The Fluid VLT felt like a very composed descender straight off the bat. Rear wheel traction is nothing short of superb, smoothing out trail chatter with no drama, allowing me to look further ahead to anticipate the next corner. I was really impressed by how balanced the setup was, and can say that the Ride Aligned suggestions were an excellent starting point for me. That said, as I got up to speed on familiar trails, I felt the shock was packing down over long rooty sections. That was easily resolved by opening up the rebound damping to allow the shock to return faster after compressions.
The progressivity of an air shock combined with the linkage’s 27% progression delivers a bike doesn’t give up its rear wheel travel very easily. Departing from the Ride Aligned setup, I backed off the compression damping on Low and High speed in a bid to encourage use of more travel. That went some way to giving me more millimeters, but ultimately I had to increase the sag to 30% to get even close to full travel. The X2 shock does have a generous bottom out bumper, which was likely why I never used all 140 mm of travel. In that regard, I do wonder whether a coil shock with a hydraulic bottom-out adjustment may be a better option for lighter riders.
Before testing, I had some reservations over the length of the reach, but after riding a few trails I was satisfied it was more than manageable, and I felt no need to reduce the stem length. Sure, the bike is not as compact as some of the enduro bikes I have tested recently, and that’s noticeable. It would have been interesting to try the S1 for comparison’s sake, but realistically the fit was not something I felt was holding me back from riding the bike in a competent fashion.
A major limitation was the poor performance of the SRAM Level SLV brakes. They are simply not powerful enough for a 140mm trail bike, let alone a 140mm eMTB. It’s difficult to ride a bike to the full system (bike+rider) potential when stopping distances are much longer than one is accustomed to. Luckily, the C1 140 will actually be supplied with SRAM Code SLV brakes. I know these brakes well; they are far more powerful, and thus far more up to the task.
When braking hard on steep, choppy terrain, the bike remains neutral and predictable. The geometry is maintained and traction is plentiful, with no unwelcome pitching sensations to report.
The Fluid VLT is one of the more playful and chuck-able eMTBs I’ve ridden to date. It is far more responsive in my hands than either the Canyon Spectral:ON (a 23kg full-powered MX eMTB) and the Canyon Neuron:ON fly (a lightweight Bosch SX powered 29″ eMTB). The suspension is also immeasurably more composed and confidence-inspiring in every riding scenario.
Early on in the test period, I was very comfortable riding the Fluid VLT at good speed on familiar downhill tracks. In many riding scenarios, the bike rides as though it has more than its 140mm rear wheel travel. As compared to other lightweight eMTBs, I found the Fluid VLT to be altogether more flattering to ride.
While largely impressive, the Fluid VLT isn’t immune to the drawbacks associated with a 4 to 5 kg weight penalty introduced by a motor and battery. When a section of track is simultaneously steep, twisty and riddled with steps in short succession of one another, the bike feels clunky, cumbersome and deeply unflattering. The poor performance of the SRAM Level SLV brakes will be a contributory factor here, but I feel the weight of the battery loading the front-end is largely responsible. This is only enhanced with greasy conditions; small mistakes come with bigger punishment, and it’s much harder to recover composure after sliding off line.
In these very technically challenging sections of trail, one can feel like one’s skills have regressed by several years. This experience is not unique to the Fluid VLT; every eMTB I have ridden to date produces this feeling of vulnerability, and I am yet to ride one that imparts the confidence that permits the care-free riding style needed to progress.
To finish on a positive note, when remaining in my comfort zone on fast, flowing, technical enduro and downhill tracks, the Fluid VLT performs very well, making it easy to have a lot of fun. It performs really well in the bike park, with heaps of mid-stroke support to prevent the bike from folding in fast, compressive berms, and it’s nice and predictable off the lips.