Mountain Cycle Fury Mountain Bike Review

Bike Reviews, Featured, Reviews | 198 | December 19, 2008 at 12:07 am

Mountain Cycle is not new to the bike industry. For newer riders, this may be the first you have heard of Mountain Cycle, but for those of us that have been around since the late 80′s/early 90′s…Mountain Cycle used to be a household name that graced the cover of magazines worldwide. Mountain Cycle was known for its aggressive designs and burly construction during a time when manufacturers were not paying any attention to the AM/DH market.

More On Mountain Cycle

From the Mountain Cycle website:

Mountain Cycle can best be described as a “Micro-National”  in the sense that, we operate on a truly worldwide level, with offices and staff spread around the globe.  But we are a small team,  just seven full-time staff, who between look after all the operational aspects of the company.

A commitment that we have made, is to be one of the most approachable, best value for money, most rider owned, and most Serious Fun of bike brands.
Mountain Cycle was started in 1988 by Robert Reissinger, a man many claim to be the true father of the modern mountain bike.

In an era when MTB’s were still very road bike influenced; rigid steel frames and cantilever brakes – the bike Robert built was nothing short of revolutionary.

The San Andreas was launched with little fuss – but it’s radical, motocross inspired looks, long travel suspension and disk brakes (used for the very first time on a MTB!) grabbed peoples attention and desire.

It is the only bike to be featured in the Museum of Modern Art as a shining example of modern design. As a company MC fared less well, eventually Robert transferred ownership to Kinesis (the Taiwanese frame factory) but this marriage too was short lived.

Finally in 2006/7 – Mountain Cycle found a new home, after being bought by large Taiwanese company Ideation Industrial.

With experienced, passionate staff again running the brand, the History Continues…

Mountain Cycle’s current line consists of the Rumble (HT), Fury (5″ Travel), Battery (5″ Travel Slopestyle) and Shockwave (9.5″ Travel). As you can see by their lineup, they are very AM/DH oriented in their approach to the mountain biking industry.

The Mountain Cycle Fury

Mountain Cycle Fury Frame With Marzocchi Roco TST R

The Mountain Cycle Fury is the 5″ travel cross country/all mountain bike out of the MC stable.

From the MC website:

  • Tube/monocoque mainframe with full monocoque swingarm
  • Super-stiff full monocoque Swingarm
  • 5 inches of tunable, progressive travel
  • Optimized pivot location for exceptional pedaling and sprinting
  • Dropped Top Tube for reduced standover height and increased maneuverability
  • Continuous cable routing
  • MSRP – est. $960.00 US

As you can already see by the photos, this bike has a very unique look. The tube/monocoque frame design is unlike anything else on the market. It can be shipped with several different flavors of rear shocks ranging from Fox Racing to Marzocchi.

The Build Kit

The Mountain Cycle Fury is available as frame only with rear shock. This build kit was put together for review purposes only. Look for full build kit options in 2009, but those kits have not been finalized yet.

Mountain Cycle Fury Mountain Bike

  • Frame: Mountain Cycle Fury 5″ – Large/Black
  • Fork: Rock Shox 454 Coil U-Turn (95 – 140mm)
  • Shock: Marzocchi Roco TST R (7.875 x 2.00)
  • Stem: Thomson X4 70×0*
  • Seatpost: Thomson Elite 27.2
  • Crankset: Truvativ Stylo 2.2AM – 32/22
  • Brakes: Avid Juicy 7 (185F/160R)
  • Shifters: SRAM X.9 Triggers
  • Rear Derailleur: SRAM X.9 Medium Cage
  • Wheelset: Hope Pro II Hubs on Stans Flow Rims (20mm front and 10mm rear)
  • Tires: Maxxis Aspens 2.25 and Kenda Nevegals 2.35
  • Pedals: Shimano XTR
  • Chain: SRAM
  • Cassette: SRAM 990
  • Front Derailleur: SRAM X.9
  • Headset: Cane Creek 110 Black
  • Saddle: SDG Fly C
  • Bar: Kore Elite
  • Grips: Ergon GP1 Small
  • Misc: Full Length Cable Housing
  • Weight: 31.26 lbs. on a Ultimate Support Alpine Digital Bicycle Scale

Mountain Cycle Fury Geometry Specs

Mountain Cycle Fury Geometry Specifications

More Notes On The Fury Frame

  • Straight out of the box, the Mountain Cycle Fury looks stiff.
  • The rear shock attaches to the swing arm via a 4 bolt mounting plate.
  • Cutting the seat post will be necessary with the interrupted seat post design.
  • Full length housing is recommended with the downtube routing.
  • Overall build quality is excellent…all the way down to nicely stacked welds.

How Does The Mountain Cycle Fury Ride?

