The Hunt for Perfection - Inside BOS Suspension

DH racing is in many ways, a hunt for perfection, trying to achieve the perfect line and ultimately putting together the perfect run. The combination of a multitude of variables, coming into harmony at the right time to create a race winning performance, is not easy to realise or replicate, but this is what drives a downhill racer. One of those parameters is our equipment and our bike setup . We all have that desire to be on the best possible set up, but what makes a perfect set up? Is there a general rule we can apply for each rider or is it specific to each rider and their own needs?




To be fair, this isn't an easy question to answer. This is why the members of the Solid-Reverse Factory Racing team went to visit the legendary Olivier Bossard, the founder of BOS Suspension, arguably the most qualified man in the world to answer such a question. A man who has made a name not only as a suspension designer for multiple world DH champion Nicolas Vouilloz, but also earned a formidable reputation on the rally scene over the last two decades. It is safe to say that Olivier Bossard never took the easy road when it came to designing the best performing damping systems.






The team members arrived at the site of BOS Suspension in Toulouse, France to get a factory tour and to learn more about the technology that is being used on their bikes. The mighty engineer of BOS, Arthur Quet, shows of some impressive shocks to explain the developments that have been made in the recent years.





Each suspension unit is assembled by a specialist here in Toulouse and will be quality checked before they are being packed and shipped. This is an important procedure for BOS as they are always looking for the highest quality possible.

Olivier Bossard has a deep understanding of suspension characteristics and how to transform the needs from the fastest riders on the planet into a working chassis. Olivier has developed several World Cup winning kinematics over the last twenty years and Matthias Reichmann, the head engineer of Solid Bikes, was pleased to discuss their newest suspension layouts face to face with the mastermind behind BOS.




Arthur speaks with the team about their needs and some future projects that may come. The halls here in Toulouse have something magical as you can feel a spirit that is driven by racing and the desire to win. Evidence of their success is all over the place and this made me curious to learn more.

Olivier Bossard has been designing bikes and suspensions for the most progressive riders in the world for years now. How important is a company like BOS for the development of your own bikes?

Matthias Reichmann - First of all it is very important in my eyes to have matching components on your bike, this means that the shock layout has to match the ratio curve of the frame to provide the best possible suspension. We feel honored to work with BOS as our suspension partner and are very pleased that Olivier shares his knowledge with us. Each time we have the chance for an open chat we start discussing future possibilities and this is a welcome addition to a healthy cooperation. He has such a great understanding of what is needed to compete on the highest level, not only in biking but also in MX, rally racing and all other power sports, that he can provide us with vital feedback during each development stage if we ask for his help.




Solid Bikes is running a World Cup team for the second year now. How did the first year pay off in terms of product refinements?

Matthias Reichmann - We have been using our team for testing all sorts of products throughout the whole year and it showed that we are on the right way and our Strike was already competitive on the highest level. Saying this does not mean that we took it easy and did not check if we could squeeze out even more performance. Arthur also helped with the setup evaluation on the bike and we did our homework after each race to come up with small modifications. As the time line did not allow for a wider testing camp in the season we decided with BOS to do such a testing at the beginning of the next season. What we finally did in San Romolo in Italy, this track is a perfect testing ground as it is a demanding track with lots of high-speed sections, steeper parts and also roots and rocks that can abuse the suspension of each bike.







What was your target when testing with BOS?

Matthias Reichmann - We needed to evaluate the perfect setting for our riders and to double check if the modifications we have made during the offseason played out as beneficial as intended. Arthur is translating the personal preferences of each rider in a perfect setup. We also changed some internals to maximize the effect for our riders. One target is to increase traction, control and to decrease fatigue during a run – so it is a quite challenging task to do. Our team riders are using an air sprung specific linkage on their race bikes to get the best suspension layout possible. We have been in contact with BOS a lot during the development of this linkage. So we needed to do both personal setups for the team riders and basic research for our future production bikes. It is great to be working with a brand that is also deeply driven be the desire to win races as we are here at Solid Bikes. I could not opt for a better partner when it comes to suspension design than Olivier Bossard and his crew at BOS. We feel very pleased to be able to share our passion and philosophy with them.




The BOS Suspension is known for its supple feel at the beginning of the stroke and the defined compression damping throughout the whole travel. Do these characteristics play an important role to your philosophy?

Arthur Quet - For BOS it is always important to improve the existing systems and to reach for the best performance. As this is the only thing that will help you to win races. Of course our suspension feels a bit stiffer than most riders are used to, simply because our suspension is designed to compete with the best and to win races. But we also know that not each rider is willing to set up his suspension like a pro rider, this is why our suspensions can be adjusted in a wide range of settings to satisfy every rider’s needs.




Are your World Cup riders using different shim stacks in the shocks or can the end consumer also fine tune his setup like your pro riders?

Arhur Quet - Some riders of the UCI teams (not all) do have a modified shim-stack to suit their speed and riding style, yet the standard-suspension-components we offer for the end consumer can be tuned very similarly.




Can you give some recommendations for our readers how to find the correct setup?

Arthur Quet - Well this is a tough question as it needs some knowledge and routine to do it correctly. But a simple rule is, do not adjust more than one parameter per run, write down the settings and start with the correct sag for your riding style, set up the rebound to a good basic tune and concentrate on the compression damping. Suspension setup takes time so just adjust the suspension in small steps and do not go from one extreme to the opposite extreme in one run as you will not find the best setup this way. You can use our setup recommendations or the setup guide of your suspension maker as a starting point. Note that the suspension primarily needs to fit the rider and that the track specific setup should be in a range of +/-2 clicks. This is what most riders get wrong as they believe different tracks need different settings, but this will hinder you from being able to excel your potential.




The Solid Reverse Factory Racing Team is looking forward to a stunning World Cup season onboard their Solid Strike World Cup bikes, fitted with the latest BOS suspension, Magura MT7 brakes, Schwalbe tyres, Reverse Components wheels, handlebars and parts, Sapim racing spokes, KMC Chains. And the team will be outfitted with Bluegrass protection, Independent Racing jerseys and Five Ten shoes




We wish all our sponsors a successful season, the whole team would not be able to race without their help. We say thank you for your trust and support.

http://solidbikes.de/

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MENTIONS: @BOSsuspension / @solidbikes / @FiveTen / @schwalbe

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