Gear

BOS Suspension 2008: meet the Idylle and the Stoy

 

BOS is a name in suspension that is often overlooked, but by the looks of their 2008 lineup the engineers at BOS are working overtime to change that. Besides having the inherent cool factor of almost never seeing another one on the trail, the Idylle fork and Stoy shock bring some pretty clever innovations to the gravity race scene.

The big news is the new Idylle fork, with its innovative pressurized damping system. As BOS points out, pressurized damping is commonplace in motocross and MotoGP forks, and it’s actually surprising we haven’t seen this technology migrate into mountain bike suspension until now. By pressurizing the damping with the aid of the unique external reservoir, the damping and lubrication functions of the fork are separated. This allows better control over both, presumably leading to more consistent damping as well as tighter control over damping characteristics. This is a really trick setup, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the mainstream fork makers adopting this route in the near future.

The Stoy shock also brings some innovation to the table. Pressurized like the Idylle, what really sets the Stoy apart from the competition is the inclusion of needle roller bearings in place of bushings for the mounting hardware. BOS claims that these needle bearings eliminate bushing slop, while increasing durability. No doubt they help reduce lateral forces on the shock as well, which should improve the life of the shock itself.

© 2008 Two Six Nation.