For the kind of people who get excited about such things, Öhlins' entry into the mountain bike world four years ago was, and still is, news that's worthy of some heavy breathing. First considered back in 2010, it took until 2013 for the Swedish suspension company to release their TTX shock, which at the time was specifically made for the Specialized Demo. That debut caused a collective gasp to emit from the mouths of gear nerds around the world, forum traffic exploded, and websites were racing to post any morsels of information or photos that they could get their hands on. It was one of the biggest gear-related stories in years, due in no small part to the motorsport crossover aspect.
Cycling has always been enamored with the idea of having a connection to motorsports; just look at any time a professional athlete from the two- or four-wheeled motorized world does anything on their mountain bike, or how McLaren's partnership with Specialized had tongues wagging. Even more notable was the fuss Honda and Showa stirred up with their G-Cross World Cup team. Hell, Honda left the sport in 2007, after walking in and being the number-one international team for two years, as well as taking a NORBA and World Cup title, and many people
still get excited about that non-motorized effort from more than a decade ago. So when Öhlins came into our little world, first with their TTX shock and, more recently, with two single-crown suspension forks, it was no surprise to see people get excited. You can only imagine the ruckus that their inevitable downhill fork will cause.
The unorthodox route that Öhlins took - an exclusive partnership with a single, albeit powerful company in Specialized - to enter the mountain bike market is drastically different compared to how RockShox and Fox have done business, but this arrangement was not only smart, it was essential in order for Öhlins to break into a world that is poles apart from motorbike and car racing.
Kenth Öhlin talking to one of his motocross racers in 1976 Photo ÖhlinsTo understand why this approach is different for both the mountain bike industry and Öhlins themselves, you first have to know how Öhlins has done things in the past. The story begins in 1976 Sweden with a guy named Kenth Öhlin who, you guessed it, founded the company. It took only two years for Kenth's suspension to get to the top by way of a Russian named Gennady Moiseev who won the motocross World Champion title with Öhlins suspension fitted to his 250cc KTM. Forty years on and Öhlins' can say their suspension has been employed to win well over three hundred titles, from MotoGP, Formula One, WRC, Indy 500, and Le Mans. Two-wheeled champs include more recent heroes such as Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, while guys like Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Tommy Makkinen and Juan-Pablo Montoya, among many others, used Öhlins on their cars.
And through all those wins and championships, Öhlins says that they've never sponsored anyone with free suspension, regardless of if their last name is Stoner or Makkinen, and that every single one of the racers and teams using their products has had to pay for them. I'm of the opinion that this is more folktale than fact, but it's a spot of clever marketing that Öhlins has long employed, and a small part of the reason for their legendary status that is arguably deserved regardless of if the product was comped or not.
In any case, the 'no free stuff' ethos isn't how it works in mountain biking. In fact, it's the polar opposite - companies pay, be it financial support or by supplying product, for racers and teams to use their gear and the exposure that comes from that, not the other way around.
That begs the question that has an obvious answer: are the Specialized Gravity and EWS teams actually paying to use Öhlins suspension? No, of course not. Graves, Bruni, Miller, and the rest being on Öhlins suspension is part of the big-picture OEM deal that sees the exclusive spec of Öhlins forks and shocks on Specialized's production bikes. ''This is an extension of our ongoing partnership to develop innovative suspension together,'' Dan Hugo, Head of Sports Marketing at Specialized, explained when asked how the arrangement works. ''We believe that rider feedback from riders like Bruni, Graves, and Keene will help push forward development. So, too, this racing sponsorship allows interaction with the extensive testing experience that Laurent Delorme and Jack Roure have.''
Torkel Sintorn of Öhlins had this to say when about the partnership, ''We are following our proven racing support philosophy of investing in performance, development and superior support. The partnership with Specialized Gravity team is a perfect example of combining development of products and Racing with the goal of creating superior production products for all riders.''
That arrangement will likely give Öhlins their first major mountain bike win at some point in the near future, either on the World Cup or Enduro World Series circuit, and possibly even another championship title to add to their tally.
