Review: 12 Months With the EXT Era Fork
If you're drawn to boutique parts, then the premium Era fork from Extreme Shox (EXT) has undoubtably caught your eye already. We've had multiple testers shake down this fork for more than twelve months, giving us a well-rounded taste of what the Era is capable of and how it compares to other forks on the market.
The black lower casting and stanchions blend in with a lot of forks these days, but inside lies a stack of technologies that EXT gathered from their extensive racing heritage to differentiate the Era from the rest. EXT moved into the mountain bike suspension segment in 2014 with the Storia (and Arma) rear shock, which literally translates to "story" in Italian. The Italian suspension manufacturer didn't have five fancy acronyms or even a model name for the shocks in mind. It has always been their performance that sold, and a little over a year ago their foray into supporting both ends of the mountain bike began with the Era fork.
The black lower casting and stanchions blend in with a lot of forks these days, but inside lies a stack of technologies that EXT gathered from their extensive racing heritage to differentiate the Era from the rest. EXT moved into the mountain bike suspension segment in 2014 with the Storia (and Arma) rear shock, which literally translates to "story" in Italian. The Italian suspension manufacturer didn't have five fancy acronyms or even a model name for the shocks in mind. It has always been their performance that sold, and a little over a year ago their foray into supporting both ends of the mountain bike began with the Era fork.
EXT Era Details
• Intended use: all-mountain/enduro
• Travel: 140, 150, 160, or 17 0mm
• Wheel size: 29"
• Stanchions: 36 mm
• Offset: 44 mm
• HS3 hybrid air spring system
• Adjustments: HSC, LSC, rebound, two positive air chambers
• Actual weight: 2270 grams (w/thru-axle)
• MSRP: €1480
• More info: extremeshox.com / extusa.bike
• Intended use: all-mountain/enduro
• Travel: 140, 150, 160, or 17 0mm
• Wheel size: 29"
• Stanchions: 36 mm
• Offset: 44 mm
• HS3 hybrid air spring system
• Adjustments: HSC, LSC, rebound, two positive air chambers
• Actual weight: 2270 grams (w/thru-axle)
• MSRP: €1480
• More info: extremeshox.com / extusa.bike
Our First Ride article drummed up an impressive statement as the most supple and "coil-like" fork we've tested. Well, that might be because there is a coil spring in there. In addition to the small breakaway coil there's a self-equalizing main air spring and a secondary air ramp-up chamber instead of volume spacers.
This long-term test also gave us the opportunity to explore the inner workings of the fork with Ben Arnott from Alba Distribution, EXT's official Canadian service center and distributor. If you like exploring suspension systems, you won't want to miss a full technical video explaining the technology inside the Era debuting soon.
Chassis
Following modern fork fashion, the 36 mm stanchions get the black anodized treatment with stealthy lowers with grey graphics. What sets this chassis apart from the herd is the crown steerer unit (CSU). EXT wanted to address the dreaded creaking crown syndrome that can develop as the press fit steer tube or stanchions start to flex in the crown ever so slightly. To achieve this, a larger diameter cup of sorts is first inserted into the crown. The steer tube is then pressed into that piece with a larger contact surface in hopes of avoiding that unbearable noise.
On the lower end of things, some eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the lower casting is shared with the X-Fusion Trace36. Although they appear the same on the surface, EXT developed their own bushings with a unique coating and lubricating oil for extremely buttery compliance. Towards the axle, you'll find a 180 mm post brake mount and the simple turn of an allen key fixes the wheel in place. Torque Cap hub recesses have been machined into the lowers for riders who are savvy enough to incorporate those additional parts to further stiffen up the steering.
The 170mm Era we tested had an axle-to-crown height of 590 mm, just north of the claimed 582 +/- 5 mm. A weight of 2,280 g slots the Era well above the Ohlins RXF 36 and about 100 g heavier than a Fox 36. Its mass puts the fork closer in line with the burlier enduro forks like the Fox 38 or RockShox ZEB with their larger 38 mm diameter stanchions. Does that extra heft equate to better performance, durability, and less creaking on the trail?
The Pacific Northwest was the perfect testing ground for finding out if this fork's CSU creaked. Between the wet weather, huge square edge hits, and hard braking due to the grade of trails here, the Era was put through the wringer.
