Price: $1,129

Weight: 28 lbs.

Components: Shimano, Alivio, Sun
Frame & Fork: 7005 Brodie Select, Marzocchi EXR

Geometry: 70.5° head tube, 74° seat tube, 575mm top tube

Sizes: 14″, 16″, 17″ (tested), 18″, 19″, 20.5″

Comments: “Confidence-inspiring ride, entry-level price.”

www.brodiebikes.com

Canadian Pride: Brodie bicycles are designed and assembled in Canada. The
frames are welded and painted outside of Canada. Sovereign and Expresso
frames are hand-built and painted by Paul Brodie in Canada.

Sometimes you just don’t mess with a good thing. Brodie knows this concept
well, as it continues to put out quality bikes, such as its popular Fury
hardtail, year after year. The Fury, part of Brodie’s Explorer Series, is
one of its top sellers and has introduced a large number of newbies to the
sport of mountain biking, but by no means does it come across as an
entry-level bike. For those looking to get into mountain biking for the
first time or for those getting a little more serious about the sport, the
Fury represents one of the best values for the dollar you will find. Proof
is in the fact that the Fury has not changed much over last year’s model to
remain an attractive buy.

Other than the stunning electric-blue paint scheme, the 2002 Fury looks
very similar, on the surface, to the 2001 model. Like last year’s model,
the 2002 Fury features a 7005 aluminum frame spec’ed with a Shimano
drivetrain. Alivio makes up the majority of the drive system, with front
and rear hubs, shifters, and a front derailleur. A Shimano MC 20 crankset
drives a Shimano IG chain smoothly through a Deore rear derailleur, and the
Shimano 8-speed 11-30 cassette provides you with all you need to get up to
speed and up the hills.

Also unchanged for 2002 is a Brodie riser bar and 25° stem, Tektro V
brakes, flat pinned pedals, and a set of Sun Hillrod rims. The 2001
Marzocchi Z-5 100mm bomber has been replaced with a Marzocchi EXR-100mm
(both entry-level XC forks with Open bath SSV valving, external pre-load
control, and disc-brake mount), but this year’s EXR features Marzocchi’s
new one-piece Mg MonoLite Sliders.
Surprisingly, the 2002 EXR is slightly heavier than last year’s Z-5, but
only by 0.3 pounds. Also new for this year’s Fury is a set of WTB
Motoraptor 2.4-inch tires that replace last year’s 2.35 Kinetics, providing
a little more bite into the trail.
Like I said, on the surface, it doesn’t appear like much has changed, but
some changes to the Fury are only obvious once you hit the trails.

While
top-tube length, seat-tube length, and seat-tube angle all remain the same
for 2002, at 582mm, 457mm, and 74° respectively, changes have been made in
other areas. Specifically, the head angle has dropped from 71.2° to 70.5°,
and the bottom bracket has been raised from 298mm to 308mm.
The result is that the Fury has been engineered for 2002 to better meet
today’s longer-travel (100mm) forks and today’s more aggressive style of
riding. The riser bars, along with 100mm fork and more relaxed head-tube
angle, tend to place the rider in a much more upright position. This not
only provides more controlled riding over technical sections of the trail,
it also affords a much more confident position during descents. For anyone
getting into the sport for the first time or trying to improve off-road
skills, this new geometry will be much appreciated.

The Fury handled
descents very well, with the 100mm EXR sucking up the hits without
hesitation.
The higher bottom-bracket height also provides more clearance over trail
obstacles, allowing for even more confidence on the technical bits of the
trail. The Fury had no problem climbing up and over logs and boulders
without grinding its chainring into oblivion. Any rider who has ever been
intimidated by that “over-the-bars” feeling on descents will truly welcome
how a higher front end and more relaxed geometry can improve a riding
experience, and the Fury has no problem confirming this fact.

With a price tag of only $1,129, the Fury is a pretty attractive option if
you’re looking for an all-around hardtail at a great price, and its blazing
electric-blue exterior makes it just that much more attractive.