Oh, and no, I didn't ride, I just squished it. So my perspective is a bit skewed. No matter how good it works, it's still a compromise IMO and needlessly fixing a problem that doesn't exist. Therefor, it's a gimmick, and companies that rely on gimmicks have usually sucked.
What's the word on X Fusion Shox
- Thread starter rosenamedpoop
- Start date
really?
I can think of a lot of times when I start climbing and don't stop for a few minutes. That's not to say I'd ever use the DH feature, as it would probably decrease travel...but if I had a fork that could go 4" for climbing, 6" for trail, and 8" for DH, then I'd be pretty happy. Most of the time it would probably be in 6", but I do some XC and lots of dh, so the travel option seems pretty rad to me.
I'm always weary of lightweight forks though. The only 8" fork I can think of that actually came in at less than 7lbs was the hanebrink, and that sucked, a lot. The boxxer does too, but that's far more costly and not as burly as I'd like...mostly everybody who owns one won't sell it. Anyways, most forks that try to be wicked light suck, and I'm super scared of the ridiculous hype products, like the gator8brake and this fork...marzocchi and RS and avid and hayes don't make retarded claims, they just make parts that work...so I would definately give a year or 8 before I'd buy one.
I can think of a lot of times when I start climbing and don't stop for a few minutes. That's not to say I'd ever use the DH feature, as it would probably decrease travel...but if I had a fork that could go 4" for climbing, 6" for trail, and 8" for DH, then I'd be pretty happy. Most of the time it would probably be in 6", but I do some XC and lots of dh, so the travel option seems pretty rad to me.
I'm always weary of lightweight forks though. The only 8" fork I can think of that actually came in at less than 7lbs was the hanebrink, and that sucked, a lot. The boxxer does too, but that's far more costly and not as burly as I'd like...mostly everybody who owns one won't sell it. Anyways, most forks that try to be wicked light suck, and I'm super scared of the ridiculous hype products, like the gator8brake and this fork...marzocchi and RS and avid and hayes don't make retarded claims, they just make parts that work...so I would definately give a year or 8 before I'd buy one.
What the heck are you talking about? "How many trails just go straight up, then straight down?" Uhh...pretty much every set of local DH trails everywhere in the entire world.the system your ragging on is bionicon, and x fusion in the US is pushing towards high end performance shocks... doesnt matter what bionicon does or is doing the stuff coming to the US is not the same...Im running the single crow fork and rear air shock on my sx and they work far better then the fox stuff i had on it previously. The rear shocks have been on me and some of the other riders bikes for some time now and have been working awesome. Evan Turpen won fontana, and CCCX in back to back weekends on the vector dh shock. Try it out before your quick to bash. The stuff you saw in europe from bionicon is not the stuff x fusion is coming out with
add fox 40 to that list. 6.88
There are not just two modes. You can adjust the suspension to sit at any infinate amount of points in between the "DH mode" and "steep mode". Just about every point in between works great for your average fast, techy, flat trails. And when you feel like it, it is actually very nice to switch to that steep mode when climbing, or slack mode when decending. All it takes is the hit of a button and a lean either forward or backward to set the suspension where you want it.
their engineer is actually a former fox employee and the product is on its way up in the market..
fox stuff is all made in watsonville, ca. Raw materials come from other places and are machined and built their..the only things that come from taiwan are fork lower castings and a few very small shim stack parts for rear shocks...everything else is manufactured in house..and its pretty cool to go look at if you have a chance.
fox stuff is all made in watsonville, ca. Raw materials come from other places and are machined and built their..the only things that come from taiwan are fork lower castings and a few very small shim stack parts for rear shocks...everything else is manufactured in house..and its pretty cool to go look at if you have a chance.
Sorry it's so big, but this looks pretty nice. I wonder the cost. They have a Sponsorhouse account. I might apply for it, and they have different levels of sponsorship as well. Looks promising.
That is the shock I will be running on my new frame. Pretty awesome that it comes with a TI spring...
Sorry it's so big, but this looks pretty nice. I wonder the cost. They have a Sponsorhouse account. I might apply for it, and they have different levels of sponsorship as well. Looks promising.
I want to know if it will fit on my Ventana. I think it would be a nice shock to have from reading the specs.
when i lived in cali, pretty much every trail in my area was a fireroad grind to a long rocky downhill. the adjustable bike would have been amazing.
Most of teh trails in SLO are pretty much like that.
I see your concern about the bike being oriented toward performance in two extremes, and thus not having real-world performance, but without having put in time riding the bike, it's hard to draw any conclusions. Personally, I think the system is going to end up being too complicated, which translates to expensive and/or not bomb proof. But it's potentially a cool idea.
you guys are still talking about the bionicon stuff... X fusion is doing their own thing in the states.... they are making race orientated product and making a push to help re energize the US race scene with higher payouts and closer attention to the riders personal needs.
