Breezer built their name making classic steel hardtails and these roots remain apparent in the Thunder Pro.
Last year we featured the Breezer Repack; a burly 160mm travel, 27.5 inch wheeled trail bike. Also on the dual suspension side they also have the 120mm travel Supercell 29er, which uses the same unique ‘M-Link’ suspension system. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Thunder; a range of alloy 29er hardtails. From this line we’ve been riding the Thunder Pro—at $2,199 it’s their top-end alloy hardtail.
Let’s start with a brief history lesson for those who haven’t encountered the brand before. Joe Breeze (Mr Breezer) was one of the original Mt Tamalpais crew from California. His peers included names such as Tom Ritchey and Gary Fisher. Between Joe and his riding mates the ‘klunker’ was born, and the rest as they, is history.
Along the way the Breezer brand became part of the Advanced Sports International (ASI) family, which includes Fuji, Kestrel and SE Bikes. Despite this, Joe is still very much involved with the brand that bears his name and they’ve stuck to their roots in many ways. They still produce steel bikes and these classic hardtails actually sit above their alloy brethren—the slender steel framed Lightning stands as their flagship model for 2015.
While steel remains real for Breezer, there’s no denying that our alloy Thunder Pro is going to appeal to a broader audience. Alloy frames can be light, strong and feature packed at a more affordable price-point. It also faces a very competitive market; almost every brand has a number of alloy hardtails to choose from, so Breezer really needs to get it right with the Thunder Pro.
BREEZER SPIRIT
The Thunder falls under Breezer’s ‘race’ category, which offers some clue of to what to expect. They’ve opted for a press-fit bottom bracket and direct mount headset bearings but there’s nothing overly burly about the Thunder. Both wheels mount via traditional quick release axles; a noteworthy contrast to most similarly priced hardtails, which almost exclusively run a 15mm thruaxle fork and often feature a 142x12mm rear axle too. There’s no prevision for running a dropper post and the skinny 27.2mm seatpost size limits your choice if you did want to fit one.
It also seems to have skipped the modern trend of oversizing everything and compared to most, the Thunder appears to have been on a pretty major diet. The top tube is as skinny as you’re likely to find on an alloy bike; at just over 35mm diameter it’s in line with the size of modern steel tubes. The down tube is the most generously sized but still not gargantuan. It’s a flattened pyramid shape that’s reminiscent of the tube profiles found on some high-end steel frames.
Personally, my favourite touch was the tapered head tube which is as narrow as possible and flares like a bell near the bottom to capture the oversized lower bearing. It’s elegant and minimalist, a real salute to the steel Breezer frames of the past and certainly the loveliest head tube I’ve seen on an alloy hardtail.
Simplicity is the mantra here. The down tube is beefy enough to support the head tube without extra gusseting and the top tube has been ovalised to create a strong junction at the seat tube. There are some curves but all are subtle. The seat stays and chainstays form the most basically shaped set that we’ve seen in a while. Round tubes rule here and there’s no crazy flattening or kinking. Breezer completely avoids internal cable routing—another nod to simplicity that bike mechanics everywhere will appreciate.
On the scales our large Thunder frame came in just under 1,800g, which is midpack for an alloy hardtail. The balance of the parts brings it up to 12.58kg without pedals. While the bare frame weight is respectable, the complete bike is a bit heavier than most comparably priced hardtails that we’ve reviewed. There’s no single culprit to wave a finger at here; all of the components are reassuringly stout and there’s some comfort in knowing that out of the box, the Pro should take a beating and come back asking for more. Of course it also means there’s no shortage of targets to aim at when upgrade-itis bites.
While there may be a few extra grams in the build, it was nice to see some decent rolling stock on the Thunder. The WTB i19 rims are laced with 32 conventional J-bend spokes to a Shimano SLX rear hub while the front hub is a house brand unit. The i19 rims feature a proper tubeless internal profile, so all you’ll need for a tube-free conversion is adhesive rim tape, a couple of valve stems and some sealant. The only downer is that the front hub cannot be converted to 15mm thru-axle, so any future fork upgrade would necessitate a new hub and wheel rebuild, or a new wheel.
The stock WTB Nine Line tyres stand tall and narrow. While the tyre casing has some girth, the tread seems comparatively narrow for a 2.25 inch tyre. With tightly spaced tread on top, they roll quickly and smoothly, even at lower pressures. This tyre and rim combo helps the Pro to keep its composure through fast and choppy sections of trail, although fast loose corners quickly expose the Nine Line’s lack of aggressive cornering knobs. It’s definitely a tread best suited to long rides or races on buff singletrack and fire road. The handlebar lockout on the Recon fork is perfect in these situations too.
