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Putting the squish into full squish |
Suspension has changed a lot in the last couple of years, pushed by riders and new advances in technology. Things that seemed impossible just two or three years ago - like a 7" single crown fork - are now becoming commonplace, adjustability is making its way into lower-end forks, forks are getting lighter, and air forks aren't just for the XC set. And that's just on the front end of the bike. Rear shocks are more supple, air is also an option, and stable platform shocks bring a new level of control to the rear end of just about every bike.
Here's a look at some of the new fork and shock offerings from the major manufacturers.
RockShox
It's hard to say exactly what the big news is from RockShox
this year because there are so many different things.
U-Turn travel adjustment is available on several models, and lets you adjust the amount of travel without changing the spring rate. Motion Control Damping makes is possible to tune the fork exactly the way you want to. PopLoc allows you to instantly lock or unlock the suspension, while PopLoc Adjust lets you adjust compression damping as well as lock out the fork. The Maxle is a tool-free, threaded, through axle with a quick release.
All of these features come into play on the new Pike all-mountain fork, which boasts Motion Control Damping, U-Turn travel adjust from 95mm-140mm, 32mm stanchions, Maxle 20mm through axle, Shallow Pocket Crown with integrated cable stop for remote systems, and two remote options (the PopLoc / PopLoc Adjust).
RockShox has set a target weight of 4.7lbs. for the Team fork and 4.9lbs. for the Race and SL models. Major differences between the forks include a hollow crown and aluminum steerer on the Team, and external floodgate control on the Race.
 The Pike Race |
 The Pike SL |
One particularly interesting development to come out of RockShox this year is the Boxxer Ride, a travel-adjustable double crown fork. Turn the U-Turn Travel Adjustment dial and change the travel from 133mm to 178mm (5.25" to 7”).
Other changes to the fork include new lowers for increased stiffness, durability, and tire clearance. RockShox also tweaked the upper crown to increase the fork's turning radius, and it's drilled to accept a direct-mount stem. Target weight for the 32mm stanchion fork is 7.2lbs.
 The new Boxxer Ride |
 45mm of U-Turn travel adjustment, and a glimpse at the direct mount crown |
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There are three other Boxxers to choose from if you're not looking for U-Turn adjustable travel: the World Cup, Team, and Race.
The World Cup gets 8" of travel, and with a target weight of 6.8lbs, it's not an anchor. Titanium dual coil springs, preload adjustment, and HC2 damping are teamed up with external rebound, low speed compression, high speed compression, and new one piece magnesium lowers. Slippery Silver stanchions and a forged crown with direct mount stem option complete the package.
Weight for the Team bumps up to 7.45lbs, in part because you lose the titanium coils. Slippery Silver stanchions are also gone, but you still get 8" of travel, preload, external rebound, low speed compression, and high speed compression adjustments, and the direct mount stem option.
The Race is either 7" or 8" of travel, and still comes with the direct mount stem option. Adjustments are limited to preload and external rebound only.
Marzocchi, Fox, and Progressive - page 2
