Some developments in the bike sector are, to put it kindly, not clear-cut achievements for customers. Internally routed cables, for example. Nice, but anyone who has ever poked around cursing in the frame to fiddle cable housings through tiny openings knows what we're talking about. Or internal batteries: visually a gain, but because of them, e-bikes are heavier than ever. But there's no question that the bikes have looked more stylish since then!
The transition from the massive down tube area to the slender suspension fork looked less aesthetic. The industry's request to the fork manufacturers was therefore: "Build us something thicker!" No sooner said than done. Here they are: the Fox 38 and the Rockshox ZEB. Thicker. Bigger. Badder. And therefore visually more suitable for large-volume e-bikes. So: Job done? Everyone happy?
We are sceptical. Are the two big hulks better than their siblings: the Fox 36 and Rockshox Lyrik? Or has more weight been added to the bike for visual reasons - once again prioritising function over form? Both new models share the larger stanchion tube diameter of 38 millimetres. And both have been given a much more massive casting. You can see this on the scales: the front is 200 (ZEB) or 400 grams (Fox 38) heavier. In the laboratory, the increase in mass is having an effect. The torsional and braking stiffness of both forks outperform the slim models by up to 30 per cent. Few owners of a Lyrik or 36 will have complained about problems in these areas. We at least have always been happy with the performance. So how does the extra stiffness and weight benefit the customer?
You can download the complete test duel of the two E-MTB forks from Fox and Rockshox from EMTB 4/2020 as a PDF below the article. The test costs 1.49 euros.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in EMTB. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, namely tens of thousands of euros every year.
