I can probably offer some insight here re: dual crown forks on trail bikes. I've been running a 180mm travel Boxxer on my Norco Range for about a year now. I just had enough with creaky crowns, and decided to be the guinea pig. Living in the Sea-to-Sky - we are blessed with an absurd amount of perfectly good (often brand new) gear being flogged on buy n' sells. I was able to find a brand new Boxxer take-off for a quite reasonable price. The 180mm air shaft cost me ~$60. I also upgraded the damper to the Charger 2.1 - a considerable expense, but totally worth it in my view (mainly due to the fact that I blew the lower end damper after a few months).
My take-away from a year experience riding a dual crown trail bike is almost entirely positive. No CSU issues obviously, and the stiffness is totally noticeable. I would say that a good portion of riders might find a dual crown too stiff for general riding (especially when you throw in an integrated stem). It took a few rides to really figure out how to ride the bike. I was so used to a floppy single crown, it became second nature to expect it to deflect all over the place. The dual crown on the other hand (with 20mm hub, integrated stem, 35mm bar and carbon wheels), by god - that thing goes exactly where you point it.
I found that getting the air spring setup properly was the most challenging part. My take is that the Boxxer is optimally designed around 200mm travel, and even though you can drop it to 180mm - I think it does funny things to the air chamber volumes. Also consider that a Boxxer is designed for DH racing where you encounter hits much faster and harder than on a trail bike. I found that my optimal setup involved shoving a bunch of tokens in the fork, and running somewhat lower pressures than suggested for 200mm travel.
One last thing - if you're considering a dual crown, and you're worried about steering lock on slow sections, I would suggest that you don't worry too much. Obviously some frame/fork combos are going to experience more-less steering lock than my setup, but I honestly can't remember a single instance where I couldn't make a slow corner due to the fork stops.
Overall, I've been super happy with the Boxxer. It's not for everyone though, mainly due to the stiffness and ultra-precise steering. All that said, I'm planning a fresh bike build, and I'm thinking of giving a Zeb a try. But you better believe that the frame I'm picking up is certified for a dual crown. Just in case ;)
Aug. 24, 2020, 9:54 a.m. - Ryan Walters
I can probably offer some insight here re: dual crown forks on trail bikes. I've been running a 180mm travel Boxxer on my Norco Range for about a year now. I just had enough with creaky crowns, and decided to be the guinea pig. Living in the Sea-to-Sky - we are blessed with an absurd amount of perfectly good (often brand new) gear being flogged on buy n' sells. I was able to find a brand new Boxxer take-off for a quite reasonable price. The 180mm air shaft cost me ~$60. I also upgraded the damper to the Charger 2.1 - a considerable expense, but totally worth it in my view (mainly due to the fact that I blew the lower end damper after a few months). My take-away from a year experience riding a dual crown trail bike is almost entirely positive. No CSU issues obviously, and the stiffness is totally noticeable. I would say that a good portion of riders might find a dual crown too stiff for general riding (especially when you throw in an integrated stem). It took a few rides to really figure out how to ride the bike. I was so used to a floppy single crown, it became second nature to expect it to deflect all over the place. The dual crown on the other hand (with 20mm hub, integrated stem, 35mm bar and carbon wheels), by god - that thing goes exactly where you point it. I found that getting the air spring setup properly was the most challenging part. My take is that the Boxxer is optimally designed around 200mm travel, and even though you can drop it to 180mm - I think it does funny things to the air chamber volumes. Also consider that a Boxxer is designed for DH racing where you encounter hits much faster and harder than on a trail bike. I found that my optimal setup involved shoving a bunch of tokens in the fork, and running somewhat lower pressures than suggested for 200mm travel. One last thing - if you're considering a dual crown, and you're worried about steering lock on slow sections, I would suggest that you don't worry too much. Obviously some frame/fork combos are going to experience more-less steering lock than my setup, but I honestly can't remember a single instance where I couldn't make a slow corner due to the fork stops. Overall, I've been super happy with the Boxxer. It's not for everyone though, mainly due to the stiffness and ultra-precise steering. All that said, I'm planning a fresh bike build, and I'm thinking of giving a Zeb a try. But you better believe that the frame I'm picking up is certified for a dual crown. Just in case ;)