Öhlins suspension sees widespread OE spec on Specialized's mountain bikes. Photo HarookzAnd what of RockShox and SRAM, longtime sponsors of Specialized's top tier race effort? ''Specialized and SRAM have had a strong partnership for many years, which we are thankful for,'' said Hugo of the lengthy marriage. ''There were numerous reasons for the timing of the switch, but mostly Öhlins are finally in a position to support our race teams with the needed expertise in a way that was not feasible before.'' Even so, there are rumors that the split with one of the highest profile teams in the world was somewhat unexpected on SRAM's part, although I can confirm that the contract between the Specialized race teams and SRAM did expire at the end of 2016, thereby leaving the door open for the Swedes to come in.
With that in mind, it makes perfect sense for Specialized to have their racers on the same suspension brand that's spec'd on the high-end bikes that they're trying to sell; this is not exactly marketing rocket science here, is it?
When it comes to selling your product, differentiating one's self from everything else out there, whether it's bikes, cars, or toothpaste, is a big key to success. Öhlins and their gold anodizing are exactly that - very different to the Fox and RockShox suspension that most of us are familiar with, enough so that it's often thought of as being some sort of exotic damper magic that will immediately provide riders with a surplus of grip and control. This isn't true, of course - Öhlins make some great stuff, but it's all relatively comparable and equivalent to what their competitors are turning out - but this legend comes from forty years of winning in motorsports, under guys like Rossi and Stoner. Marketing gold rather than anodizing, you might say.
Different is good in current times, even when it's not actually better.
Ohlins' RXF 34 is a great fork that matches the Pike and Fox's 34 in pure performance, at least from what I can tell, but, as I said above, the simple fact that it's
different is just as important. If it sounds like I'm let down, I'm not - coming out of the gate and matching the best from RockShox and Fox is impressive, but just imagine if the RXF had been released years ago, before the Pike and its Charger damper upped the game and Fox then matched it with their FIT4 damper and new chassis the following season. I know that's pure fantasy, of course, but it's also the only way that Öhlins could have jumped ahead performance-wise. High-end suspension is simply too good these days to see those kinds of leaps in performance yet again without the introduction of some sort of currently unexploited technology.
The long-distance relationship between Specialized and Öhlins isn't a one-sided romance, as Öhlins is receiving a massive amount of original equipment spec - this is the single most important thing a component company can do to guarantee their success in the cycling world. And to be doing it on the bikes of one the largest cycling brands in the world, one known for their forward-thinking approach to engineering, is a stroke of pure Swedish genius. Without this OE boost, Öhlins would have likely been left to attack the aftermarket with products that, at least in North America, cost more than what their competition offers. That situation would probably be difficult to grow and be profitable in, regardless of performance and anodized or marketing gold.
''Specialized has an excellent range of bikes and a great race team structure. And, in our opinion, they also have the strongest market presence, the widest distribution and service network and a clear marketing strategy to round out the complete package,'' Sintorn said when asked to explain why the collaboration is key to Öhlins' success in North America. ''However, we have opened a shared aftermarket distribution and service network in partnership with Specialized. In North America, for example, you have Öhlins USA as an aftermarket distribution center with regional dealers and service centers, working in parallel with the Specialized network.''
While there will certainly be a downhill fork in Öhlins' future, don't hold your breath for an inverted design. Photo Matt WraggAnd what about the highly anticipated
inverted downhill fork that broke cover in 2015? ''I’ve ridden all the inverted platforms; they started heavy and were slowly refined. We were after certain numbers to be reached with the inverted fork and just didn’t get there,'' Specialized MTB Product Manager and Öhlins development rider Brad Benedict said when questioned about the fork's future. ''Öhlins won’t be giving up on that goal. We have tested and will continue to test various fork options,'' he went on to say.
Race team sponsorship and marketing aside, the partnership between Specialized and Öhlins has surely been and will continue to be worthwhile for both parties. It's also a win for consumers - there's now another viable option to consider when thinking about which high-performance fork or shock to purchase.
