The PUSH FORK is Finally Here - Nine.One Upside Down MTB Fork Development Story and Details

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Vital first rode a prototype PUSH Nine.One inverted mountain bike fork a year ago in February of 2023. The same day, we recorded an interview with PUSH owner, Darren Murphy, getting all the details about the fork before its release. At the time, the scheduled release for the Nine.One was only a couple months away and PUSH showed the fork at the Sea Otter Classic. A couple months turned into many months and fast-forward 12 months later, and the fork is now available to the public.

At $2,600 USD, the coil-sprung Nine.One is 100% made in the USA at the PUSH factory in Colorado. It features 140-170mm of user-adjustable travel, and uses modular axle lugs that can fit 27.5 or 29-inch wheels with built-in brake mounts for 180mm or 200mm rotors. The damping technology is that of the PUSH Elevensix shock and oil can be changed and serviced through bleed ports at the top of the fork.

While most riders can't comprehend spending that much money on a fork, Darren and PUSH set out to make a highly refined piece of suspension that can last and be adapted for years to come. We dive into why PUSH would make a fork, their philosophy on what makes good suspension, misconceptions of upside-down fork design, what took so long to finish production and why someone may want such an expensive MTB fork.

Discussion Topics
0:00 - Intro (2024)
1:00 - (Feb 2023 Start) Why Make a Fork at All?
4:23 - Why Make an Inverted Fork?
8:43 - PUSH Nine.One Fork Specs & Features
10:21 - The "Grab the Bars Torsional Stiffness Twist Test" is Dumb
15:54 - Modular, Updatable Axle Lugs for Wheel Size, Offset and Brake Mounts, Travel Adjust
20:23 - Simple Fork Servicing Through Bleed Ports, Long-term Product Use
25:47 - Why is it a $2,600 Mountain Bike Fork? Weight, Fabrication Details
31:44 - Comparing Other Inverted Fork Designs, Why Not Carbon?
34:22 - Spring, Damper and Internals
38:20 - The Parking Lot Test
41:45 - Jason's Ride Experience on the PUSH Fork
44:57 - Purposefully Not as Torsionally Stiff as a Regular Fork
47:14 - Availability
48:47 - What About Stanchion Scratches / Guards/ Fenders?
51:47 - WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG? (2024)
1:00:44 - Did Anything About the Fork Change During the Year?
1:02:30 - Fork Specs (Again : )
1:05:14 - Four Years in the Making
1:06:58 - FIXED BUSHINGS and Why
1:09:51 - Would Darren Do It All Over Again?
1:11:53 - The Twist Test is Still Pointless
1:16:00 - What MTB Standard Would Darren Change?

PUSH Nine.One Fork Details
MSRP: $2,600 USD
Travel: 140mm-170mm in 10mm increments. User adjustable
Axle: 15mm x 110mm floating through axle
Axle Clamp: Oversized 38mm clamp area, 4 bolt design
Steerer: 1.5” Tapered
Brake Mount: Dual Standoff Direct 180/185mm and 200/203mm
Made in Colorado
MTB and E-MTB compatible
Main Spring: Coil with silent-surround noise canceling technology
28 Clicks of External Low-Speed Compression Adjustment
28 Clicks of External High-Speed Compression Adjustment
18 Clicks of External Low-Speed Rebound Adjustment
Independent externally adjustable Pneumatic Bottom Out Piston
Motorex 3D Response Technology Fork Oil
Weight: 2,790 grams

#MTB #mountainbike #suspension #podcast