[Mo(n)arch]

Ooooh fancy:
BOS releases a new DH-fork.

208mm travel
• Available for 26" or 27.5" wheels
• New Frequency Control Valve
• Hydraulic bump stop
• New arch design for improved clearance


And no real information

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-bos-suspension-new-dh-fork-2014.html

 

[Samoto]

im glad they didnt forget 26". 8mm MOAR so it must better than other forks, hehe

 

[Udi]

Every time an MTB suspension company decides to implement a non-conventional damper valve, it ends up performing worse and offering less internal and external adjustability (see SPV, CVT, BV, TST, CTD, etc). They then switch back to a conventional damper and sell it back to you as an upgrade the next year.

Is this really going to be any different?

 

[Samoto]

maybe it will have oversized spring

 

[HAB]

Every time an MTB suspension company decides to implement a non-conventional damper valve, it ends up performing worse and offering less internal and external adjustability (see SPV, CVT, BV, TST, CTD, etc). They then switch back to a conventional damper and sell it back to you as an upgrade the next year.

Is this really going to be any different?

x10000

 

[Mo(n)arch]

All I know is that I love my Idylle Rare air. If they figured it out who to make one of the most impressive forks even better, I would be impressed.

Demo9 will have one in no time, so a real world review won't take long

 

[Steve M]

Every time an MTB suspension company decides to implement a non-conventional damper valve, it ends up performing worse and offering less internal and external adjustability (see SPV, CVT, BV, TST, CTD, etc). They then switch back to a conventional damper and sell it back to you as an upgrade the next year.

Is this really going to be any different?

Assuming what BOS are using is actually correctly termed - frequency-sensitive valves (probably more accurately described as amplitude-sensitive valves) have been around for a while in the automotive world. Koni use them, among others, and a few others licence the tech. TPC+ is actually an example of such a system, and that really does work quite well in reality. I think such a system actually has substantial potential because it does the opposite of what most of the position-sensitive systems have done in the past (which is to have very high low speed damping with a very digressive rate so that the HS damping is not so high), in that it allows a certain amount of displacement from any static point with a relatively low damping rate, beyond which the damping force is considerably increased (particularly in the LS region) which has two interesting effects:
1. Low initial resistance means the wheel begins responding to a bump more quickly, reducing peak velocities and therefore damping forces.
2. Higher subsequent resistance means that excessive motion is reduced, which coupled with the lower peak suspension velocities, means you can actually run MORE damping with less harshness (and if such a valve is active in rebound too, less compromise in traction).

I'm interested to see where they go with it. It's more complex than a standard shimmed damper, which gives you greater opportunities for improvement, but also more ways in which things could be messed up.

 

[Mo(n)arch]

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/bos-fcv-idylle-2015.html

Thoughts?

 

[Udi]

Assuming what BOS are using is actually correctly termed

They're French. The only thing correctly termed will be their response* telling you to f off when you have a problem with their product.

*I joke, that won't be correctly termed either.

 

[Steve M]

From looking at their press release, it appears that they have an acceleration-sensitive midvalve component (ie inertia valve) that will momentarily reduce compression damping for sharper impacts. That could work pretty well if implemented in conjunction with an otherwise fairly standard damper configuration. By the looks of it, it doesn't actually REPLACE any other damper components, just adds another parallel circuit, so the chance of it making things any worse is pretty minimal as the existing damper circuits are still there (unlike say a Brain shock).

Arguably the worst thing about it is that they're now using 37mm stanchions instead of 36mm... which means you will no longer be able to substitute Fox or Racing Bros 36mm seals for the hen's teeth BOS seals.

 

[OBB]

I've had the pleasure of riding it. It works and it works well. My first though after the very first test run with identical settings to my Idylle Rare was that the AC was much taller due to some under-steering problems. Turns out the AC measurements were the same, but the fork rode higher in its travel without any loss of sensitivity on small bumps.

I run 190psi for my weight (180lbs) and opt for the race settings in the setup manual. This suits the steeper terrain of the North Shore, which not only features good steep DH tracks but lots of low speed drop-off type terrain which induces lots of fork diving.