FOX brings out the motorheads to help introduce its 2010 bicycle product line
- By Zack Vestal
- Published Apr. 17, 2009
- Updated Apr. 18, 2009 at 6:18 AM UTC
What does a prototype Ford F-150 SVT Raptor off-road truck have in common with Adam Craig’s Giant Anthem X Advanced SL? Aside from race-tuned motors, onboard navigation systems, and hydraulic brakes, they both share suspension technology from FOX Racing Shox.
Having invited the media to California in early April for a product launch, and waiting until Sea Otter to make the information public, the brand is ready to introduce new 2010 suspension product. Look for a full report online Saturday (the company gave reporters a preview on condition that they temporarily withhold information about some aspects of the product until Saturday, a fairly common practice in the motorsports press, and occasionally in the bicycle industry).
Built from on-course experience
FOX Racing Shox was born 35 years ago, when founder Bob Fox discovered a market for aftermarket air shocks in motocross. Since then, the company has built a reputation as a leader in suspension technology for race vehicles of all types: two wheels or four, powered or pedaled. The company makes no apology about building products for racing trucks, quads, motorcycles, snowmobiles, side-by-sides, and a range of other powered machines. In fact, this depth and breadth of experience is what makes FOX unique in the world of bicycle suspension, and the company is proud of it.
The pride shone especially bright for a week in April, when for the first time in the brand’s history, FOX invited the media to a product launch that included not just the cycling industry, but all industries suspended by FOX. Desert racing trucks and quads parked next to the bicycle support trailer at the Zaca Station motocross track in Santa Ynez, California. Members of the media were invited to learn about and ride new products built for not just their own sports, but those of their colleagues in other industries as well.
Nearly everyone took advantage of a ride in the 350-horsepower Ford Raptor 4×4, expertly piloted by a professional driver. It turns out that one of the best ways to appreciate FOX’s knowledge of vehicle dynamics and damping technology is on a rutted jeep trail, at over 80 miles per hour.
The same damping sophistication that keeps a 5000-lbs race truck glued to the ground over whoops and around washed-out hairpin corners is used in FOX mountain bike suspension. And for 2010, the mountain bike product line benefits once more from knowledge that has been cultivated across all of FOX’s suspension platforms.
Tempered by athlete input
Giant-sponsored racer and national champion Adam Craig has been on FOX suspension product for the last five years, and he’s ridden the model year 2010 products all winter. His input, and that of other professional riders, directly influences the direction that engineers take suspension product. He was on hand at Zaca Station to ride with testers and meet the media.
“Once I started hearing the DH guys talk about more high and low speed adjustability, especially low speed just for the ride height and all that, I started suggesting it for XC,” said Craig, at the media event. “We also want a little more balanced ride out of ProPedal, on a full-suspension bike.”
In some aspects, the tuning needs of professionals are not the same as the needs of an average consumer. But in several fundamental ways, the pros can aid testing. “A lot of the value that we can give is reliability testing, which I think is directly related to the consumer bike,” said Craig. “And as our bike set up morphs into this more fun, rideable, ‘real’ mountain bike that we’re now racing cross-country on, it’s become a lot more relevant to the consumer.”
“Confidence when it counts”
FOX’s new tagline is born from the brand’s history with riders and drivers pushing the limits of their vehicles. From the beginning in 1974, Bob Fox and his engineers have always looked for ways to maximize performance, by studying vehicle dynamics, body control, and analyzing user feedback. FOX employees are often former customers and current users, who can help interpret and relay damper behavior to engineers and designers.
The story of FOX includes a number of firsts. In the mid-seventies, as suspension travel increased on off-road motorcycles, dampers were unable to keep up with the increased loads, and failed. Racer and under-employed engineer Fox recognized the opportunity and created the first air shocks for motocross bikes.
Other firsts for the brand include the first air shocks on snowmobiles, ATVs, and the first air shocks on mountain bikes in the mid-nineties. Not as well-reported but no less significant, the brand was first in the 1983 Indianapolis 500 race, with FOX dampers on all four corners of winning driver Tom Sneva’s car. With 16 patents and 41 patents pending, the brand keeps looking for ways to be first, both in product development and to the finish line.
Check VeloNews.com Saturday for full details of the new technology in FOX suspension products, and a first ride report from the test track.
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FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech TAGS: Sea Otter Classic
Zack Vestal
Zack joined VeloNews in 2009, bringing 15 years of industry experience to the Tech Editor position. Most recently manager and mechanic for the Trek-VW mountain bike team (2004-08), he has an unused geology degree from Whitman College (and a well-worn Ph.D. from the school of hard knocks). Vestal covers the latest in cycling gear online, and brings in-depth perspective to the magazine.