Title photo Specialized / Cameron Baird
Squeezing the final 10% of performance out of a product is incredibly complex, costly, and hard to justify from a return on investment standpoint. Diverting engineers from creating a cheap, reliable damper for the OEM to one that burns an absurd amount of money for fractional gains on a racing circuit isn’t at the top of most companies to-do list. Unless you’re Öhlins, of course, because that’s all they do; go racing. They’ve been pushing for that final 10% for a long time and have learned quite a bit. That’s why people are excited to see them finally enter the WC with a proper rider and support.
"Squeezing the final 10% of performance out of a product is incredibly complex, costly, and hard to justify from a return on investment standpoint. Diverting engineers from creating a cheap, reliable [insert any MTB product] to one that burns an absurd amount of money for fractional gains on a racing circuit isn’t at the top of most companies to-do list."
IMO, the Ohlins TTX rear shock is by far the best rear shock I have tried.
When I talk to people, they always describe their ride experiences in very vague, generic terms ("Yea, this fork felt a little better than the other one. On that g-out, the Fox was pretty good, I didn't OTB, so that means its dive control is good.") If you press them, they usually run out of adjectives, because most people (the 99ers!) can't put into words what they're experiencing on a bike. There are about 10 out of that 99 who can recite suspension-related terminology they gleaned from Wikipedia, who may convince others that they know what they're talking about, but, again, pressing further reveals a disconnect between ride dynamics and ride description. There are way too many subjective factors.
Mountain bike publications are guilty of this. If you read Car & Driver magazine, you'll see that they backup their claims with data (just look at the page that has a huge table of specs, measurements, times, etc.). But in the mountain bike world, you have to take a reviewer's word on what he felt; you have to trust that he rode the same bike over the same portions of the trail to duplicate the same dynamics, and he rode with the same power output and attitude, with the only variable being the forks he tested. But we all know this is impossible without a scientific method applied to bicycle product testing.
It's all over the map; we have to trust the reviewer, even though it's subjective data being passed off as objective; how are we to know that the PB review crew didn't smoke fat blunts before testing, or slammed a couple of witilly-named, over-hopped IPAs before a review ride? Since strain gauges, potentiometers, load detectors, radars, etc., aren't being used, I doubt "Big Ring" Billy's gut feel and instinct can pass scientific scrutiny.
I have been loving my STX on my E29 of late but the thing just started losing PSI on every ride. This is after about 10 rides on the new frame. I'm having DB Inline flashbacks. I hope this 1st one is just a bad egg and not the trend I experienced with my Inlines.
There's suspension technologies that are working quite well in the 4-wheel world, and will someday, make their way to the 2-wheeled universe. Magnetorheological dampers is the biggy.
As it is right now, Ohlins itself runs electronic suspension on some bikes(Ducati), and their Mechatronic shock is poised to be the 'next' big thing in motorcycle suspension. This will, of course, trickle down to bicycle suspension.
The current damper design(pistons and shims etc) still isn't anywhere near 100% efficient, and will become antiquated within the next 10 years, and new designs will take over.
We are not, in fact, at the 'final 10%' of suspension technology, be it car, motorcycle, off-road, or bicycle.
Not being a huge Specilaised fan, though again they have dialled in most of my historical hates about the brand, like proper mtb routing, decent component speccs, except that shitty command post still exisits, Ohlins is a great option for MTB market even if they are performance wise equal to the best, they will def be better after 6 months use and even better after a years use, compared to theyre counter parts, and Id say ride one first go demo and have it setup properly then you can be critical rahter than an e couch engineer!!
Id buy a Specilised Enduro just for that suspesnion, quite frankly, having run Ohlins back on my MXs back in the day, the new Enduro and even Stumpy are both dialed.. And thats allot for me to say about the big S..
Ohlins, you had me at "O"
And saying that they're "too good" because your not riding fast is a really naive statement. Properly tuned suspension can be felt in both low and high speed situations.
The question is: does it mean that people who are passionate about delivering the best product, should say go fk yourselves mountain bikers? I am personally happy each time world's best engineers do stuff for MTB. If Koenigsegg suddenly released their own MTB frame after 5 years of testing 20 different prototypes, would it be significantly better than V10cc or Devinci Wilson Carbon? I doubt that. Would it be cool if they did? Fk yes.
For the average rider, a CCDB will take a lot of effin around to get it to perform anywhere near the Ohlin shock.
