Urban Trail ET1 (2016) - Review

The Urban Trail ET1 is built on a hardtail 669 alloy frame. This frame was both strong and also the geometry was shaped in a manner to provide performance to the rider while being comfortable. The top tube and bottom tube are joint at the front as a big chunk. This place does experience a lot of hard hitting and in turn helps absorb those vibrations.This hardtail MTB comes with a front suspension fork. The suspension fork worked well during the test ride on flatter trails with minor bumps. The remote suspension lockout on the forks were smooth and easy to use. They lockout the suspension completely enabling a faster ride on flat surfaces.

During the test ride of the UT ET1 was swift through the trails. This was because of the Shimano Tourney at the front and Shimano Acera at the rear as derailleurs. These derailleurs worked well during the test ride and had smooth transitions. I did not experience any lags but the front derailleur was a little slow in transitions. But this did not affect the experience of trail riding on this MTB in any way.

As mentioned before UT's edge series are not just about performance but are aesthetically a step above. The ET1 which I test rode came in a full forest green frame with black and white graphics. The neatly constructed top and bottom tubes are shaped well making the frame looks stylish. The colour coded saddle and bottle cage enhance the aesthetics of this bicycle.

The Tektro Novela mechanical disc brakes handled the stopping power of the Urban Trail ET1. During the test ride I put the brakes to test on fast turns and also jamming the brakes. In both these situations the brakes were balanced and felt safe to use. The brake levers were also easy to use and in a comfortable position.This hardtail MTB comes with a 66mm Zoom handlebar. This handlebar has a very sight raise which makes the rider have optimum control on fast trails. The grips were also good and weren’t slippery.

The UT ET1 comes with a pair of 26 inch x 2.1 inch Kenda Small Block tires. These MTB tires had a great tread pattern which helped roll over wet trails easily. The alloy double walled rims supported the tires well and made the wheelset stronger. The UT edge stock saddle was ergonomically designed. The length and width of the saddle was perfect with the right amount of padding. The overall ride quality was comfortable on flat and fast trails.