Test Rating:8 out of 10

Suggested Retail Price: $1500.00 CAD

Weight: 24 lbs.

Country Of Origin: frame manufactured in Taiwan, assembled in Ontario, Canada

Description Of The Product: The Misfit Psycles DiSSent is a rigid, single speed, 29" wheel mountain bike. The frame is manufactured in Taiwan but is assembled in Ontario, Canada. The bike has a solid build of mostly WTB brand parts, and Misfit Psycles in house components. This 29" frame is very different from other models that are available. The frame is built around the wheels for a more traditional riding experience. This test bike is made of aluminum, but there have been rumors of Misfit Psycles teaming up with steel frame builder True North to produce a steel version of the diSSent. This could be very interesting for riders who believe that "Steel Is Real".

Our Thoughts:When the whole 29" bike craze started some years ago, many riders thought that it would never last. Well I guess we were wrong! It's obvious that 29" bikes are here to stay! There is a real cult following that surrounds the 29ers. It really seems as though the 29" single speed is to mountain biking as the long board is to surfing. Many die hard mountain bikers that have been riding for decades, have given up their geared 26" bikes and have moved onto 29" single speeds.

There are many different brands that offer 29" single speeds these days but Misfit Psycles is totally committed to the 29" single speed bike. Many 29ers do not handle very well on slow single track, and have almost a muted dull feeling to them. Riders will be surprised how well the Misfit DiSSent handled. As with most 29ers it handled extremely well at high speeds, but handled equally well at low speeds in tight technical sections. Riders will be pleasantly surprised about the DiSSent's handling in technical sections. Many other 29ers really fail in the technical sections, but the DiSSent totally aced it. The 29" wheels combined with the WTB 2.55 tires almost make you forget that you are riding a rigid bike. The wheels soaked up much of the abuse.

The frame is very well designed and manufactured, and is also nice to look at. The raw aluminum look gives the DiSSent a very "fabricated" look. When talking to the owner and designer of Misfit Psycles, he mentioned that he designed the frame around the wheels as opposed to simply bolting on larger wheels to a more traditional geometry. The unique geometry translates into a bike that is fun to ride and handles great.

The frame design and construction of the DiSSent are very impressive, but so is the Misfit Psycles parts that came on the bike. All of the parts from the stem right through to the hubs are of very high quality. The construction and the finish of all of these parts rival many of the major brands. The rear hub has a nice positive sound to it, similar to a Hugi hub which many riders will enjoy. The only complaint with the Misfit DiSSent was that there was a little fine tuning that had to be made to the bike. After a few blow outs we got rid of the stock rim tap that kept shifting allowing the spoke nipples to cut the inner tube. We had a few other little hiccups but nothing that a few rides and tweaking couldn't sort out. The WTB tires did tend to get clog up with mud at times though. I would personally go with another set of tires but that is a choice that is really dependent on the kind of riding you do, as well as where you ride.

The Misfit Psycles Dissent was definitely a conversation starter. At a trail head people would start talking about the bike. People were either interested in the bike, or they already owned a Misfit DiSSent and wanted to see if we liked it as much as they did. The majority of riders who already owned a DiSSent had sold their geared bike and were totally converted to the single speed experience. Overall the Misfit Psycles DiSSent was a great bike. It was a really fun bike to ride, and reminds us of why we got into mountain biking in the first place. We don't need all kinds of pivots and shocks, but rather a sturdy do it all bike that gets the job done without having to spend hours tuning and fiddling around with in order to go out for a ride.

Frame: diSSent 29er Single speed frame 6061 Aluminum
Fork:Misfit Psycles diSSent 6061 Aluminum Rigid Fork
Hubs: Misfit Psycles SS Disc Hubs
Rims: WTB Dual Duty Rims 29"
Crankset: FSA V-Drive 32 tooth chain ring
Rear Cog: 18 tooth
Chain: KMC Z610HX
Brakes:Magura Julie Hydraulic Disk
Handle Bar: Misfit Psycles FU-Bar
Stem: Misfit Psycles FUgly riser stem
Seat Post: Misfit Psycles FUbu seat post
Headset :Cane Creek S-3
Saddle: WTB Speed-V Saddle
Tire Front: WTB Weirwolf LT 2.55
Tire Rear: WTB Nano Raptor 2.1
Grips: WTB Dual Compound