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Anyone got an Emerald review yet?

Dylan Dean

Monkey
Oct 12, 2007
608
0
southern California
what do u want to know? the vitalmtb review (above) is a great place to start. my guys have been on them all season & been pretty damn impressed & have NOT had to change one thing on it (including seals). the only time we made adjustments was because DVO wanted to test new settings.
i guess we're a bit biased, but i'll stand behind this product 100% We'll be selling them at my shop when i can get my hands one one (to sell). There's a ton of design & technology that goes on with these forks... hard to call them a first year company in some respect since it's all the same guys behind Marzocchi USA. but have not heard of a single failure (granted they're brand new)
get one... u won't be bummed! :thumb:
 
what do u want to know? the vitalmtb review (above) is a great place to start. my guys have been on them all season & been pretty damn impressed & have NOT had to change one thing on it (including seals). the only time we made adjustments was because DVO wanted to test new settings.
i guess we're a bit biased, but i'll stand behind this product 100% We'll be selling them at my shop when i can get my hands one one (to sell). There's a ton of design & technology that goes on with these forks... hard to call them a first year company in some respect since it's all the same guys behind Marzocchi USA. but have not heard of a single failure (granted they're brand new)
get one... u won't be bummed! :thumb:
i just wished they could have came in at the same pricepoint as a Fox 40. i will be busy convincing myself (and coaxing the wifie) that the performance is worth the premium.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
i just wished they could have came in at the same pricepoint as a Fox 40. i will be busy convincing myself (and coaxing the wifie) that the performance is worth the premium.
they originally said the MSRP was supposed to be close to the fox 40.. we all know how that worked out. *rolls eyes*

anywho, had some time to waste and saw that some kid on PB wanted to cut into the CTA so he could have that 'moto look'..

damn moto tools need to stay outta my sport. :rofl:
 
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aenema

almost 100% positive
Sep 5, 2008
305
111
I got the option for one of these for the same price as I could get the new Marz 380 or Dorado (last fork was Dorado Pro and I loved it but alas, it was killed when I got rear ended with my bikes on the rack). I am very tempted to try the Emerald out and only turned off by the fact that it is a brand new product and I know the Dorado plays very well with others...

Hoping to hear more comments even though I know there are very few of these out there.
 

aenema

almost 100% positive
Sep 5, 2008
305
111
I decided to pull the trigger on an Emerald. Should have it mid to end Feb. Will be building a bike up at the same time so not sure how long before I can get some ride time on it, but I will share impressions for sure.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
grats dude! i dont think you can go wrong with one of these. or thats atleast what the internet has been shoving down my throat for the last 6-8 months :)
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,882
447
The front of my buddies Wilson felt heavy with the emerald, but it looked cool. That's all I got.
 

supercow

Monkey
Feb 18, 2009
969
128
Are they really that heavy? Like 0.5kg heavier than the MZ 380?
I saw a scale shot somewhere on pinkbike, and I was shocked at the weight.
Not being all weights weenie, but it will certainly affect the way I ride my bike.
 

supercow

Monkey
Feb 18, 2009
969
128
Just checked a german forum:
They speak about 3.250grams. For an air sprung fork?! :think:


Either the scale is of, or it's far far far too heavy. My BOS RaRe air is 2680g. Nearly a whole kilo on the forks alone is a bit too much to swallow.
 
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Josef

Monkey
Apr 17, 2013
108
11
Wait until you measure it in pounds. Its way heavier...

Seriously though does this thing blow without the carbon arch guard thing? That has to save weight for the people who are concerned about that.
 

yd35

Monkey
Oct 28, 2008
741
61
NY
Looks like they addressed one of the drawbacks of the Dorado (stiffness) with the increased weight. Over 7 pounds does seem like a bit much though.
 

