Öhlins fully overhauled their strategy to short-travel light-weight path bike suspension with their all-new RXF34 m.2 fork. As an alternative of a light-weight 34mm stanchion fork with as a lot journey as doable, the brand new RXF34 pares it again with a extra refined strategy and solely two journey choices 120mm or 130mm. Pair the brand new 34mm stanchion fork with a succesful cross nation or light-weight path bike, and also you’ll seemingly be boosting stiffness and gaining real-world adjustability to tackle quicker and extra technical path using.
Assessment: Öhlins RXF34 120mm downcountry fork improve
That’s precisely what we did with the brand new Öhlins RXF34 fork. Swapped in on the sunshine 115mm rear journey Canyon Lux Path bike, the 120mm Öhlins fork changed the inventory 120mm Fox 34 SC (44mm offset, 530.2mm a-c) with none change to the bikes geometry.
There was an actual distinction in weight, although. The Fox 34 SC weighed simply 1556g after I pulled it off the bike, whereas the brand new 120mm RXF34 weighed virtually 200 grams extra at 1740g with two quantity spacers put in (and a 2cm longer steerer tube). A pair hundred grams isn’t nothing, however I can’t say I seen any weight distinction out on the path.
What’s so totally different?
What I did discover was a rise in stiffness, a extra plush-feeling journey, and extra suggestions from small tuning changes.
I hadn’t ridden the unique RXF34 myself with its longer journey choices. However evaluating the light-weight 120mm Fox to this new 120mm Öhlins, and it was clear that the brand new RXF34 m.2 delivers on stiffness, and collectively, smoothness. The newest 2022 Fox 34 SC is already a very nice fork, and with 120mm of journey it looks like an excellent match to the marginally lengthened Canyon Lux Path. However the Step Solid remains to be is an XC fork prioritizing low weight over stiffness or larger quantity. Now the revised Öhlins RXF34 m.2 will get right down to the identical claimed weight as the usual 34, with the Swedish fork nonetheless claiming to beat that one out on stiffness too.
Stiffness is nice for exact steering by uneven terrain and technical descents, however much less fork flex additionally lets the stanchions slide extra easily and lets the air spring & damper do their job with out undue friction. After using the brand new Öhlins fork for less than three weeks now, I can solely say it feels as easy or smoother than another XC or path fork I’ve ever ridden.
That shouldn’t be a shock for a brand new mountain bike fork with a 1294€ pricetag. But it surely’s a sense you don’t need to go away, and makes me assume this will probably be a fork you’ll want to observe the really useful service intervals to guard that funding over time. (Sadly, Öhlins says most of their premium forks don’t get the service they deserve, and nonetheless find yourself degrading in efficiency over time, identical to lower-cost forks.)
Need to be taught extra concerning the new Öhlins RXF34 m.2? Learn our full tech protection right here.
Adjustability
Whereas some suspension has 30 or 40 click on that don’t appear to do something, I admire Öhlins’ concept of 15 clicks which you could really feel… and so they recommend solely transferring one click on at a time to see how the change feels. I’ve solely actually began toying with my preliminary setup with minimal low-speed compression or rebound damping. But it surely’s obvious how transferring a number of clicks actually does change how the suspension strikes.
Adjusting the RXF34’s constructive air spring does require a little bit of consideration (and studying the guide to stability the detrimental spring when reducing strain) which makes solo trailside adjustment a bit extra complicated than regular. However setting it up with correct sag within the store was simple for me, and I’ve but to fiddle with the inventory quantity spacer setup.
It’s a little bit of a step away from distant lockouts, however the 3-position high-speed compression knob is straightforward to regulate from climbing to descending, even whereas using. And it jogged my memory that I’d most likely lock out a rear shock extra usually than a contemporary fork anyway.
Öhlins RXF34 – Driving Assessment Impressions
It’s nonetheless early days, however the brand new RXF34 m.2 fork instills a variety of path confidence for a brief journey downcountry setup. Weighing the identical as a 34 and only a couple hundred grams greater than a 34SC, it’s clear to me that my technical using model advantages extra from further stiffness than further weight financial savings.
The Öhlins RXF34 m.2 improve made the Lux Path extra of a succesful path bike than it already was, and had me trying to find issues to leap off of, rock gardens & steep chutes to bomb down, and even some foolish North Shore bits to play on. As winter trails dry out, I’ll tackle longer and extra technical path rides, and may even see about popping the fork onto a path hardtail with some meatier tires to see the way it balances with a inflexible rear, too. Till then, I’ll hold using a now quicker Lux Path with the brand new RXF34 up entrance.
