Meet the Rock Shox Boxxer Keronite. While Keronite may sound like Kryptonite’s long lost cousin, it is actually a company that is synonymous with Plasma electrolytic oxidation or PEO. Utilizing the PEO process, Rock Shox is able to better control the paint thickness which helped them realize a 30 gram reduction in paint alone. Rock Shox hinted at many of the changes last year at Interbike, but this is the first time to see the completed product.
In addition to the new coating process, the Boxxer line up also gets a host of new feature including updated damping, a new Solo Air Spring for the WC, new adjustment knobs, and more durable decals!
Learn more about Keronite, and see many more pictures of the new Boxxer after the break!
While the new Boxxer doesn’t look drastically different than the previous version, there are a host of improvements that can be found if you look closely.
Obviously though, if the Keronite coating is important enough for the name being tacked on the end, then it’s probably something pretty special. Going back to the process of PEO, it is definitely more than just a fancy way to paint a fork.
Keronite describes the process as, “PEO is an electrochemical surface conversion treatment which can be applied to any of the alloys of aluminum, magnesium or titanium, as well as to a number of other less common metals.
Metal components are exposed to a liquid electrolyte, and an electrical potential is applied to form an oxide-based ceramic. “Sparks” or “discharges” are used to modify the ceramic. There are many such processes, and almost as many different names including “spark anodising” and “Micro-arc oxidation” (MAO). Some of these processes date from the 1950s and have seen little or no development or progress, whilst others remain limited to laboratory tests.”
Between the new “skin” and all the adjustments that have been made to improve usability, performance, and control, this should easily be the best Boxxer yet!
Press Release:
The passion for racing has always been the inspiration for RockShox engineers todevelop new exciting products. Since its introduction in 1996 the BoXXer has won over 10 elite downhill World Championships and more than 66 World Cup races. Fuelling this passion while exploring the limits, the world’ best riders like Sam Hill, Myles Rockwell, Steve Peat and Greg Minnaar have been propelled to fame with
advanced technology–like special long-travel DH air spring systems.
Motivated by racers to develop the lightest DH fork for any trail, the new 2011 RockShox BoXXer Keronite® comes with unique features and improvements. RockShox engineers were able to eliminate the paint weight variation that accompanies ordinary paint applications to lower fork legs. However, Keronite® is more than a color–it is a sealing process, shaving off over 30 grams, and more consistent in
weight than painting or powder coating. The light and hard surface finish is commonly used in the aerospace industry as a coating to protect landing gear of airplanes to protect against impacts and damages while landing at nearly 180 mph (300 km/h).
Beyond the light new finish, this grey uber-fork is now more responsive on small bumps creating a bike that will stay more steady and stable thanks to design updates to the Mission Control DH damper. The increased responsiveness improves traction and front wheel guidance, largely credited to the redesigned rebound piston valve that has enhanced performance and function to provide increased bike control for the rider.
Tool-free tuning! No tools are needed for on-trail adjustments thanks to repositioned knobs on the upper side of the fork legs. The rider can easily tune the compression for the high speed mode (in 18 clicks) and for the low speed adjustment (14 clicks). No World Cup mechanic necessary–just ride, change the clicks and ride again until you go fast.
Topping the race ready details of the new BoXXer WC Keronite® are a lightweight pair of hard-anodized black crowns with durable transfer- decals that sit under the protective clearcoat for the ultra clean fit and finish you expect from a pure racing tool. The BoXXer World Cup Keronite® with Mission Control DH damping and SoloAir spring system will be available in shops beginning in May 2011 and will have a MSRP of $1,700 (USD). For more info about Keronite® please visit: http://www.keronite.com/
Improvements and Updates:
• BoXXer Keronite® model is lightest BoXXer made! At 2689 grams, it is also the lightest DH fork on the market
• Updated damping featured in World Cup and R2C2 models for increased wheel traction
• Redesigned valve for long-travel-specific Mission Control DH damping system gives more responsiveness
• BoXXer World Cup model receives entirely new Solo Air spring for reduced friction and increased durability
• Updated Maxle Lite DH for additional stiffness and optimal bearing preload
• New damping-adjust knob shapes and detents for increased grip and engineered for ease of use, with or without gloves.
• Decals positioned under clear coat with hard-anodized black crowns for durability
DH FORK COMPARISON
RockShox BoXXer WC Keronite® – 2,689 g
RockShox BoXXer WC (Standard Paint) – 2,714 g
Marzocchi 888 RC3 EVO TI – 2,990 g
FOX 40 FIT RC – 3,090 g