Spring
If you've dreamed about the suppleness of a coil and the progression of an air spring, you'd be describing the left stanchion of the Era. Packed inside are three different springs. Off the top, there is a coil spring to break the stiction that air springs are shunned for. Quickly into the travel begins the first air spring for infinite adjustment and progression that a wound coil of steel can't provide. This main air spring self-equalizes the positive and negative springs via the Schraeder valve on the top of the left hand stanchion. Finally, the progression is further tuned by a secondary air valve instead of volume spacers. EXT denotes the main chamber with a "+" symbol and the ramp chamber with "++". The convenience of this system is the easy access and the infinite pressure adjustment, within the useable range of course.
The tricky part is balancing these numbers for your habits and trails. The closer the main air chamber pressure is to the ramp chamber, the more linear the fork will be. It sounds simple, but, for example, if you want a bit more grip or small bump compliance, you would lower the main chamber pressure. Doing so would make the fork more progressive and could cause a harsh feeling as you hit that progression curve near the end of the travel. I found it best to keep the numbers closer together - a little lower than the setup guide suggests.
Like other forks that use a dual air spring system, such as the Ohlins RXF 36 M.2, they can be a little sensitive to ambient temperature and as a little as 5 psi can feel like a different spring rate. The combination of the ramp chamber affects how the main chamber can feel further into the mid-stroke more than a regular volume spacer. Taking the time to do controlled experiments and understand how it will make your ride handle is crucial to getting the most out of the Era.
If you prefer a less damped ride that is supported more by spring force supplying a more lively feel then you will certainly enjoy this fork. There is ample mid-stroke support and tons of bottom out resistance. The HS3 spring does perform as stated, helping the fork to ride higher in its travel, more than a Fox 38 Grip 2, but similarly to an Ohlins RXF 36 M.2 or RockShox ZEB.
The HS3 spring can be very progressive. I set up the ++ chamber lower than the setup guide recommended for a more linear fork. Full bottom outs were still infrequent and easier to anticipate than the abrupt ramp of the higher pressure.
The wrench flats are ultra low, so it's best to have a certified service center open things up. It also requires some special tools to do a full rebuild and a vacuum bleed is preferred.
Damper
As you would expect, EXT has a ton of experience on the hydraulic side of dampers. A heavily engineered circuit separates bump and rebound oil flow using a high volume cartridge with a 22 mm diameter piston. The 24 mm IFP reservoir piston runs on a chromed shaft to reduce friction, a theme across all sliding parts in this fork.
Similar to the air spring, the damper has a wide range of adjustability. There are high and low speed compression adjusters, as well as rebound control on the lower leg of the fork. The ERA user manual states that the number of clicks can differ from fork to fork, depending on the assembly. Our fork had nine clicks of high speed compression, twelve of low speed, and thirty of rebound.
That's a whole lot of rebound clicks, although the lightest spring pressures only correlate with having the rebound circuit open fourteen clicks, so I'm not sure I see the whole range being useful. Depending on the pressure, one or certainly two clicks make a noticeable difference. It still leaves room for heavier riders to run slower rebound, however, because compared to a Fox 38 Grip2 damper, the EXT recommended settings feel less damped.
Initial Setup
Three springs and three damper adjustments can be a tricky to set up. If you like an extremely progressive feel and can endure that force more often, then the recommended settings will work for you. This is best matched with slower speeds and more technical riding. Luckily, EXT's user manual steers riders in a close direction.
Ben from Alba Distribution brought us up to speed with the intricacies of the Era, how to get the best performance, and gave the fork a fresh rebuild, since our test was running past the regular service interval. He informed me that the fork was designed to ride higher in the travel or the dynamic sag range. For my 72 kg / 160 lb weight and riding style I was referred to air pressures one weight bracket up. Ben was on it and we started with 65 psi in the main chamber and 100 psi in the ramp chamber.
Over the next few weeks, I dialled in the pressures and for dry, summer conditions of 800m enduro style descents on the steep and rough North Vancouver mountains. For the higher forces during bike park laps, I increased both chambers a few psi and tweaked the damping slightly. I also increased the rear shock and tire pressure to balance things out.
I tested the fork on three different enduro bikes throughout the review period. The settings remained nearly identical, for the given types of trails, on all but one bike, which was much softer and more progressive. For this, I had to drop the + pressure to 65 psi so the fork ride height and characteristics matched the rear wheel.
