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Testing one of the most expensive and complicated components on a mountain bike is no easy task. In BIKE 3/21, we tested six enduro suspension forks with 170 millimetres of travel and four all-mountain models with 150 millimetres of travel and can already reveal one thing here: No matter how rough the descent was, we didn't lose our tooth fillings with any of our test forks. However, differences between the individual fork models were still clearly noticeable. Because the interactions between the spring unit, damping cartridge and the chassis of a suspension fork are so complex, we had to look closely to find the reasons for the different working methods and therefore the specific strengths of each product. That's why we put each MTB suspension fork through four different laboratory tests in addition to our practical test. This is the only way to objectively evaluate a suspension fork.
A guest at Helmchen Tuned: A life for the chassis
The first step was to determine the braking and torsional rigidity as well as the fork characteristic curve on test benches from the Zedler Institute in the BIKE test lab in Munich. We then had all the suspension forks tested by Stefan Schimschal. With his Company Helmchen Tuned Schimschal meticulously deals with the service and general function of suspension elements. He mainly works as a developer for suspension technology for the Syntace/Liteville company. The extent of his passion for suspension becomes clear as soon as you set foot over the threshold of Schimschal's front door. From the outside, the unspectacular detached house blends in perfectly with the neighbourhood in which it is located. Stepping through the front door feels like stepping into another universe. An estimated 60 per cent of the living space serves just one purpose: Understanding and improving mountain bike suspension. The hallway is misused as a storage area for fork cartons, while mountain bikes from the private fleet stand and hang in the stairwell. There are more tools in the two workshop rooms on the upper floor than in most bike shops. Stefan Schimschal's house is an oasis for technology-loving bikers. The perfect place to back up our suspension fork test with further objective data.
After riding numerous metres on the enduro and all-mountain forks and writing down our test impressions, we put our test forks in the hands of the oasis father. For BIKE, Stefan Schimschal disassembled each suspension fork and checked the manufacturing tolerances of the fork legs and stanchions. Only if the manufacturers work accurately here is a low-friction function of the suspension fork possible. In addition, he put each fork on a high-quality, dynamic test bench to check the operation and adjustment ranges of the damping cartridge. The complicated characteristics of the damping unit allow conclusions to be drawn about the effectiveness and adjustment ranges of the numerous compression and rebound settings of modern suspension forks. We have compared the findings from Schimschal's test bench with our practical experience and, together with the results from the BIKE laboratory, we have moulded them into a test grade.
The entire suspension fork test in the Enduro and All Mountain categories from BIKE 3/2021 with all the information, overview tables and grades can be found as a PDF in the download area below:
ENDURO FORKS:
DVO Onyx SC D1
Manitou Mezzer Pro
ALL-MOUNTAIN FORKS:
Cane Creek Helmet MK2
Fox Float 36 Factory Grip 2
