fire like theme. The suspension fork and saddle are colour coded and with bold text which makes the bicycle look aesthetic.

The JAK branded Mechanical Disc Brakes on the Tornado 27.5D had sufficient power and felt balanced for stoppages on both urban roads and flat trails. Sudden braking is fast to halt and interval braking is balanced as well. The brake levers were standard and comfortable to use. The 68mm handlebar was wide and gave the rider an open chested riding posture.

The Tornado 27.5D rolls on a pair of Kenda K127 27.5” x 2.1” MTB tires. These tires were heavily treaded and provided good traction on both wet and dry trails and roads. The uniform treading made sure that cornering with these tires was safe. The stock saddle was both ergonomic and had the perfect width to keep the rider comfortable and stable on bumpy rides.