I’m just going to put on my robe and wizard hat right now, because this article is going to talk about a full suspension mountainous bicycling contraption, and as we all know, mountain bike geometry and suspension are wizardry.
Okay, good. Got that handled. On to business.
I’m going to tell you about my ride on the Fuji Auric 1.1. It’s a hydroformed aluminum full-suspension mountainous bicycle with 27.5″ tires, and it was made by a wizard in a dark cave somewhere (probably).
Even the name, “Auric,” is somewhat wizardly. The word means “of, or relating to, the aura supposedly surrounding a living creature.” Fuji are trying to tell us that they believe this bike is so good that we’ll have a spiritual connection to it. It looks like this:
Forgive me for interchanging “One.1” and “1.1” in the bikes name. It’s “1.1” on the web site, but the top tube says “One.1.” I’m more inclined to believe what’s painted on the bike than what I read on the internet.
The one I rode yesterday at Outdoor demo looked like this:
The second I jumped on this bike I loved it. It’s not what you’d call super light. The gentlemen at the Fuji booth reported a figure of 29.1lbs, with tubeless and probably no pedals. But it is highly confidence inspiring. I was bounding into the air like a springtime lamb.
According to Fuji, the magic the Auric brings is all due to its MLink suspension. They say: “The mid length pivot point on the chainstay creates a suspension system that is the most efficient climbing and best descending platform on the market.”
All I hear is “Science.” Science and wizards. But there’s no doubt that I enjoyed myself, and that, after all, is what bikes are about, lest we forget. Here’s what it looks like:
The other super cool feature on this bike for me was the adjustable suspension travel on the RockShox Pike RCT3 fork. RockShox call it “Dual Position Air.” You can change your suspension travel by up to 30mm by adjusting this here knob:
If you’re climbing you can dial down some of the fork travel, then dial it back up when you go to descend. I had never ridden that form of wizardry before, and it impressed me mightily. And the fork itself looks pretty sweet overall too.
All in all I loved the Auric. My new friends at Fuji put the MSRP on this bike at $5,400, which is not exactly entry level, but then again, wizards do not come cheap.
Check out more information on this bike here, and thanks to Fuji for the great ride!
