Name this a type of ‘worst stored secrets and techniques’ within the biking business, or least in out rumor searching – Canyon and DT Swiss have partnered to develop an all-new quick journey gravel bike suspension fork. We shared a number of good spy pictures and speculated on a number of particulars final yr when it popped up on the German gravel champs. After which, we obtained one other glimpse when professional riders began sharing pics on their bikes within the lead as much as final week’s racing at The Traka.
Now, we’ve lastly had an opportunity to see it in individual and even bounce it up and down a bit in Girona. We don’t have a full set of tech particulars to share but, or a lot to say about what’s occurring inside.
However we managed to dig up loads of attention-grabbing particulars in our first have a look at this all-new participant on the gravel suspension scene…
Canyon & DT Swiss 40mm gravel suspension fork venture
OK, so we already knew for certain that Canyon & DT Swiss had been working collectively on an all-new gravel suspension fork. And that incontrovertible fact that we’d seen it mounted to the entrance of their quick Grail confirms that it’s meant to be a high-performance gravel race fork.
What’s possibly most distinct about this as but unreleased fork is its glossy tapered crown. Not like most mountain bike forks repurposed for gravel with merely shorter journey, the brand new Canyon x DT Swiss fork strikes a top level view extra carefully resembling the curve of an everyday inflexible carbon fork crown. And with the reverse arch barely hidden away, it’s even simpler to overlook from the entrance or at an angle.
In fact, right here lined in dried-up post-race mud, it’s straightforward to identify the suspension, if just for these quick clear sections of sliding stanchions. However in any other case, the all-black suspension fork blends in fairly properly.
Canyon x DT Swiss F 132 One gravel suspension fork
OK, let’s get one element on the market first, which additionally clears up one barely incorrect guess I made again final September.
The brand new Canyon x DT Swiss gravel bike fork is formally named the F 132 One. I obtained a close-up view at a clear fork in Canyon’s pit space, and it was the one place on the fork that I noticed the precise product’s identify.
Based mostly on DT’s fork naming conference, which means this slides on 32mm diameter stanchions, the identical as their F 232 One XC race fork.
And sure, that QR code will most likely finally result in a services or products web page. However unfortunate for us, it factors to a lacking web page on DT’s web site for now.
Tech particulars
We haven’t but satisfied our contacts at Canyon or DT Swiss to let unfastened the complete technical particulars of the brand new F132 One gravel fork, or what the suspension is admittedly doing inside. However, because of engineers that prefer to etch the important thing particulars of their new tech proper on the surface of the brand new merchandise, an in depth look reveals an actual sneak peek of what’s taking place inside. Even when particulars stay skinny…
- 40mm gravel suspension journey
- 700c wheelsize
- unofficially as much as 57mm tire clearance, we noticed professional Canyon racer Freddy Ovett match a 29×2.25″ tire into this fork final week
- 56mm fork offset (fairly a bit greater than the 45-51mm of Fox & RockShox gravel forks, for instance)
- PlainGain (presumably hydraulic) damping
- LineAir SL air spring
- PushControl lockout
Mechanical dropbar distant lockout
We don’t have the small print to share but on what the PushControl lockout really means. However we are able to see that there seems to be a mechanical wire working subsequent to the left brake hose, underneath the bar tape to a rocker-style dropbar distant lockout lever (with DT Swiss branding).
There may be solely texture on the highest of the rear-facing longer half and the underside of the front-facing quick a part of the distant lever. That means that it may be reached from each the hoods and the drops, but it surely solely strikes in a single path to lock out (or unlock?) the fork.
Modern Tapered Crown
We don’t see that mechanical cable anyplace else on the fork, so presumably it goes contained in the steerer tube to make it to a management mechanism through the fork crown.
Apparently, the tapered crown design with flush-mount covers, is kind of distinctive within the MTB and even gravel suspension fork world, however it’s a very comparable resolution to what DT did with their glossy 535 all-mountain forks nearly seven years in the past. Presumably you’ll be able to pop these off to regulate air strain, and possibly entry compression damping management. (You possibly can see rebound damping is dialed in just below the disc brake caliper mount, above.)
There are a pair extra attention-grabbing finds on the again of that historically ribbed reverse arch…
Reverse Arch Design
The Canyon x DT Swiss F 132 One gravel fork options tidy aerodynamic brake hose routing. The brake line exits from contained in the steerer tube by means of the tapered crown out a rubber grommet that tucks it behind the fork stanchion the place a clip holds it in place on the again of the left leg of the lowers.
There are additionally a collection of bolt-on factors on the lowers, the place you can connect quite a lot of equipment. The two centralized bolts behind the arch are most clearly for some fork fender, probably additionally connecting to the holes dealing with the rim on the base of the bolstered arch.
That decrease gap appears to go during the fork lowers casting on every leg, suggesting a large contact level and doubtless the power to hold some heavier load? Maybe that is some sort of mount for a light-weight bikepacking rack?
There are additionally bolt holes mid-way down every leg (dealing with again, see under) which may additional stabilize a rack, and even present a mounting level for some full-coverage fenders?
Opposite to most suspension forks, it appears like DT has situated the F132 One fork’s air spring in the suitable/driveside leg, and put the damping cartridge (with rebound management knob) within the left leg. We’re undecided if that was a design selection relative to the reverse arch, to having extra air quantity room on the facet and not using a disc brake mount to take care of, or some deeper or easier aesthetic rationale?
DT Swiss gravel fork coming to a Canyon gravel bike quickly?
In any case, the result’s a fairly glossy wanting gravel fork.
We did get an opportunity to get our arms on a Canyon Grail fitted with the fork for a little bit of very first impressions. And we hope to dive deeply into the technical particulars with Canyon and DT Swiss within the coming weeks, and ideally spend some extra time driving the fork, in order that as quickly as they’re prepared to supply them up on the market, we’ll be capable to share our actual world ideas of whether or not you’ll need this new DT Swiss F 132 One suspension fork in your subsequent gravel bike.
So, which is it Canyon.com or DTSwiss.com?
We’ll hopefully know which can provide extra particulars by the tip of this month!