Innovations 2021: Chassis

Technical development is subject to fashions. Over the years, air suspension systems have increasingly pushed steel springs out of the market. Too heavy, too complicated to set up. Today, steel spring shock absorbers are once again dominating the news. For years, the development of forks also focussed on providing more and more suspension travel with less weight, before the industry made a U-turn. New forks launched this year in the enduro segment, such as the Rockshox ZEB or the Fox 38The new models, for example, have made it clear that stiffness and therefore steering precision and suspension travel quality are once again gaining in importance. Weight is often only a secondary consideration in the developers' specifications.

Increasingly extreme descents, the almost everyday use of enduro bikes in the bike park and not least the higher weight of e-bikes are forcing suspension fork manufacturers in particular to rethink. Even in the touring segment up to 120 millimetres of travel Rockshox its SID generous 35-millimetre stanchions for more stiffness. A tube diameter that until recently was common on enduro bikes is slowly establishing itself in the trail bike sector. What do we make of the current trends in suspension? The trend towards more stiffness in forks certainly makes sense. The lightweight, long-travel forks with thin stanchions were too prone to creaking and twisting. At least when you rode them for days on end down steep descents. Adrenalin-hungry enduro bikers are delighted with the direction the industry is currently taking. Those who still regard mountain biking as a complete sport and don't just see uphills as a chore should nevertheless not completely lose sight of the weight of the individual components.