Frequently Asked Questions

>1. Are your products hand-built?Yes, they are designed by Craig Seekins and machined by my partner Eric Wold, and we assemble them right here in Colchester, CT.

> 2. Are the DHF triple clamps(the actual clamps) as wide as the ones on the > MTN8s?
Yes, 6" centers, but weigh less than a lb.

> 3. Are the new DHFs going to be only sold by you? Not in the shops?
We plan to distribute these all over the world, so shops can have quicker access to purchasing them.

> 4. Are the new DHFs custom tuned etc for each customer like the MTNs are?
No, they will be sold with customer tunable spring rates(soft, med and firm), oil height and preload.

> 5. Are your forks CNC machined?
Yes, they are CNC machined

> 6. Are your forks difficult to service- how often, and who by? How much will
> this cost, or can owners do it themselves?
Any MX suspension shop will be able to service them, seals and replacement parts are commonly used by these shops.
We charge $59 to change oil and $69 to replace seals plus parts. Anyone with experience with MX forks should be able to service them. Our MTN-8 use similar parts as the DHF's and they only require service every 2 years and seals typically last 2-3 years.

> 7. Can people in Britain buy your forks and shocks?
Yes, call us direct at this time, we ship anywhere in the world

> 8. You mention 'motocross technology' a lot but what actually is moto
> technology? and how does it differ to other manufacturers systems? eg the
> difference between the DHFs and a Shiver and the difference between a fox
> shock and your DHS units?
The internals are completely revalvable and tunable for all types of riding, all moving parts are hard coat anodized to prevent wear and contanimation, the piston designs are capable of flowing oil at all shaft speeds without hydraulic lock, the valving is speed sensitive, fork compression valving can be tuned for low speed, midvalves can be added to prevent fork dive, and high speed valving can be revalved for any type of terrain. Both forks are identical in design and performance, seals and slider bushings are purchased from Showa and are used in current MX suspensions, we feel any MX suspension shop will be able to service our components, but Fox stuff they would not touch.

> 9. Are the MTN-8's better than Hanebrinks WFOs, as they are about the same
> price?
Not familiar with WFOs, but I can tell you Doug Henry said these dh forks were the best he ever rode, and he is used to Works Kayaba stuff on his factory Yamahas.

> 10. Are the DHFS probably the best DH forks for around a £1000?
Yes.

>11. What if we do not list your bike in the application list?
We will build a shock to our best guess based on the information provided to us by you, any
changes or modifications will be at your expense, i.e. different hose length
or orientation, or valving changes, both would be approx. $65."
We will be happy to change the valving but still it will be a best guess
effort based on your input. We can not stress this any harder, without
testing this kind of modification, we can only try combinations until you
are satisfied, but each effort will be at your expense, this is the main
reason we do not sell shocks with a warranty for untested set-ups.

>12. How much does the MTN-10 cost and how long does it take to get one?
The MTN-10 is made to order for $3695 delivery in 4-6 weeks, the anti-bottoming system is an additional $99, the internal bleed is $99, and the high/low adjusters are $259. These options improve bottoming resistance, reduce aeration of the oil and allow independent adjustment of the high speed damping. The anti-bottoming system uses a 2.5" taper instead of the standard 1.75" tapered hydraulic cone. This slows the fork down less abrupt, preventing impact at the end of travel. The internal bleed prevents oil from mixing with the air by keeping the oil inside the cartridge tube as opposed to the standard recirculating system which keeps the oil moving out of the top and back into the bottom of the cartridge tube. This system keeps the damping more consistent during long runs whereas the standard system circulates the oil to keep the oil from getting over worked. The high speed adjusters allow you to dial in increased damping with out sacrificing harshness. With low speed adjusters only, all you can do is to fine tune the small bump performance and any drastic changes to the damping must be done internally by revalving them for specific terrain conditions. The standard forks come with rebound adjusters on the top of each leg, the compression adjusters are at the bottom of each leg. These forks would be considered "Works Forks" in the motocross community and with the 2 year warranty we consider the best available technology for the mountain bike sport.

