The Velvet’s new chassis gets a Syntace X-15 screw-through axle (70g extra) that makes it one of the stiffest in its category on trail and in the workshop. You get a hose guide and direct-fit brake mounts making it look slick despite the budget price. It’s switchable to 130mm internally too.
It’s pretty stiff over small stuff out of the box. Finding the right pressure takes a while, but the more we rode it the more it eased up and started sucking up chatter and sticking the front tyre down well through rough corners and rocky/rooty sections.
We smashed it through serious boulder sections on timed testing runs without coming unstuck or running into any spiking or diving problems. While it’s not the most consistent and composed fork through the big stuff it’s better than a lot of comparable budget options in all-round control terms. There’s a lockout lever for charging back up too.
