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You see, we all want to avoid launching our new products at Sea Otter and being lost in the noise, so we all launch our new products the week before......wait a minute....
I forgot about ye old Ocean Weasel. I guess I didn't realize how much that still factored into launch timing.
Sea Otter is a big consumer event with almost every brand having a booth and there's a lot of media coverage. Spring buying season plus the first big event of the year for a lot of brands plus the first major xc race of the year = new product time. Hoping to see something from Ibis soon now that Fox has launched.
Can confirm, it is much quieter at home than it is on the Sea Otter fair-grounds. Much better for reading product releases
Real people (vs us industry dorks) start thinking about mountain biking in the first couple weeks in April. Weather, snow in northern mountains starts melting, etc. Sea Otter is a symptom of this, not a cause.
Back to tech rumors: Industry Nine teasing a new product launch on 4/17, with the tagline "Welcome to your fastest day (on dirt) yet)" and a 5-pawl graphic, both of which accompanied the recent launch of their Solix gravel/road hubs. Seems pretty clear that a mountain bike wheelset (probably XC-focused) using the Solix hubs is incoming.
If a brand knows they have new product ready, it makes planning an engaging Sea Otter display real easy. If they have to show "old" product its a lot more work and kind of pointless effort. So while spring in the northern hemisphere is the motivator to get things out and onto shop floors, Sea Otter provides a bit of a deadline to do so.
We recorded some chats with FOX engineers while we were at FOX. There is some overview of the Grip line, along with a deeper dive into X2. But the best part is a 30-minute chat with Sergio Avanto (Manager of Product Performance), talking about his long career working in Supercross.
https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/vital-podcast-grip-damper-breakdown-f…
i think we had 14 new bikes/products go live on the homepage yesterday and the week isn't over yet. not sure why that whole "launch on tuesday" thing is so real.
Bro you made the same post on the Facebook group and looked like a fool there too. Stop bitching. Go to your local forbidden dealer and order one
Does anyone know when just dampers will be available from Fox? My fork is due for a big service so it would be a great time to drop in a new damper and bushings.
DVO have launched a new Diamond, which is basically just an updated 36mm Onyx (slightly updated CSU but with the same lowers, and supposedly more accurately machined bushings and dropouts for less binding, etc) with the newer D1 damper and SL air spring. Travel is 140mm-160mm and I'd assume that it is still adjustable with spacers similarly to the previous model, but could be wrong.
Just shot an email to our contact @ FOX. Will report back if they hit me back.
Also, a ton of shit launching this week = job security @sspomer
Appreciate this!
Per FOX's response - "Grip dampers will be available separately to the aftermarket this summer."
You won’t get the new bushings though.
You could likely request them from your nearest service center if you send in the fork for a full service. I'm just speculating of course.
Honestly feel bad factory riders have to run that awful gold fork. Looks terrible on 95% of bikes.
If I got paid to run them and/or was given them for free I’d stifle my voice.
Certainly won’t be purchasing them to use, buy i’m tempted to buy them and put them in the stash for when they become collectible
“Tacky” isn’t just for dirt anymore. The gold on gold is objectively bad. That the dampers fit existing forks is great—an admittedly low bar but that’s what mtb manufacturers have done to us. I’ll put one in a fork and pretend I can tell what’s going on for sure. But if it were only offered in the gold/gold, I’d be rattle canning that thing immediately. No more needs to be said.
I'd compare difficulty of installing fork bushings to that of machining and building an engine block. Sure the local dealer says they can do it. But I would only trust the factory that does it day in day out. It takes LOTS of special tools and gauges to do it right.
Get the damper, service the fork. Don't worry about bushings.
Fox replaced my lowers rather than bother to replace the bushings. Did it for free out of warranty too.
Right when you say 'just be honest' is the moment that bike brands lose tons of deals based on a catalog weight. Transition gets crap for being heavy, yet their frames are at most .5# heavier than similar brands. They just appear to be more honest really.
Hence why the standard is to mount lightweight tires, no sealant or tubes, no pedals, no tools, nothing in the frame box if so equipped. But no one can ride a bike that lightweight.
And of course, long droppers, 38mm forks & coil shocks also add significant weight but are generally advantages to performance.
i have an entirely all black bike, that i've gotten bored with. I'm sorry, i might have to do it.
Asked my Ibis dealer when I could demo a Ripmo (they sold their V2s fleet and have none today) and they told me "we've built them." I asked when I could ride one, and they said "not yet, but soon". So it sounds like Ibis dealers have the new Ripmo and I'm hoping it's a mere days away...
Early may (best scenario) I´m going to post a picture of a Dreadnought v2 on a scale... (size 3 w/ fox 38, dt EX511, DH tires mullet set up, XT/XTR group, alloy title handlebar and saint SPD pedals.
I am honestly surprised the dampers fit existing forks. That has not been the way with fox as of late.
i have a Raaw Madonna frame on its way to me currently and needed a fork for it. I knew fox and RS both have new dampers on the way and I actually went ZEB for this exact reason. Assuming i wouldn’t be able to swap a new damper in the 38, and would be able to on the zeb. Oh well. We’ll see how the new RS damper is soon enough.
Gen 6 Knolly Fugitive:
https://knollybikes.com/en-ca/products/fugitive-140?variant=40906299310…
$5799 for the XT/ Fox Factory build down to $4599 for the Deore/ Marzocchi build, with frame/ Fox Float X Factory at $2499
Insightful interview...
Interesting to see Fox lean into improved damping control vs. air spring improvements. Seems like they're taking a page from EXT/Ohlins in managing suspension control through proper damping.
Was thinking about swapping my Fox 36 for a RXF 36, but I may just try giving the new damper a try first.