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RockShox and Avid - 2006 A bunch of new all-mountain forks |
Words and photos by Stuart Kernaghan
First it was SRAM. Then it was Truvativ. And now it's time for the RockShox and Avid portion of my tour de San Luis Obispo.
RockShox - front and rear suspension
RockShox is focussing on the longer-travel XC and all-mountain scene for 2006, with three new forks to fill the gap between the 140mm Pike and the 100mm Reba. But that doesn't mean the Pike is gone, or that there haven't been other improvements throughout the RockShox product line.
First off, aluminum controls have shown up all over the place, including detented flip levers for U-Turn travel adjustments, compression adjusters, air valve caps, rebound adjusters, control levers, and FloodGate adjusters. Say goodbye to slippery and mangled plastic controls. Colours for specific controls like FloodGate adjustable suspension settings have been made the same colour on forks and shocks. Also on the control front, the PopLoc handlebar lock-out is now compatible with an even wider array of forks and has even made it way down to some of the price-point suspension products.
Then there's the forks themselves. As before, leading the single-crown parade is the Pike. Designed for the enduro / all-mountain extreme crowd, the through-axle fork has been updated for 2006 with aluminum control knobs, an Air U-Turn option, and a Long Travel Dual Air option. Other than that, the platform is basically the same. Weights come in between 4.08 and 4.91lbs., depending on options.
Other features on the Pike include Motion Control with adjustable Floodgate (RockShox's version of stable platform suspension), a forged hollow crown, a custom-butted steerer on the 454 model, the Maxle 20mm through axle, 32mm 7000-series aluminum steerers. There are nine (yes, nine) models of Pikes to chose from, depending on what you're into and what your budget can withstand. Check out the RockShox site for the complete list of options.
Pikes galore, with all sorts of different options, including FloodGate, external rebound, and U-Turn. || Photo © SRAM.
Moving down the line in usage to the three new XC / all-mountain category, you'll find the Revelation leading the way. This fork is a 130mm version of the XC-oriented Reba and is aimed right at the enduro / all-mountain crowd, combining light weight with 130mm of travel.
These forks are designed to be used with RockShox's PopLoc remote lock-out feature, and the crown comes with an integrated cable stop. Other features include a butted aluminum steerer, Long Travel Dual Air or Air U-Turn spring options, and Motion Control Damping with adjustable Floodgate.
The mid-level Recon comes in four different models, with travel up to 130mm, 32mm aluminum stanchions, and a forged hollow aluminum crown. There are two U-Turn travel adjust Recon models, and Motion Control Damping. The value-oriented Tora rounds out the group. Specs for the Tora include four different models with 32mm steel stanchions, up to 130mm of travel, two U-Turn travel adjust options, and disc or canti brake mounting.
The mid-range Recon (left) and low-end Tora (right), flanking the all-new, higher-end Revelation. || Photo © SRAM.
As noted, RockShox as gone with all-aluminum adjustment knobs this year on forks and shocks. There were three rear shocks on display in SLO: the top-end MC, the Ario, and the Bar. All three cross country / all-mountain shocks are designed to be mated with 80 to 130mm of front travel, and the MC in particular has some sweet features including Motion Control damping to set the ride exactly the way you want it. |
 Aluminum adjustment knobs all 'round |
Even though this was a media camp, there were a few things still under wraps. An observant journalist - such as myself - is trained to notice those kinds of things, however. Things like a new all-mountain / freeride rear shock named the Pearl that was listed on the product usage chart in the media kit, but not discussed during any of the presentations.
RockShox will spill the beans on that one when they're good and ready, but smart money is that it will be a long-travel air shock with Motion Control that will compliment 150 to 200mm of front-end travel.
 The rear Maxle - quick-release through axle technology |
A huge new development for RockShox is the rear Maxle, a rear-axle version of the Maxle featured on the Pike fork. There's one expanding wedge on the non-drive side and the drive side is threaded. Engineering specs for the rear Maxle have been released to bike manufacturers to allow them to design a Maxle-specific dropout. Users will need a 12mm thru axle hub, but will have the option of either 135 or 150mm widths. A big plus - you'll be able to move the quick release lever once it's closed. The rear Maxle won't be compatible with Saint or Hone rear derailleurs, however. |
Expect to see it on suspension frames in the next six months to a year. My guess - it will be show up on some bike by the time the annual Interbike show rolls around in October.
Avid - disc brakes Both brakes offer several standard features: Power Reserve Geometry, to give you more power at the end of the lever throw; Tri-Align caliper positioning system, so you don't need to shim the calipers; Indexed Reach Adjustment, with 1mm of reach adjustment for every click of the reach screw; drip-free bleeding; and polygon rotors in 160, 185, and 203mm sizes. Avid didn't make many changes to the 5s for 2006, other than going with a new all-black colour. Black body, black lever, and black caliper. But there were changes to the 7. Big ones. |
 The 160mm Avid polygon rotor, with Juicy 7 caliper |
According to the literature, the big change for the 7s for '06 was split clamps for easy handlebar attachment. That's hardly revolutionary, so during the tech presentation I asked Paul Kantor of Avid if there was going to be an aluminium Speed Dial pad adjustment knob any time soon. It seemed logical to carry over the aluminum RockShox knobs to the Avid line as well...
Paul tried to play coy, but someone playing coy - especially if they're bad at it - often tells you exactly what you need to know. After stammering about nothing in particular for about 30 seconds, he said he'd rather not answer the question. Too late, I was already scribbling madly in my notebook - Expect aluminum dials for '06.
What I didn't know, though, was when they'd make an appearance. That very thing happened about a month after my trip to SLO - last week at Sea Otter - but Avid wasn't quite done with the surprises. In order to match up with the new carbon X.O derailleurs from SRAM, the Juicy 7s got carbon levers courtesy of the company's BlackBox Racing program. A slightly scaled-down version of these babies, minus the BlackBox designation and the Ti parts it comes with, will be available to the public in May of this year, if you're willing to shell out US$270 per wheel. You'll also be able to pick up a set of the carbon levers and retrofit them onto your existing Juicy 7s or 5s. Levers will be available in the next month or two, but there's no word on price yet.
The new Avid Juicy 7 with carbon lever and aluminum pad adjust knob,
displayed by hand model extraordinaire Cam McRae
So that's it for the SRAM group of companies line-up for 2006. Stay tuned to nsmb.com for reviews of SRAM, Truvativ, RockShox, and Avid products in the months to come.
And thanks once again to everyone from each of those four companies who made this an informative and entertaining media event.
Until next time...