The lack of a thruaxle may compromise the front end rigidity when compared to most of the Pro’s competition, but the well-made frame and sturdy (but weighty) Oval bar/stem combo helps things to stay reasonably on track.
Shimano’s Deore level brakes offer bucket loads of modulation, although the resin pad compound doesn’t deliver the power of Shimano’s higher spec models. The non-clutch XT rear derailleur allows the chain to flap about over bumps — the noise is immediately noticeable if you’ve come off of a bike that runs a clutch rear derailleur. It’s a shame the Pro didn’t come with a clutch type SLX derailleur instead, as the performance of the SLX group is more than passable!
MILE MUNCHER
I was riding along thinking about the Nine Line treads on the Pro and how they compared with a tyre that I’ve spent a lot of time on; the WTB Nano. Both roll really well, have a good sized bag, and feature useful but minimal tread patterns. The Nano is a perennial favourite with riders in the for the Tour Divide – a 4,418km point to point event in the US – and I realised that the Thunder Pro would also be a great machine for an adventure like this. The frame is simple and avoids internal routing and proprietary axle standards. There will never be an issue working on or getting parts for this beast, but it’s the ride quality that seals the deal.
The Breezer’s geometry is ideal for long days on the dirt. The rear end is shortish (439mm) and the head angle is mid-pack at 71 degrees; neither super-fast or boringly slow. In tandem with the roomy 615mm effective top tube length and decent standover clearance, the Pro doesn’t tend to favour any particular facet of riding over another. At 305mm the bottom bracket is low enough to deliver good cornering stability, and being a hardtail this height remains relatively constant, so it’s not a chronic pedal basher when things turn rocky.
On the trail it has to be one of the most neutral machines getting around. Initially I swapped the grips for something a bit softer and converted the tyres to tubeless, but these tweaks had me happy from the first ride onwards — I didn’t feel like I needed to change anything from there on. I would have been happy to strap on a number plate and roll out with the next start wave of any marathon race.
The neutrality of the ride has you into a groove pretty quickly and I felt right at home in no time at all. Confidence builds with each set of corners and the kilometres tick by with ease once you hit the fire road. Riders that tend to get a song stuck in their head, only to awake from their internal concert hours and hours later will befriend the easy-going character of the Pro.
The lack of thru-axles and atypically skinny frame provide a darn smooth ride. It takes a lot of noise out of the trail and it doesn’t boot you in the behind when you’re tumbling and tossing through a rock garden. The WTB saddle is nicely cushioned, and as noted previously there is a nice amount of buoyancy in the tyres too. Fitting a nice carbon bar would put the Pro amongst the comfiest of comfy hardtails, irrespective of frame material.
The trade-off for the Pro’s supple performance is its overall rigidity when the heat is really on. Out of the saddle efforts aren’t a problem but it does give up a reasonable amount of deflection when ploughing through sequential mid-tolarge size hits or when pushed through a choppy corner. Riders who like to lean the bike hard into the turns will find the Thunder a little vague. The easy going ride quality lets you build speed with ease but when you’re giving it 80-100% effort, the bike seems to reach its limits. Ease off a touch and the Thunder will settle back into its smooth gliding sweet-spot.
Steel framed bikes have a certain intangible ‘twang’ and can be very smooth to ride. Similar to the Thunder, they’re often a little lacking in frontto-back rigidity, but riders typically swoon over their trail taming qualities rather than dwell on their perceived shortcomings. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t approach the Thunder with the same tinted glasses on. This machine approaches almost everything that an XC hardtail could be expected to take on with a degree of composure that keeps you relaxed and allows you to simply enjoy the ride. It’s not a bike for the pinners, but more so for the zoners. Plug in your favourite tune, slap it on repeat and turn the pedals. The Thunder won’t drown out the beat; it’s a quiet achiever — just make sure you get home in time for dinner!
SO GOOD
- Neutral handling
- Supple ride quality
- Easy to maintain
NO GOOD
- Wanting for rigidity in heated situations
- Weighty parts spec
- Noisy rear derailleur
Frame Butted and Hydroformed 6066 Alloy
Fork RockShox Recon Gold 100mm travel
Shifter Shimano SLX iSpec
Front Derailleur Shimano SLX
Rear Derailleur Shimano XT
Cassette Shimano HG50 11/36 10-speed
Cranks Shimano SLX 24/38
Bottom Bracket Shimano
Brakes Shimano Deore
Rims WTB ST i19
Hubs SLX rear / Breezer front
Tyres WTB
Weight 12.58kg without pedals (Large frame 1,787g)
Available Sizes XS, S, M, L (tested) & XL
PRICE 2199$