The money they are putting into racing this year is much appreciated. I noticed they ponied up to be the title sponosor of US Nats at Mt Snow this year, and they seem to be putting money into purses as well. Thumbs Up!
The X-fusion version is only "half" the Bionicon system. It allows the travel to be adjusted, but not the geometry of the bike. Bionicon aren't licensing the full geometry adjustment system to anyone else yet.
Apparently the word about Bionicon is getting out. AzFreeride just did a review of their 6" bike at http://www.azfreeride.com/?q=node/255. There's also a review of the 5" version on MTBR at http://forums.mtbr.com/blog.php?do=showentry&e=873.
It seems like there are plenty of skeptics around who haven't ridden one. They're at Sea Otter doing demos, so if you're out there, check 'em out and see how they feel and ride. Riding one made me a believer.
Apparently the word about Bionicon is getting out. AzFreeride just did a review of their 6" bike at http://www.azfreeride.com/?q=node/255. There's also a review of the 5" version on MTBR at http://forums.mtbr.com/blog.php?do=showentry&e=873.
It seems like there are plenty of skeptics around who haven't ridden one. They're at Sea Otter doing demos, so if you're out there, check 'em out and see how they feel and ride. Riding one made me a believer.
know what? most trails around here are exactly like that!
that doesnt mean id use a bike like the boinkicon but sure proves there might be a niche for a contraption like that.
White with red stickers does not make a fork a Boxxer WorldCup. Please look considerably more closely.
Yeah, thats not a Boxxer WC. Its the Bionicon Double Agent that comes on the Edison LTD, Golden Willow and Super Shuttle. Its the same fork that was on the Bionicon Edison that I reviewed at azfreeride.
here is a link to another Bionicon review for you called "the Holy Grail" from MBUK to chew on.
http://www.bionicon.com/standard.xml?vpID=445&SID=1176918969_8b2d0000000031138e96
I will be in the SoCal area with Demos a lot over the next few months and up in Mammoth this summer. I invite anyone who is interested to check out the Bionicons First Hand, especially you skeptics out there, see if you can back up your first impression.
I will put up a posting every time I have a ride or event planned in SoCal. Also I am happy to bring demos down for testing if you have a group that is interested, I'm always looking for an excuse to ride new trails and meet new people.
http://www.bionicon.com/standard.xml?vpID=445&SID=1176918969_8b2d0000000031138e96
I will be in the SoCal area with Demos a lot over the next few months and up in Mammoth this summer. I invite anyone who is interested to check out the Bionicons First Hand, especially you skeptics out there, see if you can back up your first impression.
I will put up a posting every time I have a ride or event planned in SoCal. Also I am happy to bring demos down for testing if you have a group that is interested, I'm always looking for an excuse to ride new trails and meet new people.
I have to disagree. How is a bike that adjusts for different conditions designed for an easily definable world? No, a bike with no adjustments at all is the bike that exists for an easily definable world.
A lot of people climb long fireroads to get to the bomber singletrack descents, and a lot of people combine adjustable travel forks with a rear lock-out or increased damping like propedal. They just took it one step further and provide a rear travel adjustment too. I don't see how this strips them of credibility - this range of on-the-fly adjustment is probably the wave of the future for trail bikes (like the Scott system). You're entitled to your opinion, just seems a little harsh.
I am personally conflicted between the desire for simplicity and the benefits of certain gadgetry. For example, even though I was initially skeptical, for most of the trails I ride, a gravity dropper seatpost is a great thing that makes me faster and more comfortable.
It's pretty stiff.... there's no play at all since it's clamped on from the bottom. The Germans put a lot of thought into the design and came up with this. It's pretty easy to take off as well, to change a flat or for whatever. Just unscrew the lugs from the bottom and the wheel slides off.
Actually on the Bionicon the rear travel doesn't change. You still get the full travel and same spring rate. All that changes is the geometry, which happens from a slave cylinder on the front of the rear shock. When you change the geometry (goes from 67 deg to 73 head tube angle, or anywhere in between) you move your center of gravity forward so the rear feels like it stiffens up and has less bob, but the full travel remains. The front travel does change on the Bionicon, but the spring rate stays the same since you're moving air, not compressing it. The front travel that's left in the climbing mode is still supple and smooth, just half the length.
As far as simplicity, I've had mine (6" Edison) nearly three years and have had zero problems. I'll likely be moving up to the 7" Supershuttle soon. I took one on a test ride this week. Same deal, slacker geometry than the 6" Edison (65 deg vs 67), and it adjusts with the touch of the button up to 71 degrees HT angle for climbing. On my test I was able to climb a 100 yard 25%+ grade section that my buddies had to walk.
