DT Swiss have just launched a new fork for trail bikes. It's called the F535 ONE, it's got between 130-160mm of travel and will be available as both 27.5" and a 29er fork. The most interesting thing about this fork is the combination of coil and air springs and progressive travel which DT Swiss say gives you everything you could want from a fork.

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Aiming squarely at its Fox and Rockshox competitors, DT Swiss wanted to make a fork with a  plusher and more sensitive feel with position sensitive damping, so the more the fork compresses the more damping you get. 

So, air and coil springs you say? Yes, a small coil spring works with the air spring in the first 30 mm of travel. Due to the zero breakaway force of the coil spring, it compresses before the air spring piston even starts to move. The COILPAIR produces real coil sensitivity in a lightweight spring system ensuring small bump sensitivity. The coil means there are less breakaway forces, reacting immediately to small bumps.

Then Plushport part of the new fork is an opening in the low speed compression circuit. It is slowly closed by a floating piston, the further you go into the travel. In the first couple of centimeters, Plushport is fully open, the compression damping force is very low. 

Plushport uses a floating piston which is full open for low-speed compression in the first 30% of travel or first couple of centimeters of fork travel. In the next part of the travel, roughly after the first third, the flating piston has reachs the Plushport bores, reducing flow rate to increase damping. This rate rises over a couple of centimeters giving a smooth transition. This is the “position specific” tuning aspect of the fork. In the last half of the travel, the needle now fully covers the Plushport and forces the vast majority of the oil which is still being displaced by the compression piston to move through the high speed circuit, creating much higher compression damping force giving you a bottomless feel. It is designed to keep the fork higher in the travel and control bottom out. 

The level of compression damping can be adjusted via the small blue dial at the top of the right hand fork leg using a small T10 torx key,  hidden inside the end of the QR15 axle, if you have that too! The rebound is also adjustable on the fork leg via the same tool. 

Other stats:

• 35mm diameter stanchions
• Fits 27.5 × 2.8"
• Remote handlebar adjuster available (add £50 to fork price)
• Bolt-on mudguard
• 44mm (27.5") & 51mm (29i") offset
• 27.5" - 2020g, 29" - 2090g
• £925

It all sounds simple right? We are looking forward to getting a set of these in for test soon, it's great to see yet more options on the market! 

• www.dtswiss.com

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