Capricorn Posted February 9, 2012 Posted February 9, 2012 http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p5pb7694404/p5pb7694404.jpgPinkbike gave you the first look at Fox's inverted DH fork when Gee Atherton did an early morning practice run at the US Open with it bolted to the front of his bike. It garnered a massive amount of attention, and we took some bold guesses as to the details of the prototype slider, but Fox shared the real story with us during our visit to their new building in Scotts Valley, California. According to Fox, there were a few different versions being tested under their RAD (Racing Application Development) program, mostly under Gee and Aaron Gwin, that focused more on chassis performance than any new damper technology. While it utilizes the same 40mm diameter Kashima coated stanchions as the "standard" factory racing program Fox 40, there were a number of different axle setups that were investigated on track. Fox didn't elaborate on that last point, but we would have to assume that they are either referring to a larger diameter axle, or possibly even a non-round version, in an effort to increase torsional stiffness (the fork pictured uses a standard 20mm axle setup). We were told that this particular version uses the same FIT RC2 internals as a team version of the Fox 40 would, although we wouldn't be surprised if there are some far from standard components inside. The spring leg in particular looks to use a different arrangement, with its preload dial at the bottom of the leg and a 5mm hex bolt at the top. The preload dial clearly means that the fork is coil sprung, but the 5mm hex bolt could possibly be some sort of air volume adjustment feature, or maybe serve an entirely different function. http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p5pb7694259/p5pb7694259.jpg http://lp3.pinkbike.org/p1pb6168857/p1pb6168857.jpg Standard FIT RC2 damping? Maybe in the fork pictured here, but you can bet that Fox tested other internals as well. The outcome? After much testing it was decided to discontinue development of the inverted fork, simply because Fox couldn't attain the torsional stiffness that they were looking for without it becoming much too heavy for their liking. Word is that both Gee and Aaron were big fans of how the prototype fork handled fast, rough sections of trail head on - thanks to the increased fore/aft stiffness of the inverted design - but felt that the standard right side up arrangement of the current Fox 40 had the inverted fork soundly beaten in the corners. Fox admitted that they could likely remedy this by added more material, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of competitive downhillers would likely balk at purchasing a new fork that weighs substantially more than what they are currently using, even if it did offer advancements in damper technology or other areas. While there are surely going to be riders out there who are disappointed that they won't be able to ride an inverted Fox fork anytime soon, Fox doesn't look at this project as a failure, but rather an exploratory exercise to learn from. You may never be able to use one of these forks, but you may be riding suspension technology in the near future that owes some of its DNA to the fork pictured above. Pinksauce
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 9, 2012 Posted February 9, 2012 looks good... but too much weight as a reason for how R&D has been discontinued? Softies....
Capricorn Posted February 9, 2012 Author Posted February 9, 2012 i think it was both weight and the cornering performance that swayed the test riders. Probably literally. Being top heavier could make for interesting cornering sensations.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 9, 2012 Posted February 9, 2012 Yeah... totally. Love the look of it though. Just like a dorado...
patches Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 I don't know if I'm sold. It's wierd... on MX bikes inverted looks normal and regular looks wierd, but on bicycles inverted looks wierd and regular looks more natural. ...maybe it's just me
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 nah, patches - you're right! But maybe it's just more of a function of "what we're used to" than anything else...
rock Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 so 90's........wonder if that has anything to do with the syndicate taking on Fox.......GM rode those Showa/Kowa inverted forks with Honda with 'some' success......
kosmonooit Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 Cannondale Lefties are inverted, if that counts ...
Velouria Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 Been riding an inverted shock for 5 years now. Quite sad that Maverick have stopped making the SC32. http://www.maverickbike.com/user_files/file_29.jpg http://www.maverickbike.com/user_files/file_132.jpg
nigelhicks Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 everyones been there and tried that!! ... Marzocchi .... RST .... Manitou - it just doesnt have the lateral rigidity! ... maybe on an xc bike (like the MAvericks) its fine ... but not for DH .... way to much flex!
Manchillz Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 Been riding an inverted shock for 5 years now. Quite sad that Maverick have stopped making the SC32. http://www.maverickbike.com/user_files/file_29.jpg http://www.maverickbike.com/user_files/file_132.jpg Does this fork not flex allot, especially the SC32?I know the Dorado does and thats why its a Love / Hate fork.
Manchillz Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 The thing about the upside down forks is that they are allot more active, which is awesome but you compramise rigidity.With moto its fine because the added weight to make the fork stiff enough is fine but for DH the added weight is too much, and the weight is higher up the fork raising the centre of gravity.They also said is doesnt corner as well as the normal fork. Oval axle's? that would cause some problems
Velouria Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 I don't think I am skilled enough to be able to feel the flex. My lack of technical ability probably masks any flex there might be.
nigelhicks Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 yep the mavericks also flex - have ridden one before and its tracking isnt the best - but they are no longer in business anyway! ... MAverick closed their doors a month or so back.
Guest Omega Man Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) so 90's........wonder if that has anything to do with the syndicate taking on Fox.......GM rode those Showa/Kowa inverted forks with Honda with 'some' success......No. The project was abandoned last year before the Syndicate signed for them. Aaron Gwin and Gee Atherton tested the forks last year. Interestingly. The inverted forks Minnaar used on his Honda were Showa forks. Showa is owned by Honda as is Kayaba (some of the Honda DH bikes raced in Japan had forks with Kayaba stickers on them.) Also very interestingly, Ohlins is largely owned by Yamaha and despite this the Honda Moto GP team run Ohlins. You'd expect them to run Showa. I do find it strange that inverted forks don't seem to work in a dh scenario. Inverted forks have been standard issue in MX since the mid nineties and the triple clamp arrangement used on DH bikes is very similar to that found on an MX bike. Having said all that the forks on my MX bike are MUCH more robust than on my DH bike and while downhillers like to think of DH as gravity fueled moto the two sports are MILES apart in terms of speeds, weights and suspension requirements. Edited February 10, 2012 by Omega Man
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