i-track suspension explained by the man who invented it

The Rogue was developed and tested on New Zealand trails before it went into production, and it’s built to stay composed when the Avinox motor is pushing hard. A big part of that comes down to anti-squat, and i-track suspension is how the Rogue gets a healthy amount of it. So we asked Hugh McLeay, the Australian inventor of i-track, to explain how it works.

Hugh flew over from Australia to ride with our crew in Whakarewarewa Forest earlier this year. In the video below he talks through i-track on the Rogue, and he’s since shared more detail with us on how suspension design works.

Four things that decide how a bike rides

Before getting into i-track, it helps to know what actually shapes a suspension system. Hugh breaks it down into four factors. The axle path is the arc the rear wheel travels along. The leverage ratio describes how far the wheel moves for every millimetre the shock compresses, and how that changes as you go deeper. Anti-squat covers how pedalling forces affect the suspension, while anti-rise does the same job for braking.

Get the balance of those four right through the whole of the travel and you have a bike with a clear character. They all come from where the pivots and links are placed, so most of the ride is decided at the design stage. The shock tune and geometry are then built around it.

How i-track works

A conventional full suspension bike runs the chain in a straight line from the chainring to the cassette. i-track adds an idler pulley that can move relative to the rest of the bike. Hugh describes it as a tool that “gives the suspension designer another degree of freedom, allowing them to achieve certain kinematic objectives that may otherwise be difficult to achieve.”

On the Rogue, the idler lifts as the rear wheel compresses, and that adds anti-squat. Hugh says a traditional layout can make it hard to hit a high anti-squat target without trading something else away. i-track gives the designer a way around it.

Why it matters with 150Nm on tap

Anti-squat keeps the back of the bike from sinking every time you push on the pedals. Add a motor and it matters even more, because the Avinox M2S in the Rogue delivers up to 150Nm of boost torque and 1,300W of peak power. Hugh says the Rogue carries a fairly healthy amount of anti-squat, which gives you a supportive platform on steep climbs when the motor is working hardest.

It also means the bike doesn’t need a stiff leverage ratio or an over-damped shock to stop it bobbing under power. The shock can stay supple and get on with soaking up roots and rocks. Hugh’s description of the result is “pretty much like a magic carpet sort of bike.” It’s stable and planted, and happy to plough through the rough stuff.

Anti-squat and pedal kickback

Pedal kickback comes up a lot in eMTB reviews and forums. Hugh says the two terms describe one mechanism from opposite directions. “Anti-squat is the measure of how the drivetrain influences the suspension, and pedal kickback is the measure of how the suspension influences the drivetrain,” he explains.

Built here, with mates across the ditch

i-track gave the Rogue’s designers extra freedom, and the bike is the result of how they used it. Hugh calls it “an amazing bike to ride” and puts that down to the people who designed it.

We started in New Zealand and Hugh is Australian, and he says the partnership has felt like a real community on this side of the world as he’s watched Velduro grow from nothing. He also reckons we’re going to take over the world. We’ll let the bikes do the talking.

Next up is the Vandal, our new trail eMTB, which runs i-track too. It debuted at Sea Otter Europe 2026, the first containers land at the end of February 2027, and complete bikes are expected on NZ trails from March. Keep your eyes on Vedlruo's socials, and sign up to our newsletter to hear when pre-orders open.

Ride the Rogue in New Zealand

Shop the Rogue range or find your nearest dealer to take a closer look. For the quick answer on i-track, see our FAQ, and there’s more on the i-track system at i-tracksuspension.com.