Base Settings
+ chamber: 67 psi
++ chamber: 97 psi
Low speed compression: 8
High speed compression: 7
Rebound: 15
+ chamber: 67 psi
++ chamber: 97 psi
Low speed compression: 8
High speed compression: 7
Rebound: 15
Bike Park Settings+ chamber: 70 psi
++ chamber: 100 psi
Low speed compression: 7
High speed compression: 6
Rebound: 13
++ chamber: 100 psi
Low speed compression: 7
High speed compression: 6
Rebound: 13
*All adjustments were counted from the closed position.
These settings offered all the qualities I was looking for with the + chamber a touch over and the ++ a little under the pressures we began with. It resulted in a balance of small bump compliance, support, and bottom-out control without a wall of ramping, which came earlier in the stroke with the original settings.
Ride Impressions
Does the "air that feels like a coil" rumour live up to the hype? Simply put - yes. I have not ridden a fork that breaks free into the stroke with such little effort. It doesn't continue to dive through the travel, either. Generally, I prefer a reactive fork with less damping and a more linear spring feel to keep the front end high, which the Era already embodied. However, the complexity of a coil and two air springs proved to take time to learn how they worked together.
After getting acquainted with the Era on the first ride, the fork did oscillate a bit too easily for my liking, but it wasn't using all of the travel with the air settings for an 80 kg rider. It ramped abruptly on repeated square edge hits, particularly duffy bomb holes caused by braking. I can't say it felt harsh - inefficient would be a better word. I would have guessed it was a 150 or 160 mm travel fork, so the puzzling began.
I added a bit more rebound damping, increased the + chamber to 70 psi, and decreased the ++ chamber to 95 PSI. This calmed the rapid movement of the front wheel and weight being shifted front to back too quickly. But as predicted, this removed some small bump sensitivity and rode too high, causing some understeer. I also noticed how much more linear this made the fork feel, not just at the beginning, but throughout the full travel. At this point, I realized how touchy the spring pressure was to change and started to understand what effect the secondary chamber pressure had on the main spring.
From there, I dropped the + chamber to 67 psi and set the ++ chamber to 97 psi. We were getting somewhere. The fork stayed active and alive on small rocks that would sit in the bottom of berms or over small, greasy roots, when we were lucky enough to get a splash of rain through this summer drought. Occasionally, the fork would bottom out, but the more linear nature made it easier to predict when that would occur. Adding more high speed compression seemed to be the ticket when the going got really steep and chunky on the Shore, where speeds were lower than in the bike park. The combination of these pressures and compression damping made it simple to anticipate and brace for those impacts, adjust your body positioning accordingly. Basically, it slowed down the reaction time of the force being transmitted to the rider.
An unusual trait of the fork that I only noticed in very specific circumstances was what I can only describe as a "fluttering" of the coil spring. This occurred when hitting a large compression, landing on a steep grade with hard packed dirt mixed with braking bumps or embedded rocks, which are typically found in a bike park. When the fork has almost returned to full travel, I could feel the coil spring oscillate rapidly, picking up the small vibrations. It sounds like a good thing, but it felt unnerving - as if you had no front wheel at all. Maybe that's exactly what blissful suspension should feel like.
The damper does work incredibly well and I don't think the "flutter-fly effect" is something to worry about. Under braking, the fork stays upright without the use of heavy hydraulic action, which helps keep it supple and continue to provide traction. The control over the rebound and compression is a lighter feeling tune, but actually allows use of the high speed compression without the fork becoming overly brutal to hold on to. If you found your happy place with the main air chamber small bump compliance and ride height, but still needed a touch of control on large impacts, I found adding more high speed compression to be more calming and forgiving, rather than increasing the ramp pressure.
The secondary air chamber of the Era is a tough cookie to crack. The feedback can be overbearing on those square edge hits if you are following the setup guide exactly and I did start to experience some top out later in the test. EXT did admit there was a fix in order to relieve the secondary air chamber from topping out when unweighted. I never experienced this while the wheel was tracking the ground or during the slower rebound velocity from leaving the lip of a jump. It was only when I wanted to pick the bike up over trail obstacles or pull to double up a natural rhythm section did the fork exert a hard clunk when it returned to full travel.
