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SOC18: New suspension, dropper posts from KS, X-Fusion and Ohlins

new 2019 Ohlins RXF36 suspension fork coming to mountain bikes soon
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Around Sea Otter, virtually every brand has at least one new thing to show, and that turned out to be the case for these three suspension brands. Ohlins kept it short and sweet with only one new item and the promise of another. Above, their RXF36 Coil spring fork will be coming in 27.5” size soon, probably first of July.

Ohlins TTX22 coil shock with trunnion mount for mountain bikes

Ohlins TTX22 coil shock with trunnion mount for mountain bikes

What’s actually available now is a trunnion mount version of the TTX 22 M. This gives anyone with a modern frame built around the metric shock sizing standards an upgrade option. Perhaps bigger news on this unit is that they’ve developed new coil springs that decreased the weight by 25-30%. They get external hi- and low-speed compression adjustments and low-speed rebound adjustment.

X-FUSION MANIC GRAVEL DROPPER SEATPOST

X-Fusion Manic 50mm dropper seatpost for gravel road bikes with clever two-position drop bar remote control

Built for aggressive gravel riders that wanna go where no normal road bike should, the upcoming X-Fusion Manic 50mm dropper seatpost gets a unique drop bar remote that works whether your hands on on the tops or drops.

X-Fusion Manic 50mm dropper seatpost for gravel road bikes with clever two-position drop bar remote control

It’s a bit of a reach to get it from the tops as they had it positioned here, but you could likely bring it a bit higher on the bar without interfering with the brake or shifter levers. That said, it might be optimized for 1x drivetrains since the shift paddle might hit it as you pressed it inboard to shift.

X-Fusion Manic 50mm dropper seatpost for gravel road bikes with clever two-position drop bar remote control

It’ll have an oil-and-air system with IFP, all contained in a removable cartridge for easy service. Total length is 330mm, with a 110mm minimum insert depth and internal-only routing. The short travel gravel post will be 27.2mm only (shim it for bigger seattubes) and weighs 410g. Retail price is not set yet, coming later this year.

KS SUSPENSION HIDDEN DROPPER SEATPOST

KS Suspension hidden dropper seatpost prototype is integrated into the Bold Unplugged mountain bike frame

We showed off the KS Suspension integrated dropper seatpost on this Bold Unplugged enduro bike, but thought it worth a closer look.

KS Suspension hidden dropper seatpost prototype is integrated into the Bold Unplugged mountain bike frame

The design does require certain frame details to be made from the bike brand. The bottom of the post bolts into the frame, and then you cut the stanchion to length. Max drop in this iteration is 150mm, but here’s the upside: It’s based on a standard seatpost diameter. So, if you want a longer drop or just want to swap brands, you simply remove this and put any dropper post you want in there.

KS Suspension hidden dropper seatpost prototype is integrated into the Bold Unplugged mountain bike frame

The benefit to an integrated system is cleaner overall appearances and no need to over tighten the seatpost collar, which can cause stiction.

KS Suspension hidden dropper seatpost prototype is integrated into the Bold Unplugged mountain bike frame

It uses KS’ regular release mechanism and should work with any of their remotes. Word is they’re already in talks with several frame manufacturers, and obviously Bold is on board.

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