The current year is 2008, we're at Interbike to learn about the 2009 products and here is RockShox unveiling their 2010 Boxxer forks. What?! Ya that's right, you've seen the Syndicate, Sam Hill and even Kenny Smith on them already, but soon you too will be able to be rolling on the newest Boxxers.
Jon Cancellier tells us about the new RockShox Boxxers inside:
2010 RockShox Boxxer:
The most successful downhill fork of all time is now all new for the first time in its storied history. The new Boxxer is lighter, stiffer and ultimately faster. Incorporating a new Mission Control DH damper that features Dual Flow Adjust compression and rebound.
Lighter to make the ultimate DH fork:
-with 35mm stanctions carrying the forces, the steerer can be made lighter -optimizing material placement on the new lowers -maximizing the material properties of the upper tubes allows the tubes to be thin and strong -new forged crowns use less material on the arms, while maintaining strength and stiffness by incorporating trussing -new MaxleTM Lite DH pulls out 28g while being more robust than its predecessor -a new spring and damper featuring aluminum shafting
Maxle Lite DH
Maxle Lite DH
New Forged crowns
Faster due to increased control:
-new Mission Control DH with Dual Flow adjust compression and rebound provides the ability to get Velcro® like front wheel traction. -dial in detailed settings for all riding conditions and styles through external adjustments for high and low speed compression and beginning and ending stroke rebound. -Mission Control DH’s high displacement, shimmed valving allows for a butter smooth transition between circuits, giving the BoXXer that “stuck to the ground” feeling.
Mission Control DH with High and Low Speed Compression Adjust
Mission Control DH with Beginning and Ending Stroke Rebound Adjust
BlackBox® riders consistently ask for spring curves that have an increased ending ramp, helping them to keep from hitting bottom. To help the fastest riders in the world become faster the new BoXXer has two new systems to create an increased ending ramp, air volume adjust on Solo AirTM and Drop Stop for the Team coil.
Solo Air w/air volume adjust – by changing the volume of the solo air spring chamber the amount of ending ramp can be changed. Depressurize the solo air, turn the air volume adjust clockwise, re-pressurize and you’ve increased your ending ramp. DropStop – featured in the BoXXer Team uses a MCU in the center of the spring to smooth the transition between the spring rate and the bottom out pad. Turn the adjuster on the top of the left leg and change how soon the DropStop kicks in.
Sag Gradients
Air Volume Adjuster
Born from BlackBox® - What better way to put a new product thru it’s paces, than to let the world's fastest racers race on it? RockShox historically has the fastest racers on the globe, but only the most elite make up the BlackBox Racing squad. Sam Hill, Greg Minnaar, Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie raced on preproduction BoXXer forks this year, and their direct feedback went straight back into the development team. In fact, the BlackBox BoXXer podiumed at every race this year, and won the first race it ever entered (Sam Hill at Worlds test event) and has won 5 out of 6 World Cups so far (Hill 2 and Minnaar 3).
Steve Peat
Steve Peat, “The first time I got to ride the new BoXXer was in Spain in February 2008 and I couldn’t believe how RockShox could have improved on something already so good! The fork was lighter which I noticed straight away and then once I got a few runs in I realized how well I was turning and how easily I could stick the front end on to any line I chose. I think most of this came from the stiffness gained from the 35mm stanchions. Since the first time I tested, we have been able to improve on settings at each race so the fork has gone from strength to strength. Thanks BlackBox team, another job well done.”
Greg Minnaar
Greg Minnaar, “The new BoXXer is stiffer, lighter, plusher, and easy to adjust...the perfect combination to be fast.”
Sam Hill
Sam Hill, “The new BoXXer feels excellent through corners and G outs and feels smooth the whole way through the travel.”
Nathan Rennie
Nathan Rennie, “When I first saw the new BoXXer, I had a grin from ear to ear. It just looked right and I couldn’t wait to get it on the track. I went all out and could feel the difference even on the first run. Over that day, my confidence and line selection became unreal and I simply didn’t want to give it back.”
Available early 2009
Simply put, Boxxer has enjoyed a long history of racing and winning. Since 1997, Boxxer has earned 56 World Cup Downhill victories, and 346 Top 5 podiums.
that's so going on my next DH bike. looks insane, and i love the "sag" adjustment idea. another insane idea from sram. i've honestly never been dissapointed with their gear, and i don't think that will happen for a loooong time. keep it up guys, awesome work you got going
I probably get negative props and shit. But I'm not a fan of the BOX-XER down stantion. Anyone else not liking it? However, The Sag marker is a really useful and simple way to calculate it
i can't see them being any more expensive than a new set now. were not all made of money ill probably end up with a set of races hopefully £500 area guna talk to the local rockshock dealer see if they have any other info
having just switched to boxxers i am looking forward to throwing a set of these badboys on . i was building an fr gambler or tweeking is a better way to put it , lets face it the bike out of the box is damn heavy . took off the 66es that were lined with lead .. am sure ! took a set of teams and replaced medium gauge with soft spring , wrapped them in a hope headset and well impressed . bike sits the way a freeride should slightly higher at the nose , com on scott , pay attention
The new dorado is coming out at $2775 retail, sorry but can't see rock shox selling an equally state of the art race fork at a $1000 less can you? They are here to make money after all not win races despite what they will tell you, rock shox is sram!
