No more arm pump?: Reversing the trend in MTB suspension forks - Commentary

Ultimate high suspension travel! Just swallowed up the big drop... If it's too hard, you're too slow.

The way we describe good suspension forks and praise their performance also says a lot about us as mountain bikers. Of course, mountain biking has become faster and more downhill orientated. And I personally wouldn't want to miss the roll-over effect of 29-inch wheels, slack head angles and long dropper posts on the trail. But since the debut of 38 mm stanchions at the latest, we have perhaps overshot the mark, at least in terms of suspension forks.

Have we become too blatant?

What I mean by that: We, i.e. testers and designers, have perhaps orientated ourselves a little too much towards the extremes. It is completely justified for manufacturers to test the limits. So the fact that Fox Brutal racer Richie Rude is usually the first to put a new enduro fork in the bike.

And the fact that trick master Brandon Semenuk caused a stir in 2021 because he at the Red Bull Rampage with a single crown fork from Rockshox. However, tailwhips over 10 metre drops and 40 km/h and more on nasty enduro trails have little to do with the reality of most bikers. Not to mention the riding technique and fitness of the pros.

As a result, suspension forks have become ever firmer, sportier and also stiffer. Which also makes sense in relation to e-bikes, according to the designers. The thick suspension fork class with 38-millimetre stanchions is a prime example of this.

But the disadvantages are also obvious. You might be able to cope with the extra weight. Especially with an e-bike. However, the fact that many top suspension forks felt increasingly stiff on the trail and that the suspension travel became increasingly difficult to use at a moderate touring pace is a real no-go. Perhaps also one that we as testers have not criticised enough in the past. Side note: Fortunately, this never applied to the more affordable Fox Performance forks or the cheaper Zebs and Lyriks to such an extreme, but there were other points of criticism here.

Not for touring riders: At moderate speeds, many fat top forks felt increasingly tight.

Not a mimic problem: Why a lack of comfort leads to falls

This is not just a mimicry problem due to a lack of comfort. A lack of comfort causes real problems on the trail that go far beyond a slight discomfort. Especially on long descents, your arms cramp up. The fingers lack the strength to brake in a controlled manner and the riding position suffers significantly. Instead of being active on the bike, you find yourself more and more in the role of a passenger. Crouched low on your knees over the rear axle, falls in difficult terrain are only a matter of time.

However, the rethink has already begun. Just in the last major comparison test the new Podium upside-down fork also won our test. The argument for winning the test: more traction and more comfort, among other things. Next came the equally comfortable Zeb, followed by the sporty Fox Factory 38.

And also with the new 36 (here in the endurance test) Fox has already shown signs of a trend reversal in the last year. Less firm damping, more customisable even for lighter riders like our enthusiastic long-term tester.

With the new 38 (here is the driving impression) and even more clearly with the new Rockshox parts both suspension fork giants are apparently now setting new priorities. Comfort and traction are once again prioritised over control and support, to put it bluntly.

The rebels prevail: What you can learn from Intend and Co.

The new direction is no coincidence. While the forks from the major suspension fork manufacturers have been tailored to the needs of professionals and racers, others have been showing how to do things differently for years.

The prime example is Intend. The Freiburg-based luxury forge has consistently focussed on upside-down. The low torsional rigidity and moderate compression damping was ridiculed for years by designers from the major suspension companies.

But the success proves Intend right. Certainly because of the exotic factor and the unusual look, but even more because of the comfortable function, many bikers with a big budget are now travelling on forks designed by Cornelius Kapfinger.

The problems of arm pump, lack of comfort and travel utilisation are almost non-existent here. Even those who ride moderately can still get the Intend to work well and utilise the entire travel. The low torsional stiffness is noticeable on berms in the bike park. However, we even found it pleasant in the test that the fork finds its own way through root carpets.

And WP's brief foray into the MTB suspension fork business also showed similar, unusual approaches. With a kind of blow-off valve, called Cone-Valve, the WP forks (here in the test) defused fast, hard impacts on the fork were noticeable. The result was a significant increase in comfort compared to classic suspension forks from Fox and Rockshox at the same time.

An added value that at least the two suspension fork giants have apparently underestimated for a long time. Both are now making adjustments: Fox is focussing on more air volume for a more linear spring characteristic and larger holes in the damping for more oil flow.

Rockshox takes an even more radical approach. From the new, even more linear air spring to the entire construction, everything is designed to minimise friction and maximise comfort, which can then only be fine-tuned via the compression damping.

Achilles' heel of series dispersion: Why sometimes the best concept is useless

But before the euphoria sets in, let's take a look at the fearsome opponent par excellence. After all, what good is the best fork if it ends up being affected by the standard suspension. This is a particularly big problem with suspension forks, especially with conventional right-side-up designs.

If the stanchions and down tubes do not run parallel or the tolerances do not match, friction in the system can ruin even the best design. We know this well enough from brand new test bikes from our everyday testing. The usual setup no longer works, everything feels overdamped and simply shitty. Even tough compromises in the setup, such as particularly high air pressure so that the fork at least rebounds quickly enough, usually don't help much.

Cheap forks are most often affected by this, but not only. Also the extremely tight character of the first Zeb with Charger 3, which we tested at the time, is evidently due to series dispersion. So it remains to be seen whether the very positive first impression, especially with the new Rockshox parts, will translate into corresponding performance in terms of numbers. If so, then the next few months should be the best, most comfortable and fluffiest in the history of mountain bikes from a purely technical point of view.

Comfort First - Conclusion, Adrian Kaether, BIKE Test Editor

It's true that it was impressive how controlled and easy-going thick forks like the Zeb and 38 were in the past, swallowing up even the roughest impacts. But ideal conditions on rock-hard trails and with fit, fast riders at the wheel have become too much of a focus.

I've been a fan of the smaller Fox 36 and Lyrik all-mountain forks for a long time, precisely because of the slightly higher level of comfort on long descents, as I think they offer the better compromise. Good weight, not too stiff and often a slightly softer compression damping.

This can now be found in many more forks. The new focus on increased riding comfort should also be a big plus for most touring bikers. Light riders and therefore also female riders will particularly benefit from the change in trend. They have previously found it particularly difficult to find a suitable setup.

The great thing about it is that, according to our initial tests, Fox and Rockshox have apparently managed the balancing act between control and comfort without sacrificing too much reserves for fast and hard use. We can't wait to see how the forks of this new era perform in a direct duel.