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Ohlins Forks - Why Not?


chrisa
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As title.

 

Why on earth don't Ohlins make forks for trials bikes? Maybe it's just me but in a world where new markets are difficult to find for products there's one staring them in the face!!

 

Gold forks anyone? Yep...love gold forks. Imagine they would work pretty well too!

 

I think the 4RT clamps are 39mm, Which is an odd size. Can't see that the do any to suit.

Edited by chrisa
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Really can’t see a reason for Ohlins to bother with trials forks.

Rear units are all much the same in terms of construction but the Ohlins forks are significantly different to your average fork. Trials forks are unusual in their own right with separate damping systems in each leg.

With Ohlins being OEM for a lot of the high end (expensive) road bike market and seemingly being the suspension of choice across the whole MotoGP paddock. Would they really want to put a load of R&D resource into the small trials market, which probably wouldn’t be prepared to spend the money on their forks?

From memory the Ohlins Moto3 forks would set you back about €6000. 

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As title.

 

Why on earth don't Ohlins make forks for trials bikes? Maybe it's just me but in a world where new markets are difficult to find for products there's one staring them in the face!!

 

 

I would suggest the market is too small & fragile to warrant investment. Would you invest your money in a product where the manufacturers who buy it have a tendency to go bankrupt and default on their debts?

 

Your other route to market is direct to customers buying upgrades. I do not know anyone with a modern bike who has replaced the forks their bike came with.

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It needs to be in a standard bike to make it interesting I quess. The margins are too low (or the bikes become too expensive).

 

Reiger e.g. also makes shocks, but no front forks (only adjusts). Probably rear shocks are easier to make in such away they are modular usable. People spend money on rear shocks, not on totally new forks.

 

In the MX world is more money and a bigger market probably. And also there you see that brands adopt forks in their standard products (everything orange comes with WP offcoarse, but some Yamaha's used to have ohlins e.g.)

Edited by crazybond700
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Trials forks are unusual in their own right with separate damping systems in each leg.

 

Same as Showa SFF that comes on KXF and RMZ 250s and 450s; and the CRF250.

 

 

It needs to be in a standard bike to make it interesting I quess. The margins are too low (or the bikes become too expensive).

 

Reiger e.g. also makes shocks, but no front forks (only adjusts). Probably rear shocks are easier to make in such away they are modular usable. People spend money on rear shocks, not on totally new forks.

 

In the MX world is more money and a bigger market probably. And also there you see that brands adopt forks in their standard products (everything orange comes with WP offcoarse, but some Yamaha's used to have ohlins e.g.)

 

They were standard on VOR and TM for a few years, some Sherco enduros had them; also came on the GasGas Cervantes and Guillaume models and the 450 from memory. The 2trac WRs had them too.

 

Can't imagine they sell many 85cc cartridge kits or 50cc shocks but they're still made.

 

Either way, I'll save my money for Showa air forks (if they ever happen).

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I would suggest the market is too small and fragile to warrant investment. Would you invest your money in a product where the manufacturers who buy it have a tendency to go bankrupt and default on their debts?

Your other route to market is direct to customers buying upgrades. I do not know anyone with a modern bike who has replaced the forks their bike came with.

I know one guy that picked up new front forks and rear shock for an OSSA. But other than that I have only seen new springs and oil viscosity change.

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How many people actually believe they can out ride the standard forks their bikes come with ?

Change of oil, possibly the spring for heavier riders and that's about all that is necessary, a sport with no speed content is more about the riders skill than anything else.

Take a look at the top riders near to you , I bet they all ride box standard bikes and do things that we can only dream of - lots of practice is the answer !

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