X-Fusion's New High-End Damper - Taipei Show 2015
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The big news from X-Fusion is their completely redesigned 'Roughcut' damper that sees the company move away from the twin-tube, emulsion style system that they've longed employed in their popular Vengeance mid-travel fork and RV1 downhill offering.
Both the Vengeance and RV1 have been highly praised, so it while it does come as a bit of a surprise to see X-Fusion abandon those proven internals, it's also no secret that the new sealed and bladder-equipped dampers from FOX and RockShox have raised the game. The new Roughcut damper does use a similar design, complete with an expanding bladder to compensate for oil displacement and to provide back-pressure to limit cavitation, but it's important not to forget that bladders have been used in suspension for many, many decades. The improvement in performance is big enough for Joel Smith, X-Fusion's General Manager, to say that it's ''the single best product that we've ever made,'' which is no small claim.
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 An expanding bladder (seen at the far right) means that the Roughcut damper has no air inside of it. |
X-Fusion's goal with the Roughcut, and the ideal behind any sealed damper that's free of air, is to provide more consistent damping. An open design where the air and oil are allowed to mix is inherently less expensive to manufacture due to the simpler layout, but the difference in performance comes after a few minutes of riding on sustained rough terrain: the emulsion damper will begin to lose performance as the air and oil slosh together and foam because that foamy oil is now flowing through the damping circuits. The sealed damper that has no air inside of it will offer much more consistent damping because the oil won't foam up to nearly the same degree. This is why nearly all high-end suspension, including both forks and shocks, are bled free of air and use some type of compensator.
The compensator, which is the rubber bladder on the Roughcut, is what allows for the damper to be completely full of oil and have no air in it. As the damper rod goes into the the fork, oil is displaced and the rubber badder expands to allow for that displacement. Without it, the damper would not compress - it's either allow for air in the system or use a compensator.
A breakdown of the Roughcut damper.
The bladder expands as oil is displaced.
The Roughcut sees X-Fusion invert the damper's architecture, with the compression assembly and both high- and low-speed adjuster dials atop the right fork leg and the low-speed rebound knob at the bottom. The previous damper saw the compression at the bottom because the air in the system would rise to the top during use and X-Fusion wanted to keep it out of the compression circuits. The new damper is bled free of air, though, and the compression dials are now moved to the top for easier access.
And while on the subject of dials, Smith explained that the new design also makes for a much more consistent adjuster range compared to the older layout, with each click offering a near similar difference in damping regardless of where on the adjustment scale you are. This applies to the sixteen-click rebound and both the thirty six click high- and low-speed compression adjustments. There's also less ''crosstalk'', which means that each adjustment is far more independent of the others, so adding a few clicks of rebound won't effect the fork's compression feel.
X-Fusion is dyno testing each and every Roughcut damper before it leaves the factory, and they've actually just begun to ship forks with 34mm stanchion tubes and Roughcut dampers, so consumers will be able to get on it very soon. That said, Smith was keen to note that this isn't something that's been rushed out the door, with X-Fusion rider Brian Lopes actually using an early prototype to win at least year's Sea Otter event. Expect forks that feature the Roughcut damper to go up by about $100 USD in price (note that's still less expensive than their competition), and the damper will be offered as an upgrade for older forks in its second year of production.
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@democody
Have nothing but good things to report about their customer service to. Once lost the dials protective cap on the bottom, quick ring to their customer service. They said it wasn't a retail part but they would send me one for free anyway, 2 days later one turned up. I know likes of Fox or RS would have charged atleast £15 for it, most likely more
NOw the MEtric works almost as the MAttoc Pro. Like both, love MAttoc!
forums.mtbr.com/knolly/lyrik-avalanche-%3D-good-786602-post9702090.html?highlight=#post9702090
The sealed cartridge he mentions is for a Fox 40:
www.avalanchedownhillracing.com/Fox%2040/Fox%2040%20RC.htm
Not hating on Avalanche. Either style of Avalanche cartridge, has a long list of features not offered together in any other fork (that I know of).
I have never ridden one, but I wouldn't mind.
This statement? Utter bullshit.
(edit: I now know the Mattoc isn't twin tube)
Anyone else feel like 36 clicks of rebound is maybe to much?
'the sixteen-click rebound and both the thirty six click high- and low-speed compression adjustments'
How are you thinking theres 36 rebound and 16 compressio?
What we all really want to know is when the hell are those small parts for the revel hlr fork going to be produced and shipped from Taiwan?
Or was the revel hlr all hype and those of us on the wait list are just going to have to wait, forever
How about a 20mm / 160/170 mm fork around 4lbs and is a Pike/ 36 killer, eg a updated Vengance, that would be my target!!!
I have used both forks, the Metric HLR and my Mattoc pro for 8 days in Finale Ligure and San Remo with 94 Kilos rider weight. BUt Metric shimmed a bit more to my needs and the MAttoc has 2 Volume Sapcers in it. This way, the best performing forks I´ve ridden so far. They really excell. BUt I cannot say, that there is a lack of stiffness that would hinder me from staying of the brakes more than with the metric.... it´s rather referring to rider´s taste. Under such hard conditions a bit of chassy flex is even good for your arms and sometimes helps keeping lines.
I love the adjusatbility of both forks and their compatibility for both wheelsizes as well as the travel options. Best forks for money ;-)
X fusion could do with selling after market parts like springs etc to shops as the only way I can get hold of a new spring for my fork is to order one in direct off fusion themselves and this is going to cost alot !
i will use the fork with a Vengence.
I like to refer to my Vengenge HLR/DLA as a "XXX" Fusion!
I've had several forks from other manufacturers and my X-Fusion forks have performed just about the same as all the others, at a slimmer cost.
But you don't care what I say, or what any of the positive reviews say, because we all see a good or better value in their offerings than the main three.
Bullshit
"Sealed dampers with a pressurized damper oil prevents cavitation (bubbles) from forming under extreme damping conditions, this generally provides more consistant damping"
Taken from a post on mtbr forum linked in a comment on this article.
I don't have exact numbers for this fork, but I would assume they sit at, roughly, ball park figure, about 0psi at full extension? And then shoot right up to perthaps 2.5 psi at full compression. Maybe 3psi even? Sound about right to you?
This "roughcut" damper or whatever they call it is not pressurised. For the first half of the stroke, (where the damper is likely to see most of its high speed events and therefor most of its cavitation) the pressure on the system will be pretty much 0 psi. So this fork will cavitate just like any non pressurised system. At full compression (where the fork should have dealt with high speed events and not be cavitating much anyway) the possible 3psi that has built up will indeed reduce cavitation. In the same way that tying an old, weather beaten, well used rubber band to an angry bull elephant will momentarily hinder its progress. I.e. not at all.
b) Thats not how cavitation works. Otherwise my rear shock would never cavitate.