DVO's Emerald downhill fork made quite the splash when it was first unveiled, and for good reason. The high end suspension marketplace has been dominated by the two big players for the past handful of years, so heads turned when DVO made their entrance. The flashy anodized green color of the upper tubes certainly helped to attract attention, but it's the dual crown fork's inverted design and Carbon Torsion Arch, along with easily accessible shim stacks that put this fork on the radar of DH riders and racers looking for something that stood out from the current offerings. The fork weighs in at 3490 grams (including the carbon arch), and is available in 26” and 27.5” configurations with a retail price of $2,239 USD for the 26" fork. In addition to the flashy green color option, DVO also offers the fork in a stealthy black version.
DVO Emerald Specs
• Intended use: downhill
• Wheel size: 26" or 27.5" options
• Travel: 203mm
• Damping: twin tube, open bath
• Adjustments: high and low-speed compression, rebound, air pressure, OTT
• 36mm stanchion tubes, 42mm upper
• Tapered steerer tube
• 20mm thru axle
• Weight: 3490 grams (actual)
• MSRP: $2239 USD (26" version)
ConstructionInverted Design: Inverted designs are not a new concept, but with the exception of Manitou's Dorado, there is a decided lack of mass-produced DH forks currently on the market that use this orientation. There are tradeoffs with both designs, but DVO felt that the benefits of going inverted were too great to pass up, namely less unsprung weight, and better lubrication, since the seals are constantly submerged in an oil bath. The Emerald's upper legs and stanchions are constructed from 7000 series aluminum, with the legs measuring in at 42mm and the stanchions at 36mm. The Carbon Torsion Arch (CTA) that joins the two legs isn't structurally integral, meaning that in theory the fork could be run sans-arch without any trouble, although after hearing DVO's claim that the arch improves torsional stiffness by 25% we couldn't find any reason to remove it. The arch also serves as a guard, protecting the stanchions from getting pummeled by flying rocks.
Damping:The Emerald uses a twin tube, open bath damper. This means there's a secondary, ported tube that the damper piston travels up and down in, but there's oil on both sides of this tube, as opposed to a sealed cartridge style unit where the oil is housed in one chamber. DVO doesn't skimp on the oil either - there are 330cc of 7.5 weight oil in the fork's damper side.
AdjustmentsDamping: High and low-speed compression damping adjustments are made at the bottom of the right leg, and rebound is adjusted at the top. If you've ever wished for easier access to a fork's compression damping circuit, it doesn't get much easier than the design used on the Emerald. By flipping the fork upside down, the bottom loader can be removed without any oil loss, giving riders the ability to easily tweak the fork's shim stack. Of course, this is something that many riders won't have the patience or technical know-how to tackle, but for those who are comfortable diving into their fork's inner workings, the option is there. It does take a firm grasp to adjust the high or low-speed compression, and the edges of the dials are relatively sharp – as a whole, the dials on the Emerald could use a slight tweaking to be more finger friendly.
Air Spring / OTT: The Emerald's air spring is housed in the left leg, and uses between 60-100psi depending on rider weight. DVO has also built in a feature they call Off The Top (OTT), which allows preload to be added to the fork's coil negative spring in order to adjust the sensitivity of the first 70mm of travel. It might seem counterintuitive, but the more preload that is applied, the easier it is to initiate the first bit of travel. The adjustment range of the OTT is rather large, with a possible 15 full revolutions available to play with.
Thru Axle: DVO considered a number of different axle options during the Emerald's development, but ended up going with a tried-and-true 20mm thru axle that's held into place by two pinch bolts on each side.
Ride ReportMost of our testing took place inside the Whistler Bike Park, due to the easy access to a wide range of lift served terrain, everything from fairly smooth, high speed runs filled with berms and jumps to more natural downhill tracks chock full of roots and rocks. In short, just about everything you'd ever encounter aboard a downhill bike. Getting the Emerald set up does take some time, as the range of adjustments on the Emerald is incredibly broad, with 38 clicks of rebound, 28 clicks of low speed compression, 34 clicks of high speed compression, along with 15 full turns on the OTT dial. This can seem can seem overwhelming at first, but DVO recommends starting with both the low and high speed compression fully open, and working in from there, and they also provide a chart with base settings for the OTT feature.
