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X-Fusion Introduces Women-Specific Suspension Tuning

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x-fusion-offering-womens-suspension-tunesX-Fusion has just announced they’ll be offering women’s specific suspension tunes for both new and existing products. As in, you can order a fork or shock pre-tuned or send your current X-Fusion bouncer in for a complete overhaul and retune.

“Offering women’s tune suspension might sound like a marketing ploy,” says XF USA General Manager Joel Smith. “But each time I built a bike for my wife, we spent more time tuning new suspension for her than actually building the bike. There is a definitive need for this type of service .”

New forks can be custom tuned for $50 if requested at the time of purchase. Older models will get a full fork service and the new suspension tune for $120, so your fork will essentially be like new. The same prices apply for their 02 shock, but Vector models are $50 for a new shock and $140 for an older model due to the complexity of the service for these models.

X-Fusion USA also has a database of different bike models, providing the baseline for tuning for suspension fork or shock. From there, the fine tuning is done based on rider weight, size and style. Each unit will be hand serviced and tuned by R&D technician Mike Davis, who spent 3 years tuning suspension on the National Circuit and 3 years in house at X-Fusion.

UPDATE: As we suspected but was missing from the original email to us, there’s more to it than just making some tweaks to the air pressure. Here’s what happens inside X-Fusion’s shop:

  • Forks: Custom air volume, rebound shims, compression shims and special oil.
  • Shocks: Custom rebound shims, compression shims and special oil.
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taylor
taylor
10 years ago

” the fine tuning is done based on rider weight, size and style. ”

Oh….well now that IS different than how we’ve all been doing it.

They said it best themselves, “marketing ploy.”

off-roadie
off-roadie
10 years ago

“Offering women’s tune suspension might sound like a marketing ploy,”

Thats because it is.

gravity
gravity
10 years ago

“Offering women’s tune suspension might sound like a marketing ploy,” and the article should have ended here.

bc
bc
10 years ago

I can see how there might be something different about it, since even among men, it doesn’t just come down to height and weight. Still, it seems like they might be better off just creating a tech manual for setting up women’s suspension.
It would be best for the shop to make adjustments based on the users “style”(which can’t be filled in on a service form), rather than expecting it to come from the factory dialed.
This would ‘add value’ to the bike shop, while also not creating an additional cost to the user.

Kark
Kark
10 years ago

Shouldn’t it be pink?

WG
WG
10 years ago

@masterblaster – for BOTH of them?

aaronfpeet
aaronfpeet
10 years ago

Most suspension is not optimized for riders on the lighter side of the weight spectrum. To a 110 lb. rider, even supple air forks can feel harsh, and it can difficult to get full travel. On the coil side of things, an extra soft spring is very rarely available. Kudos to you X Fusion, this is a service that is well thought out, even if the internet forums disagree.

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
10 years ago

i don’t disagree. a great tune is a great tune. so the communication of the right info is key to this service.

a cool follow up would be a pro wrench’s view on set-ups for women on a xc, dh and enduro team(s) to get real insight. a rider who’s gonna pay for a tune is a rider who knows how to communicate their ride preferences w/o their significant other screwing it up.

Sean
Sean
10 years ago

Let me get this straight, you up the cost fifty bucks just because of your customer’s gender? Seems like it would be worth it for X-Fusion to eat the cost of the light tune in order to win over the other half of the population, many of whom are now getting into the sport.

Tandumb
Tandumb
10 years ago

[deleted]

kdoh
kdoh
10 years ago

^^^
This guy!

fausto
fausto
10 years ago

I’m confused, is this “women specific” tuning about rider weight (because we all know that all men are the same weight, and all women are the same weight), or is it about assumptions about riding style?

Or is it a gimmick? I’m going with the latter, since even xfusion’s GM couldn’t come up with an explanation for it beyond “it’s not a marketing ploy”

So while we’re at it, Joel Smith I’ll give you a free clue, which you and your company could profit from immensely (because no product managers seem to understand it): there are more people over 200# buying high end bikes than people under 120. There are more men over 6′ tall that are buying bikes and having a hard time with size-specific issues than women under 5′.

