Having built a profile for its suspension products in various disciplines of motorsport, Swedish firm Öhlins is expanding its reach in the mountain biking scene.
Its latest announcement sees the performance suspension brand partner with four major mountain bike manufacturers for 2021 – Mondraker, Commencal, Thok and Intense – providing forks and shocks for their premium e-MTB, enduro and downhill models.
Öhlins’ latest expansion also coincides with the addition of a new OEM-only single-crown fork model to the brand’s range – the RXF38 m.1.
Developed specifically for the OEM market, the RXF38 m.1 was designed with long-travel gravity bikes and hard-hitting e-MTBs in-mind. The new fork claims to offer a lighter, shorter and more compact design than its dual-crown DH38 cousin, with up to 180mm of travel available.
Boasting 15 clicks of adjustment for low-speed compression and rebound damping, 3 clicks for high-speed compression and a climb-mode setting, its retuned twin-piston, three-chamber air spring system allows for detailed tuning across all 180mm of travel. The new fork will feature alongside other Öhlins models on OEM bikes for 2021.
In addition to the recent MTB brand partnerships, Öhlins’ service and distribution network also works with several manufacturers – producing exclusive, limited-run product series. Current partners that are equipping their mountain bikes with Öhlins suspension include: Hope Technology, Stanton, Starling, Canfield, Greyp, Privateer and Antidote.
Torkel Sintorn, General Manager MTB Öhlins Racing AB, said “We are really honoured to work with some of the biggest bike brands in mountain biking. We pride ourselves on producing top quality products and enjoy working with manufacturers to help create some of the greatest bikes on the market.
“Working with Mondraker, Commencal, Thok and Intense is the start of a long journey for us, with plenty more brands to come in the very near future.”
Mondraker Product Manager Salvador Manchon said “At Mondraker we choose to work with brands that share our passion for making bikes feel good on the dirt – it’s at the heart of everything we do. So, we didn’t hesitate when the opportunity came to collaborate with one of the world’s leading racing suspension specialists.
“Öhlins’ knowledge and experience in product development will really spice up our bikes’ performance. This is why we are very excited to reveal that the 2021 Level RR, Foxy Carbon XR 29, Foxy Carbon RR 29, Crafty Carbon XR models will all run Öhlin’s new suspension system this year.”
Commencal Marketing and Communications Manager Yannick Commencal said “Working with Öhlins is a great opportunity for us; the brand has an impressive track record of delivering high-performance suspension to a wide range of sporting disciplines and MTB is no different.
“We both share a philosophy of developing our products through racing to deliver the best riding experience possible and working with Öhlins means we can offer a really diverse range of MY2021 bikes that will appeal to a truly broad range of riders.”
www.ohlins.com/products/mountainbike/
