Optically, however, the bike looks more like a marathon file. A steep seat angle, long stem and the resulting stretched upper body position are to be expected. In terms of color, only the blue fillets set accents on the gray-black frame. The "Virtue Nine 1" is equipped to a high standard with Rock Shox suspension elements, Easton Haven wheels and the Sram X01 groupset, to name just a few components. The cables are routed completely internally.

The 80 millimeter long stem is a little daunting. However, any skepticism quickly vanishes, as the Felt feels really comfortable. On the asphalt section up to the trail, it rolls along very powerfully. There are no traction influences to be felt either. Even when pedaling out of the saddle, the influence on the shock is marginal. If you switch the bumper to uphill mode and push up the road, you almost forget that this is still a trail bike and not a marathon bike. The carbon frame also has an optimum balance between stiffness and light flex. The latter should have a particularly positive effect on the trail. The Felt also makes technical climbs easier. Here, the 130 millimeters of travel and the large wheels prove to be the perfect balance between traction, comfort and handling. Even riding uphill in hairpin bends seems easier than with other bikes. Thanks to the longer stem, long climbs are also no problem, which is why this mountain bike is ideal for high alpine tours.

The terrain becomes flatter and the trail flows better. The bike quickly encourages you to step on the gas on the winding route. This is where the Felt "Virtue Nine 1" really comes into its own. It can be maneuvered around corners playfully, but with the necessary directional stability. Waves and compressions are also no problem. The suspension hardly bounces at all. The rear suspension handles small bumps well. However, the negative suspension travel should be kept high at 28 to 30 percent, otherwise the suspension travel is not fully utilized, even in rough terrain.

Praiseworthy, because it is not noticeable, is the handling despite the long stem. You completely forget about it and even downhill you don't have to worry about having too much weight on the front wheel. However, there is one annoying point elsewhere. The Revelation RLT fork from Rock Shox, which actually works well, loses travel on descents where heavy braking is often required, as it sags too much due to a lack of progression. More air pressure is not a solution here, because otherwise the responsiveness suffers. Nevertheless, the "Virtue Nine 1" is a lot of fun even with the linear fork. The Equilink system developed by Felt plays a central role here. Especially when braking, the system continues to work on impact destruction, which makes the bike easy to control. The Equilink decouples the braking influences on the suspension. Incidentally, the "Virtue Nine 1" remains almost unchanged in the 2015 model year.

Conclusion: If you're looking for a mountain bike that's great fun on trails but also doesn't shy away from extended tours, the Felt "Virtue Nine 1" is the perfect choice. It's also perfect for a trip to a marathon race. The only pity is the slightly too linear suspension characteristics of the Rock Shox fork. However, this hardly detracts from the overall picture of this bike.

Manufacturer: www.felt.ch