German:Answer Xcite Criterion 29?er Fork: Final Review

Final Verdict – GERMAN:ANSWER Xcite Criterion 29er fork

All ready – the Eurobike/Interbike excitement is over and all reports are filed. Before we start introducing you to new testing material, let me give you my final verdict of the GERMAN:ANSWER Xcite Criterion 29″er fork.

After starting out with testing this ultralight and rare fork (on board the OS Bikes Blackbuck II) it has seen a LOT of action this summer. A good part of it has been a 3 week long alpine adventure (on the TREK GF Superfly 100 Elite) only to finish its testing duties on the 2SOULSCYCLES QH hardcore hard tail (here). With this much time on the fork I can openly say that it has seen its use to justify a full verdict by Twenty Nine Inches.

In order to freshen up your mind on the innovative and weight saving features of this fork see here and for my first impression post here.

Since my last post the GERMAN:A Xcite fork has received two noteworthy changes:

1. MORE LINEAR SPRING RATE: Hearing my criticism about not being able to use all the fork´s travel, GRMAN:ANSWER responded immediately and sent me a new “air chamber end cap” to enlarged the positive chamber volume by about 20 % and so made for a much more linear compression rate.

The change itself has been a snap but required a modified 32 mm hex nut due to the minimal contact area (see pic) – no bike shop tool would do and by trying standard tools first I turned this simple procedure into a little odyssey.

2. SWAP TO FULL SUSPENSION BIKE: For a part of my testing and my alpine vacation the Xcite was moved on to a full suspension bike – the TREK “Gary Fisher Collection” Superfly 100 Elite which we had reviewed earlier here. This bike by my own experience has a very stiff frame and features a really active rear suspension making it an interesting test platform for the Xcite.

(For those wondering: Yes, the frame is designed for a G2 geometry fork, which was interesting to test with a “regular offset fork” as well. IMO, not bad either )

So what are my ride impressions after the change on the new bike and in intensive alpine use?

(ALTERED) SUSPENSION FEEL: The change in air volume mentioned above had a significant impact on the fork´s performance. It required to be set up with slightly higher air pressure (~ 4.8 bar instead of 4.5 bar) but gave the fork a much more linear feel, thus altering the suspension feeling on mid and large size impacts very positively. Now it felt like a true 120 mm fork and allowed for full use of its travel. The only downside I could detect was that in very technical slow speed riding, it dove a bit deeper on drops and ledges but that was easily and effectively compensated by raising the compression damping a notch. Overall the change made the fork feel a lot more lively with only a minimal decrease in small bump sensitivity (due to the higher pressure) and helped to raise level in suspension feel once more.

This time I did have very little to complain about the suspension action. The Xcite Criterion has its own feel to it, just like any suspension fork has its own character but overall I´d say (after the changes) the Xcite can play in the same league as all major fork manufacturers. It may not be as smooth as a well set up FOX – but that is not everyone´s piece of cake either. If I had to give a comparison – I would be more like a Reba with a slightly higher pressurized negative air spring.

STIFFNESS: Moved over to the more rigid TREK Carbon frame it became apparent just how stiff this fork really is. There it tracked even better and had almost no brake deflection or flex. By my ride impressions, the claim by GERMAN:A to create the stiffest ride at the lowest weight is pretty much fulfilled by the 36 mm stanchions and muscle design crown and fork brace (all GERMAN:A´s own design and much different from any other maker.) Top marks here.

PEDALING EFFICIENCY: It may seem unusual to talk about efficiency in a suspension fork, but for the Xcite this was one of the standout features, that even when set up plush and sensitive, it bobbed remarkably little when pedaling hard in or out of the saddle. Of course one has the option to increase compression damping almost to a full lockout or change the rebound damping to eliminate any bobbing, but here I found very little need for any such changes. After all potential modifications – all with the same impression – I feel it really is by the “STRAIGHT-DROPOUT-DESIGN” (The fork gets its offset purely from the angle between steerer and stanchions rather than the fork crown and dropouts like other forks. The verdict remains that the GERMAN:ANSWER Xcite is exceptionally stable when riding and achieves that with little technology (thus saving weight and potential service cost).

VARIABLE TRAVEL: In my last post I had commented how very little I ever used the variable travel for anything but to accommodate for different bikes. This was mainly due to the fact that the fork was ridden primarily in terrain with most climbs shorter than ½ hour and the travel adjust knob being at the bottom of the right fork leg I had been simply too lazy to stop and reach down.

