RockShox is introducing a whack of new technology for its 2007 line of long-travel forks, in order to give all-mountain and big-hit riders the performance they're expecting. The first new piece of technology is Mission Control. Located on the top of the right leg of the fork, Mission Control allows you to adjust high- and low-speed compression damping in the new Lyrik all-mountain fork, and Domain and Totem freeride forks. It's completely different from the damping systems currently being used in the
Pike or Reba forks.
The Mission Control's machined aluminum blue outer knob is for high-speed compression, and uses a high-speed shim stack to regulate oil flow and fork performance at high speeds. This will be what you use to deal with square-
edge hits and hard landings off drops.
The silver low-speed compression knob, located on top of the high-speed knob, is a bypass circuit that regulates oil flow at low speeds. Use this knob to tune in small-bump sensitivity and tune out brake dive.
Both high- and low-speed damping are always active, and both are located on the top cap of the fork, which is relatively uncommon among long-travel forks.
The inset dial on the top of the low-speed knob, and the low-speed knob itself, make up the Floodgate switch. The Floodgate controls pedalling efficiency in the fork, and is activated by pushing down on the knob and turning. Once it pops up, the fork will have more damping and be more efficient. To turn the Floodgate off, push down and turn the knob in the opposite direction.
The amount of damping in the Floodgate is increased or decreased by turning the 2.5mm Allen bolt in the centre of the dial. This can be done using the removable rebound adjuster knob on the bottom of the right fork leg, which incorporates an Allen key. Compression settings don't change, regardless of the Floodgate position.
In order to keep the weight down in the forks,
RockShox has used a smaller volume of oil in the right leg.
According to a fork product manager with
RockShox, the oil isn't intended to be a tuning element and the stock 5wt oil shouldn't need to be changed. Unfortunately, Mission Control is not retro-fitable to older
RockShox forks.
All of the knobs are machined aluminum for durability. They're also detented, so you can make accurate adjustments one click at a time.
The fact that the detents are sealed inside the fork, and therefore safe from the elements, is a really nice touch.
So what's going on in the left leg of the new long-travel forks - how are the forks sprung? There are several models of
RockShox forks that currently use the Solo Air spring system but
RockShox felt that something else was needed for this new generation of forks. In order to effectively address the demands of forks over 130mm,
RockShox developed the Long Travel Solo Air system, which uses a floating negative air chamber.
In addition to the Long Travel Solo Air system, there are two other spring refinements for these forks. The first is 2-Step, which makes it possible to decrease fork travel in the Lyrik and Totem. Turning the dial on the top of the left leg clockwise and compressing the fork reduces travel by 45mm. Turn it counter-clockwise and unweight the fork or continue riding and it will return to full extension.
The 2-Step travel adjustment - turn the knob for 45mm less travel The way 2-Step works is quite impressive. Oil sits at the top of the leg when it's in normal riding position. When you reduce the travel, oil goes to the bottom of the Solo Air piston and pushes the shaft in the piston up. Switch back to maximum travel and the oil moves back to the top in a few seconds.
One issue that plagues some forks with travel adjust is that performance suffers noticeably when the forks are compressed.
This system, on the other hand, has been designed to offer fully-active performance in either setting, although spring rate does increase by approximately 15 to 20% when travel is decreased.
The third option is familiar: U-Turn. Coil spring travel can be decreased by 45mm using an external adjuster; spring rate changes automatically without affecting preload. U-Turn is available on the Lyrik and Domain forks.
The lower-price long-travel fork, the Domain, gets the Motion Control damping system. It allows riders to tune in the amount of efficiency they want while still retaining small bump performance, while they're on the trail. It's a less sophisticated version of Mission Control.
There are also a few other minor changes that have a big impact on these forks. To increase stiffness in the fork and reduce slop in the bushings,
RockShox developed the Power Bulge in the magnesium lowers of these forks. Disc mounts on the long-travel forks are also all post mount style.
Finally, the Maxle tool-free 20mm thru-axle has been updated and renamed the Maxle 360. You're now able to close it at any angle your little heart desires. The 360 will be on Domain, Lyrik, and Totem forks. The Rear Maxle will also be getting increased spec this year - it was mounted on the Devinci Ollie test bikes used at the camp.
Enough with the tech speak, though. Let's get to the forks, starting with the new Lyrik all-mountain fork and following with the Domain and Totem freeride forks. Two notes before we begin - weight for all of the forks is based on a 265mm steerer with Maxle 360 axle, and pricing is the same for both 1 1/8 and OnePointFive steerers.
Für ungefähre Berechnungen:
http://www.waehrungsumrechner.de
Lyrik
The Lyrik is designed for the all-mountain rider who demands a lot of performance from their fork. And isn't afraid to pay for it.