Mountain Cycle Fury

I know…enough of the techno talk…how does this 5″ travel frame ride? Here is everything broken down…

Good Mountain Cycle Fury

First the good news: The 70 degree head angle and Marzocchi Roco TST R made the Mountain Cycle Fury a very capable climber. There was very little pedal induced bob with the platform engaged, and Marzoccchi’s multi position platform is a perfect match with the single pivot suspension design. The interrupted seat tube design allowed for easy adjustment of the platform while riding, so changes were made quickly without much effort. The Fury felt stable in technical climbing situations without any serious wandering. The rear end tracked very well, and the bike was comfortable for long epic climbs.

The bike does not feel like a 30+ lbs. rig, and the front end was easily lifted over obstacles. Overall…this bike climbed very well and I believe a lot of this had to do with the overall geometry of the frame…most importantly…the 70 degree head angle.

I took this bike on several long North Georgia epics and it did great as an all day bike. The Mountain Cycle Fury was light and nimble while still having the stiffness require for the super tech. It was fun to drop the seat and whip this bike around. The shorter wheelbase and steep head angle made it a fast, nimble turner. Tight, twisty single track is where the frame really shined. If you are used to trails that require fast, tight turns (like or tree infested single track), this could be the bike for you. Stiff overall design with fast steering…

Bad Mountain Cycle Fury

Everything can’t be perfect: The steep head angle (as compared to other bikes in this category…69 – 68.5) made the Fury a little twitchy on fast, technical descents through the rocks. This same head angle is what made the frame climb like a mountain goat, so this tradeoff was to be expected.

The frame originally shipped with a Fox RP23 rear shock. The single pivot suspension design of the Mountain Cycle Fury does not perform as well with the non-piggy backed rear shock. I would recommend that you stick with a Marzocchi Roco TST R or Fox DHXa for the best results. Ideally, I would stick with the Marz…it seemed to perform much better than any of the other DHXa’s I have tried in the past.

Under hard braking at speed, the rear suspension gets the typical single pivot stiffening. It gives you a ramping up feeling as you are braking, but then lets loose out of the brakes. This feeling is pretty normal amongst single pivot designs and many riders use a floating brake mechanism to relieve it.

The interrupted seat tube design does limit seat post travel, but more importantly…it puts the rear shock right in the line of fire for mud and debris. A small fender (like the one Specialized uses) is almost a must to insure long seal and rear shock life.

Final Thoughts On The Mountain Cycle Fury

Overall, this bike is a very cable all day ride. As long as it wouldn’t screw with the geometry too much, I’d like to try the Fury out with an adjustable travel, 160mm fork like the Rock Shox Lyrik for Fox 36 Talas to slacken the head angle out slightly. With the addition of a longer fork, I think the bike would descend a lot better without any real loss in climbing…especially with the adjustable travel. I would also recommend investing in an adjustable seatpost (Gravity Dropper, Speedball, CB Iodine) to help with the interrupted seat tube design.

The Good News

  • Climbs like a mountain goat.
  • Respectable build weight for a stiff chassis 5″ travel bike.
  • Incredible value for a very well built frame.
  • Great for all day epics.

The Bad News

  • Interrupted seat tube design limits seatpost travel.
  • Rear shock is in the line of fire for dirt and debris.
  • Steep head angle takes away from downhill ability.
  • Suspension stiffening under braking.

Notes from Mountain Cycle

Click Here to see what the crew at Mountain Cycle had to say…

Still Shots by rsutton198 | Action Shots by regularjoe

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  • willians
    i own a 2005 fury , this bike can cut it! i have done some jumps, long live mountain cycle!, i have the old progressive shock it work perfect if aint broken dont fixed it;

    I need to a new pivot for my rear swing arm , where can i order does?
  • TheBikeMechanic
    I rode a very similar frame with near identical numbers some years ago (2003) It was a K2, cost:$375 for the frame and shock. The MC looks cooler, but handling is still sub-par in high-speed and technical areas.
  • Africa
    Nice Review 198,
    I have upgraded my MC Fury (I own it since 2004 (!!?)) with MZ AM2 160mm, XTR/XT, Hope TechM4, Hope Vented 203/183, RF Atlas AM, Fox RP23, Easton Havoc and Racing Ralph 2,4. It is +/- 14,3kg and it climbs like a goat and descends very well, supports all kind of abuses, and will never give it away!!!

    Ciao
  • @Africa

    Interesting build...I still haven't gotten the chance to put a 160mm fork on the Fury to see if it makes it a more stable downhiller. What do you think?
  • Just a heads-up... the e.commerce site is well underway and will be going live SOON!

    This will answer questions like "user" mentions... it HAS been hard to get our products, as shops are reluctant to stock niche product - even IF customers want to buy it...

    We'll be squaring that circle very soon!
  • User
    This seems like a good bike, but I've been hunting for the frame for a long time. I was informed that this brand has been offloaded to a Taiwanese company and stock is hard to come by.
  • Eric C
    Great Review!!!!
    I own a 06 Fury and after 2 years, could not have described it better myself..

