Fuji has been out of the dual suspension bike market for a little while now but 2016 sees them return with a whole new platform. They’ve picked up on the ‘M-Link’ suspension system, a design that we first saw employed by Breezer Bikes – www.breezerbikes.com/bikes/mountain.
In part the suspension system works like a short-link four-bar design (DW-Link Maestro etc) but it just runs much longer suspension links—you could call it a mid-link system. Claimed benefits include less stress on the pivots for improved durability and greater stiffness than a traditional longer link suspension design thanks to the triangulated seat and chainstay section. It’s also said to allow for shorter chainstays than a short link four-bar design without compromising tyre clearance.
The M-Link will feature on two new platforms; the Rakan, a 120mm travel 29er and the Auric, a 160mm travel all-mountain bike with 27.5 wheels. All frames will feature alloy construction using ‘A6-SL custom-butted’ and hydroformed alloy tubing. The travel is also matched from front to rear, so all of the 160mm Auric models will run a 160mm fork and likewise for the 120mm travel Rakan.
These bikes will also feature ‘Boost’ spacing on the axles and bottom bracket (110/148mm front/rear). This spaces the drivetrain outboard, making more room for wider tyres, shorter chainstays or some combination of the two, as well as increasing the triangulation in the rear spokes for a stiffer wheel.
Claimed weights range from 12.2kg for the SRAM X1 equipped Rakan 1.1 to 13.5kg for the base model 29er. All of the longer travel Auric models are in the 13.5-13.8kg zone, which is about right for a long travel alloy all-mountain bike.
Geometry-wise the new bikes seem relatively conservative. Where many new all-mountain bikes are running 65-66 degree head angles, the Auric 160mm has a 67 degree head angle. Likewise the Rakan is on the steep side for its genre with a 69 degree head angle. While the M-Link and Boost marketing spruiks the benefits of short chainstays, the Rakan has 449.5mm stays which is 20mm longer than some. Likewise the 435mm stays on the Auric are nothing ground breaking. The reach figures are mid-field too, so on paper the bikes appear to be holding a fairly traditional line.
Of course we can only speculate and the on-trail feel will depend on a whole range of factors. Having ridden the M-Link equipped Breezer Repack, we’d expect the new Fuji models to be very efficient when it comes to pedalling and the geometry suggests they’ll be less of a handful when the trail points uphill.
These new models are expected to land in January 2016, kicking off with the Rakan 1.5 which should be around $4,500. Hopefully we can line up a review to see how they really perform.