Sensitivity: Small bump sensitivity is where the Emerald shines brightest - it takes minimal effort to activate the fork, likely due to the combination of its inverted design and coil negative spring. This suppleness lets it glide over brake bumps like a pat of butter on a hot skillet, and helps to smooth out the chatter that can lead to sore hands and arm pump after a long day of bike park laps. Anyone who's had to peel their aching hands off the handlebars after a long day of lift-served runs knows the toll bike park riding can take, but with the Emerald this sensation never occurred. Less fatigue means more riding time, which is always a good thing.
Noise: How loud a fork is doesn't typically affect its performance, but it can be distracting when you're trying to focus on making it down the trail in one piece, and the Emerald is especially noisy. It has a loud, asthmatic wheeze on the rebound stroke, which could be due to the amount of oil that's being forced displaced during each cycle. It doesn't affect the performance, but with how quiet modern downhill bikes are becoming, it's even more noticeable than it would have been a few seasons ago.
Stiffness: Stiffness has always been the bane of the inverted fork design, but DVO has struck a good middle ground with the Emerald. There's no denying that it isn't as stiff as a FOX 40, which still remains the benchmark for overall stiffness, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Emerald has just enough flex to let it absorb those side impacts and awkward hits that would typically throw a stiffer fork off line, which makes it possible to remain on course and keep charging ahead. Heavier riders may not be able to come to terms with the extra movement, but being on the lighter side I didn't have any issues with it, and found that it helped to fork to track well and reduced the beating that my body took.
Mid-Stroke Support / Bottom-Out Resistance: The Emerald resisted any undue diving, retaining a well balanced, supportive feel even when faced with multiple hard hits in a row. When pushed hard at full speed the Emerald didn't miss a beat, taking care of every obstacle that came its way without fail. It has a strong ramp up at the end of the travel that prevents any harsh end-of-stroke feeling, and no matter what I subjected it to – drops into bombed out landings, chunky rock gardens full of wheel sucking holes, high speed, steep, bermed turns, the Emerald refused to bottom out.
Off The Top: The OTT feature makes a noticeable difference in how the beginning portion of the fork's travel feels, making it possible to have it initially feel extremely soft and supple, and then supportive for the rest of the travel. When I first rode the Emerald, I had imagined regularly changing the OTT settings depending on the trail, making the fork more supple for rougher courses and firmer for smoother, jump filled runs, but this didn't end up being the case. With 15 full revolutions of adjustment available, which equates to 90 clicks of adjustment, plus the fact that DVO recommends letting out all of the air before adjusting the OTT, it's more time consuming than I'd initially envisioned, and I ended up settling on one setting that worked well for all conditions. OTT does work, but I found myself wondering if some type of easy to use bottom out adjuster would be more useful than the OTT feature. I'm typically more concerned about what happens at the end of a fork's travel rather than the very beginning (
provided the beginning stroke is fairly smooth), and it would be nice to have an quick way to increase or decrease how progressive the fork is without needing to dive into the shim stacks.
Durability Issues: No issues arose during out test period, and the seals have remained leak-free throughout it all. The fork's stanchions have remained unmarred as well, despite lap after lap through the nastiest trails Whistler had on tap. Servicing the fork is fairly simple, and DVO's website is very informative when it comes to service and tuning instructions. Their customer service is also commendable, and they're more than happy to do what it takes to help customers get their fork dialed in and running smoothly.
Pinkbike's Take: | Considering the fact that this is DVO's first step into the high-end suspension market, the Emerald is a solid initial offering. It has excellent small bump sensitivity, along with mid-stroke support that puts it in the same tier as its competitors, and tuning options galore. That being said, when compared to either a RockShox BoXXer World Cup or a Fox 40 FLOAT, the Emerald is more expensive by nearly $500, and weighs over a pound more, which takes some of the luster off its shiny green appearance. So who is the Emerald for? This is a fork for the tinkerer, the rider whose eyes light up at the idea trying different shim configurations, and wants a fork that lets them easily get into the inner workings to tune away to their heart's content. For those riders, if the price of admission and extra weight aren't deterrents, there's a lot to like about the Emerald. - Mike Kazimer |
www.dvosuspension.com
The Bos idle rare is equally expensive though.
