We have been trying to get our hands on our Snafu Hawthorne test bike for a while now. The winter weather has definitely been conspiring against us. But last week we got to ride and draw our final conclusions on this sweet looking 26" complete that retails for around $799us. Read the full review and check our quick edit with the Hawthorne below...

The first thing you notice about the Snafu Hawthorne is definitely it's color. This bike has some serious bling factor. A frame and fork of bright purple with Lime green stickers will definitely get you noticed. And unlike many shiny finishes this one seems to be quite durable. Let's start off talking about the frame. Which is made of 100% 4130 with an integrated headset. The bike only comes in one size with a 22.5" top tube. Both the head angle and the seat angle sit at 71degrees. You also get removeable u-brake mounts (the bike comes with a disc brake) and brazed cable guides. Some people have worried about the unique yoke design for the junction between the Bottom Bracket and the Chanstays. It is made of 4 pieces: an oval connector welded between the b/b and a flat piece of steel which is then welded to the stays. Check out the picture below...

Although this is not a "traditional" design the frame felt 100% solid and had a very stiff and responsive back end. I don't doubt the strength of this design at all. The Hawthorne comes stock with a Snafu 440 Pickle chromoly rigid fork. The fork has an axle to crown height of 460mm. Which gives you a lot of space between the tire and fork. Which makes foot placement on jam tricks a little harder. You always have to remember to use the side of your foot so as not to lose your foot through the fork..haha. As you would expect the rest of the bike is chock full of Snafu components. Which includes Snafu stem and bar, C-Lever for the brakes (connected to a Tektro disc caliper), Zenith and Satellite hubs, Mayweather cranks, Poly Pedals, Rim job and Knob job tires and a Gesser sprocket. Another unique feature on the Hawthorne is the gearing. It comes stock with 30t x 10t driver. This makes for a little taller of a gear then the more standard 25t x 11t. This was something that everyone who climbed on the Snafu commented on but liked. It's nice to get a little more out of each crank when going for a box or quarter. The Knob job Tire up front and the rear Rimjob make a great combination of treads. Although we did not have the opportunity to put our Hawthorne through the paces on Dirt this combo will work just as good there. I have run those tires on 20's many times and have always been happy with the performance. Right out of the box this bike is ready to go for the average rider. The only modification that might be necessary is to shorten the seatpost. It comes with a 350mm long post. It is slammed as low as it will go in the pic below. A very minor detail on an otherwise great bike.

A few of us got to spend some time riding the Hawthorne around a few parks (although the filming was all done at Greenwood Village in Colorado) The bike was quick and easy to get used to. The first two comments everyone made (after talking about the color) was about the gearing and the head angle. Gearing we already discussed. It works great. The head angle is listed at 71degrees. Although it feels and looks even steeper. Those stepping into bigger bikes from 20" won't notice anything and it will feel great. The head angle makes it just as responsive as a 20" bike. Allowing you to toss it around very easily. If you are new to or are not used to a rigid bike (like several of our testers) it will take a few runs to get the hang of the repsonsiveness. A few of us had some trouble finding the right manual spot. But once we did it locked it and felt fine. All in all we were very impressed with the Snafu Hawthorne complete. It is a lot of bike for around $800. I have no doubt that the bike would hold up and be reliable for most riders. To get more information on the Snafu lne of products hit up your local bike shop or visit Sidewall Distribution online HERE to find your closest dealer. Now check out our video reiew of the Hawthorne with some riding action and thoughts from Clayton Shank and Mike Feitinger...