Johann
Johann
10 years ago

Most stupid stuff ever. My wife’s Fox 36 doesn’t have enough compression damping. So X-Fusio proposes to put even less? Most of the forks out there don’t have enough compression damping anyway, for anyone!

Gillis
Gillis
10 years ago

Sean, the custom tuning is $50, regardless of gender.

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
10 years ago

johann- is on point.

Chader
Chader
10 years ago

I am going to start working on gender specific tires, brake fluid & air pressure.

I will revolutionize the sport for everyone.

chasejj
chasejj
10 years ago

I will be calling my attorney to file a class action suit tomorrow against those skinny geeks over at Xfusion.
I am being discriminated against as a fat bastard who cannot find the correct tune for my airshocks. This is pure fattism if you ask me and my attorney Johnny C. We fat old dads are being singled out as a group for exclusion in the offorad cycling and Peets coffee drinking community.
Who is with me?

Reformed Roadie
Reformed Roadie
10 years ago

^^^ you had me at Peets coffee…

Chader
Chader
10 years ago

@chasejj, how is Johnnie C.?

I haven’t seen him around much since he died 😛

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
10 years ago

i’ve seen cruel gender jokes with telescoping seatposts recently. you can’t unsee stuff like that.

Stokednbroke
10 years ago

World Cup racers can notice 1 click of rebound adjustment, I could turn the knob both ways and never notice anything.

Different strokes for different folks. A tuned bike is a better bike.
Comparing to one of the leaders in suspension tuning PUSH, the service is a steal.

Great idea.

Mindless
Mindless
10 years ago

How about setting for larger guys, so you do not run pressures stupid high.

Chader
Chader
10 years ago

@ Mindless

What exactly is the problem with high pressures anyway?
Do you see more seal failures?

If you want to make a change, the only option is to go with a larger diameter fork legs. You have to increase the piston surface area to make a lower pressure effective and not bottom excessively.

bongwater
bongwater
10 years ago

Women have a different weight distribution.

I’m not joking.

greg
greg
10 years ago

i’d set a typical woman’s rebound adjustment lighter than most, making it easier to pull the front end up to clear obstacles. i’d likely run less sag for the same reason, but keeping the spring rate similar.
for you fatties, keep in mind that custom tune for ANYONE is $50/$120.
… and some places’ service forms do have a place for riding style, it’s not multiple choice. and theyll have a likes/dislikes section for the current setup if the fork isnt brand new. and they’ll often call you to discuss it further if the info isnt 100% clear.
im glad they offer this service. it’s not “women’s specific”, though. it’s rider specific. but it is a way to say, “hey ladies! did you know we have this service? 75% of you could benefit significantly from this”

kevin
kevin
10 years ago

X-fusion, it was a good jokes

Chainwhipped
Chainwhipped
10 years ago

This isn’t a women’s product. It’s an IQ test.

So, which part of my anatomy should I be putting directly on my suspension? Altered tuning for smaller riders, I get. That should definitely happen. Claiming that it’s “for women” is absurd. If it doesn’t directly contact your body, there’s nothing gender-specific about it. Anyone who claims otherwise is basically offering you the opportunity to prove that you’re an idiot. I’m sick of this crap. My genitalia goes nowhere near my frame, fork, or tires (yes, we’ve been offered “women’s specific” tires), so why the hell is any self-respecting woman buying this sh*t?

Joe Shmoe
Joe Shmoe
10 years ago

Wow, the complaints. X-Fusion offers their tunes for anyone that wants one. That includes bigger peeps.

If you don’t know it already, the base tune that comes with your bike may not suit you as well as it could (male or female). They are simply offering a service. People rave about tunes from Push and others. Good on X-Fusion for offering the same service with competitive pricing. I would bet that you get a better tune from X-Fusion on their own products.

I don’t know the stats for female riders. That they understand the needs of this particular segment of the market is commendable.

@Chainwhipped
Maybe part of the service is being able to communicate with ladies about their needs. Maybe they have suspension tunes in mind for a particular riding style that is prominent among women riders. The same tune may apply for men as well. So, the answer to your question about anatomy is ……… your brain. Use it.

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