A quick visit to Alba and Ben had this sorted in under thirty minutes. Back on the trail, I did still notice a slight bump while doing these same maneuvers, but the problem was drastically reduced. EXT recognizes this, and said only a small number of riders have noticed the top out. They are committed to finding a solution, but in the meantime offer an upgradable top out bumper retro-fit kit covered by the warranty for any rider experiencing this problem.
One problem we didn't run into was a creaking. EXT's CSU construction method never made a peep throughout the test and it was put through some sections of trail that would make a dual crown cringe. It does feel stouter than other 36 mm stanchion forks. For example, I have experienced some flex in the Ohlins RXF 36 M.2, which would sometimes vibrate fore and aft when the wheel would leave the ground under heavy braking on consecutive square edge hits. In fact, I was surprised that the Era only had 36 mm stanchions.
This fork has seen it all, from multi-day single track epics to the Whistler Bike Park, and a few heinously steep Sea to Sky secret stashes.
Serviceability
EXT has designed a majority of the sliding internal parts to be hard wearing, yet impressively low-friction by way of specially formulated coatings on the bushings. They advise owners to service the fork every fifty hours for maximum race performance or every one hundred hours for normal use. EXT is currently working on a detailed video to guide home mechanics through the lower leg service, but until then the maintenance must be completed by an authorized service center. Complete service includes new oil, seals, O-rings, wipers and rubber bottom out bumpers and kits will be available to purchase at dealers in the future.
Changing the travel is a standard affair of removing the lowers, then the air spring, and swapping a spacer from the main air spring to the negative, or vice-versa.
During the test, we ran the Era past the maintenance interval and residue began accumulating on the dust wipers. This is normal for any fork, but that didn't bother the sensitivity of the Era with its durable surfacing. Even after the rebuild, it was difficult to notice a difference. No stanchion wear was observed while disassembled and the bushings held an appropriate tight, but smooth tolerance level throughout our extensive testing period
We did manage to put a small nick in the non-drive side stanchion close to the seal. Although barely felt with a fingernail, it could explain why more residue accumulated on that side. However, I did get a chance to inspect another rider's Era fork after some extended use and found the air side dust wiper collected more grime as well. There wasn't enough evidence to prove fault in the seal. The nicked stanchion was user error and has definitely caused this problem on other forks tested in the past.
Aside from the top out dilemma, which was partially resolved, the Era proved to be a sturdy, reliable fork with high quality performance.
Pros
+ No creaking CSU or stanchions
+ Ability to fine tune spring and ramp chamber independently
+ Low breakaway force for unparalleled small bump performance
Cons
- Achieving the ideal setup requires extra time and experimentation
- Fork developed noticeable top out later in test period
- Fork needs to go to an authorized service center for rebuilds, at least for now.
Pinkbike's Take
 | Who is the €1480 Era fork for and how did it stand up to twelve months of use, under three testers? That would boil down to a narrow rider demographic: someone who is tech savvy and in touch with feedback from their bike, appreciates boutique components, and isn't afraid to splash cash. The setup requires a time commitment and puzzling, but when you do find that sweet spot, there is some magic about. No fork is perfect, and like other artisan products some quirks may develop, like the top out, but I have to tip my hat to EXT for keeping that CSU creak-free throughout the test - job done. You could easily lean towards more run-of-the-mill fork options, but the Era has a unique feel compared to any other fork. It rides high in its travel, offers support and control on the chunkiest trails, and will convert coil-only believers. Yes, a fork at this price level should be near perfection, but the performance is damn close. |
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Just say no to preload!
The Storia is an odd shock, mine feels gross at low speed on smooth stuff, kinda like a second hand shock that needs a service. But once it’s up to speed on a chunky trail it is excellent. Maybe the shock I received is just an anomaly.
The Storia reminds me of people that say they wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning for less then $xxx, the Storia won’t wake up for anything less than xxkm/h.
I’m not too concerned about it, at the lower speeds where it feels gross I’m not really asking much in the way of performance, any shock would be able to handle those demands. But when I’m pushing things and hoping to eke out every bit of grip or hitting rough lines that would normally have me looking for a smoother option it really wakes up and delivers. A “racing shock”, as I’ve heard many describe it, is pretty fitting.
