Fox buys Race Face

The BOS Kirk might change your mind… spendy, yes, but amazing bit of kit.

They need to go 1/2" DUs like ~ everyone else and the price needs to come down.

Awesome shocks (and forks), but too much of a premium over similarly highend forks//shocks for most people to kick in for.

No experience with Formula (ride or support) but the damper gets good reviews. In both Brands' cases the sample size is too small re. CSUs.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz-debuts-new-v-10-at-rat-boy-celebration.html

Notice the change from Shimano cranks and ENVE bar/Stem to Raceface. Coincidence? I think not.

And without using to many run-on sentences, the TLA cartridge from Vorsprung suspension has made a vast improvement over the stock feel of my creaky, under damped Fox 34;). Highly recommend it.

They need to go 1/2" DUs like ~ everyone else and the price needs to come down.

Awesome shocks (and forks), but too much of a premium over similarly highend forks//shocks for most people to kick in for.

No experience with Formula (ride or support) but the damper gets good reviews. In both Brands' cases the sample size is too small re. CSUs.

Fair points… and yes, the DUs are a pain in the ass. And also yes, a sample size of one is no indication of long term reliability but I am not easy on my stuff and no lightweight so I think it still has merit.

The BOS Kirk might change your mind… spendy, yes, but amazing bit of kit.

Yep I'd love to try one but I need a Specialized direct mount. I would defo run one of their forks if they did a 29" model.

Yep I'd love to try one but I need a Specialized direct mount. I would defo run one of their forks if they did a 29" model.

Well easy solution. Buy something other than Specialized. It irks me when brands run proprietary sh! t on their bikes.

Well easy solution. Buy something other than Specialized. It irks me when brands run proprietary sh! t on their bikes.

Specialized:rolleyes:

… I would defo run one of their forks if they did a 29" model.

Was excited when they announced they were doing a 2-9 fork // dissapointed when it wasn't a DeVille.

I guess (Marzocchi//BOS) world demand is just that much higher for 32mm 29er XC forks?

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz-debuts-new-v-10-at-rat-boy-celebration.html

Notice the change from Shimano cranks and ENVE bar/Stem to Raceface. Coincidence? I think not.

Had the same thought (still ENVE wheels on the highend though).

SantaCruz is mainly doing house brand bars next year (?), but it will be interesting to see if they do any RaceFace/Easton wheel spec (cheaper carbon option than ENVE).

Seriously Will -- being a guy who isn't going to buy something because of the brand name sticker on the lowers -- check out the Suntour Auron. There isn't a single thing (including rebuilding the damper or air system) that you couldn't easily accomplish with tools you already own (actually -- anyone who wants to do all their own maintenance but wants a product that is conducive to home wrenching -- basic garage wrenching, no home shop needed, no "you can fudge it but it really needs a vacuum pump to work properly" -- you can't go wrong with the performance//simplicity ratio), the performance is very good, the fork is competitively light weight, and the tech//after-sale support directly from Suntour is very good (trying to get market share). You already own every tool you would need to tackle a full rebuild.

You will need to drop the lowers and add some Slickoleum at the seals and a bit of bath oil (see Suntour recommendations -- fork is lowers designed as a grease system for ease of maintenance, but performance is better with 10-15cc of oil), but it is a quick job.

It doesn't feel as "refined" as other offerings here, but I have a lot of hours on it and certainly don't pine for something higher end when I am riding it. The only complaints I have are the axle system looks a bit hokey (works perfectly fine -- zero contact issues that I know of), I wish it was 51mm offset (not an issue for your 27.5 bike), and while the LSC/HSC are shimmed the rebound is a basic port system so there is a limited usable range (I tend to like my rebound on the slower side, and the Auron needs to be run a bit faster for best performance).

Thanks for the info Drew. I hadn't thought of Suntour.

I tell you what through, I have never ridden another air shock that comes close to a Monarch Plus. It's almost too good! In a sense that (compared to an RP23) the back tire is so nailed to the ground in loose corners that it changes the front to rear grip balance and the front pushes first! Amazing product IMO.

What you should mention is the debonair can. Aside from the leap in shock guts (Evolution CTD shock to Monarch Plus RC3, lots of good differences here) the biggest thing that is helping Rock Shox's return to OEM spec and good graces with the aftermarket is the Debonair can. It's a larger negative air spring with the equalizing feature placed further in the travel so the shock naturally runs more sag and requires less force to engage its travel from 0. This is the source of your ground hugging rear wheel performance.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz-debuts-new-v-10-at-rat-boy-celebration.html

Notice the change from Shimano cranks and ENVE bar/Stem to Raceface. Coincidence? I think not.

And without using to many run-on sentences, the TLA cartridge from Vorsprung suspension has made a vast improvement over the stock feel of my creaky, under damped Fox 34;). Highly recommend it.

They have been using the old SIXC cranks on the V10 build for over a year now, and used Easton cockpit before so I doubt it had anything to do with the merger…

They have been using the old SIXC cranks on the V10 build for over a year now, and used Easton cockpit before so I doubt it had anything to do with the merger…

Absolutely true ^^^^^^. Going by past history, Santa Cruz chooses its build kits by what's hot and what they can get.

They have been using the old SIXC cranks on the V10 build for over a year now, and used Easton cockpit before so I doubt it had anything to do with the merger…

Santa Cruz returns to SRAM for its elite drivetrains and brakes for 2015. Race Face cranks and cockpit items are a new twist as well. PB

Quoted from the interwebz and PB so it must be true:)

Gotta love winter on the nsmb boards….