X-Fusion Revel HLR Fork - First Look
We've been touting the performance of X-Fusion's suspension offerings for a few seasons now, with the Santa Cruz, California, based company putting out some seriously good products that, at least in our minds, rival anything else on the market. Factor in that their forks and shocks often retail for less than comparable offerings from the competition and it's no wonder why we've seen more and more of them on the trails. X-Fusion wanted to do something different, though, a project not constrained by target costs and established thinking. That train of thought has led them to the Revel HLR, shown here for the first time, an inverted single crown fork that employs some unique design points and is assembled in their Santa Cruz facility. No, it won't be for everyone - it's high anticipated MSRP will see to that - but it very well could shake up the premium suspension market in a way that not many were expecting.
X-Fusion Revel HLR Details
• Intended use: all-mountain/enduro
• Travel: 140 - 160mm (650B), 120 - 140mm (29'')
• X-Fusion HLR Damper
• Adjustments: high/low speed, independently adjustable compression and rebound
• Spring: 'Dual-Spring Air System'
• 34mm stanchion tubes
• Tapered steerer tube
• 20mm 'LockX' thru-axle
• Carbon stanchion guards (not shown)
• Weight: 4.5LB (claimed)
• MSRP: TBA
The Secret's on the Inside
Internally, the new Revel utilizes X-Fusion's twin-tube HLR damper that has consistently impressed us when employed in their Vengeance lineup. The design, which allows for independent tuning of the low and high-speed compression and rebound settings, means that the fork should offer the controlled stroke that we've come to expect from the HLR design, and that the onus will be on the fork's new inverted chassis. The Revel's inverted design is obviously its most
The Revel is also set to be assembled in X-Fusion's Santa Cruz, California, facility, a choice that will likely raise the fork's price but also allow X-Fusion to have better control over every last detail during assembly. ''The guidelines for this project were to create the best performing suspension fork in existence without cutting any corners or being held back by cost,'' says Hauer. ''Turns out, we all quickly became very attached to this project and wanted to see it through from start to finish. That is why the decision to do complete assembly by our factory technicians in Santa Cruz, CA was made.''
We'll have more on the Revel HLR when it's officially launched during next week's Interbike tradeshow, including more photos, details on its novel Gold-E-Locks trilateral keyway design, price, and expected availability.
www.xfusionshox.com
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It's not April 1st is it?
Marzocchi had the shiver out WAY before the dorado was available (in a single crown variant aswell). The shiver was a great fork and in my mind still out performs some forks even today. BUT all inverted forks are too flxy to be any good in single crown as demonstrated by the RAC and SHIVER SC
I think these came out way before any one else mombat.org/894Halson.jpg and they worked quite nicely.
The first generation fork had CrMo lowers and Al uppers, got 2 1/8" of travel from a six inch stack of elastomers, and featured Mountain Cycles Pro-Stop disc brake and a bullseye components made hub with a bolt in 12mm axle with a thread on flange to take the disc rotor. The second generation shaved some weight, introduced the Pulstar straight-pull spoke hubs to the MTB world (Pulstar's flange design has since been copied by basically EVERYONE who uses straight pull spokes) as well as a 12mm QR axle.
1st generation... www.mombat.org/P4150008.JPG
2nd generation... www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=23612
try these www.kowa-ss.co.jp/mtb.html
And as someone already stated, the marketing is genius. I can spot a set of DVO forks within a split second just because
of they color scheme. I love it
Props to DVO I'm right here in Ventura County and cant wait to get your forks and come discuss them in person.
so it's not lengthened it's converted to singlecrown!!
I don't always comment on pinkbike posts......
Just kidding, I always do.
Torsional stiffness, x,y will depend on how well the 20mm axle and clamping and keyrace can replace the missing arch. Keyrace needs to be really hardwearing and stay extra clean to work properly for a while. Also beefy - 10% overload and the race is wrecked - keyrace likes to go up and down - without sideloads.
Cool concept, good looking elegant product. Enough stiffness for light trail work.
As for price - 1h extra assembly time and qc should translate to a product 100$ above the competitions. If they dont get to greedy - winner.
Not sure about the color and colorkeyed knobs. Replace stickers with nice stamped badges.
