As the suspension travel increases, the number of adjustment knobs usually increases too. This is a necessary evil in order to better control the greater travel of the suspension elements. Although more functions offer the connoisseur the opportunity to work individually, for the majority of users they harbour the risk of getting lost in the shuffle. To test what the new suspension fork vintage can do, we travelled to the trail mecca of Finale Ligure with 21 forks in our luggage. In the first part of our test: all-mountain and enduro forks for 27.5-inch bikes. This is followed in the second part by lightweight race and all-mountain forks for twentyniners (BIKE 7/2015). With a price range of 702 to 1070 euros for the all-mountain forks and 650 to 1099 euros for the enduro models, this test offers a broad spectrum within the new 27.5-inch class.
You can find these 27.5 inch Enduro and All Mountain suspension forks in the test:
- Enduro 27.5 inch:
- Formula Thirtyfive
- Fox 36 Float FIT RC2
- Manitou Mattoc Pro
- Marzocchi 350 NCR
- Rock Shox Pike RCT3
- X-Fusion Sweep HLR
- All Mountain 27.5 inch:
- Bos Deville AM
- Magura TS8 R150 DLO
- Rock Shox Revelation RCT3
Enduro is booming. This is why development in this area is running at full speed, as the abundance of new 160 millimetre forks confirms. New forks with 35 or 36 millimetre stanchions are entering the market and combine the best downhill performance with ever lower weights. A real competitor to the classic all-mountain forks, which are predominantly based on thin 32 mm stanchions and offer up to 150 millimetres of travel. The comparison at Rock Shox alone shows how close the latest enduro generation is to the established touring forks. Just 73 grams separate the Revelation from the stiffer and significantly more potent Pike on the downhill. If you are looking for a long-travel touring fork, you should take a look at the Enduro range, especially as the travel can be reduced internally on most 160 mm forks.
The BOS Deville AM, DVO Diamond, Fox 36 and Marzocchi 350 NCR are the absolute novelties in this test. Whilst the Deville enduro fork has already won test victories in recent years, we were excited to see the reduced travel version with the suffix "AM". Due to the same casting as the Deville, the weight is relatively high. Otherwise, there is absolutely nothing to criticise about the French fork. Another test victory for the BOS - and with simplified compression damping.
The enduro forks are not quite as simple. In addition to the obligatory rebound damping, most top models have a high- and low-speed compression stage. Depending on the riding situation, this is intended to prevent uncontrolled bottoming out (sharp changes in geometry) and keep the fork as high and stable as possible in its travel. As a further feature, most manufacturers now offer plastic spacers that can be used to reduce the size of the air chamber in the fork and thus change the characteristics (see page 68). With the Hydraulic Bottom Out (bottom-out protection) and the O.T.T. system (response behaviour), Manitou and DVO have added yet another function, which makes maximum use of the available space on the knobs. Marzocchi relocates the operation of the switchable platform to the handlebars via a remote lever, offering an option that we have never missed in enduro use. If you multiply the number of adjustment options by the possible range, experience is required to counteract the threat of fork detuning with sensitivity.
What the Pike is for the Revelation at Rock Shox, the Fox 36 is for the Fox 34. In other words, the newer, thoroughbred enduro fork 36 also poaches in the somewhat tamer area of application of the 34 and weighs 130 grams less even with identical travel. Tough times for the 34, which at least scores points for its tool-free wheel removal, whereas the 36 requires you to turn five screws. In terms of riding feel, the new 36 offers exactly what many racers missed in last year's 34, which was somewhat weak on compression. Thanks to its firmer basic setup and a wider compression range, the 36 always has the right arguments at the ready, even on tracks with an Enduro World Series character, and is very solid in its travel.
However, since not every biker has the forearms of EWS winner Jared Graves and usually rolls a little slower over the trails, a basic set-up with a firm race feel is not always ideal. Touring riders are more likely to benefit from a range that also allows for maximum sensitivity. Above all, the lightweight Formula Thirtyfive offers the greatest comfort among the enduro forks, followed by the attractively priced X-Fusion Sweep.
Even if the abundance of adjustment options does not make the new forks any easier to use, they at least offer all the options you need to compose your personalised set-up.
AIR NUMBER
Two strokes with the fork pump and a click on the rebound damping - that was the old days. Modern forks often offer more options than many riders would like. In addition to complex damping systems, the air chamber size is moving to the centre of the adjustment options.
First only Rock Shox, now also Fox, Formula, Magura and SR Suntour. We are talking about the small, colourful plastic spacers (or oil) that are now included with the forks to change the air chamber size. While the air pressure is still used to adjust the spring stiffness via the negative spring travel (SAG), the spacers also offer the option of changing the characteristic curve and thus the fork's characteristics. Spacers or oil in the air chamber reduce the volume, making the fork more progressive at the same air pressure. You need more force to utilise the full suspension travel. However, before adjusting the air chamber size, the air pressure and damping should first be set correctly. Reducing the air chamber size only makes sense if the fork bottoms out too easily despite the correct SAG (approx. 20 per cent of the maximum suspension travel) and compression damping. In general, a progressive fork can be ridden softer than a fork with a linear characteristic curve. The spring characteristics in the test reports provide information about the characteristics of the forks. The spacers can be fitted to most fork models in just a few minutes.
AIR LOSS WITH DVO
Right from the start, we struggled with a leak in the air chamber of the Diamond, the new enduro fork from DVO. It was therefore not possible to make a final assessment of the DVO fork, which at 2130 grams is quite heavy but extremely stiff. A follow-up test with a new fork will have to show what the fork, which is packed with adjustment options for 999 euros, can really do.
You can read this article or the entire BIKE 4/2015 issue in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or buy the issue in the DK shop reorder:
