Vital Rides the All-New Öhlins RXF36 m.2 Fork and TTX Air Shock 5

In their own words, Öhlins built their company on damping expertise and coil. It seemed like almost a foregone conclusion when the company’s first MTB product, the excellent TTX 22 M proved to be everything we expected from the Swedish suspension specialists, but as they turned their attention to air springs, things got a little trickier. The RXF series of forks was often lauded for overall stiffness and the quality of damping on offer, but sticky bushings and a problematic air spring tune kept it from delivering to its full potential while the STX Air shock had a spotty service record. There were clearly things that Öhlins could do better here, and that is just what they set out to do with the all-new RXF 36 Trail fork and TTX Air shock. We headed up to not-so-sunny Sweden to find out more and to put the new stuff to the test, read on to find out how we got along.

Öhlins RXF 36 m.2 Highlights

• TTX-technology
• Travel: 120-180 mm (air), 130 -170 mm (coil)
• 36 mm stanchion diameter
• Independent spring system
• Independent damper system
• Retuned air spring system
• Overall improvements for reducing friction
• Offset 27.5: 46 mm or 38 mm
• Offset 29: 51 mm or 44 mm
• Compatible maximum tire sizes: 29x2.8 / 27.5 x 2.8 / 27.5+ x 3.2
• Prepared for mudguard
• Race proven setting bank
• MSRP: $1125 USD / 1140 EUR excluding taxes (US sales tax, EU VAT)
• Availability: March 2019

Öhlins TTX Air Highlights

• TTX-technology
• Adjustable low speed compression
• Adjustable rebound
• High speed compression adjuster
• Climb mode
• Air spring volume spacers included in kit
• Metric: 190/210/230/250 mm lengths
• Trunnion: 165/185/205/225 mm lengths
• MSRP: $780 USD / 702 EUR excluding taxes (US sales tax, EU VAT)
• Availability: November 2018 (Specialized), December 2018 (aftermarket)

A few months ago we tested the all-new DH38 fork which Loic Bruni subsequently used to become World DH Champion for the third time in his career (that article also includes more on the company backstory). Although we only rode that fork for a couple of days at the time, it became obvious that Öhlins had made significant steps forward when it comes to air spring technology and mountain bike fork manufacturing in general. Knowing that they had some ground to make up in the enduro bike market as well, it came as no surprise when they invited us back to Sweden to check out the all-new RXF 36 m.2 fork and TTX Air shock. (note: the new fork was named "RXF 36 Trail" at the launch but that has subsequently been changed to "RXF 36 m.2"). 

Charging into rough terrain or bigger hits never seemed to faze the fork, and it showed off an impressive amount of sensitivity and control.

From the get-go, we found both the fork and the shock easy to get along with. Charging into rough terrain or bigger hits never seemed to faze the fork, and it showed off an impressive amount of sensitivity and control. Of course, you’d expect nothing less from a coil fork, but we’ve tested the previous version and the new RXF m.2 is a significant improvement in general “slipperiness”.

Playing around with the knobs revealed plenty of range to make finer adjustments to the behavior of the damping. We were particularly impressed with how smooth the transition from compression to rebound feels, and the general level of poise on display. Simply put, neither the fork nor the shock felt overwhelmed at any point, even when we got ourselves into stupid riding situations we’d rather have avoided.

The rear shock version we tested here was developed specifically for Öhlins’ exclusive OEM partner Specialized. It features a smaller air can to compensate for the linear nature of the Enduro’s linkage. On the ground, we were impressed with how well it all worked out. The shock offers plenty of sensitivity while handling the bigger stuff like a champ. With short runs in cold weather it was obviously not the best place to test for any heat build-up or damping fade, but based on our previous experience with Öhlins’ twin tube designs we’d not expect any significant issues in this regard.

One day of testing is obviously not enough to form any definitive opinions, and the logistics of the situation also left us unable to squeeze in any time on the air version of the fork. Even so, the improvements carried out by Öhlins definitely seem to have borne fruit, and it feels to us like the enduro/trail line-up is now in the right place. We are expecting some long term test samples to arrive shortly, so we’ll come back with a full review after we put the miles in. In the meantime, head on over to www.ohlins.com for more.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 45 // Years Riding MTB: 13 // Weight: 190-pounds (86kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 190-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Matias Laurila/Öhlins and Johan Hjord