Enduro pros Anita and Carolin Gehrig have been riding the "unknown" stealth-look suspension fork for six months. Now DT Swiss has admitted to being the creator of the black suspension fork: the "F 535 One" is an all-mountain suspension fork with travel-dependent damping at its heart, but it is not only intended to set new standards in this area. We were able to test the fork extensively in advance.

The fork comes in 27.5 and 29 inch sizes and in increments of ten from 130 to 160 millimeters of travel. We - Sacha Steiner and myself (Balz Weber) ride the fork in the 160 millimeter version on the 29 inch Enduro bike - the same version as the Gehrig Twins ride in the Enduro World Series. The difference is that we don't ride races, but we swap forks so that the two of us can get a better impression of this one fork.

The fork and its practical details

The F 535 One is already fascinating in your hands. The stealth look extends from the crown to the ends of the dip tube. While the stickers on this fork are still completely missing so as not to give away its origin in public, the covers serve a different purpose. Instead of hiding the adjustment knobs from prying eyes, they simply protect them from dirt. The mating thread of the screw axle is also sealed off from the outside.

The aluminum covers that conceal the lockout and the compression screw as well as the air valve are each secured by a Torx screw. However, there is no need to carry an extra tool to remove them, as this is already integrated in the removable handle of the screw axle. Pulling out the handle requires a little force at first, but then it is easier to remove. It holds perfectly even after the umpteenth use. The Torx key is then simply unscrewed from the handle.

The lids can be removed without any fiddling and fastening them is no problem either. The same Torx also fits the compression and rebound screws as well as the brake hose clamp. The whole thing is cleverly stowed away, surprisingly handy and the fork looks very tidy. Even the remote cable is neatly routed to its destination through a guide in the fork crown.
We almost forgot - only almost. DT Swiss also has a matching fender for its fork, which is attached with four Allen screws - no ugly cable ties to spoil the look of the fork.

Install and ride off...

But before you do, take a look through the instruction manual - right, men don't really need that! Nevertheless, without any comment or prompting from the DT marketing people, I open the first few pages and a setup recommendation soon catches my eye: simply described step by step, so that practically anyone can set it up almost like a pro without any clue - a really cool thing!
But after the setup, skepticism arises during the parking lot test, because according to the specifications, the suspension fork seems too soft. "It's fine as it is," Samuel Zbinden (DT Swiss Project Engineer Suspension) encourages us not to change the settings for the time being. Well then, as one of the central figures in the fork's three-year development period, he is probably right.

In short, the fork feels too soft, as it responds very finely thanks to the two-stage suspension. This means that a steel spring works in the first three centimeters of the spring travel and ensures a low breakaway torque. As the stroke progresses, the air chamber takes over. This transition is not noticeable. The system should therefore react very sensitively to the smallest bumps, resulting in better grip and less hand fatigue. The air suspension, on the other hand, can be adjusted more precisely to the body weight and its characteristics can be changed with volume spacers.

Well, it's true that the fork simply buttered up the smaller bumps on the first ride through the terrain. The F 535 One has a response that no other suspension fork has, and that's no exaggeration, Sacha and I are clearly of the same opinion.

A jump back to winter: On a ride together, I get the opportunity to ride Anita Gehrig's race bike for a descent. The temperature is minus three degrees, but the Chur Rhine Valley is almost snow-free. Not a temperature at which suspension forks work well. To her amazement, the F 535 One had already responded very well. The DT Swiss development department also had an explanation for this: Firstly, the seals should generate very little friction, even at low temperatures, and the damper oil is not a standard product. It has an above-average temperature range that also extends into the lower temperatures.

However, the fork is not only convincing on small bumps, but also on rougher terrain. What is interesting here is how high it is in its travel on steep sections. It doesn't dive away even if you hang on the brakes for longer. Even if the volume of the air chamber is increased by a volume spacer - two are fitted as standard - the all-mountain fork still has plenty of progression. Almost a little too much, because it takes a lot of force to push it through. However, even on very long, rough descents, it remains composed. This is also to be hoped for, as DT Swiss also includes enduro in the "all-mountain" category. Several top places for the Gehrig twins at this year's Enduro World Series and other international races have definitely shown that the F 535 can cope with such high loads.

The heart of damping

What is a little confusing at first is the damping. Compared to other suspension forks, the rebound speed is ridden rather quickly. However, there is no feeling of hitting your hands. I reduce the rebound speed by five clicks to try it out, which is immediately too much. Every little twist or click is very noticeable. After two rides, I end up back at the starting point and even open the rebound. After big bumps, however, the fork still damps perfectly - so there is no sign of under-damping here.

Where the F 535 One differs from other forks is its Plush Port damping. This works on the basis of spring travel and not speed like other systems. Its compression damping is barely noticeable in the upper suspension travel range up to 30 percent. This is another reason for its super-sensitive response. After that, the compression damping increases noticeably and increases considerably from half of the spring travel. This counterpressure offers a high degree of control during active riding or hard braking maneuvers.

Sustained performance - precise steering behavior

What is also positively surprising is that even after riding for a long time, even if the fork is dirty on the outside, it still works very sensitively. There are still suspension forks out there that start to deteriorate after just a few rides. And even after two months of use, it has lost none of its sensitivity.

As far as the stiffness of the new DT Swiss fork is concerned, it has been built more robustly in the heavily loaded areas. The fork can take a beating, and it also offers very precise steering behavior. The guide bushings have not worn out after this short period of time - the forks are definitely still holding up with their fast twin sisters.

Conclusion - not the last one

With the F 535 One, DT Swiss have created a top fork that has pretty much nothing to complain about. We see it in the same wide range of applications as DT Swiss describes. In addition, the F 535 is a fork that is particularly popular with light riders, but will make racers just as happy. And since the only downer is that the fork is not available as a 170-millimeter version, we will continue to ride the fork for a while.

www.dtswiss.com