[Closed] BOS Deville

I have had my Devilles for a year and 5 months.

Mine are the 140mm trc model.

I run mine with the TRC on most of the time,i only use the full travel setting when needed.

As the fork runs high in its travel,most of the XC/Trails i ride dont require 140mm of travel.

An excellent fork,Buttery smooth and rides very well.

I'm the opposite.

Have the trc feature but never use it. Simply because it runs high in the travel and is so well damped that I,ve simply no need for it.

In the whole I think the reviews find this also.

If available, I'd go without.

Bos thread over at Pinkbike shows lots of people having all sorts of issue with them.

bwaarp - Member

Bos thread over at Pinkbike shows lots of people having all sorts of issue with them.

Got a link to that please??

Bought mine after a 2 month ish wait, R53 were out of stock, rode them 10 metres from my car to the shed and they broke. They've been with R53/BOS since 28th May and still no sign of them.
Air escaped from cartridge into upper leg causing dust seal to pop off.

Sure they may be sublime but its pretty ****ing ridiculous to wait for this long for a pair of forks that are in production.

Going to Morzine at the end of this week too.

Got a link to that please??

Woops, mtbr. One of a few threads I've seen on various forums.

Bushing Play, Crap Seals, Crap Customer Service, No parts availability. Buy at your peril.

http://forums.mtbr.com/nicolai/bos-suspension-671338-32.html

I was considering moving to the Deville, to save one pound over my coil Lyriks and get better dive resistance. I'm not considering now, as parts availability from Fisher is great and so are the services from TF Tuned.

@dirtbiker100
this is what concerns me, there doesnt seem to be much backup in the uk.
Every time im about to push the button and go with the BOS I have last minute doubts. Its between these, Kashima Fox 36's and Lyriks

Go for some Rock Shox or some Marz forks if length before a service is an issue (the latter are bomb proof). Fox are/were shite in that regard and the kashima coat rubs off quickly.

Devilles here got em and the rebound is not working straight out of the box bit peeved. Spoke the the guys and told to re do the set up still the same fortunately it is not to bad but am going to send them back next week after a trip to Wales.
Xfusion are also worth a look great reviews and a buddys got the velvet 140 travel and is very pleased recons there better out the box than the fox they replaced had a little go on them and gotta say ther nice for the money.

I have BOS Deville 170mm

The first set did pretty much the same as Dirtbiker100's

Service from R53 was excellent though.

Had them fixed and back in 3 days. Happened again about 1 week later and they sent me a new set before I even returned my old set (had to give a credit card as security but fair enough). Fine since then

Great fork in terms of performmance

I've had mine about 18 months now and they're brilliant.

What bwaarp said, I have looked a couple of times at BOS and decided its proberly not the best idea, sold my 36 floats (kashima) for a set of 55rc3 Evo Ti.

Best move Ive made! Seriously smooth they take a beating and very little maintence my 36s needed oil changes every few weeks to feel nice. I normally have doubt about the hype that comes up on forums but they really are worth it of you can track a set down.

160 Devilles

Got them in Feb/March and ran them until this month. They are leagues ahead of my TFTuned coil Lyriks. Let my friends try them and all were amazed how good they felt, traction etc all really good. There was a top out clunk that was annoying me a little so I called R53 and then sent them in.

Turns out the fork was not operating correctly. R53 were very proactive in phoning me up, letting me know the issue and turning them around in a week so that I had them back in time for a key journey to Fort William.

Now I have them back I am surprised at how much better they are given I thought they were good before hand. I used my Lyriks for the weekend they were away which are freshly serviced as my spares and they are down right sluggish even with compression damping fully open, soft spring and bushes opened up by TFT. The Lyriks do feel stiffer in the car park but the BOS go about their business on the trail in a sublime way that the car park test does not factor.

Very happy with their performance. Can't comment on long term reliability.

Getting some fitted tomorrow in preparation for my first Alps trip - can't wait!!

If you think you'll "really" be able to tell the difference between BOS and <insert generic mass produced fork brand here> then go ahead and get some, otherwise, don't believe the hype and leave BOS owners to their knowing smiles

Same price as top end Fox Talas 34s but without the very short service intervals - worth a crack I'd say!

Pretty negative Dasnut. I reckon the majority could feel the difference. I also have Fox Vans which are slightly more active than the Lyriks but no where near the BOS. The BOS also have the bonus of being lovely and plush and not diving through their travel like Lyriks do which can be off putting on steep stuff and hitting the face of jumps.

Like driving a new Nissan GTR compared to a Mondeo, I reckon better tech helps the novice as much as the pro. Especially as the novice relies more on mechanical grip as they dont have the pro techniques.

BOS are cheaper than FOX so not a thing about spending the most. I spent a while deciding and in the end I got them because I have the Lyriks as backup given the mixed reliability reports. My experience with R53Sport has been very good with support on email and phone about setup questions etc.

And I made my choice by flipping a 50p coin

That's science that is!!!

