French suspension brand, BOS, is back in the game with 39mm stanchions.
A renowned French suspension brand has revived its mountain bike offering.
For those who like their forks boutique, and don’t want to run something from the established suspension duopoly of RockShox and Fox, there is a new option. From Toulouse.
Read more: best mountain bike forks
BOS is reengaging with the mountain bike market, after allowing its product portfolio to go a touch stale. Riders who remember the Deville enduro fork, or the Obsys inverted downhill forks, will know that BOS is a credible suspension technology developer and innovator.
The French suspension brand has revealed two new fork products, both with an interesting stanchion diameter, unlike anything offered by legacy mountain bike suspension brands.
Big tubes for long-travel enduro bikes
RockShox and Fox have both introduced 38mm stanchion single-crown forks, to complement their traditional 40mm tube structure downhill forks. BOS has designed its new suspension components to sit tidily between those sizes, with 39mm stanchion tubes.
Targeted at enduro or park riders, the Idylle 39SC is available in 170, 180, or 190mm travel lengths. Designed for 29er wheels, it features a single offset option, of 52mm, which might be a touch too long for some.
BOS has a proven reputation for excellent damper design and ride feel. With the Idylle 39SC, it employs a sealed cartridge design and three-position low-speed compression dial. It has a weight rating of 2490g.
Idylle for DH
Downhillers who aren’t keen on the inverted Obsys, which remains listed by BOS, can now try the Idylle 39FCV. It features the same 39mm stanchions used in the single-crown enduro fork, but the internals are upgraded to an open bath hydraulic cartridge, with low- and high-speed compression.
Why the new flurry of product from BOS? The company’s core motorsport business might be contracting a touch, as many rally and off-road motor vehicle racing teams trim their budgets. This could have triggered a renewed focus on its mountain bike products.
In a time where Fox and RockShox are struggling to meet the surging tide in global mountain bike suspension demand, the opportunities are certainly there for a brand that owns its own manufacturing, to conquer some market share.
BOS has priced the Idylle 39SC at €1640 and the stouter 39FCV sells for €2260. Both forks can be ha with either 15- or 20mm thru-axles, which should be a bonus for enduro riders with legacy wheelsets.