Look! It is a cool looking and top performing fork - enjoy the sight of it, enjoy what humans are able to produce! Or you want the other side of the coin that most of us are barely able utilize Domain DC?
...Wait, what?
I modified skf oil/dust wipers to fit my dorados and it made a smooth fork really smooth.
I have put on somewhere around 800,000 feet of vert on my Emerald this year. It's on the original seals, and has had the oil changed once and was totally clean and clear when dumped. It has not leaked a drop and it's still as slippery as ever with no sign of wear. Mine has proven to be as plush and reliable as a shiver in its hey day, but sits high in it travel, tracks very well and is incredibly tuneable. Yes, DVO helped me out with this fork, but since then 4 of my friends have gone on to buy one after riding mine. So far none have even had an oil change and they are all stoked with them. If you dump most of the oil out the fork like the competition the weight is not far off. Oil has benefits in excess of the minimal weight gain on a DH bike, especially if you're like me and you don't want to work on it. Brakes, suspension and tires; three places where you shouldn't be sacrificing performance for weight. Take it out elsewhere and you can still have a 35lb DH bike.
Pink Bike needs to start reviewing products that are within the price range which most who are on this site can realistically afford so when the time comes to replacing or upgrading a component, we can read a review that is actually helpful to us in making a purchase decision. The forks in this review look pretty cool (aside from the hideous colour) but c'mon! $2239?? Let's keep it real! This review only benefits the extremely tiny minority that actually may consider getting these forks. Lets start seeing some reviews that actually benefit the masses.
What your bike says to you at the trailhead
The 40 and the Boxxers are essentially a different category of fork with an inferior and outdated design, so comparing the weight only of the fork is like comparing an XC tire with a DH tire and claiming it is superior for DH cause it's lighter.
The 40 has less oil in both legs combined than the Emerald has in each leg, similar with the Boxxer. I'm curious how many FOX 40's uppers have destroyed because the fork didn't review the frequent maintenance that is required? The number is probably in the thousands. Not to mention that the 40 feels like absolute garbage on small bumps if it isn't maintained.
But the big advantage of the Emerald is having significantly reduced binding issues regular forks are notorious for because the reduced sheer force of having the smaller diameter lowers slide up into the larger upper tubes. This, combined with hugely increased bushing overlap and oil volume is why the DVO absorbs bumps much more effectively than the outdated designs from sram and Fox.
1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7C-u1affyE/UyWxLIQXgcI/AAAAAAAALIo/YafKQ9Nwtwc/s1600/888+ripped+in+half.jpg
That would never happen on an usd fork because of the drastically reduced sheer forces involved that I described above. The decreased bushing overlap of the 40 and Boxxer and lack of effectivef lubrication compared to a fork like the Emerald make them not only more prone to binding in certain situations but less effective at absorbing bumps overall.
Obviously can go fast on a regular fork, especially if it is overhauled almost everyday like they are for the pros at World Cup DH races. But alot of Boxers and especially 40s owned by regular riders feel like garbage because they don't maintain them all the time. They go bad quickly compared to the Emerald.
I definitely can see why the pros who have their forks overhauled all the time would choose a lighter 40 or a boxxer but I think for the everyday rider who doesn't want to maintain their fork all the time to keep it working good open bath usd is the way to go.
The motorcycle comparisons are apples and oranges because motos are so heavy that the sheer forces involved aren't comparable and moto forks don't flex like DH forks do. Again, just look at the photoaabove. But it is personal preference and priorities.
And I dedicate this song to your flamboyant posts saturated with conviction: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEb2CecR11I
"Protour , you do realise his fork bends like that because of the head angle more than the fact that it's a ' normal ' fork"
I was pointing out the binding of the fork, not the bending. That 888 should be bottomed out, but the head angle combined with the extreme friction of the non-usd design causes it to bind and not absorb the forces effectively.
