Both the Rockshox BoXXer and Vivid Coil shocks get a revamp alongside the Maven brakes and the downhill drivetrain from SRAM gets the XX AXS treatment.
These bits have been spotted in the wild aboard the likes of Troy Brosnan and Vali Hoell’s bikes but now, they’re available to us mere mortals. Downhill suspension updates for BoXXer and Vivid coil, and an all-new downhill drivetrain for the stars, plus an updated Maven brake.
SRAM Maven
The major update to the Maven that was released two years ago is the addition of the SwingLink that adds progression to the brake, increasing the braking power as you pull the lever. If riders found the original Mavens somewhat binary in their action, this update improves control and reduces fatigue.
These levers are backwards compatible, as are the increased 18mm pistons. The Ultimate brake also gains a carbon lever, whilst the Silver and Bronze gain a CNC’d and forged alloy lever respectively. Lever force is essentially halved compared to the original Maven.
SRAM XX DH
For years, SRAM’s XO was the 7-speed drivetrain of choice, but now, it’s gone and got the XX treatment. A direct-mount mech with cranks and a chainring designed for the rigours of World Cup downhill. With the amount of beans out of the start gate, the shift ramps of the T-type cassette are designed to better handle this power whilst shifting.
Mounting to an XD Slim freehub built around a 148mm rear dropout, the strongest SRAM mech going is now further inboard and features replaceable components and skid plates. The cage itself is short for stiffness and The cranks feature machine surfaces in high-wear areas to better handle strikes and chaff. The chainring is built to resist folding and strikes.
A flat top, hollow pin, hard chrome finish chain is no Eagle but it is T-type. All this adds up to a strong and durable chain when it matters.
Rockshox BoXXer
The venerable Rockshox BoXXer gets a complete overhaul with a new damper in the Charger 3.2 RC2, a new Linear XL air spring and dimpled 38mm stanchion tubes, known as ‘Butterwagon’ (only available on BoXXer Ultimate). These dimples draw oil from the lowers to the bushes and keep them well lubricated.
Unsurprisingly, the Linear XL spring is large and offers a more linear rate for coil-like performance off the top, supportive mid stroke and a big old bottom out bumper for when things go deep. The new Charger 3.2 RC2 damper has been redesigned to match the new air spring.
BoXXer Select, the only other fork in the range, gets all the other chassis updates but without the Butterwagon. £1,945.00 for the Ultimates and £500 less for the Selects.
Rockshox Vivid Coil
There’s more to the Vivid Coil than the BoXXer range with Ultimate, Ultimate DH, Select+, Select, Base and plain old Vivid. These start at £700 for the Ultimate and Ultimate DH, the rest of the range is not available aftermarket. The main changes being the Charger 3.2 damper to match the BoXXer out front and a new base valve that reduces IFP forces, drastically increasing suppleness off the top of the stroke.
