Eurobike 13 – X-Fusion
X-Fusion have had some gravity fueled gear in the pipeline for some time now… we checked them out at Eurobike 13
The RV1 HLR is the new flagship fork for downhill duties. We first caught sight of it back at the Fort William World Cup, propping up the front end of Bernard Kerr’s DH bike. The X Fusion gang were keen to talk us through the new fork adorning their clean looking stand.
Sporting 200mm of travel, and capable of taking both 26 and the ever growing 275 sized wheels, the RV1 HLR is set to be a cage rattler in a market that has been relatively polarised into two camps for a few years.
HLR indicates high and low speed compression adjustment, and rebound adjustment of the dampener side. This HL double knob is concealed beneath a burly looking cap.
It is testament to the thought about real world use that has gone into this fork that although the cap for the bottom of the left leg is a blank (the rebound adjustment is found up top) it is included so the bike will stand up without a front wheel. It’s little touches that convince us that this is a fork not just for racing at the top end of the sport, but for people who do real world things like rest the bike on its forks. We don’t all have workstands available 24/7 after all!
As previously mentioned, the rebound adjustment is found on the top as well. Another superb touch is the fork bumpers. They are a a combination of a stiff plastic inner section, and a soft rubber bumper. They are “C” shaped rather than the more traditional full circle. This, working with the stiff plastic, allows them to be clipped onto the upper leg, and then cable tied securely into place. Another neat touch that allows them to be replaced easily without removing the crown.
The Pressure Release system is designed to prevent the fork from losing performance as it heats up over long runs, as any good scientist can tell you, make stuff hotter it will expand, increasing the pressure, or at altitude, reduce the pressure, and you in turn cool the fork. It’s all linked by a lovely little equation, I won’t bore you with it. Suffice to say, this little valve should keep things running consistently, regardless of your ambience.
Also in the line up, making use of the same 36mm stantioned chassis is the Metric HLR, a 160/180mm travel fork for burly trail duties. The Metric makes use of an air spring while the RV1 uses a coil, though an air option is in the pipe for next year. I guess we’ll be back over to the stand next year then!
Another neat looking fork from X Fusion. 20mm bolt through and internal travel adjustment from 160 to 180mm make this an option for an enduro destruction machine, and the tuneability of the air spring are sure to make it a favourite.
Both forks feature replaceable carbon lower legs guards to help reduce the damage of sketchy uplifts or dirty great big rocks smashing up as you roost down a loose scree slope, the wind whistling through your helmet, the sun catching a bead of sweat on the tip of your nose and….. ahem, sorry, it’s been a week since I’ve been on my bike.
All of X-Fusion’s range is brought into the UK by the lovely folk of Upgrade bikes – http://www.upgradebikes.co.uk/