Bikers who are still mourning the old Fox Vanilla suspension fork can breathe a sigh of relief. Öhlins will once again be launching a suspension fork with a steel spring from July 2017. The RFX 36 Coil is based on the normal RFX 36 with air spring, only the right fork side is replaced by a steel spring unit.
The fork will be available in the 15x110 mm Boost standard, with a choice of 140, 150 or 160 mm travel and initially only for 29er or 27.5-inch Plus tyres. The steel spring version should impress above all with its better response behaviour. Both Jared Graves and Curtis Keene are already riding the RFX 36 Coil in the Enduro World Series.
According to the manufacturer, the Öhlins RFX 36 Coil should weigh 2380 grams with an uncut stem and the heaviest spring. No statement was made about prices during the BIKE Festival in Willingen; sales will continue to be handled by Specialized.
Also new: The Öhlins RFX 36 27.5" air fork is optimised for use with 27.5-inch wheels with less offset (46 instead of 51 mm) and up to 170 mm travel. Plus tyres up to 27.5x2.8 inches supposedly still fit. According to the manufacturer, the weight is 2085 grams.
Lightweight replacement springs in various lengths and hardnesses are available for the Öhlins steel spring shock absorbers.
