New X-Fusion DH Air Shock And Vengeance Fork Updates - Taipei Cycle Show 2011

The X-Fusion booth was full of interesting new products, including a brand new air sprung downhill shock, huge updates for the Vengeance fork, and many refinements to their Hilo telescoping seatpost.
Big news from the X-Fusion camp for 2012 with the introduction of a new air sprung downhill shock, the Vector Air. The new addition to the lineup is intended for full on downhill use, not a damper that would be more at home on a trail bike, and who's only change is an increased eye-to-eye length. If the Vector Air looks familiar, it is because it's based off of the coil sprung Vector HLR, and includes the same adjustments - rebound, separate low and high speed compression adjustments, and piggyback air pressure - as well as main air spring pressure.


2012 X-Fusion Vector Air details:

• Air sprung shock built for downhill use
• Adjustments: air spring pressure, piggyback air pressure, rebound, separate low and high speed compression
• High volume main air chamber means that the shock doesn't require an additional external air sleeve


X-Fusion engineer Anthony Trujillo put a lot of effort into increasing the shock's air spring volume during the new damper's development. The goal was to have enough volume in the main air chamber that the shock would not require an additional external air sleeve, as found on a lot of other air sprung shocks, to get the desired spring rate curve. Trujillo feels that an extra air sleeve has a detrimental effect on a shock's operating temperature during hard use that a downhill shock is likely to see, trapping in heat when the shock is taxed. Heat is the worst enemy of any rear shock, but it is especially relevant to an air shock's performance. To that end, Trujillo made an effort to hollow out as much material as possible from the inside of the main air chamber. The Vector Air also features a larger internal bore that allows it to use more damping oil, which also plays are role in the battle against heat.



While the Vector Air is big news, X-Fusion's Vengeance fork receives some noteworthy updates that are also worth mentioning. Last year's sleeper fork sees it's total travel bumped up to 170mm, although you can adjust it internally to 150, 100, and even 80mm if you want to use the fork on the front of your dirt jump bike. If you read my review of last year's Vengeance HLR, you'll know that the fork has performance to match any other options out there, but some riders may have been turned off by the lack of a travel management system, especially on a fork that sported a slightly longer axle-to-crown measurement than some. X-Fusion was obviously well aware of this and 2012 sees the Vengeance not only use a crown that loses 7mm in height when compared to the 2011 model, but also the addition of X-Fusion's new DLA (Down Low Adjust) external hydraulic travel adjustment. The anodized aluminum DLA dial sits atop the left leg and lowers the fork into it's travel by 30mm for climbing or on tighter terrain. Another edition to the '12 model is a true no-tools 20mm thru-axle, with the Vengeance using a Syntace version that mimics their popular X-12 axle, only up-sized.

X-Fusion's Trujillo also did some fine tuning to both the spring and damping legs of the 2012 Vengeance, including increasing the volume of the air spring chamber for a more linear stroke that will allow lighter riders to use more travel. Aggressive or heavier Vengeance owners can simply add a few cc's or suspension fluid to the air chamber to shrink it's volume, thereby making the fork ramp up sooner in it's stroke. Those same lighter riders will also benefit from a rebound adjustment range that gets sped up on the fast side of the range, but still retains the same return speed at the opposite end of the spectrum.


2012 X-Fusion Vengeance updates:

• Travel increased to 170mm (internally adjustable to 150, 100, 80mm)
• 7mm lower fork crown compared to the 2011 model
• DLA (Down Low Adjust) external hydraulic travel adjustment lowers fork by 30mm
• 20mm Syntace licensed thru-axle
• Larger air spring chamber for more linear stroke
• Faster rebound damping speeds (slow range remains the same)



Even though the Hilo post was only recently released, it also gets some love for 2012. Total drop has been upped from 100 to 125mm, which only makes sense, and the post's stanchion diameter has been increased as well. Available sizes include 27.2mm - the Hilo is one of the few posts to be offered in this size - as well as 30.9 and 31.6mm. Interestingly, X-Fusion was also showing off a 40mm drop version that may find it's way onto some cyclocross bikes. The new short-drop post will only be available in a 27.2mm offering due to fluid displacement constraints.

Check out the X-Fusion website to see their entire lineup


With a new air shock built for true DH use, and an updated Vengeance fork that aims to address the shortcomings of the previous year, X-Fusion is looking strong for 2012. Their goal of challenging the more widely known brands in performance, but at a lower price point, is a difficult task - how do you think they will fare for 2012?

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