The RockShox SID Ultimate not holds the accolade for the World’s Lightest 120mm Fork; that now goes to Cornelius Kapfinger’s Intend Samurai CC, weighing a claimed 1,385g – that’s round 150g lighter than the aforementioned. Of course, it wouldn’t actually be an Intend fork if it didn’t rock an inverted design extra generally seen on motorbikes. The lack of an arch bridging the what-would-be lowers helps preserve the weight down, however Cornelius has another methods up his sleeve right here, too.
The Intend Samurai CC is one in all two new 120mm forks with 35mm stanchions from Intend. While the CC, which stands for Cross Country, runs a carbon steerer tube, carbon cable guides, and will get some unseen inner drilling of the elements to scale back weight additional, the heavier Samurai XC runs a daily aluminum steerer, and aluminum cable guides, and forgoes the extra inner machining. Nevertheless, it nonetheless is available in lighter the SID Ultimate at a claimed 1,495g.
The Intend Samurai CC is so mild that Dangerholm sourced the prototype for his newest construct; the 9.19 kg Scott RC Hyperspark.
Intend Samurai 120mm Forks
How has Intend made the Samurai CC and XC forks so mild? Largely as a result of the fork has very minimalistic dropouts which have nearly zero offset, thus much less materials. So, how can Cornelius cut back the weight at the dropouts with no consequential discount in total fork stiffness? A facet-on view of the fork offers some indication.
Looking solely at the dropouts, it will appear the fork has subsequent-to-zero offset, however this is not the case. The profile of the fork reveals an angled bridge design that places the fork at a slacker head angle than the headtube itself. It is this angle right here that introduces the 44mm offset, and permits Intend to chop down the measurement and weight of the dropouts, saving round 50g.
A secondary good thing about the design is that, because of the zero offset dropouts, friction on the bushings is lowered.
Importantly, the Intend Samurai doesn’t change the bike’s precise head angle. The entrance wheel axle ought to nonetheless be round the similar distance out entrance of the head tube. The solely consideration there is the axle-to-crown top; right here it is 531mm, the very same as the RockShox SID.
Machining of the Samurai’s angled crown additionally helps to maintain weight down
… as will carbon cable guides (aluminum right here, however the manufacturing fork will get carbon ones).
The Samurai forks run a flat mount for the brake caliper, designed to work immediately with a 180mm rotor. The tight spacing means the decrease caliper bolt can’t be tightened in the conventional manner. You’ll see the bolt head has a gap operating via it – that’s to permit use of a 2.5mm Allen key for tightening the bolt from the facet.
Intend’s Samurai CC and XC 120mm journey fork are designed to run the RockShox Race Day damper, the one which comes inventory inside the SID Ultimate fork. Those retail at $269 USD, so that you’ll want to recollect so as to add that that to the worth of the fork when making your buying choices, which brings me to…
Pricing & Availability
The Intend Samurai CC and XC forks retail at 1,949 € and 1,649 €, respectively. There is a gravel model, too! Though, it wasn’t in attendance of the present. That one is the Intend Samurai GR with as much as 50mm journey; claimed weight for that one is 1,440g. The GR model for Gravel retails at 1,649 €. All will likely be accessible to order this coming Fall. Customers might want to present Cornelius with the RockShox Charger Race Day damper for set up.
