Name this a type of ‘worst saved secrets and techniques’ within the biking trade, or least in out rumor looking – Canyon and DT Swiss have partnered to develop an all-new brief journey gravel bike suspension fork. We shared a number of good spy photographs and speculated on a number of particulars final 12 months when it popped up on the German gravel champs. After which, we received 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 particular person 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 fascinating particulars in our first have a look at this all-new participant on the gravel suspension scene…
Canyon & DT Swiss 40mm gravel suspension fork mission
OK, so we already knew for certain that Canyon & DT Swiss have been working collectively on an all-new gravel suspension fork. And that undeniable 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 smooth tapered crown. In contrast to 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 a daily 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 simple to identify the suspension, if just for these brief clear sections of sliding stanchions. However in any other case, the all-black suspension fork blends in fairly effectively.
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 received 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 title.
Primarily based 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 in all probability ultimately 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, due to engineers that wish to etch the important thing particulars of their new tech proper on the skin of the brand new merchandise, an in depth look reveals an actual sneak peek of what’s occurring 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 main points to share but on what the PushControl lockout really means. However we will see that there seems to be a mechanical wire working subsequent to the left brake hose, beneath 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 brief a part of the distant lever. That means that it may be reached from each the hoods and the drops, nevertheless it solely strikes in a single course to lock out (or unlock?) the fork.
Smooth 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 sort of distinctive within the MTB and even gravel suspension fork world, however it’s a very related answer to what DT did with their smooth 535 all-mountain forks nearly seven years in the past. Presumably you may pop these off to regulate air strain, and possibly entry compression damping management. (You may see rebound damping is dialed in just below the disc brake caliper mount, above.)
There are a pair extra fascinating 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 via 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 sequence of bolt-on factors on the lowers, the place you might connect a variety of equipment. The two centralized bolts at the back of 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 throughout 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 form of mount for a light-weight bikepacking rack?
There are additionally bolt holes mid-way down every leg (dealing with again, see under) which might 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 best/driveside leg, and put the damping cartridge (with rebound management knob) within the left leg. We’re unsure if that was a design alternative relative to the reverse arch, to having extra air quantity room on the aspect with out a disc brake mount to cope with, 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 smooth 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 have the ability to share our actual world ideas of whether or not you will want 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 supply extra particulars by the tip of this month!
