MBA EXCLUSIVE TEST DOWNHILL FOES 02 TEAM ISSUE
MBA EXCLUSIVE TEST DOWNHILL: FOES?02 TEAM ISSUE
These are going to be hard to beat
Brent Foes completely redesigned the DH-Mono Downhill chassis for his team. The prototypes were immediately requested and purchased by Missy Giove and an elite group sponsored racers. They can choose any bike they like. Foes produced ten copies at first. Nine copies were immediately sold on the National and World Cup circuits. We got our hands upon the tenth copy for a day at Snow Summit, the site of the last NORBA bash at Big Bear Lake in California.
DHMONO 2002 HIGHLIGHTS
Brent created a completely new monocoque front section with a taper-butted Easton Downtube. The 6061-alloy aluminum parts make the frame lighter by reducing its weight by one pound. They also add to its rigidity, which is already impressive.
The DH-Monos single pivot rear suspension would normally move under hard braking (a problem inherent in monoshock swingarms). The Foes team created a floating rear brake last year to keep the rear suspension fully active. The team swingarms had 12mm thru-axles as well as a robust derailleur hanger/stopnut feature. These improvements will be carried forward to the 2002 production models.
Foes Chassis keeps the same frame geometry as last season. However, there are many more features that go beyond the chassis. First, the Curnutt dampera five hundred-dollar option with a terrible-looking titanium spring. This dramatically increases the Foes suspension performance and acceleration. Although the new chassis was designed specifically for the Curnutt shock, it is available stock with the race-proven Fox RC Piggyback. Foes has raced the Curnutt shock all season.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS FORK?
Foes has also redesigned his F-1 XL fork in 2002. The travel length has been increased to 19 cm. A floating compensator-piston separates the oil from the atmosphere and an external rebound clicker was added. For next year, the Curnutt valve has been modified to fit the fork. It features an external pneumatic compression adjustment. Three-spring systems have been replaced with a single coil and titanium fork springs are being developed. Foes kept the 30mm thru-axle feature and the air assist Shreader valve on the left leg.
RACE PROVEN NUMBERS
Foes offers three shock positions to adjust the head angle or height of your bottom bracket. Foes has three sizes of the DH-Mono, which is a departure from most downhill frame manufacturers. These are the medium-sized frames numbers:
Maximum length of the top tube: 57 cm
Bottom bracket height: 37 cm
Wheelbase: 44.625
Head angle (center position),: 66.25°
Seat angle: 58 degrees
Rear wheel travel: 22 cm with Fox RC shock, 23 cm with Curnutt damper
Tested weight: 197 kg
RIDING 2002 DH-MONO
As my team wrenches, Brent Foes (Shock designer), Charles Curnutt Jr., and I spent the entire day ripping up Snow Summits many downhill runs. Both the Fox and Curnutt dampers were installed during the session. We tried out different spring and damping rates to replicate the setups of some team members.
After some warm-up runs, it was time to move the Foes around. The new bikes handle very well. Curnutt shock technology is responsible for a large portion of this margin, but the Fox damper can still be used to protect you from any mistake you might make, unless you are intentionally running into a tree.
The area where the Foes latest model shows the greatest improvement is its cornering ability. This gives you a clear view of the tire’s performance. You can rail around off-camber turns like if the tires were banked. It takes only a flick of your shoulder to bring the rubber back to normal, since you know exactly what happens when the tires go off.
The new chassis is very stable in the air. It’s great for racing but a bit less impressive than others. Any bump less than two feet will have the suspension leveled. To borrow some of the Foes’ sky, you will need to take a run on a ramp. The shock and fork feel infinitely responsive, making landing easy. This chassis is well aware of the fastest way to get your wheels down.
To make corrections mid-course or straighten the bike up in the air, you don’t need to move around the bike. The DH-Mono requires a little bit of body English. It’s a good thing because the nine-inch travel rear end will grind against your pants if you move too far to the aft. The center of the Foes can handle any situation, making it very easy to transition when it comes time to pedal.
The Foes were known for being slow peddlers on DH circuit. This will all be history when 2002 arrives. The new chassis pedals are like a freeriding machine. This means that it can be pedaled until you feel like you’re accelerating. You can even get out of the saddle using the Curnutt shock. You can easily climb up the podium with the new pedaling skills of the Foes team-issue shock.
MBAS FINAL TERM
We can only say that. After our test session, the team bike was taken to the next national. However, Brent promised that he would get another one for extended thrashing in a near future. Although we aren’t sure if any further modifications will be made to the bike before it goes into production, it is hard not to believe that it could be better.
Still hungry? Still hungry? Call Foes Racing at (683-8368) or visit their website www.foesracing.com
