MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

Not sure if this has been posted but got a picture of the bottom of the Brosnan's Boxxer at the US Open. I assume this is what's on the Zebb too. 

Now that's a proper spy shot. 

Adjustable positive air chamber volume? Adjustable negative volume? Both? Seems very "Secus."

I know a few forks have negative air volume spacer but most of the time they are not meant to be switched around (ohlins, Fox 34SC) so this would the first fork to have adjustable negative air spring volume spacer ? And it would make sense that only the Zeb and Boxxer get this as their overall air spring volume is much bigger than the Sid/Pike/Lyrik.

Interesting, its different to the new Zeb spy shots that have a distinct twistable nut on the bottom side of the air leg, that we assumed was for the new elastomer based bottom out bumper the filed the patent for at the start of the month (spy shots match the patent diagram). 

Very curious! Doesn't seem large enough to have a huge air volume, but its possibly hollow to increase lower leg volume? They already have the tube-in-a-tube design to help with that, but maybe you can change the size of it for fine tuning? Tapping in to the air spring from there would be tricky unless they have ditched the buttercups

Doesn't look to me like a negative or positive volume spacer, I'd bet its lower leg volume adjustment. Air pressure does build up quite a bit more in the air side leg than the damper as there's less volume to begin with, Fox made an effort to remedy this on the last gen 36 (and likely other models I forgot about) by making the air side stanchion and lower leg longer. I'd be curious to see some numbers on how much pressure actually builds up, and even more how much you can meaningly change those numbers with a volume spacer like that. Clearly Rockshox thinks it's useful.

It would be a pretty good feat of engineering to get that attached to the air spring while still allowing for full travel and easy servicing. All for the name of what, 1 cubic inch of air volume? The secus is a good bit larger than that. 

I’d bet my 2 cents on it being some sort of essentially atmospheric vent, think compressing the fork with the spring side bleeder valve open. Could potentially close it off for a progressive version, allow max airflow out of the lower for the “linear xl” version. 

Potentially not needed on damper side because of more air volume, typically the damper side will be open from the bottom of the lower to the topcap, spring side is only open to the bottom of the stanchion. 

I don't think it's a 'vent'. Would mist the rotor with oil! 
Possibly additional volume that you can tune by swapping out those 'things'. Looks like two bolts to remove it. 

Aren't the current 38 stanchions internally tappered?

it‘s not a new rumor, but still a rumor IMO… is the new pivot phoenix dangerous? i‘ve never seen so many frames brake during normal usage:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPJQ_vCjHts/?igsh=MTJnYjZ6d2NxZjczcw==

that‘s a 15y old girl on it!

yikes

"WOW, even my DH bike is lighter than your Enduro/trail bike"

Right before That happens.

Leogangbikeclub comments and says that the little girl is about 50kg, while no doubt she shreds, it feels like the bike should be able to take that abuse.

Some more pics borrowed from instagram

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPJQ_vCjHts/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

ooops

haha i remember the bryceland / minnaar conversation when ratboy busted his ankle

 "i didn't want to brake"

"i could see that"

It’s a hydraulic bottom out. The new Zeb has its too. 

You will see in a few weeks. 

My guess is that its either a manufacturing defect or the frame was previously crashed and weakened at the downtube.

Definitely a lack of information to say what may have caused that failure.. To simply say the rider wasn't very heavy leaves a lot to be answered about events leading up to this..

I will say that where it broke is interesting and makes me think potential defect, but you can't really tell enough from those pics..

Whilst the pivot might have a few more broken frames than others, there's no way that impact would cause that on an in tact frame. Either it was previously damaged or defective. No way it would a survive a sin le run at a world cup or hardline if it was that weak!

It's different to the Zeb we've seen, and the drawings in the patent filling. The prototype Zeb has a twistable dial at the footnut, this boxxer has a normal footnut. 

Exactly my thoughts. They probably don't want to jizz out their reveal ahead of time, and won't show the probable secus-a-like before launch.

Removable/retrofittable means they don't have to force everyone into it/can milk it for base users.

Still in testing phase, Pivot simply prefers real world testing.

Welp that solidifies that. Im completely turned away from Pivot. This screams Orange Bike manufacturing kind of problem right here. 

How does this help creaky CSU's? That's the upgrade I'M looking for. 

No surprises here, the front fell off again. I hope she's okay!! Pivot needs to acknowledge these faults and start putting reinforcing material in all those weak spots, and probably do a recall too. 

A filter of some sort would easily solve the oil coming out and dust/ debris coming in. Seems like a much easier engineering project to tackle than getting the main air chamber connected through the lowers. 

I’m not saying it’s for sure a vent, but in terms of practicality it seems like a more easily mass manufactured solution. 

would you say that you're...... pivoting away from them

For more than a decade MTB forks have had very little space in the lowers for lubrication.  Like 10-15cc of volume.  If you add more than that then the fork becomes very progressive at the end of it's travel.  Since the lauch of Buttercups most riders have complained that those forks are very very progressive at the end of their travel.  Well the Buttercups sit in the same tiny space that the lower leg lubricant goes.  I would expect that the new extra volume add-on on these pro forks is to make up for the loss of volume from the Buttercups.  

they really need to take a look at their carbon layup. the phoenix is i think the lightest current DH bike out there despite that complex suspension layout with 2 chains and chainrings. maybe a bit too close to the edge construction wise.

Re: the RockShox casting feature, I'm guessing it's interchangeable, external caps to adjust lower leg volume to tune casting ramp-up. This would be especially needed if theres another mechanism in the casting (lower) taking up volume –– like an adjustable bottom-out bumper.