Trust Performance “The Shout” 178mm Travel Linkage Fork
Following the launch of their first groundbreaking and rather controversial 130mm travel trailing link fork dubbed “The Message”, today Trust Performance unveils “The Shout”. Aimed at longer travel applications, it features 178mm of contour (read: not purely vertical) travel with an axle-to-crown height of 580mm. It will work with 27.5″ and 29″ and can replace forks in the 160-180mm travel range, depending on wheel size. One interesting brilliant feature is its sag point firm mode, which keeps the first 20% of travel open to assist with climbing. Read up on that and more details in the full presser below…
[Press Release] – (Salt Lake City, UT — September 4, 2019) – Trust Performance, innovators in suspension technology, today announced the launch of Shout, a new trailing multi-link front suspension platform for 29” and 27.5” aggressive trail and enduro mountain bikes. Shout delivers 178mm of contour travel through a twin-tube thru-shaft damper and a trailing linkage assembly that allows the front wheel to move back and away from impacts simultaneously. With a structurally stiff carbon chassis and minimal stiction, Shout greatly improves front-end traction and preserves handling for a more stable, controlled ride. Trust Performance’s Shout is available starting September 16, 2019, from authorized retailers worldwide and also at www.trustperformance.com for $1975.
“Shout is long-travel suspension, designed to match the performance capabilities of today’s long-travel enduro bikes,” remarked Trust Performance Founder and Technical Director, Dave Weagle. “For those of us who ride long-travel bikes aggressively, if there are two things we know we need more of, they’re traction and stability. Shout delivers on both.”
The key performance characteristics in both Message and Shout stem from Trust’s trailing multi-link design. By employing a linkage system, Trust Performance suspension reap the benefits of a leverage ratio—something typically only found in rear suspension bikes. A leverage ratio allows Trust Performance engineers to make incremental adjustments to leverage rates and fine-tune the suspension through its total range of travel. The linkage platform also separates the function of the chassis and damper, meaning the steerer-tube, crown, and chassis are purpose-built for strength and stiffness, while the suspension can move freely, with minimal stiction.
Shout is the second multi-link design from Trust Performance. In 2018, Trust Performance launched Message, its debut 130mm contour travel suspension platform for aggressive trail riding. With an axle-to-crown measurement of 580mm, Shout is designed for aggressive trail and enduro riding. But because Shout has a dynamic wheel path, mechanical trail increases along with front-end stability as the suspension moves through its range of travel, making Shout capable of replacing a variety of 160-180mm telescopic forks on 29” mountain bikes and 160-170mm telescopic forks on 27.5” mountain bikes.
Shout’s 3-way mode adjust provides on-the-fly adjustments controlling compression performance across three positions: open, medium and firm. Coupled with a high-speed blow-off characteristic, the firm setting provides a firm pedal platform with an industry-first sag point firm mode. This increases traction on climbs by utilizing 20% sag before the lockout mechanism engages. The medium mode is designed for flow and jump trails while the open mode is used for rowdy, rough terrain. Riders can also further adjust open and medium compression settings to fine-tune the suspension’s reaction to small bumps, G-outs, weight shifts, and slow compressions.
Suspension set up is also easy, with riders using bodyweight to set air pressure, compression, and rebound. Bottom out resistance is also designed to be simple for riders to modify; up to five Huck PucksTM can be added or subtracted in each air spring without any special tools. Shout includes a lifetime bearing warranty and has a 250-hour service interval.
Side-by-side comparison with Trust’s first fork – The Message.
“We’ve been working on Shout for nearly four years, refining every aspect to ensure it matches its application,” said Trust Performance Co-Founder and CEO Hap Seliga. “To expand our range of Trust Performance suspension is a big deal for us and a boon to all the riders who’ve been eager to bring confidence-inspiring Trust suspension to their longer-travel bikes. We’re beyond stoked for riders to experience Shout and encourage people to get in touch with us or their favorite retailer to be one of the first to ride it.”
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Shout is a long-travel trailing multi-link front suspension platform by Trust Performance. With 178mm of contour travel, Shout is designed for aggressive trail and enduro riders looking for unparalleled traction, stability, and control. It is designed to fit on 29” and 27.5” mountain bikes with a traditional tapered head tube running a 15x110mm BOOST front axle and a standard 180mm post-style brake mount (max 203mm). Shout’s axle-to-crown measurement is 580mm. The contour wheel path, however, lessens the feel of head angle change, axle-to-crown height, and fixed offset, making it capable of replacing a wide range of telescopic axle-to-crown heights. On 29” and 27.5+ bikes, Shout replaces 160-180mm telescopic forks; on 27.5” bikes Shout replaces 160-170mm telescopic forks.
Shout’s structurally stiff, single-piece carbon chassis and steerer-tube house a Trust designed twin-tube thru-shaft damper and two air springs. The linkage arms are also carbon, while pivots, damper, and air spring internals are made from lightweight aluminum. All Trust Performance suspension is manufactured in Trust’s own Taichung, Taiwan factory.
While Shout is designed to rip on the descent, it is also meant to pedal and provide superior traction on the climb. A 3-way mode adjust provides on-the-fly adjustments to control compression performance across three positions: firm, medium and open. The firm setting integrates a high-speed blowoff characteristic, provides a firm low-speed feel and features an industry-first sag point firm mode, which enables the suspension to utilize 20% sag before the lockout mechanism engages. The medium mode is designed for flow and jump trails while the open mode is best used in rowdy, rough terrain. Shout’s open and medium compression settings can also be further adjusted to fine-tune the suspension’s reaction to small bumps, G-outs, weight shifts, and slow compressions.
Shout includes a lifetime bearing warranty, crash replacement guarantee, weighs in at 2170g (axle in), and boasts a 250-hour service interval. Retail price: USD $1975.
KEY PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS
Shout’s trailing multi-link design provides riders with three main performance advantages: increased traction, improved stability, and a greater sense of control.
Traction
When encountering an obstacle, Trust’s trailing, multi-link suspension allows your front wheel to move back and up—not just in-line with the steering axis, as it does on telescoping forks. This ability to move in two directions at once means Trust suspension is better able to react to directional impact forces and follow the contours of the trail. By tracing bumps, Shout maintains contact longer, providing noticeably improved traction and small bump compliance. Trust’s linkage design also isolates impacts between the wheel and the ground allowing the bike to track forward with minimal changes to the head angle and a corresponding adjustment in offset.
Stability
There is a simple understanding in mountain bike design. More “trail measurement” equals more stability. To increase trail, most modern mountain bikes with telescopic front suspension use slack head angles, larger wheels, and shorter fork offsets to achieve increased trail. The inherent issue with this design, however, is that as one’s suspension compresses, the bike’s head angle steepens – actually decreasing trail. As the rider encounters impacts, handling becomes less predictable and the wheel tends to deviate from a chosen line. Worst of all, the rider tends to reduce speed to maintain confidence through rough and technical sections. Trust’s trailing, multi-link front suspension design counteracts these steering angle changes, creating an entirely new axle path that generates a dynamic offset. This means that as Trust’s suspension cycles through its travel, trail actually increases, providing increased stability and control when you need it most.
Control
Trust Performance’s trailing, multi-link suspension allows the front of the bike to reap the benefits that the rear has enjoyed for years. The addition of linkage to the front of the bike provides the rider with a ride experience where the bike is better able to better follow the contours of the trail and maintain contact with the ground. Furthermore, Trust suspension maintains the bike’s geometry by creating a dynamic offset that normalizes trail measurement throughout travel. By isolating rider inputs at the handlebar, the rider receives predictable high-speed handling and increased control no matter how deep they are in the travel.
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