Back in 2016 we glimpsed a unique French leaf spring-powered, hydraulically damped Motion enduro linkage fork, seeking investment backing. Well, their ambitious Kickstarter didn’t pan out, but adjustable travel, dynamic linkage fork development soldiered on. And now they’re almost ready to hit the trail…
Motion E18 & E18+ leaf spring enduro mountain bike fork
The E18 dynamic linkage forks claims to be a one-size-fits-almost-all enduro or all-mountain bike suspension solution. (They are actually coming out now with two – the standard width 27.5″ E18 & the plus-sized 27.5+ or 29″ E18+.) Both promise adjustable travel, no brake dive, and reduced maintenance needs, all with their linkage & leaf supported suspension design, plus hydraulic damping via a damping cartridge now pulled out of the steerer tube and relocated on a fork leg.
What’s new in the production forks?
All of the performance concepts we have covered from the prototypes before remain the same. You get the same anti-dive, linkage fork design and performance. The big change now is that the forks include a hydraulic damping cartridge on the non-driveside fork leg, pulled in tension as the fork compresses through its travel.
This update gave them more room for the damper, which gives it greater fluid volume and eliminates the risk of overheating. The new Flow damper also allows for more low-speed compression & rebound damping control adjustability .
Tech details
Two models of the tapered steerer mountain bike fork will be on offer. Both use a mix of 7075 alloy links, tubular carbon legs, & a single-sided carbon Wave leaf tension blade/spring for a claimed weight of 2100g.
Each fork is designed to work for riders from 50-100kg, and can be used with 15mm standard or Boost-spaced front wheels.
The E18 will work with 27.5″ wheels only, tires up to 2.5″ wide, and can be set at 150, 160 or 170mm of travel. The E18+ adds both 27.5+ and 29″ wheel compatibility, and dials back the travel to 140, 150, or 160mm.
The forks will come in four finish options – earth, wind, fire & water (standard green, stealth black, orange & blue, respectively.)
Pricing & Availability
The fork will now go on sale in just one week on June 1, via the Motion-France website, with pre-order retail pricing of $1890/1590€. Manufacturing is already underway, and Motion says they expect to ship the first forks in September 2018. They are even offering the possibility for priority delivery to those who get in touch with them now.
Motion also seems to have a recommendation/referral rewards program in the works (confusingly called a ‘sponsorship’ program) where you can get 100€ credited when someone you recommend buys a fork (they get a 50€ discount too.) More info on that on their website.
A shorter travel all-mountain/trail version of the dynamic linkage fork is expected to be announced in the fall. And short travel XC & long travel DH versions are slated for spring & summer of 2019 debut.