It's an extreme situation but conclusive results that recognize the weakness of a design, regardless of the field of study, are usually demonstrable in extreme situations.
Telescopic binding also happens sometimes on square-edge impacts where the non-usd fork will flex backwards instead of effectively absorbing the bump, and in some situations will halt the riders momentum, or even worse send the rider over the bars.
Do you have any evidence or even a technical explanation that supports your assertion that inverted (usd) forks "do the same thing when compressed like that."?
The reduced sheer forces of a usd fork combined with the increased bushing overlap absolutely decrease the chances of binding. To prove it, imagine your normal telescopic fork design taken to the extreme: A telescoping fork with even less bushing overlap and then somehow increase the sheer force upon impact. The result in performance would obviously be worse.
I unfortunately don't even own a usd fork but this whole debate seems like a no-brainer to me, and I definitely have experienced the telescopic binding that occurs on square-edge bumps that can halt your momentum.
In GP motoracing, there used to be problems with bushing binding on braking, which prompted Britten to reinvent the girder fork, with great sucess. Bearings on pivots are much less likely to bind from forces out of plane with the stantions. That said though, girder forks never really caught on, everybody likes the telescopic, because they are used to it I guess.
So your technical description basically consists of "I've seen the Dorado do the same thing", which isn't convincing at all.
Non usd telescopic binding also happens sometimes on square-edge impacts where the non-usd fork will flex backwards instead of effectively absorbing the bump, and in some situations will halt the riders momentum, or even worse send the rider over the bars. This is much less likely to happen on a usd fork because of the reduced sheer forces.
Nothing wrong with the Lefty, as long as it's reliable.
I just vomited because you called me baby.
USD forks will never catch on?
There are now two companies selling them successfully, and more than a few guys still love their old Shivers. Not for the weight weenie racers, but I would make the claim that most guys who own DH bikes are not racers and are not as concerned about the weight of a fork as much as the performance and reliability.
I'm designing a bike using the Emerald for both the front and rear suspension duties. Imagine that. The hype will be off the charts! Perfectly balanced suspension axle path front and rear. Specialized will realize how stupid and unsafe the new Demo is and stop production. Gwin will worship it it like he worships his Bible. Wait till you see it Waki! I'm calling it the Protour Bfarsap.
You forgot to mention your smoke-screens.
and I'm sure that's the strapline they were hoping for
How do you know when to adjust the OTT or the LSC, it seems that they have some cross over in their function. Traditional preload has been for setting sag and ride height where none seems to be ideal to maximize fork suppleness and traction, this OTT seems to be more about fork feel and support initially more like a damper less like preload?, why not run it full on ie full soft and up the lsc or do you run it less supple and lower the lsc. Curious how the OTT is differentiated between the LSC and how you know which one to adjust.
Feedback on this? trying to understand the forks workings from a tuning point of view.
By the way DVO you should give me an emerald so I can continue to spread the positive explenation of your product in further detail.
Yeah I understand how they are adjusted but conventionally with other forks the LSC tends to effect small bump and the initial compliance in the begging stroke. I'm trying to understand how do you know if you want to change the OTT or the LSC for more support initially. The damper is still activated during the first 70mm of travel is it not? which would result in the OTT and LSC having some cross over and a close relation and balance needed for ideal set up.
I'm trying to understand the relation between the two.
In short how do I as a rider know that if I want more initial support to increase the LSC support or increase the progressiveness support of the OTT.
At first it made sense that the OTT is an overall spring curve/progressiveness adjustment. But this article said this that threw me off. "which allows preload to be added to the fork's coil negative spring in order to adjust the sensitivity of the first 70mm of travel" making it appear more as a intial adjustment only. This fork seems like while its simple it an be very complicated if you want to get into shim stacks and the like with so much room for changes. (that's a good thing obviously, easy to use but also very capable of full tuning).
