Italian customized suspension producer, Brilliant Racing Shocks, has launched a brand new upside-down fork named the Skunk. Its 130mm journey (configurable to 120-135mm) is meant to be used on path bikes designed round a 140/150mm fork. So, why the discrepancy?
Brilliant Racing Shocks Founder and Chief Engineer, Pablo Fiorilli, says the fork is designed to run little or no sag, giving it successfully extra journey than an equal journey fork that runs a regular 20-30% sag. The Skunk’s ACAD Damper Cartridge is liable for this, a cartridge that Brilliant Racing Shocks have applied throughout the F929 line of XC and Enduro Racing forks, too. Let’s take a more in-depth look.
Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk Fork
The brand new Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk is a 120-135mm journey fork designed for path and downcountry using. It’s an Upside Down fork, fabricated with tapered carbon uppers, 46mm in diameter at their thickest level, with 35mm stanchions made out of 7000 sequence aluminum telescoping inside them. Inside to the left leg, you will see that the ACAD 8 hydraulic damping cartridge superimposed on the air spring. Housing each purposeful parts of the fork in the identical leg ensures that the damper and the air spring are subjected to the identical forces concurrently. The best hand leg is merely a information; it has bushings after all, however these are arrange in a “floating” configuration. Extra on that later.
- Brilliant Racing Shocks Fork: Skunk
- Journey: 130mm commonplace (120-135mm obtainable) for bikes with a 140/150mm fork
- Utility: Downcountry and Path Using
- Wheel Dimension: 29”
- Use of Torque Finish Caps beneficial
Simply as vibrant Racing Shock’s F929 NEXT 150mm Enduro Fork is meant for bikes designed round 170-180mm forks, the SKUNK 120-135mm fork is meant for path bikes designed round a 140mm or 150mm fork. This close-to-zero sag is is a singular characteristic of Pablo Fiorilli’s suspension designs, which he says permits him to design lighter, stiffer forks that ship an efficient equal depth of journey as in comparison with a comparatively longer journey fork operating the same old 20-30% sag. He argues that as a result of the journey will not be misplaced in sag, the complete quantity is offered to soak up bumps always.
Some readers might be questioning how the fork is ready to monitor the bottom correctly with little or no journey in reserve. We queried this with Pablo, and his in-depth clarification could be discovered on the foot of this text.
The ACAD Damper, now in its eighth iteration, is adjustable; each compression and rebound could be adjusted externally by dials discovered within the typical place. These are the one changes obtainable; the air spring quantity can’t be altered. That mentioned, on the level of sale, the damper cartridge could be tuned and the air spring quantity personalized for every buyer based mostly on their weight, using model and private preferences. Brilliant Racing Shocks provide that customized tuning included with the worth of every of their forks. Pablo tells us they often get it proper first time, however will re-tune if the client wants any tweaks.
In fact, the aforementioned lowered sag will not be the one non-traditional characteristic of the Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk design. Clearly, it’s an Upside Down (USD) Fork, however I wouldn’t contemplate that terribly uncommon; Manitou have had a lot success with the Dorado Downhill Fork, and Intend Bicycle Elements have their very own devoted following, together with the likes of Gustav Gullholm (aka Dangerholm). These forks have, traditionally, obtained criticism for his or her lack of lateral and torsional stiffness. Pablo says he has overcome this downside of the USD design with stiff, tapered carbon legs (46mm in diameter) but in addition by use of a floating bushing system, extra akin to what you would possibly discover inside a motocross suspension fork.
Inside every leg, you will see that a pair of bushings. One in all these is mounted within the typical place, hooked up to the higher leg, sitting simply beneath the wiper seal. The opposite is positioned, and affixed to, the highest finish of the fork stanchion. So, because the stanchion is pushed by compression and rebound cycles, this “floating” bushing strikes immediately with it. Pablo will not be keen to share specifics of this association.