September 24, 2021: 12 months on the EXT Era
*X-Files theme intensifies*
"We've had multiple testers shake down this fork for more than twelve months, "
Based on all the likes, seems it's common with PB picture browsers.
It sounds like each rider rode it for 12 months plus…
If you blindfolded people and had them guess if it was air or coil, even after trying a few air and coil shocks back to back, you'd guess it was a coil. its that smooth off the top. The first thing I noticed was the increase in grip. It is insane. The next thing you notice is that brake dive magically disappears, even on steep stuff, while still being super grippy.
I also noticed the same problems this reviewer did: "It ramped abruptly on repeated square edge hits, particularly duffy bomb holes caused by braking." My first ride on the fork was coming down Lithium in Jackson Hole (Wilson), and the top section gets steep, dusty, and full of bomb craters. I told the guys at Suspension Syndicate to "set it up stiff", since on other forks I usually have to over pressure to keep the fork from diving, and boy they set it up stiff. The guy I worked with said he set it up "like for an EWS rider". Despite being way too stiff, the smal bump sensitivity was still awesome. I reduced air pressure again and again, like the reviewer here, until I got to a happy place. What is really shocking is that as you drop the air pressure, the mid stroke support seems to remain, and despite going way lower in the main and bottom out chambers, brake dive never returned. Amazing.
I've been running the Storia too, and while thats a great rear shock, there are other great rear shocks. With this Era fork I feel like it has no peer. In the past I've complained about why we don't have more MRP Bartlett, or just a lighweight Boxxer for enduro riding, but with a fork like the Era I see no need.
There's that Formula dual crown on the way. Really keen to learn more about that actually.
For example the stock spring on your Helm is listed as being for "160-200lb" riders. That's a huge range. I'm 165lb. I almost guarantee the stock spring would be too stiff and the next step down would be too soft. I'd be left with the bad choice are loosing small bump or riding a soft spring with a bunch of preload. I need something in-between.
This seems to be less of a problem for rear shocks because spring sizes are more standardized and there are many more rates available, including in 25lb increments after-market. Industry standards for spring sizes so we could get an equivalent spring choice for forks might help adoption.
Well, the creaking CSU might still be an issue.. hope it holds.
Low-pressure air + coil systems that use a base coil plus an air tuning option work well, but in the end aren't optimal either. (Having said that, I did love my old Marzocchi 55 RC3 Ti with that system)
I agree on offerings like the Z1 with its 4 spring rates .. what a joke.
www.vorsprungsuspension.com/products/vorsprung-smashpot-fork-coil-conversion-system
Looks like their 5 lb/in (0.9 kg/cm) spring rate increments map to 17.5 lb (8kg) rider weight increments. That's pretty good.
The point is that other forks benefit from using tokens, but this fork behaves as if tokens are already installed.
I know there are digital shock pumps, but I'm highly sceptical of their accuracy, even relative to themselves
Even if you distrust the accuracy of a digital, it should be consistent with itself and that's all you need anyway. I use a Scott and it's very consistent with itself and I can adjust by 1 psi increments. I think the gauge is the same as the rockshox pump though.
The big issue with all suspension is proper setup. Most people, myself included, do not have their suspension well sorted. Even if I think my suspension is dialed, how would I know if I'm leaving performance on the table? I think something like a shockwiz should be fully integrated into every fork and shock.
Blister gear review did this in their fork shootout.
I guess people do not want to invest the time to get the settings perfect???
I have neither fork, but if I owned a Slate I'd be checking my local EXT distributor to see if they have some of those bushes and oils available aftermarket, and it they can be simply dropped in to a Slate.
My hat is off to those with pockets that deep, but it's simply not in the budget @ my house
Again, I'm not convinced this isn't placebo effect. If there is a way to perform blind tests on these parts, the tests would be much more meaningful. In this huck to flat video, I see little difference in fore and aft flex between the 36 and 38 models. Having ridden both, I'm not convinced there are any notable benefits of stanchions larger than 35/36mm, and I understand there are various types of stress which are not demonstrated in the slowmo.
Thats what she said
A friend of mines had the complete opposite experience to this initally there was a massive amount of intial friction. She had a local ext rep look at the fork and he came away with the conclusion the bushing tolerances were far to tight. As a result the fork had to go back to have the bushings replaced.