From what I gather at the moment the OTT will be used as a progressiveness setting where the initial is still very soft unlike LSC adjustments that tend to delay the initial activation of the damper by increasing threshold the. I can see the two working in unison to create the ideal initial feel?
I understood the role of the two it was as you say that cross over in the initial 70mm that I was speaking about when the two can effect the other while not directly but indirectly. In the most simple terms possible it allows you to increase the support without sacrificing the traction.
Another basic point would be that is has solved the issues in the past that more support either via damping (usually LSC) or spring rate tends to have the draw back of less suppleness and initial traction.
At this point with all the adjustments and external workings, I couldn't imagine many users would need to even touch the shim stack.
I don't own the fork but It is very impressive fork so far on paper and in reviews, which is why i am so interested in the workings of the fork. Also good to see you on here answering questions, shows good support for the product.
in all serious-ness. i would like to argue about the lack of riding picks. a whole year, and not a single riding picture?!
we've seen this fork a bazillion times already (not being ridden), ridding pics would have been nice
im talking about the reviewer, who reviewed this fork. a whole year and not a single riding pic is in here
Parallax, name another company that responds to pinkbike comments and questions.
1) Open bath Emerald: that is 10 year obsolete technology no longer employed in MX because it is inconsistent
2) Bladder shock: has known issues of leaking the air/nitrogen into the oil side, negating the point of the bladder
3) Finned reservoir: it has been tried by many companies in the moto industry and hasn't caught on because no benefits, just marketing
4) CTA could have been done by other methods likely with out as much weight gain, but not as marketable as a big carbon part
5) Excuses on why the air shock prototype couldn't have both high/low and a 3 position adjuster
6) High flow pistons have been employed by many aftermarket and OEM companies with no performance gain, because the damping comes down to the shim stack and how that controls flow
I'm not saying the products aren't going to work fine, but aren't game changers and perfect suspension specimens.
The Diamond seems like a very solid trail bike offering to me though and no complaints there.
Sorry I don't just blindly follow like so many did and actually analyze what they are doing.
I switched form a Fox 40 and before that a Marz 888. The DVO is what you would get is the 888 and the Forty Air had a baby. The DVO has the pulshness of the Marz and the poppiness of the 40. I have been on the DVO for 6 months and have ridden it at Whistler, Coast Gravity Park, The North Shore, The Canyons, Trestle, Keystone, Snow Summit and many other places, and it has preformed flawlessly.
I found setting up the DVO to be simple... and the OTT (off the top) setting is awesome and allows me to easily adjust from trail to trail if I am hitting smooth park runs and then decide to ride some more technical DH trails like Shlyer at Whistler or Trestle DH. Once I set up the for to my liking, which was simple...I found that the only thing I ever adjust is the OTT.
I didn't notice the added weight of the fork moving from the Fox Forty...I am surprised to read that it is over a pound heavier. It isn't as stiff as the Forty but I think that has actually helped my riding and the flex helps keep my wheel planted. As far as the noise...I did actually notice the added noise...but it who cares!
Yes $2300 is expensive...but the engineering and detail that went into the DVO is well worth it. The performance is amazing and definitely a step above the other forks in your LBS. This is not another off the shelf fork that needs work to get it to preform how it should. You are buying a fork that already has the tune work done to it...no need to send it to Push or whoever your local suspension person is to get more work or upgraded cartridges.
In my opinion...$2300 is well worth it....and I am a cheap bastard!
I love mine as well
But realistically, that fork is sitting in the closet ATM, because modern 160mm bikes allow me to do almost everything I did on a DH bike 10 years ago. Much more likely to give DVO money for a diamond (or possible inverted single crown.)
As to DVO - I think it is a kind of compliment that people still use your fork after 14years and they are happy with them. Not many people can say that about 32 Boxxers, pre 2010 Fox 40s Travises or Shermans DC.
For example... Materion AMC225XE T4 Aluminum/Silicon Carbide MMC is basically 25% (by volume) silicon carbine ceramic particle reinforced 2124 alloy, with a density only slightly greater than 7075 aluminium alloy (0.104 Ibs/cubic inch vs 0.102 Ibs/cubic inch), a third greater tensile strength, good machinability, and most importantly for a hub axle, 60% greater stiffness. For the price tag of a DVO fork, they could have splurged on the axle and done more for the wheel stiffness than that carbon guard does.