My girlfriend chose for me as she liked BOS more than Fox and I could not make my mind up 🙂

Hope you have a spare fork either way!

should i store them in my camelback?

I will have a spare pair of Fox 36's

What about the TRC?

I love the look of the Devilles, but am reluctant to spend that much given the seeming lack of support.
I think a pair of 55 RC3 Ti's will be on the G Spot soon

Now I have them back I am surprised at how much better they are given I thought they were good before hand. I used my Lyriks for the weekend they were away which are freshly serviced as my spares and they are down right sluggish even with compression damping fully open, soft spring and bushes opened up by TFT. The Lyriks do feel stiffer in the car park but the BOS go about their business on the trail in a sublime way that the car park test does not factor.

I'd rather have reliability and good customer service. Also I notice steering stiffness before anything else, consequently I'm running a straight 1.5 steerer and won't go to tapered until they're no longer available.

Like driving a new Nissan GTR compared to a Mondeo

Really? A Mondeo? Bos Devilles perform well but not well enough to make me go any faster. In fact on shallower trails I like forks that dive more as they help with cornering grip.

Compression isn't the way to control fork dive, if you are having problems with fork dive you should be upping the spring rate and rebound. These are the classic tools to combat that, a higher sprung fork reacts better than a softer fork with more compression control.

You will go faster with a fork that rattles the shit out of you.

the kashima coat rubs off quickly.

What about the TRC?

What psi/bar are you guys running when you set your sag? I have to go way under the recommended settings to get anything like the correct sag...about 50psi / 3.5 bar to get 45mm and I'm a less than svelt 85kg. All compression damping off, TRC off and chambers equalised.

Anyone know the cost of a service?

By that Bwaarp you are saying I should have something that dives like hell for grip but that a rigid fork is best so I can get a good rattle on to go like Gwin...

We call mine the proto fork because we just don't know when it is going to explode into lots of little french pieces.

Everyone is different, I really enjoy the performance of the BOS compared to the other forks I have tried. I don't back any brand for a particular reason and always had the plan to sell em and try new floats if they did not perform well.

By that Bwaarp you are saying I should have something that dives like hell for grip but that a rigid fork is best so I can get a good rattle on to go like Gwin...

Depends what your riding. The steeper it is the harder you run your fork. The shallower, the softer you run your fork.

Seriously, compensating for a soft spring rate with lots of compression aka the Bos Deville is according to many the wrong way of going about tuning forks. You cannot compensate for a spring that’s too soft with damping. A setup that gives good control at speed won't be plush. A stiffer setup may be faster for the first run or two but it'll beat you up after that if you're not in shape. Suspension is all about compromises and the Bos forks are no magic bullet.

the only thing you can do is introduce linear and progressive springs. I haven't got my head round these properly yet, the Bos appears to use progressive spring rates whilst the Lyrik uses linear. The majority of the motorcross world seem to use linear springs as they are easier to tune (damping is easier to tune throughout the springs compression range etc).

Had mine for about 18 months with no issues.
Just my tuppence worth, but the control and support they offer is a significant step up from either the Lyriks or 36's I've run before.
Like them so much, I've just got a VIP'r shock to go with them - which should make a good combination 🙂

I am a deville owner btw, best forks ever.

My point is that most people as bwaarp says have their forks too soft with not enough rebound, adjusted so that they get full travel in the car park .
This then links to all this crap about 'blowing through travel' which seems to be the only review most people can give about suspension and is again usually due to being too soft, rather than anything on the damping side.
I admit however its a tradeoff between comfort and speed.

For an extreme example of this, watch Aaron Gwins forks work on a race run. I am not sure he gets full travel even at Val di Sol....

I don't get the assumption that I am running them soft with mega because they are bos? Currently running 25% sag for most stuff looking for a do all setting.
If anything they damping feels more open than my lyrik which spikes, the interesting part is that the bos seems to control the amount of travel used without spiking etc.

I sound like a proper fan boy so I shall balance it out.

My forks were not equalising between the main and neg chamber. I ran them like this for months and both me and friends that tried them thought they were really good. There was a built fault which meant they would never equalise. Once this was realised and sorted my settings changed to much closer to factory settings. If you have these be careful that they are equalising. I thing I was told they should suck down slighty when you let all the air out but I have not tried it yet. Well worth checking as it makes a fair difference to small bump and damper settings.

Proper sag on forks? Ive never set up a pair of forks by sag as it always means they run too soft, always just do it by feel. However when I have looked at the sag after it tends to be in the 15% to 20% region for my Fox 36's and my Boxxers.

Have to run them stiff to keep them propped up which usually means i never get more than 75% travel out of them. I wondered therefore as the Devilles are alleged to sit higher in the travel and not prone to diving would they run similar my current setup with the exception of giving up a bit more travel when required.

Anyone notice a significant lack of stiffness compared to 36's? Someone mentioned they notice steering stiffness before anything else, I wouldnt say its first on my list but its right up there and could be a deal breaker.

I've had a set of 2012 Float's and now I have a set of Deville's on my Nomad.

