Perfect for all terrains

For all the bicycle lovers, Firefox — along with Gary Fisher, the guru of mountain-biking — launched the ‘29er’ series of mountain bikes recently in the City.

‘29er’ bikes are priced between Rs 1,45,000 and 2,35,000. This collection of bikes is exclusively called the ‘Gary Fisher Collection’.

Shiv Inder Singh, managing director, Firefox Bikes, says, “Initially, when we came to India, we were ridiculed. People thought it was crazy to buy bikes worth Rs 10,000 — whereas, our starting price itself is Rs 30,000 and the expensive bikes are for Rs 4, 00,000. This shows that there is a niche for bikes and people appreciate quality and standards in every sphere. In keeping with the motive to provide excellent bikes, we have come up with a ‘29er’ series, the brainchild of Gary Fisher. We are glad to have the bike launched by the man himself!”

Talking about the bike, Gary Fisher, added, “The old bikes were so primitive; they were heavy and you could not ride them downhill. The brakes would heat up and even before you realise, they stopped working. So, I decided to do something about it. I have been inclined towards bike mechanism from childhood. I have literally played with all the spare parts of the bikes. This helped me in designing my own bike. The bikes that I made became popular with neighbours and friends.” Referring to the social stigma that prevailed in the 1960s in the USA, he explained, “The toughest challenge I faced to market these bikes was the attitude that people had towards them. They thought bicycles are used either by kids, or poor people, or some drunkard whose licence has been cancelled. But eventually, the scenario changed. Mountain bikes became a revolution in the USA. In 1993, I decided to merge with a partner, who appreciates bicycles. This has been an amazing journey.”  

The uniqueness of the ‘29er’ series is the adaptability of the bikes. They are perfectly suited for roads as well as on mountains. They are designed keeping the urban people in mind. For a City that is congested with the overflow of vehicles and the lack of parking space, these sort of bikes could be a very good idea.