>13. How much does the MTN-10 weigh and why not just buy MX forks?
The weight of a single ohlins mx fork weighs about the same as both mtn-10 forks, approx 12 lb. We also sell ohlins forks at $2200, this is without the triple clamps, headset or axle, which are included with the mtn-10. If you added this to price, it would place the price around $3000 without any modifications to the forks to set them up to 10 inches of travel and proper spring rate and valving, and don't forget about the cost of modifing the triple clamps and lower lugs to adapt them to your downhill frame and brakes. When all these parts are gathered up and modifications are accomplished you now have the equilivant to our mtn-10 that weighs 27 lbs and costs at least the same or more than our mtn-10 forks at $3695 suggested retail as shown on our web site.
mtn-10 front forks

>14. I see there is a large price difference between the Mtn-8 and DHF-8 forks and was wondering why that is? Is the mtn-8 worth the extra 1400?
The MTN-8 is available now, they are larger 43 vs 37 mm, both forks share
the same technology, but the DHF-8 was designed to be as light as possible
for downhill racing where as the MTN-8 was designed for the extreme rider
where durability is the primary concern. Although DHF-8 will stand-up to the punishment, it is just not as stiff and stout as the MTN-8.

>15. Whats up with your high/low speed remote compression adjuster. How does it work?
The remote hi/low speed adjuster has a low speed needle and a high speed blow off valve and as you adjust the screw tighter it increases the low speed compression and also increases the preload force on the blow off valve thus giving the shock more high speed compression. If the shock experiences a large high speed hit it will still blow off to prevent harshness and prevent the shock from hydraulic lock (keeps the shock from blowing up).
You can run the adjuster at full hard to simulate lockout and this improves pedaling while still absorbing larger hits.

>16. Why our shock has a small rebound adjustmet range? Our rebound adjuster system only fine tunes the rebound valving set-up in each shock. If we were to make it have a wider range of adjustment the mid and high speed valving would be compromised and the shock would not perform as well in medium and larger bumps. The shock would essentially be a low speed rebound sensitive shock and on higher speed hits it would pack up because the rebound valve stack would be too stiff to blow-off when required. This is the benefit of a custom tuned shock and low speed adjustment systems can't make-up for custom tuned valved rebound stack.

>17.Is the spring progressive, because if it isnt, then dont waste your time. avalanches seem to be coming up quite often now, and i've been looking at the pics of everyone's bikes with avalanches. pedal bob is always a problem on most dh bikes, so why not just flip the spring and get digressive travel, making pedal bob almost non existant. having never owned/ridden an avalanche, i dont know how progressive they are. has someone already thought of this???
thanks for your time.
About 7 or 8 years ago (most likely before you started mountain biking, because you'd definitely remember it, if you did) some companies experimented with falling rate (or as you call them, "digressive") designs, but they were hated by almost everyone who rode them. Sure, it would pedal pretty well, but the obvious problem was that as you moved through the stroke of your shock, it would get progressively easier and easier to compress it. Result? NASTY bottom outs on pretty small stuff. The better solution, as most leading FS manufacturers have demonstrated, is to configure a pivot or linkage system that does it's best to counteract pedal input and add progressiveness into the stroke so that bottoming out isn't such a big problem.
Avalanches shocks aren't progressive because they don't need to be. Right now, the most proven method of adding progressive travel is through linkage, so one only needs to add a straight rate shock to make it work (Avalanche goes one step further by adding hydraulic resistence to bottom-out). The 5th element shocks represent an attempt at adding the progressiveness through the shock (as opposed to through the linkage), but the jury's still out on this technology. Similar designs didn't work in MX because the heat generated during long motos did funky things to air pressure and volume - the two main ingredients in the 5th Element's progressiveness.
I hope this clears some things up for you. You seem a little confused on some suspension basics.
JTP