But seriously people. I ahve 2 of the exact same bike, one with a dorado, and one with an Emerald. The emerald blows away the Dorado. Period. This is after a summer of hundreds of thousands of vertical feet at Whistler and the California resorts. (And the Dorado blows the doors off a boxxer, 40, and 888, dunno about the 380).
I understand, small company just starting up, costs are expensive , R&D , employees, material, rent , profits, etc. But if you can justify and convince me as to why i should spend that type of coin on your fork rather then a custom setup then i would gladly purchase it for your price.
Recently i rode the new Boxxer Charger and i can tell you its far away from perfect still spike and ruff that's why Craig from Avalanche offer's Charger Update for the new Boxxer so you choose but be wise
With a 27.5" wheel attached it was so damn heavy and sluggish in the front end. I hated how the fork would dive even with it adjusted as stiff as possible and the flex on the fork is just scary. After being a mechanic and a DH racer for years, this is literally scary. I dont understand what the "torsion arch" does except look really cool while its flexing. If you hold the whee parallel to the frame with your legs and grab the bars, you can turn the bars so far with out moving the wheel. Even more than a Dorado that I tried right next to it. That's brand new out of the box and its very noticeable when riding which is scary after hopping off my boxxer fork. Cant remember seeing any Emeralds at Red Bull Rampage but I saw tons of Boxxers!
Fork looks cool, flexes too much, is too heavy, and is hard to tune even with experience with suspension. Also very expensive compared to a spring/oil fox 40 or boxxer which is easily found under 1000$. Going to be hard to sell I think but keep pushing guys. The Jade rear shock felt great right off the bat and looks great though but wasn't the same story with the fork
When I first put them on I found that the first ~1.5" of travel was very soft, smooth and stiction free but then that they ramped up quickly and would always sit in this zone and be overly firm. Apparently some people find this to be ideal but I did not. Over time I worked out that I needed to run lower pressure than recommend and increase the compression dampening. Now they are smooth and progressive right through the travel like an old 888 but don't dive, jack down or suffer the oil migration issue of the 888.
The DVO guys were at crankworx and were very helpful with set up, etc. Other than the sticker shock I think these forks are mint. I love them and they will go on the front of whatever bike I get next. The performance of the fork is way more important than the frame/shock imho.
You sold it within a month? I am interested to hear how you arrived at that decision so quickly.
The DVO fork is an upgraded version of the Shiver, which is a fork Marzocchi last made in 2005, it worked well, but the problem was it was too heavy (DVO still seems to have the same issue) and it was too expensive to make (DVO is much more expensive then the competition). So in the end, nothing has really changed. The same people, making the same fork, with the same issues?
25%…. that's gotta be crap?
I wonder:
What percentage of people who think its too much still buy a 40 or Boxxer then dump the extra $500-$600 into a tune kit such as push or avalanche?
It seems like whether you get this product or spend the money on other parts at the end of the year you will have spent the money on your bike no matter what. Spend $6000 on a bike and $2000 on a fork, $7000 on a bike and $1000 on wheels or $6000 on a bike, $500 on a helmet, $1500 travel expenses. Come year end all the money spent still gets spent supporting the bicycle addiction.
My stock boxxer RC was silent and a piece of crap.
I threw in an avalanche cartridge it makes whoosh sounds and preforms just incredible.
My buddy new 888 far out preforms his r2c2 it replaced in his opinion.
Open bath is the way to go IMO.
I would ride an emerald if I could afford one but I cant. Doesn't change my thoughts towards the company at all. I wasn't in their target maret.
The fact they reply to comments and questions speaks loads about their customer service.
Everyone I spoke to at whistler this year riding one all said a variation of "I love this fork it's much better than my previous ___!"