Josef

Monkey
Apr 17, 2013
108
11
I would hope the performance would be leaps and bounds better for the weight and price trade off.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470


Either the scale is of, or it's far far far too heavy. My BOS RaRe air is 2680g. Nearly a whole kilo on the forks alone is a bit too much to swallow.
#Wah

Gawd, that entire kilo is gonna be the end of you isn't it?!? Just WAY too heavy to be reasonable!! I mean, if there's an uphill section somewhere, you're OBVIOUSLY gonna be screwed.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,852
9,557
AK
I said it before, to make a mtb inverted fork as stiff or stiffer than a right-side-up in the important direction/area of torsion, it would have to be heavier. Nowhere near as efficient structure when it comes to torsion, all the money, engineering and weight that is put into rectifying that issue can be used to beef up a conventional fork in fore-aft and lateral rigidity, leaving little real reason for the inverted. When travel goes significantly past 8" bushing overlap gets to be a primary concern and the reverse becomes true.

Since moto right-side up forks usually lack brake arches and both inverted and these rely heavily on the crowns and not so much the steerer (which is sometimes non-existent), it's not a worthy comparison between moto and mtb.

Everything seems to point to that they have addressed this fairly well, but it's going to be a hard sell given how much the other guys have stepped up performance and valving in the last few years. Would ride it if it was given to me (unlike a hanebrink!).
 
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Tomasz

Monkey
Jul 18, 2012
339
0
Whistla
The weight issue has been known for ages now.

Insofar as I am aware, there are still a grand total of zero actual reviews of the Dorado. Weird.
 
average cycling (on road) energy expenditure is 0.28kcal per miles.pound. lets just double that expenditure for offroad cycling for a conservative estimate. so 0.56kcal per miles.pound

1kg = 2.2lbs, so energy expenditure is 1.2kcal/mile (for hauling around a kilo of mass)

UCI minimum DH course length is 1500meters or about 1mile (for easy math sake). thusly for that 1 mile, we expend 1.2kilocalories...or 1200 calories (for a kilogram)

top downhill mountain bikers are averaging 30miles per hr. to travel 1 mile, that would take 2mins.

1200 calories per 2 mins = 43 watts (per Kilogram)

well conditioned cyclists probably can generate 5-6watts per kilogram max in short spurts. so for an average weight of 85kg, that's 425watts

just by losing (or adding) and additional 1kg, you are losing (or gaining) 10%....which i think is significant.

so yeah, 1kg addition is probably significant and arguably noticeable.

(yes, i am bored..and nerdy)
 
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so...assuming that suspension performance of the Emerald is top notch, is it's enough to erase that extra wattage requirement for pushing around that extra kilogram? doubtful.

pros:
-suspension performance

cons:
-weight = efficiency loss
-price

for me, it's not a "buy".
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
average cycling (on road) energy expenditure is 0.28kcal per miles.pound. lets just double that expenditure for offroad cycling for a conservative estimate. so 0.56kcal per miles.pound

1kg = 2.2lbs, so energy expenditure is 1.2kcal/mile (for hauling around a kilo of mass)
Uhhh, I'm sure those "estimates" are for uphill and flat riding, not pinning it DH where you aren't pedaling NEARLY as much. So yeah...fact remains, 2 pounds on a DH bike don't mean anything. People who ACTUALLY ride their bikes, and who are ACTUALLY fast, know this.
 

supercow

Monkey
Feb 18, 2009
969
128
pros:
-suspension performance
The performance is also just assumed for now though right?

Uhhh, I'm sure those "estimates" are for uphill and flat riding, not pinning it DH where you aren't pedaling NEARLY as much. So yeah...fact remains, 2 pounds on a DH bike don't mean anything. People who ACTUALLY ride their bikes, and who are ACTUALLY fast, know this.
Putting that much weight on overall on a DH bike, is fine. I have no issues with that.

It's putting a substantial amount on one particular component, is a different story.

Go cry about it, hipster.
I have been crying since you posted that mean remark, you cut me with your words.

ps: A true hipster would be all over the Emerald.


Posted from my Macbook Pro retina
 
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