Olivier Bossard doesn't build suspension forks to earn money. It is simply his passion. And it is precisely this passion that is reflected in the products from BOS Suspension again. Because the Frenchman not only builds mountain bike forks at the highest level, but also helped, among other things Jordie Trixier with a complete chassis for the 2014 motocross world championship title or gives rally cars a perfect chassis for the WRC.
At the Sea Otter Festival 2017 the French company is presenting a brand new BOS Deville suspension fork for enduro and all-mountain bikers with 150 to 170 millimetres of travel. Compared to the Predecessor model the stanchions are slightly wider at 35 millimetres in diameter, while the weight remains almost the same at around 1900 grams. The biggest difference, according to Olivier Bossard, is in the damping. This is the first time that the open oil bath has been replaced by a cartridge design. The technology for this comes from the French company's motocross experience. Because the adjustment of high and low-speed damping is too much for many mountain bikers, the decision was made to only equip the new Deville with an adjustable high-speed compression stage. Instead, there is now an additional button for Bos' new "Traction Control", which, according to BOS, makes it much easier to adapt the suspension fork to the different challenges of mountain biking. If you have a lot of grip (in dry conditions with few bumps from the ground), you can set the traction control a little tighter to get more pressure on the front wheel. In slippery conditions, Olivier Bossard recommends reducing the traction control. This is done either via the quick adjustment (large, red button) or via the small, silver rotary wheel within the pressure level adjustment (see picture). However, the renaming of the setting options does not make the setup any easier.
The response behaviour of the new BOS Deville can be adjusted via the size of the negative chamber with different spacers. However, if you want to change the spacers, you have to open the lower side of the left fork leg with an Allen key.
The crown and stanchions of the new BOS fork have been designed to be significantly stiffer than its predecessor, while the dip tubes (the casting) have been deliberately made softer. Vibrations during braking should therefore be absorbed much better.
The price shows that Olivier Bossard wants to earn money with his suspension forks despite all his passion. The French want around 1600 euros for the new Deville fork. The first models with Boost (110x15) and for 27.5-inch wheels should be available from May 2017. A 29-inch version is set to follow towards the end of the year.
