Wow! In a word. Run stock, 190g lighter than the Kinekt, the bike’s front end immediately felt more responsive, yet ironing out any surface imperfections progressively. Much stiffer than the Kinekt, yet more compliant than the Redshift Washboard tarmac just turned into a gentle ripple, meaning I could concentrate on turning a high cadence. Snatching away on sudden, steeper gradients, the absence of power robbing flex gave a really planted, dependable feel. Several hundred miles of road riding confirmed the design overcame any requirement for a lockout switch/function.

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No rebound, no annoying bob, just sublime silence. This narrative remained unchanged, regardless of how low the temperature dipped, or despite long, steady miles in rains reminiscent of Blade Runner. 

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Switching to beefy 38/35mm cross tyres, and heading for dirt, I found the default tension setting adequate, rather than astounding. Damping was still palpable but whipping out my 3mm Allen key and turning counter clockwise allowed me to fine tune travel, quickly and easily. It’s worth noting that unlike forks, suspension stems (and indeed, seat posts) isolate the rider, but not machine from shock. Suspension forks may be a better investment if you’ve a less mechanically sensitive riding style.

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However, within seconds, I’d got travel and compliance bang on, the system responding subtly and progressively from gentle ripples to hoof prints and deeply set tracks typical of tractors and other agricultural vehicles. Aside from unleashing the bike’s direct, efficient handling, this also had a positive effect upon my fatigue. Other factors, including glove choice play their part but come the end of 50-mile outings, hands, wrists and shoulders felt les tense, day I say battered. 

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Now, that’s not to say the Kinekt didn’t have a positive effect in similar contexts. However, the more active movement meant it was slightly harder to keep the same pace and concentration through more technical sections whereas the Vecnum combined the best parts of a suspension unit but without the trade-off (save for some weight, obviously). Braking on a descent with more weight placed on the drops, the stem will move, yet everything else feels planted allowing me to focus exclusively on the ride, terrain and potential hazards.

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Arguably in a competitive context, you would’ve set the travel beforehand and stuck with it but the ability to fine tune simply and quickly is a serious boon. One that gives it a definite real-world advantage over both the Kinekt and Redshift Sports. Again, even when things have gotten decidedly wet and mucky, the internals have been well sheltered from the lion’s share.