There are three models of Lyrik to choose from, with all of them having a maximum of 160mm of travel, 35mm stanchions, forged hollow crowns that use Truvativ's proprietary AL 66-TV aluminum, butted aluminum steerers, 160mm post disc brake mounts, aluminum control knobs, external rebound, Maxle 360 axles, 1 1/8" or OnePointFive steerers, and the Mission Control damping systems. The difference is in the spring type.
The 2-Step Lyrik offers 115-160mm of travel, thanks to the adjustment feature. Weight is 5.49lbs, and MSRP is US$1,050. This fork and the U-Turn model both have travel gradients marked on the left stanchion. The Solo Air Lyrik has 160mm of travel, weighs 5.1lbs., and costs $960. The U-Turn Lyrik has 115-160mm of travel, weighs in at 5.73lbs., and costs $920.
Colour choices are Black, Diffusion Black, and Diffusion Silver. Maximum recommended rotor size for the Lyrik is 210mm, and they'll fit a 2.7" tire. Axle-to-crown height is 545mm +/- 5mm at 160mm.
Domain
The Domain is
RockShox's price point long-travel freeride fork. There are four Domain forks to choose from, incorporating different spring technologies and travel; all have external rebound adjust and aluminum control knobs.
Travel is 180mm in the two coil spring models - the 302 Coil and the 318 IS Coil - and 115-160mm on the 302 and 318 IS U-Turn models.
All forks come with 35mm taper wall steel stanchions, a forged hollow crown, and are available with both 1 1/8" and OnePointFive cromoly steel steerers. 160mm post mounts for disc brakes are stock; 210mm is the maximum recommended rotor size.
Now, the important stuff. Weight ranges from 6.15lbs. on the 302 Coil to 6.5lbs. on the 318 IS U-Turn. MSRP is $530 for the 302 U-Turn, $565 for the 318 IS Coil, $595 for the 318 IS U-Turn, and $595 for the same for with the OnePointFive steerer.
Colours for the forks are Black, Diffusion Black, and Diffusion Silver. You can also fit a 2.7" tire in this fork. Axle-to-crown height is 565mm +/- 5mm at 180mm.
Totem
The biggest news for
RockShox is undoubtedly the Totem, the company's premiere freeride fork. This baby has all the bells and whistles. I got a few pix of it at Interbike last year, and since then it's been popping up all over the place. It's even spent testing time under the notorious Bicycle Rockers.
Each of the Totems boasts a maximum of 180mm of travel, 40mm stanchions with taper wall 7000 series aluminum, a forged AL 66-TV crown, 203mm post mounts, 1 1/8" or OnePointFive aluminum steerers, a Maxle 360 thru-axle, and Mission Control damping. They also use the Speed Lube system for changing the casting lube oil. Like the Lyrics, the main difference between the forks is in the spring.
The Totem 2-Step has 135-180mm of travel, weighs 6.3lbs for the OnePointFive steerer, and costs $1,150. The Solo Air Totem has 180mm of travel, weights 5.9lbs., and costs $1,060. The U-Turn version can crank from 135-180mm of travel, weighs 6.3lbs., and costs $995.
Colours for the forks are Galvanized and Black, and they come with a sticker kit if you feel like customizing your fork from week to week. The same deal applies for tire clearance - 2.7" is good to go. Axle-to-crown height is 565mm +/- 5mm at 180mm.
A pimped-out Galvanized Totem - fun with stickers Some interesting tidbits about the Totem - the fork was in development for two years, and one of the early names for the Totem was CBC, after the infamous Mount Seymour trail.
But the graphic possibilities were just that much greater with the Totem name, so that stuck.
RockShox hooked up with D.H. Pendleton, who does work for Alien Workshop skateboards, for the striking look of the fork.
The Totem OnePointFive is a seriously stiff fork, even moreso than the 1 1/8" version. It's 20% stiffer under bending loads, and 10% under torsional loads than its less-girthy brother. It's also 90g lighter.
And for the XC fans out there, the Totem lower leg casting uses enough magnesium to make up two SID forks. And they're still only six pounds. Go figure.
What about the old standbys?
Contrary to some rumours floating around the Interweb, the
Pike line of forks is NOT being kicked to the curb. Quite the contrary, in fact. There will be nine
Pike models to choose from, using both U-Turn and Dual Air technology. Max travel remains 140mm, and it can be decreased to 95mm in certain models. The lower leg design has been tweaked, but other than that the
Pike remains basically the same. Prices range from $535 to $725, and weights from 4.5lbs. to 5.4lbs.
