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X-Fusion 2013 Product Introduction

Apr 19, 2012 at 22:40
by Tyler Maine  
John Hauer Interview:

Howdy John, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us about X Fusion and what all you've got that is new for us in 2013. Let's start off by letting everyone know a bit about yourself. I first met you as a full blown DH racer, but you're looking fitter than ever these days. Tell us about what brought on the change and what you do here at X - Fusion.

Well downhill was definitely my first passion. I loved racing, traveling to the races and everybody involved with the sport. A lot of my best friends have come from my time on the race circuit. Unfortunately for my racing, as my responosbilities increased at X-Fusion I needed to focus my attention to building our brand and no longer had the time to focus on DH. It's hard to be competitive on a DH bike when the only time you ride one is at national/interntional level races. Although I may have not been able to ride DH as much as I'd liked, my position at XF has definitely not kept me off my bikes. My roll at XF is very broad. My title is US marketing manager, but there is no limitations to what I'm involved in at XF. I assist with global marketing and handle all the marketing in North America for retail, B2B, and public relations. I manage all of our athletes from factory riders such as Brian Lopes to entry level grassroot riders just starting their racing/riding careers. I would have to say my favorite roll that I am lucky enough to be involved with is product developement, R&D and testing. This is really what allows me to spend so much time on my bike. It also keeps things very interesting because I'm thinking of how to improve suspension 24/7. This has been a key factor in my fitness increasing over the last year or so, but the real credit has to go to Joel Smith. (XF's General Manager) Joel started working for XF in February of 2011 and immediately motivated me to better myself on a bicycle. He even personally gave me a fleet of bikes so that I would be motivated to do so. I can tell you one thing, it sucks to have your boss completely destroy you everyday on the lunch ride. I was not going to let this happen for long and that is what truely transitioned me from a DH mindset to just being an all around good rider. Thanks Joel!!!


The addition of Joel Smith to the XF emloyee roster was another big step for the company - tell us what brought that on and what Joel has brought to the company?

Roughly 3 years ago we knew that it would be important to entice some industy horsepower into joining our staff if we wanted to continue to grow. At the time we were located in Campbell, CA which is not known to have any decent riding at all. We were a short drive from some average mountain biking trails but this was not sufficient for testing or motivating some experienced industry vets to join our staff.
2 years ago we finally made the move to Santa Cruz, CA. A mecca when it comes to mountain bike riding and the home of a handful of other bike companies. 3 Months after this move Joel Smith was hired to move out to California with his family and become the General Manager of X-Fusion. The 2 main factors in his decision to join the XF team were the potential he saw in XF and the personal challenge he would encounter in doing so. Being somebody that sees his competitive drive on a daily basis it is no wonder he wanted to play a part in building something that would not come easily, but could really impact the bicycle suspension world.
Since he has joined XF he has brought structure and process to the way we work. We are much more efficient and this has definitely helped us keep up with the bigger players we are up against. His experience from working as a journalist, with Manitou and running a bike company (Tomac) gives him a diverse perspective of the industry which has aided in many decisions on the direction XF needs to take to success. Lastly, the thing you need to know about Joel is that he is F'ing fast on a bike! What's better for a company's credibility than a GM that can put the hurt on 99% of the riders out there!?



Over the last 2 years I have had the opportunity to ride various XF products. Mike Levy even called X-Fusion suspension - Best Underdog Performance of 2011. What is it that you guys are doing that is garnering these improements that are not going unnoticed by riders and the press at large?

It has been very rewarding that journalist such as Mike Levy have started to notice the quality and performance we are offering in our products. When he made the claim that we had the best underdog performance of 2011 we were very pleased, but not satisfied. A new goal has been set to offer the best suspension products available, period. I truely believe the noticeable improvements of XF products has come directly from the passion and hard work we put into them every day. We are a small team of passionate riders that know what we want from our suspension. We are confident in our abilities as riders and feel that if we can satisfy our own desires with the suspension we produce then it will be a real treat for consumers to ride too. Our rapid R&D program with heavy real world testing has played a huge roll in our products progression. There is no such thing as a parking lot test here at XF. We make changes and we head straight for the trails to put the products through their paces. Most days at least half our staff is out testing products and some of us are even going on mulitple rides a day to ensure we stay on schedule with development. We are serious about our riding, we are serious about the products we make and we are definitely serious about having a ton of fun doing it. I think the press has noticed this and it's been easy for them to get on board with what we represent.











