|
Super simple, easy setup, automatic
adjustment to individual rider weights. Setup
nightmares are a thing of the past with the MAGURA MX.
Lightweight | The version with
a length of 165 mm (38 mm travel) weighs 195 g/0,43
lbs. Also available in lengthes of 190 and 200 mm (50 mm
travel).
Test samples available from october 2007
onwards. Series production start in March 2008. Ask
your MAGURA Area Sales Manager for details.
Oil be damned, By Mike Davis
"Maintenance-free" is one of those concepts that, like
perpetual motion or extracting sunbeams from cucumbers, generally seems
unrealistic at best and the preserve of the thoroughly bonkers at worst.
But that's what Magura is promising for its new MX rear shock.
You can tell by looking at it that the MX is not like
other shocks, but what you can't see is that it doesn't have any oil in
it. As well as the commonplace air spring, the MX also uses air for
damping. This in itself is not a new idea, having been tried (with varying
degrees of success) by Cane Creek in rear shocks and Englund in forks.
What is new is that the MX doesn't rely on conventional seals to keep all
the air in.
Magura hasn't released actual details of how it all works,
but you can get a good idea from the picture. Instead of a rigid air can
with a seal at one end, the MX uses a rubber bladder to contain the air,
an arrangement that reminds us (very, very slightly) of the Firestone
truck-spring air bladder that Merlin used on one of its early
full-suspension prototypes. As the MX compresses, the rubber wedge that
you can see at one end deforms the bladder, effectively reducing its
volume and thus compressing the air within. One potential downside with
this arrangement is that the bladder walls become displaced outwards under
compression, increasing the diameter of the shock and possibly leading to
packaging issues on some frames, but we'll have to wait and see on that
one.
It's impossible to discern anything about the damping
arrangement, although we'd imagine that some very small holes are involved
somewhere. Adjustments are kept super-simple, with just an air valve and a
rebound damping adjuster. There are no platform-style damping gubbinses,
with Magura pitching the MX at bikes that don't rely on such
things.
With no oil and no seals under pressure, there's no need
to have the MX regularly serviced. Maintenance-free is a bold claim, but
it's certainly hard to see what (apart from a ruptured bladder) could go
wrong. Whether performance is up to the standards of more conventional air
sprung/oil damped shocks is an open question, although with no seals the
MX should certainly be almost entirely lacking in stiction and therefore
very sensitive over small bumps. Again, we'll have to wait and
see.
Claimed weight for a 165mm (38mm stroke) shock is 195g
(0.43lb). Magura will also be offering 190 and 200mm shocks, both with
50mm stroke. The MX will also feature spherical bearings in the mounting
hardware to help it to deal with any slight frame/swingarm misalignment.
It's aimed at XC, enduro and all-mountain applications.
Production of the MX is due to start in March - we'll keep
you posted on UK availability and pricing. In the meantime, you may be
able to glean further details at www.magura.com. | 