Now with my time on alpine climbs (some of which last over several hours) – I suddenly found myself using this feature on every longer ascend and what a bliss this was . The full range of the travel adjust is far too much for regular riding (in the lowest setting the wheelbase becomes too short and all angles super steep) … and I would disregard this feature if there had not been all these seemingly eternal climbs where the more relaxed riding position of the low front made the suffering soooo much more bearable.

This made me wonder why most manufacturers had abandoned such climbing aids for the sake of very moderate travel reductions like U-Turn or Talas. (The only alternative that comes to mind is the hopefully soon to be released DT-SWISS XMM 29″er fork).

So, if you frequently ride epic uphills, this feature may be THE thing for you.

-It may also be interesting for you if your bike suffers from suboptimal climbing or severe rear dive when climbing. (The TREK Superfly used as platform here had sufferers a bit from the deeply sagging rear when climbing steeply … none of that with the Xcite Criterion when lowered dramatically.)

Dear suspension fork makers – please reconsider including such features in your forks again, will you?

WEIGHT: Of course the fork remains to be very light – at sub-1500 g the Xcite saved about 400 g over the regular FOX 32 29 RLC it replaced. With the AMERICAN CLASSIC All Mountain wheels (also on test here) and a non-weight conscious set of tires the complete bike weighed a very good 11.0 kg (~ 24 lbs). à Speaking of weight it remains unchanged that the Xcite is one of the lightest ways to suspend the front of a 29″er bike available right now – the new for 2012 ROCK SHOX SID and DT-SWISS XMM29″er forks may come close in weight and should become available later this season.

Other comments: One thing that sometimes caused me to wish for a modification had been the (beautifully machined but very low profile) air cap on the top right leg. This piece frequently would not allow to be opened on the trail (when tinkering with air pressure) as it provided very little hold for my fingers. As the fork runs on fairly low pressures and is sealed well I never needed to readjust the pressure once set correctly (no detectable air loss during the test), but please GERMAN:A – for convenience sake – make that knob a bit easier to grip.

Final Verdict: The Xcite has gone quite a way, from feeling rather substandard to the current level of performance that doesn’t need to shy away from any other manufacturer out there.

When I started out the test I received one of the earliest production pieces and since every unit is pretty much produced upon order – it is fair to say that , then it was not all that refined. I am sure GERMAN:A has learned from riders feedback like mine and hopefully they have incorporated the modifications into future forks. To their defense I can say that they have been extremely helpful in providing me all the possible assistance (and access to their engineers) and the final version of the fork as ridden in the last months has been absolutely top notch.

(Besides, GERMAN:ANSWER is assembling each fork upon ordering and so you can let them know how you want it to feel, what options and specs you want and (new for 2012), even add custom anodized drop outs and fork braces for that truly unique look.)

One thing holds true for sure – the Xcite is one of those parts I´d set and forget. I hardly ever modified its settings once dialed in, which I frequently do riding most other forks – While my fork had the optional compression damping adjuster (all the way to a full lockout) I welcomed the compression adjustment, but hardly ever used the lockout at all. The ride stability while maintaining its plushness is exceptional and I think does not come from complicated valving and damping circuits but from a smart fork design.

The travel adjustment, while initially not much used, turned out to be one of the biggest assets of the Xcite on my alpine adventures.

The torsional and lateral stiffness was very good, too and when one counts in the extraordinarily low weight of the unit (1480 g but can be as low as 1350g) – then the GERMAN:ANSWER Xcite Platform currently is pretty much a league of its own.

So in the end … if you like light weight, good performance, and have a fable for an exotic products – then take a very close look at the GERMAN:ANSWER Xcite 29″er fork. If you want infinitely adjustable travel on top of that – the Xcite currently is the only option.

RIDE ON,

c_g

PS: During Eurobike we have been informed that from December on there will be the option to order the Xcite with 15 mm thru axle drop outs and early in 2012 they expect to have tapered steerer tubes available as an additional option. With these options the Xcite 29 has become a fully future proof investment with little more to ask for. Oh … and there will be a Xcite Boost version available, which only means the fork legs are made of alloy rather than Carbon – Weight goes up insignificantly but prices drop to a really competitive € 699.-.