We had a lot of fun on this bike, and while it’s most certainly a budget full-sus offering, it doesn’t ride like one — not least because it has some quality parts for the price.
140mm of travel is surprising to see on a bike at this price-point, and the air sprung Suntour Epixon forks handled technical trail features easily, once we’d set the sag and adjusted the rebound, though we did find there was a little pedal bob on the flat.
The gearing comes courtesy of Shimano Altus derailleurs, shifters and 9-speed cassette, with a Suntour triple chainring and cranks. This means that, despite the hefty weight of the bike, 14.43kg, there was more than enough range to spin up climbs and ample oomph at the opposite end to get some serious speed up.
The weight also adds a stable, planted feel, and combined with wide 27.5 x 2.25 Maxxis Ardent tyres we found we had a secure amount of grip giving us enough confidence to tackle wet rooty sections and rock gardens.
And while the ride does err on the side of stable rather than zippy, there’s enough pop in the suspension to have fun on the trail.
Voodoo’s women-specific bikes do have a different geometry to its other offerings, with a shorter reach and lower standover height. While we found the former a little too compact on an 18in frame for a 5ft 8 rider, smaller riders will appreciate the fact that the range goes down to a 14 inch frame.