Everything now is performing as it should but it should be pointed out even at this high end mistakes still get made just like the mainstream stuff
I have let a good deal of riders that haven't ridden ext take it for a ride and they don't usually like it right out the gate. I usually get a it feels different until we make some changes then they are in love. As far as I can tell super good build quality as well.
The fork now feels amazing (almost as good as my old marzocchi 888's in plushness but with way more support).
Also, the Marzzocchi Z1 (36) coil weighs a pound more than this EXT....
The benefit is ramp up adjustment, fine tuning of spring weight, etc. Swapping out $50 coils kinda sucks compared to just changing air pressure.
I don't have to swap out coils? And if I did I could resell to recoup the money pretty easily...
Plus more seals and more maintenance and way more tinkering to get it to feel like a coil. When a coil feels like a coil
Everytime my wife has a kid I gain 20 pounds while neither of us get any sleep, then the following summer I lose it. Thats enough to need to swap coils. Want to let your brother in law ride your bike? Swap the coil. Headed to a bike park with jump lines and braking bumps instead of steeps? Need to swap the coil. I'm exagerating a little, but I do think this setup is worth the added complexity if you're in the market for a $2,000 fork. Otherwise just pick up a used Lyrik for $500; those are set and forget and perform 80% as well.
I haven't changed the stock coil on my fork. It jumps crazy well, kills it in the rough sections and is overall the part of my bike I tune the least.
Another nice thing is it doesn't really need rebuilds as often as air. I just send it away for a full rebuild once a season just because.
You really should get an ohlins coil. They make it easier to go faster across the board.
It'll be hard to go to back to air because this thing just nails it.
I would suppose a smashpot setup (coil with adjustable shimable hbo) and a standard avy would be the best setup.
Then you really lose the two more air seals even if they only use little pressure in the hybrid avy setup
@hamncheez is right… it’s more of a 38/zeb competitor… it is significantly stiffer than the Ohlins.
I spotted one little mistake though: The fork that the ERA shares its chassis with is the X-Fusion TRACE36.
My Era is good, but noticeably stickier than my 36 with a Smashpot.
Mechanically, the DVO does the same thing the fox 40 does- it uses a coil (or rather two coils) as the negative spring, which pushes against the positive air chamber. The Era has a small spring on the bottom of the push rod, so they act in tandem with the main positive spring, and uses a normal air negative spring. Its like stacking two springs on top of each other, one coil and one air.
From a performance perspective, the Era dethrones the DVO forks as the most "coil like" or "most grip", but DVO puts up a great fight. Also I could never sort out my DVO- it would dive really badly under braking and steep chutes unless I ran way too much air pressure.
I've said above, the Era is so good that after borrowing one for a few weeks I ponied up the cash and bought one new. I believe it has no peer.
That being said, I don't think its worth the price for 90% of non-racers. Its too much money.
My final word I'll leave: I PRed on a 10 min DH segment by 37 seconds when I switched to this fork
www.strava.com/activities/5737764551/segments/2858008114606455730
And if you want more grip support and hbo you can upgrade even the onyx with a smashpot
If they ran a decent ad campaign and offered a good price, they'd sell. Esp if they handed them out to the major MTB review platforms.
Maybe more accurately, look at DVO. They make killer suspension, and I have not ran into 1 person on the trails with a diamond d1. It is only me that has it. If kyb could land a huge upper end OEM manufacturer contract so they’d come on a Santa Cruz nomad or something, but they wouldn’t gamble like that. RS or fox it becomes.They dominate individual fork sales too, because of established mtb image. KYB’s amazing fork would collect dust compared to those, even if it was better.
So for a linear feel you need more ++ and less + pressure. Having both at the same pressure will give you the classic one chamber progressive air spring.
www.extremeshox.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/20200806_FORK_USER_MANUAL_D1.pdf
Look at the ++ graph: It lifts the mid more than the end. And that means the curve is more linear.
I’m big fan of set the sag, set rebound and forget;
Outstanding article though, keep up the great work
Also don't limit your culinary use to baking. Butter makes loads of things better. Particularly a buttery smooth sauce (not cakey). I'm partial to a seasalted Normandy butter, bloody lovely.
Don't ban the butter!!! Happy trails