PUSH Industries may not be a brand you know, but they have been a key player in tuning and suspension setup for top-level racers since the early 2000s. Its first coil rear shock was released in 2015, and now PUSH has released its own suspension fork to go with the rest of the range of very trick high-end coil shocks. They were featured in our A to Z of mtb suspension, and now they have may have launched what could be one of the best mountain bike forks on the market.
One of the phrases you often hear when a new air-sprung fork or shock launches is that it has a “coil-like feel.” Well, PUSH has gone one further and actually used a coil. Though rare, they are not alone as brands like Cane Creek and Marzocchi have a coil fork in their ranges, and given that the Colorado brand doesn't make air rear shocks, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise.
A steel coil is heavier than an air spring and can take longer to set up as you need to remove it and replace it with different weight versions for optimum performance, whereas an air spring just needs a shock pump. However, they rely on airtight seals and have more initial stiction than a metal spring, so we'd expect the new Nine.One fork to be super smooth through its travel with great small bump sensitivity.
A coil is also naturally linear in feel, so it uses a similar force to move it throughout its travel. They do not have the supported feel you get from an air spring, meaning the damper needs to operate at a high level to make the most of the plush feeling on the trail. Luckily, PUSH has plenty of experience here, too. The brand's early work involved making replacement high-performance dampers to replace standard versions from Fox and RockShox.
The damper features a pressurized reservoir with an internal floating piston and a large-volume compression base valve. Although it sounds complex, it's all tried and tested tech PUSH has developed over a long time in their rear shocks that should offer a well-controlled ride with no harsh spikes or strange behaviors when the going gets rough. Much like their rear shocks, plenty of adjustment is available, too, with 28 clicks of high and low compression and 18 clicks of low-speed rebound. For the fork fettlers and elite racers, you can also adjust and tune the compression base valve, rebound piston, and mid valve internally.
Travel ranges from 170mm down to 140mm and can be adjusted internally in 10mm increments without the need to purchase any extra parts, so it will cover the majority of trail and enduro needs.
All of this tech needs a solid platform, and PUSH has gone the extra mile here. The Nine.One is an inverted fork design featuring 44mm upper tubes with a machined crown featuring an extended overlap, considerably enhancing the forks' stiffness. The lower legs or stanchions are 36mm and use PUSH’s proven MicroXD hard-coat finish to ensure many hours of low friction use.
The stanchions connect to some innovative axle lugs or dropouts. These are bolt-on designs, which are not only stiff but also allow the rider to switch between fork offsets easily. The brake mount also features a dual standard mount, which increases the stiffness and stability of the brakes to reduce the potential for noisy brakes and misaligned calipers.
Top-end tech often means more frequent service intervals to ensure peak performance, and PUSH has developed a neat solution to this with its speed service feature. It means you can perform an upper leg service without removing the fork from the bike as you would with a normal telescopic fork, enabling you to remove and replace the oil without stripping it down. Great for enduro racers or those riding day after day.
The Nine.One has also been designed with durability in mind. The team at PUSH hasn't been impressed with the lifespan of other top-end forks in the market, so they have designed theirs to take the knocks and be easily serviced, which is reassuring given the suitably high-end price.
PUSH Industries Nine.One fork pricing and specification
The Nine.One fork is availble direct from PUSH Industries and selected global dealers. It comes priced at an eye-watering $2,600, with U.K and EU pricing still to be confirmed. More information on this and all the other PUSH Industries suspension offerings can be found at Pushindustries.com.
- Wheel size: 29-inch
- Axle system: 15 x 110 mm
- Travel: 140-170mm, internally adjustable
- Spring technology: Coil spring with silent surround noise canceling technology
- Damper: Nine.One damper with high and low-speed compression adjustment
- Upper leg diameter: 44mm
- Lower leg diameter: 36mm
- Price: From $2,600 / £TBC / €TBC
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