The BoXXer isn't changing in 2007, either. Upgrades for 2006 have been very positively received by the riding and racing communities, and there wasn't any need for another update at this time. What does change for the BoXXer line, though, is the elimination of the Ride U-Turn model. The World Cup model hits the scales at 6.1lbs. with a 265mm steerer, Maxle DH, and tall upper crown, and costs $1,495. The Team and Race are both 6.8lbs., with cost being $895 and $655, respectively.
Ride (and other) impressions
We managed to pack four rides and four product seminars into two days, so it goes without saying that we were busy. Now that I've had a chance to sit back, have some good Canadian beer, and spend a day up at Whistler, I've been able to formulate some first impressions of the new forks.
The Lyrik is amazingly capable. Minor changes in air spring pressure make a big difference in the suppleness of the fork, and the damping options are very effective. A single click in either the high- or low-speed compression circuits is noticeable. Once you find the right set-up for your trails, you don't have to keep changing the fork. But you can make adjustments quickly and easily if you go to a different neck of the woods.
Head somewhere that's steep and fast, and dial in more high-speed compression. Want to eat small bumps? Adjust the low-speed compression. And you can do all of that without tools, and without playing with dials on the top and bottom of your fork. I was only riding the Solo Air version, so didn't have a chance to try the 2-Step, but it would be very useful on steep climbs. This much travel at this weight, with this many adjustments, makes for a sweet all-mountain package. It's also very capable of high-speed hits and drops, as the pros proved on day two of the excursion.
I didn't have a chance to ride the Domain, but I did get in two rides on a Totem-equipped Ollie. One of them was a short, rocky shuttle with a lot of sharp edges, drops, steps, and messy rock gardens. We did three laps, and I just kept going faster as I gained more confidence in the fork. Again, small adjustments - one click in or out, or a few less pounds of air - made noticeable changes. All too often, you twist the knobs on a fork and you aren't sure if anything is changing. That definitely isn't the case with the Totem.
Another good sign, as far as I'm concerned, is the weight. 180mm of travel at the 6lb. mark can make a big difference to the overall weight of your bike. The obvious fit for this fork is with the emerging crop of 6 and 7" freeride bikes. Adding this fork to a frame like that would make for one very capable bike that was able to go up and down the hill. Changing from the stock 888RC2 that's spec'd on the Ollie to the Totem made the bike considerably easier to pedal uphill - without any noticeable penalty in performance.
These were brand new forks that hadn't been broken in, ridden on a different bike than what I was used to, on trails that I wasn't familiar with. And they still rode well. Very well. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like to ride these forks on my bike, on my trails.
Then there's the issue of price. Some people will get sticker shock when they hear '
RockShox' and '$1,150' in the same breath.
RockShox does not, historically, have a reputation for producing forks that warrant this price tag. The BoXXer World Cup is changing that perception, but until people start to accept that
RockShox is fully capable of turning out a high-performance (and therefore high-price) fork, the Totem will have to win over real-world riders to be a success. It has to prove itself on a variety of different terrains, it has to stand up to abuse, and it has to deliver exceptional performance.
If it were simply a matter of technology, then I wouldn't have a problem saying this fork is worth the dollars. When you look at what you're getting in the Totem and Lyrik packages, it surpasses most, if not all, of the competition at this level of travel. More features, more tunability, easier tunability, more options, and the choice of two steerer sizes make for a very enticing package.
We all know that MSRP and retail / mail order pricing aren't the same thing. Whether the difference between the two will be great enough to temp the masses to strap on a new Lyrik, Domain, or Totem remains to be seen. It will temp a few, though, and that will get the ball rolling for
RockShox.
And now the million dollar question - when are all the new forks going to be available to the buying public? Early fall - late September or early October. Which sucks, because you'll have to spend another summer on whatever you're riding now. But on the other hand, it'll give you about four months to save up for a sweet new fork.
So there you have it - the lowdown on the 2007
RockShox line-up. Stay tuned for more info on
Avid, Truvativ, and
SRAM products, which will be coming on Thursday. And there will be pictures of the heroes. But not of HB, so hopefully the one below is enough to satisfy your appetite. Until then...
Johnny
anmerkung von pat:
da du quasi den vollständigen beitrag samt fotos hier reinstellst, sollte korrekterweise wohl auch die quellenangabe nicht fehlen:
nsmb.com
Hast recht. Sorry
Johnny
Die Travis werde ich bewusst mal überspringen und eher die Totem holen wegen der Versenkbarkeit. Solange meine Sherman noch so geil geht kann ich beruhigt auf eine vernünftige Absenkbare Gabel warten..
Die Gabel hat für mich einen extremen Habenwill-Faktor 