I'm sorry but the saying "you get what you pay for" isn't always true. Since I've never ridden one, I can't comment on the new Dorado and I don't think many people can at this point, but I have no doubts in my mind that the new BoXXer will be a top performer.
IMO RockShox designs some of the best fork chassis in the business and if the new BoXXer is as good as their other Mission Control Air forks - it will be a winner.
I wonder if the RACE will have Shimmed Rebound, or just the old ported... thing. The looks are great, but i'd still get the Race, the damper is great, just the HSR Shims and some more positions on the LSC knob.
um, im pretty sure that entire system of changing air volume to control bottoming was already long ago developed by manitou, but everyone hates manitou so im sure everyone will rave about rock shox having it
"w/air volume adjust – by changing the volume of the solo air spring chamber the amount of ending ramp can be changed. Depressurize the solo air, turn the air volume adjust clockwise, re-pressurize and you've increased your ending ramp"
Changes in pressure in an SPV damper also changed the damping characteristics, changes in air volume on the new Boxxer only effect bottom out resistance and not the damping. Simple really!
Unless you have completely independent rebound and compression circuits (think CCDB), one setting will always affect the other to an extent. e.g. RS's motion control damper gets better on the stutter bumps if you lessen the rebound damping - even though this shouldn't have anything to do with it! - So what 'ninjatarian' is saying, is that the new Boxxers have only just caught up with the current market....
think what you will... and to clarify my above statement, I mean that the fork is easier to compress when the rebound is set to fastest, rebound settings 'shouldn't' affect this!
Yeah, it's not new, but not by Manitou first, marz has been doing that with oil levels (hence air volume) for a long time, on a more recent note: I have an '06 66 RC2X, where the x valve controls bottoming, and also I have an '06 z150sl, where PAR is an air spring that controls bottom-out too.
SPV sucks so bad, feels like either a wooden stick in molasses or a pogo with harsh topout.
idk, i seemed to get my sherman dialed in pretty good and the travis is butter smooth, its only real issue is brake dive. it should be interesting to see how the new dorado turns out
i hope there is more oil inside than on the current one....
it is so frustrating, you are riding one or one and a half week in a bikepark and you have to change the oil again....
that's a dream. Gotta 04 World Cup now (w/ the BlackBox upgrade). ALWAYS performs past expectations. This will be the ultimate fork if I can afford it???
I hope it doesn't ride as poorly as the 07-08 WCs. I was never happy with the Boxxer WC. I think I must have had an exception to all other Boxxer WCs. It was overhauled at SRAM and came back with no oil so SRAM has left a bad taste in my mouth.
I like the looks and design, but not 100% sure I would be comfortable hucking on these forks. The concept of overshooting a landing to flat and coming down hard on these forks makes me a little nervous. Maybe if I were 120's they might be OK, but at 185 and known to miss the odd tranny, I am not so sure. Decisions .. decisions ;-)
With marzocchi going to the dogs rockshox are definatly trying to get back in the act.
Bet this is just going to be like boxxers of old, flexxy, notchy, expensive rubbish.
Forks are getting worse and worse as time goes on, surely a company is going to bring out a no nonsense long travel fork that doesnt need serviced every 6 months and doesn't cost a fortune. Like marzocchi forks used to be.
Totally agree with you man, as far as I can see, its only Fox that aren't getting worse and I think its because they don't bother producing loads of 'budget' [ahem... shit] versions of their products which only tarnish a brands name - Maybe the other mfr's should take note and stop intentionally producing crap so as to sell their best products at a higher price!
tbh yeh. i would cant actually think of any forks of 08 that i would buy. Fox are awesome, but mine have leaked all the oil twice in 2 years so far to much servicing needed.
My 03 jnr ts feel a bit rough compared but are still going strong!! no servicing ever!!!
bro dont call them shocks the guys here will blast you its called a fork. you should see the new jumps we build at the frying pan. and a new landing for the biggy
so whats the difference over the "2009 world cup". why call it a 2010 when it could have been added to the 09 lineup? why was it needed this kind of introduction, we already know about the new boxxers (09). i dunno its all confusing to me.
anyway keep up the good work guys
However, The Sag marker is a really useful and simple way to calculate it
IMO RockShox designs some of the best fork chassis in the business and if the new BoXXer is as good as their other Mission Control Air forks - it will be a winner.
just my $0.02 worth..
All in all great work
any date that they should be out around?
really nice job guys
...ahmmm spv
- So what 'ninjatarian' is saying, is that the new Boxxers have only just caught up with the current market....
I have an '06 66 RC2X, where the x valve controls bottoming, and also
I have an '06 z150sl, where PAR is an air spring that controls bottom-out too.
SPV sucks so bad, feels like either a wooden stick in molasses or a pogo with harsh topout.
I like the looks and design, but not 100% sure I would be comfortable hucking on these forks. The concept of overshooting a landing to flat and coming down hard on these forks makes me a little nervous. Maybe if I were 120's they might be OK, but at 185 and known to miss the odd tranny, I am not so sure. Decisions .. decisions ;-)
- Maybe the other mfr's should take note and stop intentionally producing crap so as to sell their best products at a higher price!
matt