I've used it for most things, including some DH racing when my DH bike was in bits.

Both with a tapered steerer, I can't really notice any difference in stiffness.

They do feel different to the Floats, in that they are very supple in the initial stroke, but still seem to be well controlled. Thats not to say they are better, just different in the way they work. To suggest they are miles ahead of anything else isn't the case IMO. They work well, just as good as any other high end fork. I think where they score well is they feel like the best bits of a coil fork (supple) and the best bits of an air fork (weight). I like the way they work, but thats just feel, it doesn't translate to any more speed on the trail.

luizsantos - Member

The intimate setting at Fish and Farm is perfect for groups who want to celebrate the San Francisco...yada, yada, yada...

Super, thanks.

25% sag

Youre running too much sag, unless you are setting the bike up for comfort as opposed to speed. Although I do drop to 25 percent sag for slow tight and twisty technical trails.

Have to run them stiff to keep them propped up which usually means i never get more than 75% travel out of them. I wondered therefore as the Devilles are alleged to sit higher in the travel and not prone to diving would they run similar my current setup with the exception of giving up a bit more travel when required.

Are you running floats? If so isn't the spring rate progressive and when you set up for the correct beginning and middle stroke support the ending stroke becomes to hard because of the progressiveness of air springs. What you need is a nice properly setup linear coil spring (U-turn lyriks are not, 36's and the now discontinued coil Lyrik RC2DH are). MXers tend to stay away from progressive springs of any sort.

I should imagine LoCo is the guy to talk to.

MXers tend to stay away from progressive springs of any sort.

I don't think they do.

Progression is built into the linkages on the rear and sometimes the windings.
Air spring above oil volume gives progressive bottom out resistance on forks - fine tuning oil height affects air volume and is a common fork tweak, as is bleeding off excess air to prevent harshness.
2013 KXF450 even comes with full air forks to aid fine tuning and add progression.

From my meandering around on thumpertalk, I'd gathered they all stayed well away from progressive springs. But hey.

Bwaarp we should start a thread on tuning of just kick the hell out of this one. It seems difficult for me to accept that you can tell me I am running too much sag unless I was way off the range. There are a whole lot of variables in there and most are personal. I don't claim to be Gwin or want the cack beat out of me and put most of my weight through my feet, 25% is working just fine and v enjoyable.

Youre running too much sag, unless you are setting the bike up for comfort as opposed to speed. Although I do drop to 25 percent sag for slow tight and twisty technical trails.

Seeing as most recomendations are for 25-33% that seems fine to me!

Seeing as most recomendations are for 25-33% that seems fine to me!

Partially wrong, something I learned when my brother was a sponsored downhiller. If you are an aggressive rider you need to be running less than the usual manufacturers recommendation of 20-30 percent sag. Basically if you want the best performance, you need to get fitter to deal with arm pump.

See: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/technical-tuesday-setting-sag-2010.html

It would seem then the Devilles are not really forks that give you "race" performance but comfort by being more progressive? I'm not sure I'd want that as I run bang on 20 percent sag.

It would seem then the Devilles are not really forks that give you "race" performance but comfort by being more progressive? I'm not sure I'd want that as I run bang on 20 percent sag.

Not really. Want less sag, put more air in.

Not really. Want less sag, put more air in.

So they are linear then and resist dive due to being heavily damped in the mid stroke? If not and they re progressive they'll ramp up to much towards the end compared to a linear spring.

I've had a play on a mates pair for about half a day, but not enough to know the ins and outs of them you see.

I don't get bad brake dive at 20 percent sag with my Lyriks, so I was looking at them for the decreased weight. Have they managed to find a way to keep the spring weight with air forks linear then?

I don't get the drum you are banging. You running inferior(just to wind you up :lol:) Lyriks solid as to get round their inherent diving. I have done this in the past but it removed enjoyment as I don't want my teeth punched in by my fork and have hand injuries from previous sports which don't enjoy the Gwin ride quality. The BOS seem to control their travel better without being sluggish from over damping or pumped up to hell. They just work nice, if all forks worked like this the pros might not have to set their forks up so hard 😉

I read that BOS always design trying to replicate linear coils but have no tested data to say what devilles curves are actually like. I doubt they are linear.

All I will say, is that for racing, you shouldn't be controlling fork dive with loads of compression, you use as little as you can get away with. If you are going fast enough for chassis stability to be a problem you should be upping the spring rate. Forks are always a trade off between comfort, control and grip and you have to find that compromise.

Therefore, FOR ME, I see no point in having the Devilles. My Lyiks ride high enough in their travel and don't dive badly. The Coil Lyiks with the modded damper or MC DH damper are more sensitive to small bumps than the Deville when set to my sag level from my limited experience on them. Might be different if I ran 25 percent sag.

Lyriks have the added bonus of being reliable, user serviceable with a ready supply of cheap spares.

I apologise, I'm just a very sceptical person. The BOS forks are great but I really do not get all the hype, they are not a whole load better IMO. Just a bit.