Avalanche Downhill Racing, Inc. was formed in 1998 by the owners of C Cycle Suspension and WTE Racing to provide the industry with a high performance front suspension capable of meeting the demands of extreme down hill racing. The performance goal was to design the front suspension with the latest features of motocross technology, while maintaining down hill racing requirements. Craig Seekins, owner of C Cycle Suspension, provides 16 years of motocross suspension tuning and 19 years of mechanical design engineering experience to Avalanche. Eric Wold, of WTE Racing, provides Avalanche with the insights and contacts of a NORBA expert racer, as well as 13 years of top quality CNC machining experience. Riders like Lars Tribus,"Pistol" Pete Loncarevich, Adrian Cortina, John Moore, Fred Bassett and many more have provided valuable input during the
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development of Avalanche forks. Today, Avalanche is committed to providing limited production "Works Forks" for the most demanding downhill rider. Each fork is custom set-up for the individual needs of the rider. Our dedication to the sport will ensure the highest quality and performance, guaranteed.
Craig showed the DHF fork series in 2004. It includes forks with different configurations. We will find lighter DH racing forks (DHF 7, 8 St, Ti) and heavier freeride hucking forks (DHF Hk).
Outside
Fork looks like its from the MX World. Like all avalanche forks it has an upside down construction. Its 100% CNC made from high class anodized aluminum alloys. The lower stanchions have a 37mm diameter and are teflon coated. The upper stanchions have a 43mm diameter. The crowns are beautifully CNC machined and are mounted to the stanchions using four bolts plus one bolt mounting the upper crown to the lightweight aluminum steerer tube. The 20mm hub axle is mounted in the dropouts using four bolts.
On the top right stanchion we can find a rebound damping adjuster (22 clicks) and a compression damping adjuster under the right dropout (22 clicks). Plastic guards are bolted to the dropouts protecting the lower stanchions from impacts. The left dropout has a IS brake mount. The DHF 7 has 180mm (7”) travel. You can order ½” longer caps to get a longer stack height (no extra costs). A headlock system is included with the fork.
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Inside
The left side of the fork consists a steel spring. The right stanchion hides the heart of the DHF, its damping system with an anty-bottoming hydraulic system. We can tune the fork perfectly to our riding style thanks to different washer combinations and oil heights. Changing the oil height changes the progressing rate. Every avalanche fork is set for a specific riders weight and valved to riders style (DH or FR). Both sides have an open oil bath. All the bushings are Teflon coated. High class ARS and NOK seals and wipers are used to keep the dirt out.
Real World
The fork got in our hands in march 2007. It was set for a 70kg rider and valved for DH racing. The test was very clear: racing and training throughout the 2007 season. The first look at the fork and we found out how beautifully it was manufactured. Every detail of it is precisely machined making it look very high quality. Its weight wasn’t great but its not an anchor with its 3.8kg. After getting it mounted we noticed the DHF’s turning radius was great at almost 180 and its high stiffness compared to other upside down forks. The first compression of this fork showed how super smooth it works. Our bike was equipped with an avalanche Woodie shock so the suspension was perfectly dialed together. The first rides just confirmed our expectations. It softens out every bump. Its smoothness and damping cant be compared to any other DH fork. Pure MX quality.
Our fork had a narrow range of damping adjustment but it was very precise. The forks worked very linear throughout its travel but at the end we could feel the hydraulic anty-bottoming system preventing harsh bottoming. Thanks to its stiffness the fork corners precisely and thanks to its low stack height we had great control over the front wheel in all situations.
Thanks to the oil bath, temperature doesn’t have any influence on the DHF’s performance. The sealing system keeps all the dirt out and the fork works in the same way in any weather conditions. Every Avalanche fork has a full two year maintenance free warranty. This fork was used in 12 DH races and numerous training sessions in Poland and Slovakia and its performance was identical all the time. During the end of august we noticed a noise coming from the left stanchion. After unscrewing the to cap we noticed the spring was a bit loose and after setting the preload the problem vanished. Our fork had lots of crashes. Under hard impact the crowns tend to turn but that’s a normal thing in the upside down fork world. The crowns are straight till this day. Its really hard to find any down points of this suspension piece of art... maybe its weight :)
Summery
Perfect equipment for riders looking for something individual and maintenance free. For 995$ You get a super plush and smooth fork with endless tuning possibilities. What could You want more?...
 pros:- performace - stiffness - adjustability - maintenance free - turning radius - high quality finish | DHF 7 set-up options: Set-up - Downhill racing or freeriding Weight range - 125-250 lbs Optional 1/2" Extended fork caps for larger tires Weight 8.7 lbs Cost - $995 Set-up - Hucking, Freeriding, large drops Weight range - 145-250 lbs Optional 1/2" Extended fork caps for larger tires Weight 9.5 lbs Cost - $1795 Download PDF: Avalanche DHF 7 Owners Manual Related sites: http://www.avalanchedownhillracing.com |
| cons: - weight |