Magura has a new inverted suspension fork. But don’t get too excited just yet – this fork isn’t meant for most mountain bikes. No, instead you’ll see the new Boltron gracing the front of mountain bikes that also include a battery. While other suspension companies have been adding more material and stronger steerers to compensate for the increased stress that e-bikes exert on the front end of the bike, Magura has introduced an entirely new fork. One that is e-bike specific.
Partnering with WP Performance Systems, Magura claims WP’s USD fork technology has been proven on the moto side, which is a natural fit with the performance of modern e-bikes…
Just what makes an e-bike specific fork? From what we can tell, it’s simply built to a higher degree of strength and stiffness, with less emphasis on weight. Not only are e-bikes heavier, but in many cases they can be faster as well which is harder on the fork, especially under braking. Along with the stiffer 35mm chassis, apparently different fork bushings are used to increase overall stiffness. Following that rationale, the fork uses a 20 x 110mm thru axle with Magura’s trademark T25 tool stashed inside.
The steerer tube is a standard tapered model measuring 1.5″ to 1.125″. The Boltron will be offered in 120 and 150mm sizes, both meant for 29″ or 27.5+ wheels. Inside you’ll find internally adjustable compression damping with externally adjustable rebound damping as well as an air spring with automatic negative spring balancing. Given the need for improved braking performance on these bikes, the post mount brakes will accept 180mm rotors minimum.
We should have more on this fork and what would happen if you put it on a regular mountain bike from Eurobike.
The “easy handling” line on the spec sheet really tells me all I need to know.
might be good for those clydesdale’s
thats how i read it as well, be a sweet clyde fork
You lost me at eBike Magura. I hate those with a vengeance.
Tell me e-bikes aren’t just electric motos now, I double dare you.
Inverted, just like on my moto…er, I mean bicycle. Sweet!
Maybe with all the added weight, this inverted fork will be as stiff as a right-side up one.
Myself Being 130kgs in weight and currently using the MT5 brakes that came off an eBike I’d put these on my current ride for a try as hard m not concerned about weight..
Why do you have to have Ebbike specific components considering ebike weighs just 7-8kg more than regular bike?
On the total weight it’s usually less than 10%.
Because 99% of people riding an E-bike would never be able to put down 450 watts on their own or get a normal bike up to 45 kph.
Does this mean we can stop pretending E-bikes are bicycles and just call them motor bikes finally?
Call it misinformed, but I’m inclined to say the ebike craze hasn’t exactly materialized.
What with low(er) gas prices plus the insane market up on the Chinese-made Swiss German themed *advanced* $7000.00 sub par bicycles, there’s not much of a market to pull into or from.
Those brands that go on about their high end e-commuter/mtb/whatever are the small market brands who battle for scraps in pedal-commuter/mtb/whatever. See Focus, BMC, etc.
The retail Savior it ain’t.
I’d be interested to hear true numbers (ha, in the cycling industry???) about emtb’s on trails vs the one old dude who by now’s bored out of his mind and is trying to remember where he put his putter
I don’t know about a retail savior, but I’m starting to see a lot of people commuting on them. We have gone from none to 3 at the bike rack in my office in the last 6 months. A buddy of mine just came back from Europe and he saw them everywhere in France and Germany. Where I live it is actually illegal to ride them on a bike path (the bylaw is very clear about motorized vehicles, none of the ambiguity other jurisdictions claim) but that doesn’t seem to have stopped anyone.
Living in Australia, three weeks ago I would have agreed they are not a thing. But travelling through the Austrian alps, the Dolomites, and now in Sloveina, e-bikes are everywhere, under a real mix of riders. Mostly they seem to be being used by 40-80 year old cycle tourists, but there are also plenty of younger people on full suspension e-bikes to be seen on alpine walking tracks. I haven’t yet seen any being ridden hard on singletrack, but cycling and hiking culture is so much more part of the mainstream here that one really can’t compare with Australia or the US. Tracks ar also so much busier here that a misbehaving ebiker would probably get a Leki pole through the spokes in short order.
The biggest barrier to market penetration will be price. In Europe, population density is high, and cycling is ‘normal’ so in scenic areas bike hire places are everywhere, most of them now also hiring e-bikes. And for many people, leisure cycling is a frequent, normal activity, so they are happy to spend up on an e-bike. That target demographic is tiny in Australia.