In any case, you possibly can respect how the pair of bushings turn out to be additional other than each other because the fork is pushed into its journey. When prolonged, the gap between the bushings is 136mm, growing to 266mm at full compression, a distance that might usually solely be attainable on a dual-crown fork. This, Pablo tells us, will increase the lateral and torsional stiffness of the fork. It’s at its most stiff at bottom-out, and its most versatile when in an unloaded state. He says this turns into evident with improved steering precision in distinction to different USD fork designs, and in addition in comparison with many conventional forks.
You’ll discover that the decrease portion of the carbon legs flares outward towards the wiper seal. This serves to create further area throughout the carbon tubes to permit for a lubrication system that circulates 20-25ml of suspension oil in a vacuum created between the 2 bushings. The stanchions themselves are coated with a tough oxide, ready in such a approach as to create a micro-porous floor that absorbs suspension oil over time, lubricating themselves by use. The tactic is totally distinctive to Brilliant Racing Shocks, having been developed by Pablo during the last 30 years.
The Skunk is designed to run a brake caliper for a 160mm rotor, although a bracket for a 203mm rotor can also be obtainable upon request. In March, Brilliant Racing Shocks will even provide a bracket for a 180mm rotor.
Pablo Fiorilli’s Justification for Decreased Sag
We requested Pablo the next query, “Conventional suspension forks run 20-30% sag in an effort to permit the wheel to trace the bottom – it’s as a lot there to clean out holes within the path as the remainder of the journey is there to soak up impacts and and filter out small bumps. Why is the small quantity of sag that the Brilliant Racing Shocks forks run higher than this conventional design?”
His reply:
At sustained pace, the portion of sag imputed to anchor the depressions within the floor is that pre-loaded portion that’s recognized between static sag and mid stroke. The traditional static sag discovered on mainstream forks is generally used to repeat terrain at very gradual speeds. Moreover, that portion of sag (static) favors a false impact of “sensitivity” when stationary and subsequently makes a fork nice to all. However this pleasantness is clear.
Talking of excessive speeds (even these of a quick beginner) or excessive efficiency, the world that actually works in “copying” the depressions within the floor is an space that’s often positioned instantly earlier than the “mid stroke” and is a of journey pre-loaded and “charged with vitality”. That’s what I name “dynamic sag”.
Brilliant RS’s ACAD damper works primarily by exploiting this dynamic portion of the sag and leaving out (as a collateral issue) the traditional static sag. That is the place the idea launched by Brilliant RS is predicated, which is outlined as zero sag. That is really a “idea” and never true zero sag. The truth is, our forks have a minimal quantity of sag however stay very supported by sustaining a excessive floating place on the entrance finish. It should all the time be thought of that the traction given by the Brilliant RS cartridge is excessive and the sensitivity on uneven floor (stones, roots, drops) all the time stays optimum.
If a buyer prefers “traditional” static sag we are able to do it because of the good versatility of our system. Usually, nonetheless, we don’t do it and we don’t advocate it, as a result of the efficiency of our system is, in our opinion, decidedly superior.
Brilliant RS was born as a producer of racing suspensions and subsequently finds its nature exactly in such a functioning to which it’s a must to get used to firstly. What they typically inform me is that I want to change physics.
That is incorrect, I’m merely giving a unique approach to comply with physics. Within the 90s, there was no point out of sag in mountain bike forks. I used fork methods the place I used sag as a substitute, in World Cup races with riders of the caliber of Frank Roman… After so a few years and with over twenty extra years in my evolution as a designer and developer, I understood that managing the dynamic sag as a substitute of giving weight to the static sag ensures better traction. Offered you then have a suspension system with very delicate valves and light-weight unsprung lots.
Pricing & Availability
The Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk Fork retails at €1,750 euro (excluding tax) for the usual model with Black parts and the UD carbon fiber end on the higher legs. Colour customization of the crown, dropouts and stanchions is offered at further price. Select between Darkish Purple, Gray, or Licorice for the stanchions, and Purple, Silver, Purple or Titanium for the Crown and Dropouts. Stanchion guards can be found upon request.
Pablo says, “Once you purchase a Brilliant Racing Shocks fork you’ve a extremely customizable piece of mechanics and lots of issues are typically invented/created expressly for the person buyer. So, the recommendation is all the time to request data on customization immediately through the next hyperlink”.