Damping Upgrade

This year, X-Fusion revamped its cartridge damper with a modified compression tune that is intended to keep the fork from blowing through its travel in the mid-stroke. The new tune is the product of a second compression valve that sits below the primary washer stack. The Mid-stroke valve does not affect fluid flow through the primary washer stack until it opens all the way - then the mid-stroke valve monitors the volume of oil that can flow past. This frees the fork to suck up small bumps, but slows it down when it receives a full-travel impact. The new tune stabilizes the fork under hard braking and while descending steeps. We heard about the new valving from X-Fusion team riders who had been pre-running the 2012 forks this Winter. The buzz was that it made a noticeable improvement over its competitor’s fork, so we were more than curious to see for ourselves.

Mid-stroke magic: X-Fusion lives up to its promise of less brake dive and more stability on descents. The Velvet makes the most of its 140-millimeter stroke by not wasting it over chatter and braking so that the fork is poised and ready for larger events. We found that we could lean on the front wheel for aggressive turning and to commit to roll into drop-in sections. The firmer-feeling mid-stroke compression damping added a measure of confidence by keeping the bike balanced front-to-rear, which gave us a better feel for where the wheels were and how the tires were biting.

How has the move north to Santa Cruz improved things for everyone at XF?

At your 2013 press gathering you unveiled your gold coating - tell us how it compares to the competition?

We are currently riding on a Vector Air HLR rear DH shock - tell us how your testing numbers show in on the dyno compared to your coil offerings?

650B is a current hot topic, what is your stance on forks for this application?


Velvet-450-550
Slide-425-500
Slant-600-750
Trace-700-850
Vengeance-700-999



2013 X Fusion Product Line
The crew of workers and riders behind X Fusion have been tires to the trail this past year as they continue to refine and develop their line up of Performance Suspension products for riders like you and me.

2013 X-Fusion Slant
The Slant peedview setup looks quite different from a standard goggle thanks to the frame extensions on each side that hold an electric motor and a roll of clear film.

Redraven Speedview goggle details:

- Remotely operated goggle lens cleaning via a bar mounted button
- Dual goggle lens'
- Receiver uses a lithium ion battery, transmitter requires two AAA batteries
- Works on the common 2.4GHz frequency, but each goggle uses unique ID
- Includes two rolls of film, six packs available aftermarket
- Forty clearings per roll
- Weight: 343 grams (goggle, receiver w/ battery, and a roll of film, 106 grams (remote button and transmitter w/ batteries)
- MSRP 129.99 GBP/approx 200 USD (US pricing TBD)

New Products and Technologies:
Forks – Slant (34mm Gold Slick Ano Aluminum Stanction Tubes, 26” Wheeled Fork, up to 160mm Travel, air spring)
RL2 – weight: 120mm 4lbs, 160mm 4.2lbs
Travel: 80, 100, 120, 140, 160mm
Damper: Mid Valve Aluminum cartridge
Adjustments: Lock out , Rebound, Air Spring
Steerer: Tapered
Axle: 15mm X-Series Syntace axle
Offset: 39mm




RL2 DLA – weight: 4.4lbs
Travel: 130 - 160mm
Damper: Mid Valve Aluminum cartridge
Adjustments: Remote Lock out , Rebound, Air Spring
Steerer: Tapered
Axle: 15mm X-Series Syntace axle
Offset: 39mm




RL2R – weight: 120mm 4.25lbs
Travel: 80, 100, 120mm
Damper: Mid Valve Aluminum cartridge
Adjustments: Remote Lock out , Rebound, Air Spring
Steerer: Tapered
Axle: 15mm X-Series Syntace axle
Offset: 39mm


*************


2013 X-Fusion Trace
The Trace 29 is X-Fusion's new 34mm stanctioned big wheel fork.

X-Fusion Trace 29 details:

- Remotely operated goggle lens cleaning via a bar mounted button
- Dual goggle lens'
- Receiver uses a lithium ion battery, transmitter requires two AAA batteries
- Works on the common 2.4GHz frequency, but each goggle uses unique ID
- Includes two rolls of film, six packs available aftermarket
- Forty clearings per roll
- Weight: 343 grams (goggle, receiver w/ battery, and a roll of film, 106 grams (remote button and transmitter w/ batteries)
- MSRP 129.99 GBP/approx 200 USD (US pricing TBD)

