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 normal 20-30% sag. The Skunk’s ACAD Damper Cartridge is accountable 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
c. Mariano Spinelli
The brand new Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk is a 120-135mm journey fork designed for path and downcountry driving. 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 collection aluminum telescoping inside them. Inner to the left leg, you will discover the ACAD 8 hydraulic damping cartridge superimposed on the air spring. Housing each useful parts of the fork in the identical leg ensures that the damper and the air spring are subjected to the identical forces concurrently. The appropriate hand leg is merely a information; it has bushings after all, however these are arrange in a “floating” configuration. Extra on that later.
130mm Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk Fork on a Canyon Spectral 125, with Saint Peter’s Basilica within the background. With an ATC peak of 400mm + journey, the Skunk fork does end in steeper head and seat tube angles than the ~560mm ATC of one thing like a 150mm journey RockShox Pike, however the low static sag is alleged to provide an analogous geometry when below load. c. ONELEVEN
Brilliant Racing Shocks Fork: Skunk
Journey: 130mm customary (120-135mm obtainable) for bikes with a 140/150mm fork
Software: Downcountry and Path Driving
Wheel Measurement: 29”
Axle-to-Crown: 400mm + journey
Use of Torque Finish Caps advisable
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 novel function 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 working the same old 20-30% sag. He argues that as a result of the journey just isn’t misplaced in sag, the complete quantity is obtainable 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 rationalization might be discovered on the foot of this text.
Brilliant Racing Shocks’ compression adjustment is steady versus listed. c. Mariano Spinelli.
The ACAD Damper, now in its eighth iteration, is adjustable; each compression and rebound might be adjusted externally by dials discovered within the traditional place. These are the one changes obtainable; the air spring quantity can’t be altered. That stated, on the level of sale, the damper cartridge might be tuned and the air spring quantity personalized for every buyer based mostly on their weight, driving model and private preferences. Brilliant Racing Shocks supply that customized tuning included with the value 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.
The Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk Fork has a claimed weight of round 1,770g. c. Mariano Spinelli.
In fact, the aforementioned diminished sag just isn’t the one non-traditional function of the Brilliant Racing Shocks Skunk design. Clearly, it’s an Upside Down (USD) Fork, however I wouldn’t take into account 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 disadvantage of the USD design with stiff, tapered carbon legs (46mm in diameter) but additionally by means of use of a floating bushing system, extra akin to what you may discover inside a motocross suspension fork.
The Skunk fork’s floating busing system in extension (left) and compression (proper)
Inside every leg, you will discover a pair of bushings. Certainly one of these is mounted within the traditional 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 means of compression and rebound cycles, this “floating” bushing strikes straight with it. Pablo just isn’t keen to share specifics of this association.
In any case, you possibly can respect how the pair of bushings change into 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 likewise in comparison with many conventional forks.
Brilliant Racing nonetheless suggest the usage of torque finish caps for the additional stiffness their bigger floor space gives on the dropouts. c. Mariano Spinelli.
You’ll discover that the decrease portion of the carbon legs flares outward towards the wiper seal. This serves to create extra house 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 method as to create a micro-porous floor that absorbs suspension oil over time, lubricating themselves by means of use. The strategy 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 be obtainable upon request. In March, Brilliant Racing Shocks may even supply a bracket for a 180mm rotor.
Pablo Fiorilli’s Justification for Lowered Sag
We requested Pablo the next query, “Conventional suspension forks run 20-30% sag to be able to enable 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 velocity, 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 obvious.
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”.
c. ONELEVEN
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 truly a “idea” and never true zero sag. In actual fact, our forks have a minimal quantity of sag however stay very supported by sustaining a excessive floating place on the entrance finish. It should at all times be thought of that the traction given by the Brilliant RS cartridge is excessive and the sensitivity on uneven floor (stones, roots, drops) at all times stays optimum.
If a buyer prefers “traditional” static sag we are able to do it because of the nice versatility of our system. Usually, nevertheless, we don’t do it and we don’t suggest 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 one of these functioning to which you must get used to at the start. What they typically inform me is that I wish to change physics.
That is incorrect, I’m merely giving a unique technique to observe physics. Within the 90s, there was no point out of sag in mountain bike forks. I used fork programs the place I used sag as an alternative, 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 an alternative of giving weight to the static sag ensures better traction. Supplied you then have a suspension system with very delicate valves and lightweight unsprung plenty.
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 obtainable at extra price. Select between Darkish Purple, Gray, or Licorice for the stanchions, andPurple, Silver, Purple or Titanium for the Crown and Dropouts. Stanchion guards can be found upon request.
Pablo says, “If you purchase a Brilliant Racing Shocks fork you may have a extremely customizable piece of mechanics and lots of issues are generally invented/created expressly for the person buyer. So, the recommendation is at all times to request data on customization straight through the next hyperlink”.
