At Sea Otter this year, you get the feeling it’s never been a better time to ride mountain bikes. Frames and components are coming down in weight, an exciting new wheel size is gaining traction, and dozens of new suspension products are in development.
X-Fusion brought the new Metric and RV1 forks to the show they had previously shown at Tapei Bike Week as well as a new 27.5″ prototype they’re calling the Sweep. The 160mm travel fork is designed exclusively around the tweener wheelsize and utilizes the same 34mm stanchion size and RL2 cartridge found in their new Slant. Weight should hover just over 4 lbs. A version with an external travel adjustment mechanism will also be offered in the future.
Also on display, was the brand new 36mm stanchioned RV1 and Metric forks. The RV1 is a coil downhill fork with a slew of new features.
Both the RV1 and Metric will utilize the same lowers, which are compatible with 27.5 wheels. Pressure release valves allow you to bleed the air out of the system. You can utilize a allen to bleed the air out of the fork or purchase an aftermarket bleeder kit to mount easy push buttons (moto style)
The magnesium lowers are protected by carbon fiber guard, which are mounted via four screws. You’ll need an allen to remove the axle and undo the single pinch bolt.
The Metric is essentially a single crown 180mm version of the RV1 DH Fork. Both forks will be available in the matte black and gun metal gray finish. In order to make either fork compatible for 27.5″ wheels, a new set of crowns with a different offset will be required.
The Metric will be available in three versions. The RC, with externally adjustable low-speed rebound dampening, the HLR which adds high-speed compression, and an externally travel adjustable model.
Up top, you’ll find the same Rebound adjustment knob and down below, a low and high speed compression adjustments.
On the left, the RV1. Weight came in at 6 lbs .09 oz. Production target (w/ uncut steer) is 6.3 lbs. The 180mm travel metric came in at 4 lbs, 14 oz. It’s a good time to be a mountain biker indeed!