Frequently Asked Questions

e-mail at : techinfo@avalanchedownhillracing.com

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		Frequently Asked Questions

			>1. Are your products hand-built?Yes, they are designed by Craig Seekins and machined by my partner Eric Wold, and we assemble them right here in Colchester, CT. > 2. Are the DHF triple clamps(the actual clamps) as wide as the ones on the > MTN8s? Yes, 6" centers, but weigh less than a lb. > 3. Are the new DHFs going to be only sold by you? Not in the shops? We plan to distribute these all over the world, so shops can have quicker access to purchasing them. > 4. Are the new DHFs custom tuned etc for each customer like the MTNs are? No, they will be sold with customer tunable spring rates(soft, med and firm), oil height and preload. > 5. Are your forks CNC machined? Yes, they are CNC machined > 6. Are your forks difficult to service- how often, and who by? How much will > this cost, or can owners do it themselves? Any MX suspension shop will be able to service them, seals and replacement parts are commonly used by these shops. We charge $59 to change oil and $69 to replace seals plus parts. Anyone with experience with MX forks should be able to service them. Our MTN-8 use similar parts as the DHF's and they only require service every 2 years and seals typically last 2-3 years. > 7. Can people in Britain buy your forks and shocks? Yes, call us direct at this time, we ship anywhere in the world > 8. You mention 'motocross technology' a lot but what actually is moto > technology? and how does it differ to other manufacturers systems? eg the > difference between the DHFs and a Shiver and the difference between a fox > shock and your DHS units? The internals are completely revalvable and tunable for all types of riding, all moving parts are hard coat anodized to prevent wear and contanimation, the piston designs are capable of flowing oil at all shaft speeds without hydraulic lock, the valving is speed sensitive, fork compression valving can be tuned for low speed, midvalves can be added to prevent fork dive, and high speed valving can be revalved for any type of terrain. Both forks are identical in design and performance, seals and slider bushings are purchased from Showa and are used in current MX suspensions, we feel any MX suspension shop will be able to service our components, but Fox stuff they would not touch. > 9. Are the MTN-8's better than Hanebrinks WFOs, as they are about the same > price? Not familiar with WFOs, but I can tell you Doug Henry said these dh forks were the best he ever rode, and he is used to Works Kayaba stuff on his factory Yamahas. > 10. Are the DHFS probably the best DH forks for around a £1000? Yes. >11. What if we do not list your bike in the application list? We will build a shock to our best guess based on the information provided to us by you, any changes or modifications will be at your expense, i.e. different hose length or orientation, or valving changes, both would be approx. $65." We will be happy to change the valving but still it will be a best guess effort based on your input. We can not stress this any harder, without testing this kind of modification, we can only try combinations until you are satisfied, but each effort will be at your expense, this is the main reason we do not sell shocks with a warranty for untested set-ups. >12. How much does the MTN-10 cost and how long does it take to get one? The MTN-10 is made to order for $3695 delivery in 4-6 weeks, the anti-bottoming system is an additional $99, the internal bleed is $99, and the high/low adjusters are $259. These options improve bottoming resistance, reduce aeration of the oil and allow independent adjustment of the high speed damping. The anti-bottoming system uses a 2.5" taper instead of the standard 1.75" tapered hydraulic cone. This slows the fork down less abrupt, preventing impact at the end of travel. The internal bleed prevents oil from mixing with the air by keeping the oil inside the cartridge tube as opposed to the standard recirculating system which keeps the oil moving out of the top and back into the bottom of the cartridge tube. This system keeps the damping more consistent during long runs whereas the standard system circulates the oil to keep the oil from getting over worked. The high speed adjusters allow you to dial in increased damping with out sacrificing harshness. With low speed adjusters only, all you can do is to fine tune the small bump performance and any drastic changes to the damping must be done internally by revalving them for specific terrain conditions. The standard forks come with rebound adjusters on the top of each leg, the compression adjusters are at the bottom of each leg. These forks would