Introducing 'The Message' – Trailing Multi-Link Front Suspension from Trust Performance - Mountain Bike Press Release

Tech Specs

Design: Trailing multi-link front suspension

Construction: Full carbon chassis, steerer tube and linkages with aluminum pivots

Travel: 130mm contour travel

Wheel Size: Fits 29” / 27.5”+ / and 27.5” wheel sizes

Tire Clearance: 29”x 2.6” (762 x 66) max or 27.5” x 2.8” (744 x 78) max

Rotor Size: Direct mount 180mm rotor (with adapter: 203mm)

Suggested Bikes: 29” / 27.5”+ bikes designed around 110mm to 150mm of travel; 27.5” bikes designed around 130mm to 150mm of travel

Weight: 1980 grams

Damper Technology: Trust engineered twin-tube, thru-shaft damper

Adjustments: External rebound; three-position compression adjust (open, medium, firm)

Hub Spacing: “Boost” 15x110mm thru axle standard, or with “torque caps”

Axle to Crown: 535mm

Steer Tube Diameter: Tapered (1⅛ - 1½ inch)

Price: $2,700 USD

The Message maintains caster through the range of travel, giving the rider predictable handling in a wider variety of trail conditions. The contour wheel path of the Message also lessens the feel of head angle, axle-to-crown height, and fixed offset.

The Ride Experience

The main difference of the Message is not just the full carbon construction and multi-link design — it’s the effect that it has on the ride.

Caster Effect: Modern mountain bikes use slack head angles and shorter fork offsets to increase caster measurements (mechanical trail) as a way to improve high-speed handling. Longer front centers increase stability at speed; however, this results in slower turning in tight or technical situations. Due to the unique design and axle path of the Message, the front end of the bike is now capable of providing both. The wheel behaves like a caster and provides a self-aligning dynamic in which the rider experiences greater control and more predictable steering in most conditions.

Ratio Effect: Because of the linkage design, the Message brings to front suspension what rear suspension designs have enjoyed for years — supple performance early in the stroke to provide ground-hugging traction, support through the mid-stroke and more bottom-out resistance at the end of the travel. Ratio provides the rider a progressive and predictable ramp through the travel — light resistance at the beginning, heavy resistance at the end.

Trust Effect: Trust Effect is a sensation that makes you realize you can have more control, compliance and confidence. It is the combination of Ratio and Caster effects that result in a third effect — the Trust Effect — which is a sensation that the bike pedals as though it’s running XC suspension but descends like an enduro suspension. Simply put, this Effect is a multiplier for your front end performance.

Simple Setup

The Message is designed to be incredibly easy to set up and operate. The air springs and rebound are set to the rider’s body weight — rider weight in pounds is equal to the air spring pressure in PSI (1-to-1). A 3-way mode adjust provides on-the-fly adjustments to control compression performance across three positions: open, medium and firm. The firm setting operates with a unique blow-off characteristic and there is an additional compression speed adjustment for fine tuning the medium setting.