Know Your Bicycle

Rockfire Ascend 27.5

Rockfire is a new brand to enter the Indian market. Rockfire's vision is to empower you in your pursuit of getting better, by providing Bicycles that are designed, engineered and built for high performance. Their line-up of Bicycles includes Hybrids and MTB’s and are focused on delivering a Premium Cycling Experience. We got the opportunity to test ride the Rockfire Ascend 27.5 and here is what we thought.

Weight: 15.4kgs

Usage: Trails/Fitness

Frame, Fit and Comfort

The Ascend 27.5 comes with an AL Tech 6061 Aluminium frame. The hardtail frame has a slanting top tube, which provided an aggressive position yet gives the rider optimal control on the trails. Both the top tube and bottom tube aren’t completely circular, they are flat which makes the tubes sleek and keeps the weight in check.

The Rockfire front suspension fork comes with an 80mm travel. During the test ride the suspension worked well on both harsh urban roads and rough trails. The suspension lockout feature was easy to operate and helpful to ride faster on flatter surfaces.

Design

When it comes to design, Rockfire is on par with any international brand. The Ascend 27.5 which I test rode came in a full Green matte finish primary colour on the frame with Black as the secondary colour for graphics and text. The internal cable routing made the Bicycle look neat and the colour coordinated rims and suspension made it look aesthetic.

Gearing

The gearing on the Ascend 27.5 is handled by Shimano Tourney 3-Speed at the front and Shimano Tourney 7-Speed at the rear. This drivetrain also uses a 7-Speed Shimano freewheel which immensely contributes to the smooth gear operation. These gears shifted smoothly and had enough range for climbs and acceleration. The Shimano EF500 21-Speed gear shifters were easy to use.

Brakes and Steering

The stopping power on the Ascend 27.5 is taken care of by powerful Logan Mechanical Disc brakes at the front and back. These Disc brakes are powerful and balanced which felt safe to engage even at high speeds during the test ride.

The Rockfire stock handlebar is lengthy with a slight rise from the middle. This is a perfect MTB handlebar which means a comfortable and open chested riding posture giving a much better control over the Bicycle during fast paced trail rides and riding through traffic.

Wheels and Saddle

The Maxxis Pace MTB tires impressed us during the test ride. The 27.5” x 2.1” tires were heavily treaded with bulky buttons which covered the edges as well. These tires were fast rolling on flatter surfaces and could handle rough patches with ease. The Rockfire Trail Saddle is wide with enough cushioning for soreness free ride.