be considered "Works Forks" in the motocross community and with the 2 year warranty we consider the best available technology for the mountain bike sport. >13. How much does the MTN-10 weigh and why not just buy MX forks? The weight of a single ohlins mx fork weighs about the same as both mtn-10 forks, approx 12 lb. We also sell ohlins forks at $2200, this is without the triple clamps, headset or axle, which are included with the mtn-10. If you added this to price, it would place the price around $3000 without any modifications to the forks to set them up to 10 inches of travel and proper spring rate and valving, and don't forget about the cost of modifing the triple clamps and lower lugs to adapt them to your downhill frame and brakes. When all these parts are gathered up and modifications are accomplished you now have the equilivant to our mtn-10 that weighs 27 lbs and costs at least the same or more than our mtn-10 forks at $3695 suggested retail as shown on our web site. mtn-10 front forks >14. I see there is a large price difference between the Mtn-8 and DHF-8 forks and was wondering why that is? Is the mtn-8 worth the extra 1400? The MTN-8 is available now, they are larger 43 vs 37 mm, both forks share the same technology, but the DHF-8 was designed to be as light as possible for downhill racing where as the MTN-8 was designed for the extreme rider where durability is the primary concern. Although DHF-8 will stand-up to the punishment, it is just not as stiff and stout as the MTN-8. >15. Whats up with your high/low speed remote compression adjuster. How does it work? The remote hi/low speed adjuster has a low speed needle and a high speed blow off valve and as you adjust the screw tighter it increases the low speed compression and also increases the preload force on the blow off valve thus giving the shock more high speed compression. If the shock experiences a large high speed hit it will still blow off to prevent harshness and prevent the shock from hydraulic lock (keeps the shock from blowing up). You can run the adjuster at full hard to simulate lockout and this improves pedaling while still absorbing larger hits. >16. Why our shock has a small rebound adjustmet range? Our rebound adjuster system only fine tunes the rebound valving set-up in each shock. If we were to make it have a wider range of adjustment the mid and high speed valving would be compromised and the shock would not perform as well in medium and larger bumps. The shock would essentially be a low speed rebound sensitive shock and on higher speed hits it would pack up because the rebound valve stack would be too stiff to blow-off when required. This is the benefit of a custom tuned shock and low speed adjustment systems can't make-up for custom tuned valved rebound stack. >17.Is the spring progressive, because if it isnt, then dont waste your time. avalanches seem to be coming up quite often now, and i've been looking at the pics of everyone's bikes with avalanches. pedal bob is always a problem on most dh bikes, so why not just flip the spring and get digressive travel, making pedal bob almost non existant. having never owned/ridden an avalanche, i dont know how progressive they are. has someone already thought of this??? thanks for your time. About 7 or 8 years ago (most likely before you started mountain biking, because you'd definitely remember it, if you did) some companies experimented with falling rate (or as you call them, "digressive") designs, but they were hated by almost everyone who rode them. Sure, it would pedal pretty well, but the obvious problem was that as you moved through the stroke of your shock, it would get progressively easier and easier to compress it. Result? NASTY bottom outs on pretty small stuff. The better solution, as most leading FS manufacturers have demonstrated, is to configure a pivot or linkage system that does it's best to counteract pedal input and add progressiveness into the stroke so that bottoming out isn't such a big problem. Avalanches shocks aren't progressive because they don't need to be. Right now, the most proven method of adding progressive travel is through linkage, so one only needs to add a straight rate shock to make it work (Avalanche goes one step further by adding hydraulic resistence to bottom-out). The 5th element shocks represent an attempt at adding the progressiveness through the shock (as opposed to through the linkage), but the jury's still out on this technology. Similar designs didn't work in MX because the heat generated during long motos did funky things to air pressure and volume - the two main ingredients in the 5th Element's progressiveness. I hope this clears some things up for you. You seem a little confused on some suspension basics. JTP