From the name alone you can expect to get a quality product. Gary Fisher has been making innovative cycling product before most of us ever heard the term “mountain bike” ( which by the way, came from his and Charlie Kelly’s “Mountainbikes” company in ’79).
Fisher’s Sugar lineup is a group of light, tight, and quick cross country mountain bikes and are a whole new breed of steeds for Fisher customers.
At first glance the Sugar seems to have a pretty common cross country pivoted suspension design. So what was all the buzz about it at last year’s Interbike?
Well, other than just being extremely lightweight and using Fisher’s Genesis geometry, what makes this frame different is that there are no pivots at the dropouts. Instead, the seatstays are designed to bow slightly and the suspension geometry virtually eliminates “biopace” or pedal induced shock activation!
Fisher calls this the B*Link suspension and it makes for a tight, responsive feel on the trail.
There are actually four Sugar bikes to choose from but we’ve only listed the specs on the top three of the line below. For more information on Gary Fisher bikes visit their site at www.fisherbikes.com.
Retail prices range from the $1299.00 Sugar 4 to the $3099.00 Sugar 1. All models have basically the same frame except that the Sugar 1 has a carbon fiber seatstay and the Sugar 4 is not built in the US.
Except for the Bontrager cranks, the drivetrain is all Shimano and ranges up to XTR rear derailleurs on the Sugar 1.
Keeping to the lightweight design are Bontrager Race/Race Lite wheelsets, cranksets, stems, and seatposts. Front suspension Is provided by Rock Shock SID SL or Manitou MARS both providing 3.5″ of travel and rear ground control is handles by Rock Shock SID or Cane Creek units. Overall, there is a good price/goods ratio. Gary Fisher did a nice job fitting the best components within a price range to give you the most bang for your buck no matter which model you choose.
Here’s Allen’s take from the test ride:
This bike really lives up to all the hype you’ve heard about it. It is extremely responsive and it LOVES technical terrain.
As soon as you get on it and start riding, you can feel a difference in your riding position, unless you already own one of Fisher’s Genesis Geometry bikes.
I almost felt a little too hunched forward as if my knees would hit the handle bars or something, but once you’re riding, everything seems to level off and the ride is great.
A surprise that this bike packs is that you can take bumps and technical stuff while you’re still on the seat! Even on downhills I was able to stay saddled and take the bumps with no problem.
This is one of those mountain bikes that gets you thinking about how much spare cash you have on hand or what it would take…hmmm..maybe that was just me!
Seriously, Gary’s done it again with this bike. It’s a blast to ride and I challenge you to top it out. You’ll be tearing through technical stuff with more ease than you can imagine. Have fun with this bike, I sure did.