Everything I ride around here (So Cal) is a long grind up followed by a sweet downhill. This has been an ideal bike for these kinds. If you're just shuttling stuff it wouldn't make sense, unless you have a 500' climb in the middle, like the Downieville course.
BTW, I run a Gravity Dropper on my Bionicon as well... it really works well with the adjustable geometry. Two bikes for the price of one.
Yeah, some people think all the cables are fugly, but I'm looking for the most fun line in front of me, not at the bike underneath me.
I'm just doing some research on X-Fusion shocks, and I came across this thread.
I couldn't resist the urge to point out that pretty much ALL the trails in the Pacific Northwest are up, then down. Having now ridden in Colorado and Utah, I can see where you might get the idea that most trails are undulating, but in my neck of the woods, it's up, then down, and I really like it that way because pedaling with pads on and using a Gravity Dropper are just annoying - I'll take my ascent and descent separated any day!
Nothing wrong with the X-fusion rear shock on the bionicons I've tried. I've demoed the edison and ironwood. On the other hand, suspension is pretty much what you'd expect from an single pivot with an air shock. Loads of low-speed compression to prevent chassi movement and the high speed circut doesn't open up nearly as fast/easily as necessary. Another way to put it is that a decent linkage bike with a coil shock will feel like more/better travel, even if it has the same or less travel. The suspension on the bionicons is just too lackluster and not up to par with the stuff that's out there today. The travel adjust does work, but then again my ETA gives me the main benefit (being able to lower the front) withoug having to use air shocks and less complicated damping circuts. The X-fusion rear shocks work about the same as a fox float/RP type shock. Nothing more, nothing less. On the bionicon side of things, the suspension action will keep me away for a long time, not to mention that I didn't like fussing with switches/levers on every climb and decent to "optimize" it. One of their reps lives here and pushes the brand big-time.
It seems like the taiwan stuff that is made-by-the-company-that-makes-shocks-for-other-manufacturers is always much simpler and less advanced than the stuff they make for others. I'm not sure if it's due to patents of if they lack the R&D for suspension because they concentrate more on the chassi production/design, but I doubt they're using circuts like the Avy/push compression circut, cane creek, fox RC4, RS vivid/boxxer, and so on.
It seems like the taiwan stuff that is made-by-the-company-that-makes-shocks-for-other-manufacturers is always much simpler and less advanced than the stuff they make for others. I'm not sure if it's due to patents of if they lack the R&D for suspension because they concentrate more on the chassi production/design, but I doubt they're using circuts like the Avy/push compression circut, cane creek, fox RC4, RS vivid/boxxer, and so on.
Last edited:
Great experience with my H3LT on my SX Trail. Also had great experiences with their Vengeance, their O2RC, and one of their other shocks that I can't remember.
It has been a while since your post but I wanted to ask for your long term feedback regarding x-fusion H3 LT shock. I am quite interested in getting one but there is not that much feedback/long term reviews available online.
So, what do you think about it?
I've had a really good experience with it thus far. I've used it for moderate freeride and heavy AM use.
I did have the main canister blow a seal on me, but the seal was still intact. I removed the shock from my SX Trail, reset the seal (rubber o-ring), and tightened the main canister down. I also bought a valve core tool, and tightened down the valve cores because they tended to come loose on one of my last X-fusion shocks.
Their quality control for parts is awesome, and I haven't had a single defect yet. But their assembly needs a little bit of work. If that canister had been fully tightened, and the valves tightened properly, I'd give it a 9 out of 10. At this time, I give it a 7.5 out of 10 because of the little quirks. But in all honesty, the shock feels great and has treated me VERY well.
If you're interested in getting one, just tighten the valve cores and make sure the canister is screwed on nice and tight and you'll be ready to rock and roll.
I did have the main canister blow a seal on me, but the seal was still intact. I removed the shock from my SX Trail, reset the seal (rubber o-ring), and tightened the main canister down. I also bought a valve core tool, and tightened down the valve cores because they tended to come loose on one of my last X-fusion shocks.
Their quality control for parts is awesome, and I haven't had a single defect yet. But their assembly needs a little bit of work. If that canister had been fully tightened, and the valves tightened properly, I'd give it a 9 out of 10. At this time, I give it a 7.5 out of 10 because of the little quirks. But in all honesty, the shock feels great and has treated me VERY well.
If you're interested in getting one, just tighten the valve cores and make sure the canister is screwed on nice and tight and you'll be ready to rock and roll.
Last edited: