Method needs us to rethink long-travel enduro and freeride forks with their new double-crown Belva. Sharing the identical lowers and far of the identical internals tech as their Selva all-mountain to enduro single-crown forks, this new Belva takes light-weight suspension to a brand new stage of efficiency. This isn’t a DH fork – they’ve obtained the Nero for that. And it’s not even longer journey than the most important Selva. As a substitute, this stiffer double-crown fork is constructed that can assist you push your enduro bike more durable than ever.
Method Belva 170/180mm double-crown enduro/freeride fork
Method spent the previous a number of years behind the scenes reworking their standard 35mm-stanchion single-crown Selva platform into a light-weight double-crown enduro fork. They got down to create a double-crown fork as gentle or lighter than any equally lengthy single-crown enduro fork. However harder, extra supple, and stiffer the place it issues.
Extra mountain bike riders are pushing enduro bikes more durable and additional than ever earlier than. Freeride isn’t lifeless. It simply someway obtained blended in with a sort of driving we do on bikes that we typically pedal to the highest of the mountain. You’ll discover extra ‘enduro’ bikes and single-crown forks in bike parks most days than correct DH bikes with double-crowns. You even see riders at Rampage sending off cliffs on single-crown enduro forks.
So suspension makers needed to maintain beefing up their single crowns to deal with the 170mm, 180mm & 190mm of single-crown journey that trendy enduro consumers demanded.
However actually, why?
For Method, it wasn’t about larger journey, or essentially saving a bunch of weight.
Their engineers simply knew that constructing a double-crown meant eliminating the inherent structural cantilever difficulty the place a single crown, steerer & stanchions come collectively. That is merely the purpose the place most single-crown flex goes to happen, irrespective of how large the stanchions get.
So with the identical 35mm diameter stanchions, Method may considerably scale back flex and obtain extra supple suspension motion. Plus, they might decrease stack in the event that they needed with a a lot shorter/thinner decrease crown. They may ship extra exact and related direct-mount steering. And all at little or no further weight.
This fork weighs about 400g greater than the lightest 170mm 29er Selva S – at a claimed 2370g for the brand new Belva. However that’s nonetheless stated to be lighter than both a 38mm-stanchion RockShox Zeb or Fox 38, both with 180mm of journey.
Method doesn’t actually push the adjustable axle-to-crown facet as their preliminary push it to work with getting the brand new fork as a easy direct-swap on present bikes with out altering suspension traits. However the double-crown inherently offers riders ~1cm of a-c adjustment. Meaning you’ll be able to in all probability replicate the setup of your present fork precisely. However its a lot shorter-stack decrease crown additionally means you would in all probability swap in a 180mm fork in the identical a-c peak of your present 170mm fork, with out altering trip peak or bike geometry. There’s merely way more alternative for personalized setup with a double-crown. And Method may simply decrease stack on the decrease crown by one other centimeter in the event that they needed (or if there was demand.)
Tech particulars
The twin-crown Belva enduro fork delivers both 170mm or 180mm of internally adjustable journey. The air spring fork retains weight low with new 35mm double-butted 7075 aluminum stanchions and light-weight hollow-forged alloy crowns.
Pair that to the identical solid magnesium lowers because the Selva – for bonus modularity.
It options the identical single air spring tech and metal triple-coil detrimental spring as its Selva S sibling, quantity spacer adjustability. In addition to the identical drop-in Inside Floating Tech cartridge damper, with Method’s signature rider-customizable CTS compression tuning system. Plus, a lock-out lever on high of the appropriate crown – a straightforward attain just below your bar because it’s a double-crown.
The 29″ wheel Belva fork will get a 43mm offset, 15x110mm QR Enhance thru-axle, and a 1.5″ tapered aluminum steerer. And it’s constructed for giant journey enduro ebikes, as nicely.
How does it trip?
Two and a half years in the past after I first examined a prototype of this double-crown fork, I rode away fairly amazed. The fork was simply so clean and dealing with so exact, that I felt like my private talent stage had immediately notched up a stage.
It’s not almost as stiff as a DH fork. However that is meant for a lighter, shorter journey, extra maneuverable bike. One that you’re more likely to pedal again uphill typically, too. It actually felt prefer it soaked up hits higher than each single crown fork I had ridden beforehand. So it gave me additional confidence to bomb root-strewn tracks and air it out a bit increased on the buff bounce strains.
One of many largest obstacles to driving a double-crown enduro fork although, is psychological. It’s unimaginable to not see these stanchions lengthen up subsequent to your headtube. And to know that you could solely flip your bars about 30° to both aspect. It’s an actual restrict that should be contended with. No large informal whips, no less than till you learn to better-control the bike within the air than I do.
However, flying down rooted DH tracks, rocky bike park trails, and blasting berms at ungodly speeds – that’s a non-issue.
But driving steep, sluggish technical path is a special story. I’ve already seen, first with inside lock-block bikes, and extra not too long ago driving the KIS-equipped Canyon on my native trails, {that a} change in the way you flip the bar can require actual rethinking of the way you sort out sure terrain.
However I’m fairly positive that the confidence-inspiring trip I’ve already skilled driving the Method Belva fork is value that trade-off. And I wish to trip it extra, on extra kinds of trails and terrain.
2024 Method Belva fork – Pricing, choices & availability
Method affords the brand new double-crown Method Belva fork with matte black or signature Ultraviolet purple lowers and arduous anodized black stanchions. The brand new fork retails for 1850€, not precisely inexpensive, proper? (Noticeably, virtually 250-600€ greater than the most-expensive Zeb or 38.)
However the larger difficulty is perhaps availability… in case you simply can’t resist the double-crown enduro temptation.
Method is aware of this can be a comparatively area of interest fork. And so they know everybody isn’t going to expire to modify from a single-crown to a double-crown. So they’re solely steadily ramping up manufacturing, and these are going to be accessible in restricted provide. And dealing with a number of choose OEM companions like Propain to get them as an choice on full bikes & eMTBs.
I personally would like to get one and put it to a long-term check in my hometown bikepark and on our steepest, gnarliest native trails. However even I’ll in all probability have to attend till midsummer to spend extra time on this beautiful new Belva.
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