Trust Performance Message suspension fork
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuMKYyLfQxc
Update: May 3, 2019
Trust Performance just announced that it is lowering the price of its Message fork. The Message which has been selling for a lofty $2700 will get a lowered price starting Friday, to $1975.
Trust Performance said, “advances in product development, recently scaled production as well as new partnerships formed after the Sea Otter Classic all enable Trust Performance to reduce pricing on the Message, passing these savings directly to riders.”
Trust Performance said consumers who purchased a Message at the original MSRP of $2700 and registered it with Trust Performance before May 31, will receive the $1000 credit toward their next Trust Performance suspension purchase. Although generous, there are not a lot of options today in the company store to use the $,000 credit on since the Message fork is the only bike product they have currently.
Update: April, 2019
Now that the dust has settled, we’re seeing a few of these forks pop up on owners’ bikes in our riding groups. Some rave about it while others say it feels harsh. And we can’t quite decipher if their performance on our local trails has improved. Cornering by some seems to have improved on our Flow Trail in Demo Forest. But high speed runs down our famous, rocky Braille trail is not as good.
So what say you? How has it worked out? What kind of trails do you love it on? Or are you thinking about it and hungry for real world info?
The aesthetics are still hard to swallow for most. But there is a great discussion here in our forums. And more impressions are available HERE as well.
What is it
Years in the making in the Trust Performance labs, the Message is the first trailing multi-link front suspension design from this think tank. It delivers 130mm of shaped travel through a Trust engineered twin-tube thru-shaft damper. It features a trailing multi-link design that pedals like it’s running XC suspension but descends like a full-on enduro suspension. With a full-carbon chassis, steerer and links, the Message is competitively lightweight at 1980 grams and resoundingly stiff. It’s an ‘out of the box’ design with a stratospheric price tag of $2700.
29” / 27.5”+ bikes designed around 110mm to 150mm of travel; 27.5” bikes designed around 130mm to 150mm of travel
The Message is designed to fit on mountain bikes with a traditional tapered head tube running a 15x110mm “Boost” front axle and a standard 180mm post-style brake mount. Because of its versatile travel, the Message is also suitable for a wider range of axle-to-crown lengths and travel — one model is capable of replacing 29” / 27.5”+ telescopic forks with 110mm to 150mm of travel and 27.5” telescopic forks with 130mm to 150mm of travel. The Message retail price is $2700.
Something new
The Message offers supple performance early in the stroke, supported with a progressive mid-stroke and more bottom-out resistance at the end of the travel. Like a well-designed rear suspension, the linkage design also takes over the important duties of pedaling support, stability control and bump absorption.
Trust Performance Message profile is clean and roomy with no fork bridge
Axle Path
The trailing multi-link design means that the axle path isn’t forced to travel in line with the steering axis. Instead, it counteracts the natural steering angle change with a corresponding adjustment in offset. The result: The Message maintains caster through the range of travel, giving the rider predictable handling in a wider variety of trail conditions. The contour wheel path of the Message also lessens the feel of head angle, axle-to-crown height, and fixed offset. As a result, it is capable of performing on a wide range of telescopic axle-to-crown heights.
Trust Performance Message excels in the rooty segments
THE RIDE
Caster Effect: Modern mountain bikes use slack head angles and shorter fork offsets to increase caster measurements (mechanical trail) as a way to improve high-speed handling. Longer front centers increase stability at speed; however, this results in slower turning in tight or technical situations. Due to the unique design and axle path of the Message, the front end of the bike is now capable of providing both. The wheel behaves like a caster and provides a self-aligning dynamic in which the rider experiences greater control and more predictable steering in most conditions.
Trust engineered twin-tube, thru-shaft damper
Ratio Effect: Because of the linkage design, the Message brings to front suspension what rear suspension designs have enjoyed for years — supple performance early in the stroke to provide ground-hugging traction, support through the mid-stroke and more bottom-out resistance at the end of the travel. Ratio provides the rider a progressive and predictable ramp through the travel — light resistance at the beginning, heavy resistance at the end.
Trust Effect: Trust Effect is a sensation that makes you realize you can have more control, compliance and confidence. It is the combination of Ratio and Caster effects that result in a third effect — the Trust Effect — which is a sensation that the bike pedals as though it’s running XC suspension but descends like an enduro suspension. Simply put, this Effect is a multiplier for your front end performance.
Trust Performance Message sag meter is built in for proper setup
SETUP
The Message is designed to be incredibly easy to set up and operate. The air springs and rebound are set to the rider’s body weight — rider weight in pounds is equal to the air spring pressure in PSI (1-to-1). A 3-way mode adjust provides on-the-fly adjustments to control compression performance across three positions: open, medium and firm. The firm setting operates with a unique blow-off characteristic and there is an additional compression speed adjustment for fine tuning the medium setting.
Ratio provides the rider a progressive and predictable ramp through the travel — light resistance at the beginning, heavy resistance at the end.
SPECIFICATIONS
Design: Trailing multi-link front suspension
Construction: Full carbon chassis, steerer tube and linkages with aluminum pivots
Travel: 130mm contour travel
Wheel Size: Fits 29” / 27.5”+ / and 27.5” wheel sizes
Tire Clearance: 29”x 2.6” (762 x 66) max or 27.5” x 2.8” (744 x 78) max
Rotor Size: Direct mount 180mm rotor (with adapter: 203mm)
Suggested Bikes: 29” / 27.5”+ bikes designed around 110mm to 150mm of travel; 27.5” bikes designed around 130mm to 150mm of travel
Weight: 1980 grams
Damper Technology: Trust engineered twin-tube, thru-shaft damper
Adjustments: External rebound; three-position compression adjust (open, medium, firm)
Hub Spacing: “Boost” 15x110mm thru axle standard, or with “torque caps”
Axle to Crown: 535mm
Steer Tube Diameter: Tapered (1⅛ – 1½ inch)
Price: $2700
Hap Seliga, Dave Weagle and Jason Schiers
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Ok, this product is so ‘out there’ and unexpected that we quickly discounted it as a Eurobike prototype developed by mad scientists. But a deeper look reveals that it’s created by some of the most respected bike innovators around.
Trust Performance was founded by industry innovators Dave Weagle, Jason Schiers and Hap Seliga. Its operations, design and engineering staff are headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah and the company operates its own production facility in Taichung, Taiwan. Since formally incorporating in 2015, Trust Performance has attracted a talented team of product engineers, developers and industry veterans. More information can be found at www.trustperformance.com
More Info: www.trustperformance.com
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