Some background: I came from a pretty well tuned Marz 380. Have done a couple laps on a Fox 40 Air and mostly ride SoCal trails (rocks, loose, tech, and a bunch of jumps at the local park (Snow Summit))
This forks reminds me of the CCDB in that it is extremely adjustable and comes with the backing of a great company that has done their research and provide their customers with a ton of information on set-up and "how-to".
The Off The Top (OTT) is great and has made the fork nearly as plush in the initial stroke as my coil sprung Marz 380.
The fork tracks incredibly when it is dialed in. I've been able to do a click here and there and the thing works great in a variety of conditions!
People are talking weight a lot, but it is not really noticeable, even coming directly from a lighter fork. Also talking "loud". Its slightly loud only if you are jumping up and down in the parking lot, if you are worried about it being loud on the trail you probably shouldn't be riding this fork anyway.
Looks awesome!!!
Issues:
- Had to change out the negative spring (that is all better with the current forks though)
- The range of adjustment is all really close to the "full open", but that could be my weight and it still is sufficient
- The air pump that came with it was quite a bit off
- Expensive
Conclusion: Worth it! Great fork!
Both the Fox and the Boxxer are RSU, thus feel totally different than a USD. A comparison to the Dorado would've at least painted a clearer picture for those of us who own/have ridden Dorados.
One last thing... USD forks on motorcycles are stiffer than RSU forks, mainly due to the the diameter of the outer tubes.
Why is it the opposite on mountain bikes?
I'm more interested in dvo's usd single crown though. When is that coming out?
It's unfortunate that there is so much negative criticism from them. But it is fortunate that the truly negative ones have never touched or ridden the fork. Lol
From what I have gathered, is that those who have ridden it love it, and those who have not ridden it like to bitch about it. Bunch of bitches.
Kazimer certainly doesn't lack the skills. He's been to Plattekill a few times. Its not exactly his first rodeo.
3490g for emerald.
905g difference!
Bike currently weighs in at 38#, so not too worried about weight.
Just don't want to add a extra 2 pounds up front for $500 more.
I also have a hard time believing there is less un-sprung mass with the addition of the carbon arch.
Even the lubrification part is half-bullshit, because most of the frictions don't come from seals. (bushings and misalignment are worst than dry seals)
I also have to disagree about the seals comment, I notice a major difference after re greasing the seals on my boxxer(when i went from using white lithium grease which you shouldnt on seals, to using slickoleum, also a noticable difference). Have also noticed additional stiction when i dont store the bike upside down between rides. So I would say seals when improperly lubricated definitely do cause noticable friction.
And, for seals lubrification, a non-USD fork with open bath cartridge, and enough oil inside the spring leg, is as well lubricated as an usd fork.
And, a dry seal makes about 10kg of stiction, when a bushing has an "unlimited" amount, depending on the direction of impacts. On a parking lot bushing don't makes a lot of stictions
Remember McGarry's crash at Rampage?
www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10204169105899257
Now try to look at the fork: it start moving after the wheel starts imploding! (forks was 45 degrees when front wheel hit the ground)
Here:
scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/1653701_10205079033313592_8797275170495338023_n.jpg?oh=dcc8756a078585f133d5a7c59104d4ce&oe=54F5EF90
It's most likely due to the bushings' stictions
Other things the new boxxer has going for it:
The larger air volume of the negative chamber reduces the change in volume initially. This reduces initial ramp up that makes air forks feel harsh.
Lighter lowers and damper. Better shim stack arrangment rather than relying on orifice damping.
Post proccess machining for the crowns and lowers. This decreases friction by keeping the fork straighter with less bushing binding.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETxmCCsMoD0
well you lost me there...
Serious question.
It looks VERY similar in construction and sounds like the dampers are the same too
This has an air spring, with a negative spring(that has it's own separate preload) speed sensitive compression, & if I remember correctly, speed sensitive rebound(just like the dual flow rebound on a Mission control DH damper, where it's speed sensitive, but only the high speed is adjustable.)
Basically stiffer and now with more adjustment.
Sounds fair enough - thanks for responding DVO
That's a weird opinion, judging a bike on how big the company is, that produces them.