A suspension fork consists of a drop and stanchion tube - and if it gets exotic, then the design is based on upside down. Suspension forks were much more exotic in the boom years of mountain biking in the early 1990s, when manufacturers such as AMP and Girvin experimented with parallelogram forks.

With nothing other than the reinvention of the suspension fork, the new manufacturer Trust Performance is now starting its business activities, and the parallogram design is saying hello again. The first product from Trust Performance is the "Message" fork. Behind the fork is the expertise of Dave Weagle, who is considered a suspension guru and invented the well-established DW-Link. Weagle is also the co-founder of Evil Bicycles and E13. Also on board at Trust is Jason Schiers, who is considered a carbon luminary and founded Enve Composites. The third member of the Trust team is Hap Seliga, who founded Competitive Cyclist and established it as a successful online provider.

Three masterminds for one fork

The new "Message" fork naturally offers 130 millimetres of travel, just like any other suspension fork. But in a different way: The immersion and stanchion tube system with sliding bushings is a thing of the past. A parallelogram with four joints on each side of the fork provides the basis and the voluminous fork chassis, which, like the parallelogram levers, is made of carbon, is striking. The scales show a weight of 1980 grams. The fork fits frames with a standard tapered head tube. The fork is advertised as suitable for fullies with 29" or 27.5 Plus inch wheels in the 110 to 150 millimeter travel range or for 27.5" fullies in the 130 to 150 millimeter travel range. An air spring and oil damping are protected inside the parallelogram, while a lever at the top of the fork provides the Open, Mid and Firm adjustment options.

Basically, you could say that the fork works like a counterpart to a suspension rear triangle. A special feature of the design is that the axle path of the front wheel is not forced to move in line with the steering axle. Instead, the design has the effect that the natural steering angle change during compression is virtually corrected by a corresponding offset through the parallelogram. As a result, the fork keeps the trail constant over the entire suspension travel, giving the fork a predictable, safe ride feel.

If you want to treat yourself to the modern fork, you can order it online directly from the manufacturer, with a price tag of 2,700 US dollars.

trustperformance.com