Urban Trail HT 3.9 Pro (2017) - Review

The HT 3.9 Pro from Urban Trail is built around an alloy hardtail frame with a slanting top tube and has an overall aggressive frame geometry. This solid design brings great durability, which can withstand high-impact jumps on trails. This strong alloy frame also allows you to remain stable during high-speed turns and maneuvers.The Zoom front suspension fork on the HT 3.9 Pro claims to be 1mm on the spec sheet but works to a mere 6mm. We highly doubt the overall travel capacity to actually be a 1mm. But the existing travel was enough to tackle those bumps on trails.

There is no performance without speed and there is no speed without assistance from the derailleurs. The UT HT 3.9 Pro comes with Shimano Tourney at the front and Shimano Altus at the rear. These entry level MTB derailleurs worked well during the test ride with no major hiccups. The derailleurs were a bit noisy at the front but that did not affect the transmission in anyway.

The bicycle which I test rode came in a full black frame with fluorescent green as the secondary colour. The top and bottom tubes were chunky and welded well making them look big and aggressive. The colour coded rims and suspension fork increased the aesthetics appeal of this 29er. On the whole the design was top notch and will surely make heads turn on the trails.

The Promax mechanical disc brakes are a standard component in all of UT's 29er range. These brakes were good enough on the trails on both wet and dry conditions. During the test ride the brakes were tested with both jamming of brakes and interval braking and both were safe and balanced.The alloy handlebar was 74mm in length and gave an aggressive riding posture. I was expecting to see a fully flat handlebar but there was a slight raise in the middle making the riding posture comfortable, which wasn’t all that necessary considering the performance inclined design.

As the name suggests this hardtail MTB comes with a pair of 29” x 2.1” tires. These Compass tires are heavily treaded with an equally good doubled walled alloy rims. Some rocky parts on the trail was rolled over easily thanks to this impressive set of tires. The UT stock saddle wasn’t the most ergonomical but had enough padding to keep the rider sore free on bumpy trails. The overall ride quality was comfortable on trails.