Fusion designer Bodo Probst should actually be out of a job. From the cross-country racer "Floyd" to the freerider "Whiplash" - every bike in the 2005 fleet scored top marks in the bike test. And yet Fusion made some changes to the chassis: In the case of the "Raid", the first of these is a slight change in geometry. To make the bike more climbable, the steering angle was slackened and the seat angle steepened. The corrections were then compensated for with a slightly longer top tube. Fusion also tweaked the "Float-Link" kinematics: The kinematics were made slightly more degressive so that the recommended air shocks can utilise the suspension travel even better. This means that steel spring dampers, which were still fitted as standard on some "Raid" models this year, are now a thing of the past.
The effect: we simply didn't feel the differences in geometry and kinematics in practice. To do this, you would have to ride the bikes with identical components against each other. The fork alone, a new "Revelation" from RockShox, makes the two generations no longer comparable.
So there is hardly anything to criticise about the new, as well as the old "Raid". The riding position is very balanced in all riding conditions and the handling - typical of a Fusion bike - is lively but always controllable. Probst has opted for Rock Shox suspension. The new "Pearl" air damper and the "Revelation" fork respond softly and match each other very well in terms of their characteristics. A whopping 130 millimetres at the front and rear hardly interfere with annoying bobbing when riding uphill. But above all, you are equipped for really rough terrain on the downhill. There is only one additional option we would have liked to see: the fork could be lowered. Together with the high cockpit, the "Raid" climbs a little early. But this wish can be fulfilled at any time: The "Raid" is available as a modular system.
CONCLUSIONS:
The changes to the "Raid" are marginal. The new generation is also well thought out - a real all-rounder that feels at home anywhere.