    That said, I have tried many different parts combos to get the ideal setup for my riding style,and I think I should add some of my findings.

    I have run a 160mm adjustable travel fork (RS Domain 318 U-Turn)on the bike and you are correct.
    The slacker head angle it provides really improves it's downhill ability without hurting climbing too much.
    Drop the travel a few millimeters and you still have a bike that really shines on the climbs. A lighter RS Lyric would be even better.

    Another thing is rear shock choice.
    I have tried many different shocks on this bike and while the performance of a piggyback shock can't be beat, It does have one shortcoming. Seatpost clearance.
    I have found a happy medium with a non piggyback Manitou Swinger 3 Way air. It has good midstroke damping (compared to the RP23)and the adjustable platform works very well with the suspension design.
    It also gives you about an extra inch of seatpost clearance for when you want to drop the saddle for aggressive riding.
    Another non piggyback shock I have found to work well is the Rock Shox Monarch 4.2. It has better small bump performance than the Swinger.
    The adjustable pedaling platform and On-Off switch on the 4.2 makes for a plush or firm ride when you want it.

    For those that want good post adjudstability but don't want to spend a lot of dough on a Gravity Dropper, Speedball,Etc
    The Titec Scoper telescoping seatpost works very well.
    It can be cut down to personalize the fit and really improves the Fury's versatility.
    I have been using one for the last 2 years with absolutely no complaints.

    Again Great Review and great bike!! I really hope my comments can help anyone considering a Fury.
    It's a great bike.

    Eric
  • Over the course of this review, I have kept in close contact with the crew over at Mountain Cycle. They have been gracious enough to sponsor this months contest (win one of these frames for yourself!), so I thought I would add their comments on the Fury below. What you are about to read is the response from Mountain Cycle unedited. These are not my review points or opinion, but reaction to my review. This is the first time I have tried something like this...so we will see how it goes.
    -198

    From Mountain Cycle:

    We know (encourage, promote) that our head angles are steeper than many of our competition. This is no accident, they are very much designed this way in order to accomplish a number of things, first amongst them is that our bikes have been designed to be fun to ride! Then we place the rider in a slightly more upright and forward position, which we refer to as the "attack position". The end result is that if you want a bike that handles well, it will by definition be twitchy-er. If you want the steering to be responsive, then by definition the head angle must be steeper (in comparison to today's fashion of the slacker, less challenging, heads tube angles).

    On Monocoque Frame Design:

    The reason is that you don't see this construction method used by any of the big brands, the reason we are unique in being able to manufacture this in Taiwan, is that it requires an enormous investment up front in tooling, and an aeronautical level of construction, every frame is a challenge to manufacture for even the best welding guys.

    The advantages? First and foremost it is (subjective, but almost without doubt) the single best way of constructing a high-tech, advanced chassis, like a racing car or jet fighter plane, or a mountain bike! Mechanically speaking, it allows the engineer to very clearly map out the stress points, to engineer out flex (and even IN when needed!). It also allows us to place the hard points of the frame very precisely, so that they don't interfere with the other components (perfect example here is the head tube/fork crown area).

    Seat Tube; I agree with the basic idea, yes - an uninterrupted seat tube does limit slightly possibility for raising and lowering your saddle. But it's not in itself a negative, not only because there are many other bikes designed this way, but also because there still is enough scope to give a decent amount of up and down saddle position. Also, don't forget that many frames that use continual seat tubes, don't have much more adjustment, due to the bottle bosses getting in the way.

    Rear shock; again I fundamentally agree, but again this is not unusual, and this is not necessarily a negative point? One good thing to point out about the shock position is that it is super open and accessible, so you can easily adjust it, and keep it clean. Many other bikes have the shock buried in and amongst various linkages, gussets, cradles, or reinforcing struts...

    Single pivot; and again, I'm going to fundamentally agree! Yes, single pivot does have positive and negative points to it, but just like any mechanical system, if you design and something to do one thing perfectly, by definition something else must suffer. Again, we are not alone in believing in single pivot (Cannondale, Morewood, Orange) although we are in a minority. The reason that we remain so loyal to single pivot, is that we have yet to find any significant mechanical reasons to NOT use it... when it comes to stiffness, reliability, user serviceability, responsiveness, traction, or super short chain-stays (flickable) it cannot be beaten! Another important point, is that it does all of this, it actually costs less to manufacture. From an engineering point of view, adding extra linkages would not (and here I am very willing to admit we enter into a whole realm of personal preference!) improve the performance, nor make it more reliable etc!


    It's more than "just my professional opinion" but there is a generation of riders out there who have been force-fed a diet of "new and improved" suspension systems these past few years. I will personally admit that I have ridden many (almost all) of them, and yes, many of them are very good indeed. But, it's a shame that these riders have been so "marketed" that they cannot understand or appreciate why a single pivot works / rides / continues working so well! As a mountain bike addict myself, if I had a magic wand and one wish, it would be to lift the wool from many consumers eyes!
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