-Trace 29 (34mm Gold Slick Ano Aluminum Stanction tubes, 29 inch wheeled fork, up to 140mm travel
RL2 – weight: 100mm 4lbs, 140mm 4.2lbs
Travel: 80, 100, 120, 140mm
Damper: Mid Valve Aluminum cartridge
Adjustments: Lock out , Rebound, Air Spring
Steerer: 1 1/8”, Tapered and Uni-Crown option
Axle: 15mm X-Series Syntace axle
Offset: 51mm



2013 X- Fusion products - Syntace X-15 QR

X-15 Syntace Through Axle




RL2 DLA - weight: 4.38lbs
Travel: 110 - 140mm
Damper: Mid Valve Aluminum cartridge
Adjustments: Lock out , Rebound, Air Spring
Steerer: 1 1/8”, Tapered and Uni-Crown option
Axle: 15mm X-Series Syntace axle
Offset: 51mm




RL2R - weight: 100mm 4.25lbs,
Travel: 80, 100mm
Damper: Mid Valve Aluminum cartridge
Adjustments: Remote Lock out , Rebound, Air Spring
Steerer: 1 1/8”, Tapered and Uni-Crown option
Axle: 15mm X-Series Syntace axle
Offset: 51mm



*****************




2013 X-Fusion Microlite
The Microlite Speedview setup looks quite different from a standard goggle thanks to the frame extensions on each side that hold an electric motor and a roll of clear film.

Redraven Speedview goggle details:

- Remotely operated goggle lens cleaning via a bar mounted button
- Dual goggle lens'
- Receiver uses a lithium ion battery, transmitter requires two AAA batteries
- Works on the common 2.4GHz frequency, but each goggle uses unique ID
- Includes two rolls of film, six packs available aftermarket
- Forty clearings per roll
- Weight: 343 grams (goggle, receiver w/ battery, and a roll of film, 106 grams (remote button and transmitter w/ batteries)
- MSRP 129.99 GBP/approx 200 USD (US pricing TBD)


Shocks – Microlite (170gram micro shock for XC racing – Gold slick ano)
RL- Weight 170grams
Spring: Air
Adjustments: Lockout, Rebound, Air Pressure
Sizes: 165x38 and 190x51



******************



2013 X-Fusion Vector Air
The Vector Air HLR Speedview setup looks quite different from a standard goggle thanks to the frame extensions on each side that hold an electric motor and a roll of clear film.

Redraven Speedview goggle details:

- Remotely operated goggle lens cleaning via a bar mounted button
- Dual goggle lens'
- Receiver uses a lithium ion battery, transmitter requires two AAA batteries
- Works on the common 2.4GHz frequency, but each goggle uses unique ID
- Includes two rolls of film, six packs available aftermarket
- Forty clearings per roll
- Weight: 343 grams (goggle, receiver w/ battery, and a roll of film, 106 grams (remote button and transmitter w/ batteries)
- MSRP 129.99 GBP/approx 200 USD (US pricing TBD)

-Vector Air HLR (DH Capable air shock)
Weight: 430 grams
Spring: Air
Adjustments: High Speed Comp, Low Speed Comp, rebound, Air Pressure, Reservoir pressure, Bottom Out adjust
Sizes: 200x57 and 267x89
Gold Slick Ano





*************



2013 X-Fusion Hilo
The Hilo SL Post ard goggle thanks to the frame extensions on each side that hold an electric motor and a roll of clear film.

Redraven Speedview goggle details:

- Remotely operated goggle lens cleaning via a bar mounted button
- Dual goggle lens'
- Receiver uses a lithium ion battery, transmitter requires two AAA batteries
- Works on the common 2.4GHz frequency, but each goggle uses unique ID
- Includes two rolls of film, six packs available aftermarket
- Forty clearings per roll
- Weight: 343 grams (goggle, receiver w/ battery, and a roll of film, 106 grams (remote button and transmitter w/ batteries)
- MSRP 129.99 GBP/approx 200 USD (US pricing TBD)

Dropper Post – Hilo SL (125mm post at 450 grams)
30.9 and 31.6 sizes
Remote activation only, Gold Slick Ano
Two bolt seat clamp





*******************





Uni-Crown – Ultra stiff One piece aluminum integrated Crown-steerer
Gold Slick Ano – New ultra-hard, super-slick ano finish
DLA – Down Low Adjustment is a crown actuated 30mm travel adjust system
Cartridge Damper – revised all CNC aluminum damper with new mid-valve for improved control


http://www.xfusionshox.com/en/

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