Magura showed a prototype of the Coach - a display to connect and to show values like battery status of their electronic components (including their new Vyron dropper post), lock status of fork and damper, but there's more. Expecting an early batch half of november and a second batch somewhere end of january, this display can show values of all kinds of ANT+ sensors. Through an app on your smartphone you can configure what will be displayed and you can even couple with your favorite exercise apps like Strava, Garmin Connect et cetera. The image shows battery levels of fork and damper - arrows right from the small icons on the left of the display would indicate the lock status of your suspension. Even though the Magura eLECT suspension is set up to work automatically, there was a demand for visual feedback - maybe just for peace of mind, but according to Magura, enough riders prefer to be able to see on some kind of display that their suspension is locked or not.
The Coach is an integral part of Magura's wireless effort to control key components of the bike. Recently released is the Magura Vyron dropper post which is a 150mm dropper post that features a wireless design. Gone are the pesky external or internal wires that always seem to give problems in a dropper post system. The Coach will be able to control the dropper post with the press of a button.
Continue to page 2 to learn about the Magura ELect wireless suspension system designed to work with the Coach Display »
The Magura eLect wirelessly controlled suspension system
The eLECT suspension is an automatic lockout system. Just like the Fox Terralogic fork and Specialized Brain that have come before it, eLECT aims to lock out your fork when you're climbing and fully open it when you're descending. How does it do it? Well, it is all based on fork angle. You set the fork angle where you want it to lock out (slightly climbing) and anything from there and up will be locked out and anything pointed down from it will be fully open.
That is the core but there's a lot more fancy technology beyond that. On a big impact, it will blow off and open the system no matter the fork angle. And in free fall, like a jump, it will fully open. There's also a very fancy wireless remote switch that can control the system. So at the minimum, this is the best remote lockout suspension available. At most, it locks and unlocks for you and you just ride faster.
This year, they have tied the rear shock to the front fork brain so now you have a unified full suspension experience. Everything the fork does, the rear will mirror. Of course both can be controlled by the remote.
Magura Technical Service Manager Jude Monica shows us how the wireless system works.
The details
Magura's eLECT automatic fork adjuster for their TS forks uses a 3D accelerometer, and a handlebar mounted Ant+ remote. The eELCT is an automatic lock out cartridge that is either on or off, with a non adjustable blow off for larger impact. The 3D accelerometer in the damper is just like what your smartphone or video game controller uses, and will lock out the fork in 0.2 seconds when it's detected orientation reaches a preset pitch angle, or it's impacted.
Magura has now added a rear shock with the eLECT technology to their lineup. The eLECT fork and rear shock work in tandem in the automated mode, with the fork acting as the main brain for controlling the pitch lockout sensing and feeding that information to the rear.
The new handlebar remote wirelessly communicates to the fork and shock, allowing you to select manual open or closed for either unit, or the automated mode for both of together. For safety and control, it has a blow off and a free fall detection if big drops are encountered and will unlock the fork and shock before impact, and if anything electronically malfunctions, the dampers revert to the open mode.
For more details visit www.magura.com.
This article is part of Mtbr's coverage of the 2015 Eurobike trade show in Freidrichschafen, Germany. For more from Eurobike CLICK HERE.