First world problems...
Again, x-fusion forks are awesome but they need to get their shit together and clearly communicate what forks are truly available and what features those forks actually have. Not "might have some day", but actually have today. They need to clearly distinguish between available products/features and prototypes of future forks.
The appearance is tragic but big roll of black electric tape will get the job done
Which is what I will do when my forks get here. Get over the color. It is all in how it rides.
The height difference (from the axle) is 12mm between 650 and 26, I've been testing this with a demo bike and unless you actually tell someone that the '650b' bike has 26in wheels on it nobody notices. They all come back talking about how much better it rolled over stuff and how they could feel the difference, I quietly stifle my laughter. I think in a couple years '650b compatible' will just mean 'enough clearance for English winter' to long time mtbers.
The inverted setup need a truly good protector for the bars, otherwise they'll get damaged at the first enduro session. And once a bar gets marked ... voilà suspension.
And that gold color ... only Designed in Californa can lead to so beautiful, or so horrible designs (as this case)
Carbon stanchion guards (not shown)
www.maverickbike.com/main/do/products/productID/39
instagram.com/p/eH9t_LRdlg
Reminds me of this for some reason
images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/8200000/Austin-Powers-Goldmember-austin-powers-8226595-852-480.jpg
Plus, it'll sit higher like a 180
If you do carbon - that would mean something like a lightweight dc crown where you could split the load and the clamping force into two light assemblies. That design however would not go down well with the conservative roadie/xc crowd and marketing shills and would still carry a weight penalty. Carbon is not usually the right material for anything except air and space and prosthesis.
I agree with the looks of Revel crown - does not look right. Needs to be flatbar look with chamfered edges and a little bit of machine marks, collet or bolts and split. Jewellry like some pedals.
Actualy that would be many times easier to do than trying to make a standard fork this way where monoblock involving carbon sliders would be a slider/bushing tolerance nightmare, not mentioning what to coat it with to minimize friction. Such SC USD fork could be really neat and the overall solution could be justified. I would not be surprised if price wouldn't go up much while weight would still be competitive.
@lou:
I think all the points raised are valid. Its called process blindness - everybody suffers from it - and that fork is almost there - visually and functionally.
www.bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2013-X-Fusion-unicrown-one-piece-alloy-crown3.jpg
you noob, exactly what deeight said...
THAT is marketing selling stuff right there...
Meanwhile I'm running 650Bs in forks designed for 26ers on bikes without slack head angles, and they steer just the same as if I'd run a fat 26er (and without the weight penalty of one).
Historical reason for why 26er forks for so long ran 38mm offsets is that the rigid forks they replaced usually had more, but they also didn't change in length so the head angle remained constant. As a fork compresses, the front end dives and the effective head angle increases, making the bike less stable. So they went with a reduced offset to increase the stability of the bike, to offset the loss as the suspension cycles.
Anyone with a rigid fork equipped bike that can spin the bar 180 degrees (and lock it in that place (wrap a tie-strap around the stem/toptube) can see how having no forwards offset to the axle makes the bike super stable, and it can be pushed along without a rider and remain upright as long as the wheels keep spinning (self balancing). Or try and steer a walmart assembled bike where they put the bike together with the fork backwards...
^^
that sh*t ain't even gold!
www.bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2013-X-Fusion-unicrown-one-piece-alloy-crown3.jpg
anywho, i knew i was going to void the warranty putting it on my DJ.. but once i told them that, the guy just kinda wrote me off. didnt even offer to sell me a new crown assy, just was like 'sorry, your warranty is void, and there isnt anything i can do to help you'
Anything other than gold would look much nicer
You had me at 20mm axle. Now shut up and take my money.
You can always put smaller wheels on a fork! It is not like it has dedicated v-brake mounts positions, doesn"t it?!
Only thing stoping from puting bigger wheels on a fork was arch and travel...here you don't have arch and you have travel reduction.
-1,5 inch from wheel diameter means you could add 0,75 inch to your stroke (if technically possible).
"The issue boils down to torsional rigidity, or rather the lack of it, that can be sourced to the absence of a fork arch that would connect the two sides." Yeah whatevs, so say all the tech weenises that don't know how to ride.