Fuji Auric LT Review | Enduro Bike Shootout #mtb #loamwolf #enduromtb

Fuji’s Auric LT is the most affordable bike in our Enduro Bike Shootout, but is a low price tag enough? Designed to represent Fuji’s take on the perfect bike for big mountain days, the Auric LT packs 160mm of their unique MLink suspension and 170mm up front. Another standout for the Fuji Auric LT is the fact that it’s the only dual 27.5” wheeled bike in our test, something that will likely polarize some riders out there. Let’s dig in and see what this bike’s about and how it performed.

We’d like to thank Maxxis Tires for helping make this Shootout possible. We equipped all our test bikes with Maxxis rubber to give each bike a predictable platform from which to evaluate the bikes on our test trails.

THE DIRT
We always love when an underdog shines through the pack of big, spendy rigs. Sadly, the Fuji Auric LT was not the hero we were looking for. It’s not that the bike’s all bad, it just has a major flaw in the geometry when it comes to riding the gnarliest terrain. The low stack height and high bottom bracket make for a very nervous ride when going over very steep chutes or off drops where you need to be looking up ahead. It’s possible a short stem and very high-rise bar would help to offset this, but we didn’t have a bar high enough to try for this test and don’t consider it reasonable for a bike to need such modification to ride comfortably. It’s a shame as the reach is good, head angle is slack, and the suspension platform is pretty impressive too, giving it some potential that just can’t quite be realized.

The MLink system looks a bit precarious and like it would flex excessively, but we didn’t have any complaints on how it worked. The heavy weight of the bike was more detrimental to the Auric LT’s climbing capability, and when it came time to attack the flatter descents the bike did pretty well. Traction was there, it worked fine while braking hard and took both big hits and smaller impacts in its stride. We’re sure that with a better rear shock and fork, the bike would perform even better, making the geometry oversight an even bigger bummer as the bike has some real potential.

The Wolf’s Last Word
Of all the bikes in our roundup, the Fuji Auric LT felt the least like it belonged on steep trails. Despite having a few good geo numbers and a pretty capable suspension platform, the bike just does not instill confidence or a fun feeling while on board in testing terrain. The high bottom bracket and extremely low stack height made for a worrisome ride position going over steep chutes and drops, and the Yari RC fork did not help the cause.

When brands like Canyon are offering bikes that cost just a bit more and have dialed geometry and better components, it’s hard to see where the Fuji Auric LT fits in. We were rooting for this one as it looks cool and the MLink system works well. The good news for Fuji is, frame geometry is very easy to update and if they transfer some more modern numbers to a 29-inch wheeled Auric, we think they’d have a solid, budget-focused shredder on their hands.

Price: $3,499
Weight: 37.6 lbs
Website: Fujibikes.com

Enduro Bike Shootout Sponsors
MAXXIS TIRES: https://www.maxxis.com/us/tires/bicycle/mountain/
FOX RACING: https://www.foxracing.com/

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