Swedish gold; there is no other brand in suspension that garners attention like Öhlins, and after two years of teasing on the front on Specialized Gravity Team bikes, Öhlins finally present their complete downhill fork, the DH Race.
There are two lower options for 27.5" or 29" wheels, four different offsets options, and the latest TTX18 damper and three chamber air spring. The crowns are purchased separately which gives riders the option to choose their preferred offset. There is also a kit to retro-fit the TTX damper and three chamber air spring to BoXXer and Fox 40 chassis. As we know, gold isn't cheap, and the fork will retail at $1950USD / €1697, with the Cartridge Kit coming in at $749USD / €651.
Öhlins DH Race Fork Details:Intended use: Downhill
Travel: 150/160/170/200mm
Wheel size: 27.5" / 29"
Offset: 46/50/54/58mm
Seals: Custom SKF wiper seals
Hub/axle: Boost 20x110 thru-axle, clamps
Tire clearance: 27.5" = 3.2" / 29" = 2.6"
Disc rotor:200mm
Stancions: 38mm
Spring: Triple chamber air
Adjusment: Independent HSC, LSC and LSR
Axle to crown: 27.5" = 590-604 / 29" = 608-620mm
Weight: 2825g (27.5" with full uncut steerer tube and all hardware
claimed.)
Pricing Fork: $1600USD / €1392
Crowns: $350USD / €305
Cartridge Kit for Boxxer/40: $749USD / €651
Availability: August 2018.
More info: ohlins.com Chassis and OffsetsWhy go for 38mm diameter stanchions when the two main players use 35mm and 40mm? Öhlins say they tested various different stanchion diameters, crowns, and axle clamping options to in order find the right balance between stiffness and flex to give the best feedback to the rider from the trail. The 110mm (Boost) x 20mm bolt-thru axle is a 'floating dual clamp system' which is clamped on both sides of the axle, Öhlins say this allows the lower legs to remain parallel under load.
There has been lots of talk recently about fork offsets for different wheel sizes and bike geometries, and there are also a couple of adjustable aftermarket options from Outsider Bikes and (coming soon) MojoRisin. Öhlins kindly offer four different crown options in 46/50/54/58mm sizes. As mentioned above, the crowns are available separately so riders can choose between all four sizes for either wheel size.
TTX 18 CartridgeÖhlins invented the twin-tube damper system and had sole use of it for years thanks to their patent. This patent is now expired but they stick with their tried and trusted system. The TTX18 cartridge features a 'downhill-optimized 18mm piston' which the Swedes say improves small bump sensitivity and increases the damping pressure bandwidth which improves valve response and sensitivity. The adjustment range is designed specifically for downhill use whether you're a racer or park rat. There are 15 clicks of low-speed compression and low-speed rebound, plus five clicks of high-speed compression.
Don't want to shell out for an entirely new fork but want to try out the Öhlins feel? Well, the latest edition of the TTX Cartridge Kit is available as an aftermarket option to fit in existing RockShox BoXXer and Fox 40 chassis. Aftermarket dampers for Fox 40 forks have been available for a number of years from Öhlins, but now you can replace the damping side
and the air spring chamber.
Air SpringThe twin piston, three-chamber air spring is isolated from the upper tubes to reduce heat buildup and features the 'Total Tune Spring Curve System' (TTSC) allowing riders to tune the air spring from the start to the end of the stroke. The main chamber and ramp up chamber can be tuned with air pressure as well as tokens. The negative chamber automatically pressurizes itself using an equalizing chamber that should give the ideal balance between the chambers regardless of rider weight, including those at the extremes of the spectrum.
Total Tuning Spring CurveÖhlins have also created a Total Tuning Spring Curve program which will be an interactive app to help tune your fork, ideal for anybody who thinks setting up all of the above sounds complicated, that's me included. The first step is to input all of your settings, including air pressures and tokens, then the app creates a virtual graph of your spring curve. From there you can troubleshoot different issues and advice will be given on what to change, or you can see what a change will make before doing it physically. For example, if you think you might want to try an extra volume spacer in the ramp-up chamber, it will show you what your imagined change will look like on a graph. If you're not a serial suspension fettler, you can simply set your fork to the recommended settings and just go and send it.
We will be riding the DH Race this weekend, so expect a First Ride report next week. Forks and Cartridge Kits should be in stores this August, until then, find more information on
ohlins.com
Now please downvote my initial post. I didn't mean for it to come out on top of the comment section and distract from from a discussion about what is probably a very good fork. Then again, the second thread is about 26" being dead so maybe we just don't have much sensible to say anyway .
I don't think that's disputed
I like this fork. Enquiring about cost and availability now. Should be able to run this on an über-enduro 29er and bin the V10C for good.
For that sort of money it should make a cup of tea for you every morning and you should get a complimentary happy ending from Ohlins.
Hats off to these component manufacturers though, they tease and tease and every year prices go up way above inflation we all whinge on here but nothing changes. We still lap it all up so they realise they can get away with it and the cycle (arf!) continues and we get rodgered.
I remember buying a top of the line (for then anyway) 1999 Bomber Z1 BAM with a whopping 5" of buttery travel. It was considered at the time fairly top of the line and set me back about £425. So by extension lets say at 3% annual inflation, that's around £725 in today's money.
I saw a thing on my Facebook feed from MBR or somesuch bike website, "£1000 single crown fork round up". Sorry, what the ACTUAL F?! A single crown fork for around a grand? Have these companies learned nothing of making these forks over the years that thay can get away charging 30 over the odds?
Prices have certainly been creeping up when the technology and performance hasn't really matched it, despite all the previous advances in manufacturing and experience of the builders.
The two just aren't proportional.
Are the advances in technology and the shinny yellow stickers actually worth the spend in comparison with cheaper forks? I think that depends on how much value we put in them, and how easy it is for someone to open their pockets to the objects of their desire, and how resistant we are to marketing tricks!
No double the forks are good, but €1600 better than my current ones? I doubt it.
Just because a £1500 fork exists doesn't mean you need it.
So f!ck it, if you chumps think that's a fair price to pay them go ahead, the marketeers have already won, so go spunk your hard earned on less and less each year.
So it does seem to have got a bit more expensive than inflation for the top end kit, but then again you could argue that with the advent of mail order bikes it's never been more affordable to get into dh.
What I do think is ridiculous is the RRP on a boxxer race now being £900.
" For once I am happy to be poor. Not a tiniest desire to buy it when it's way out of my league"
Or was this not you? Did the Russians hack your account? Your move, Wacek.
Engineer: I have an idea, let´s use the left side for the damper cartridge and the right for the air chamber!
Boss: Awesome!
1) I know all of the things and ride hard, race all over the place and will service the things myself
2) I’m a dentist, I won’t need to service them as I actually do sweet FA on the bike, but they’ll look nice.
In the future can we make sure that when we see tech drawings of the Boxxer and the Fox 40 we include this as the type of performance their dampers have... Id like to know how many digits their dampers have... so far Ohlins has 2....
cavitation
Sincerely, Sworks E29 rider.
www.mountainbikesdirect.com.au/assets/alt_2/CCHELMCLFORK.jpg
and then on top of that they make the ltd edition ones:
reviews.mtbr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_9524-682x1024.jpg
This is what öhlins should stand for.
The Fork Looks super nice though. Haven ridden their new air rear shocks I can only imagine how good that thing will ride. Way outta my price range though