This what I meant with my last part of my comment. I also had to get help to dial mine and agree, it is a beast. However, trying and trying on my own was a frustrating process and time consuming. CC also created The Lounge to support riders for same reason.
My comment was not to diminish CC, but to highlight how Ohlins made it simple.
I don't fully understand the comment, there are many budget suspensions out there but not every thing can be budget orientated.
And secondly we are talking about Ohlins, they are not exactly catering for people on a budget or who want fit and forget equipment for there daily commuter...
Shimano Di2 is a fkng stupid product. So is half of carbon parts. If you want that bit more of questionable luxury, then pay mother fkr. Do you need Ohlins? Want to find out if you can utilize it? Pay baby! I dare you, I fricking dare you. For now, we are rather far away from post scarcity economy, so let's stick to getting some rough skin. I don't cry because I cannot afford a house and a nice car. I pity the fkr who does.
How about x-fusion?
If heavier than 15.8 kg was faster,DH pros would add weight to there bikes. Di2 for 1x systems seems silly to me as the auto front D trimming (where the part performance gain is) is non existent.( Other is no contaminated cables for drop in performance )
I wonder how much revenue is generated by XTR and XX1 Eagle vs R+d + advertising + sponsorship and manufacture cost, or if those cost are shared by their OEM business as overall brand recognition , trickle down effect etc . XTR and eagle would be sod all of overall sales ata guess 1%. Anyone know more about this??
I'll go first and say $1800
You're welcome.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch3tNHw8uBk
You shouldn't expect Ohlins to set the bar right after their first try, you have to give them time to perfect their products. I do believe they can make an equal or better shock / fork than the top brands, its a matter of time and commitment.
They are coming into a new market with well established players...you wouldn't expect Rockshox to make a home run on their first attempt at a MotoGP fork, would you?
Glad to know I'm not the only one thinking that
It's the same with Vitargo, the swedish sports drink (etc.) company. They get orders from all kinds of teams/coaches/athletes, with for example olympic teams or their nutrition experts buying from them. At times regardless of the athletes/teams actual energy sponsorship deals with another brand.
Öhlins also allready stated they will make sure the price of the forks will keep relatively stable, so they most likely will prohibit shops from offering any meaningful discounts.
The only thing we can hope for imho is that Öhlins somehow make a huge leap in regards to reliability and service intervals which may force RS and Fox to follow.
That's right Öhlized. I wrote it. That happened.
" but this legend comes from forty years of winning in motorsports, under guys like Rossi and Stoner. Marketing gold rather than anodizing, you might say."
Ohlins does one thing, and does it better than anyone else, but you are gonna pay. That's how it works. They are just dipping their toes in the MTB world, and they are already close, so I for one am interested to see the progress moving forward. Until then I will keep beating on my Avalanche with no maintenance or loss of performance.
I'm not trying to be negative, I can't wait for the Downhill fork, but I'm just not ready to spend more money on a fork that is heavier, but does not perform better, to put on a bike where weight actually matters. I hope the second gen will be lighter!
Just re-read this quote, and it implies that all Specialized suspension bikes will be equipped with Ohlins. Can't be. Unless Spec is massively cutting out lower-tier offerings there is no way they can make that work. Also, I suppose that would make Specialized fat bike range (which I assume they have) go rigid fork only? There are more than a few parts of this that leave more questions than answers...
This right here is where the mountain bike suspension industry starts evolving even farther past where it currently is because the other suspension companies should be getting nervous resting on their laurels.
@MX298 : How is it comparing apples to oranges?
I would argue that Ohilins is the best....in MotoGP, that's what almost every single MotoGP winning team uses for suspension. MotGP is the top of the foodchain when it comes to 2-wheels. And if the winningest suspension is Ohlins...I would consider that the best.
www.bing.com/images/search?q=Casey+Stoner&view=detailv2&adlt=strict&id=214E69D657C293E92842E9C62A7FC317733A9D41&selectedIndex=15&ccid=bjsu%2fy2P&simid=608026731720737660&thid=OIP.M6e3b2eff2d8fc4fdf88166f4ef7ea127H2&
Their motorsports division is what makes them money now.
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