Those of you who have been pedaling for a few years like myself will remember the Fimoco forks, pieces of fine craftsmanship that still remain in the imagination of those who lived the dawn of this sport. Behind this project there is him, mr. Fimoco, born Pablo Fiorini, an engineer with a passion for well-made forks. before moving on to the actual test we chatted with the designer to better understand the construction philosophy behind the Brigh racing shoks project
Pablo is a sapper with a visceral passion for mtb and above all for the technology that is inside modern dirt road vehicles, listening to the explanations of his products is something interesting that makes you feel firsthand how much work there is now behind. products that seem simple in appearance only.
Having had the opportunity to speak directly with the father of this fork, we decided to leave the technical explanation of the product to him, our task will be to illustrate the results in the field that we have perceived with this fork mounted, among other things on different vehicles. .
Hi Pablo, for me you are still Mr. Fimoco, why did you decide to go back to designing fork for MTB.
The passion for the bike has never abandoned me and after years in the aeronautics I would like to make the skills acquired available to the world that most fascinates me.
Having had the opportunity to speak directly with the father of this fork, we decided to leave the technical explanation of the product to him, our task will be to illustrate the results in the field that we have perceived with this fork mounted, among other things on different vehicles. .
TELL US ABOUT THE ACAD SYSTEM, BUTTON CENTER OF YOUR FORKS
The ACAD system (Anti Cavitation Active Damper) is the heart of the fork system and is the element that manages its entire behavior.
Over 60 pieces, each carefully designed, sized, shaped to obtain the best result of precision and control.
Each component is designed and developed with the intent of achieving maximum damping efficiency and conveying the feeling of infinite excursion.The ACAD is a sealed cartridge with a preloaded volume compensation system that uses a rigid diaphragm inside. of a high precision cylinder placed at the head of the cartridge body.
Being a product intended for high performance and competitions, we have used technologies and materials that allow to reach low weights and resistance to high pressures, working extensively in the design of mathematical models to calibrate volumes, lengths and hydraulic flows and create a stable and reactive cartridge. . This type of diaphragm is more expensive in its production but guarantees greater resistance to stress and constant support of the suspension,
If we were to translate this concept into exploitation of the excursion we could say that to absorb the same amount of energy (generated by the impacts with the ground) of a common MTB sport hydraulic cartridge, we use 30% less running.
We have also concentrated on managing the progressivity of the pneumatic spring, designing a hollow pneumatic chamber, of reduced dimensions, which allows to obtain great elasticity and a very accentuated progression curve.
If the system set up is correct, the end of stroke is never reached even with very low working pressures.
Why oversize the cartridge and work so hard on materials?
Increased cartridge body structure means maintaining damping accuracy under repeated and continuous loads even at high speeds, without losing efficiency.
The oversizing of the cartridge body and the valves (especially the compression valve) finds its reasons precisely in this.
The cartridge is entirely made from solid, with very precise CNC machining. All the aluminum pieces are made of 7075-T73, many parts are made of high-strength technopolymers whose characteristics touch those of steel but with unparalleled smoothness.
The main parts of the system are sanded by hand, one by one, before the surface treatments, in order to guarantee smoothness under stress and durability.
Last but not least, we have also integrated the pneumatic spring in a single cartridge. In the F929 fork, equipped with the ACAD system, the air chamber is positioned under the cartridge body. In this way, the antagonistic forces generated in the compression and extension phases are superimposed and run along the same axis, guaranteeing a high operating precision of the fork even on the severely bumpy.
Furthermore, by replacing only the hydraulic cartridge, the entire active fork system is replaced, a huge advantage in the service phase and during competitions when you need to change settings quickly and precisely.
During the service phase, this allows saving time but also a very fast diagnosis and solution of operating problems.
The ability to reduce accelerations during compression is the basic feature of a hydraulic damping system.
Tell us more about the SENSITIVE LOCKOUT active system
The system called SENSITIVE LOCKOUT is a proprietary technology, developed for the management of the hydraulic brake in compression.
To summarize in a very trivial way, it is your tutor, who automatically corrects errors or uncertainties in driving or who allows you to relaunch on the pedals without making you lose grip.
The SL compression valve is part of the damping system integrated into the compression management module, located at the top, in the bulkier part of the cartridge body.
It is a 3-way valve, one for oil recovery and the other two remaining ways manage the passage of fluid during the active phase of damping the shocks. There is also a 4 which has the task of safeguarding the cartridge in case of very high accidental overloads.
Of these, one is manually adjusted by the user using the compression control knob (or lever) and one is automatically managed by the system and is of the "sensitive" type.
The path called "sensitive" acts in real time, with excitation speeds that can be measured in a few milliseconds and with a progressive elastic activation, allowing you to count on the system continuously and directly, while pedaling or while facing the path, without ever having a solution of continuity between the work of the automatic valve and that of the manual throttling.
The peculiarity of the SL is to manage the two main ways so that one supports the other and in particular by ensuring that the automatic channel opens when pressure overloads occur due to unforeseen stresses.
The automatic channel also manages the high speed range in complete autonomy, guaranteeing extra openings at the precise moment when they are needed.
The elastic system that regulates the automatic channel can be supplied in three different “hardnesses” which correspond to as many valve behaviors.

What is the Tuning Service or Set Up
System tuning is the activity that allows you to modify some basic parameters in order to make the system usable to a precise rider / user.
The tuning phase is the one that allows the individual user to get the most out of the system.
Each athlete is different and each athlete / user has different weight, height, posture, driving style, different talents.
The BrightRS system provides an almost infinite series of variants of the various active components (valves, pistons, adjustment controls, etc.).
This allows us to obtain a huge number of different adjustments in search of the "perfect fork".
When the racing needs require it, the tuning work leads to very sensitive improvements that are reflected in high performance.

ON THE FIELD
The first thing that catches the eye is the size of this fork: truly massive, with a generously sized head machined from solid and two imposing aeronautical-derived composite material stems.


The adjustments are immediate, an air chamber, the rebound knob and above that of the compression and on. We would have preferred the micrometric adjustments to the linear ones, so as to be able to make comparisons more easily, but it must be said that the fork perceives even the slightest rotation of the rings, showing great sensitivity. Speaking of an upside-down suspension, the first instinct is to check the lateral stiffness with what we could define as the bar test, or stop the front wheel and see if the steering turns. I do not recommend doing this because the stiffness of this fork must be tested in motion, in fact the stems slide inside the chainstays, but the bearings also move with them, so the more the fork sinks, the greater the blocked surface and therefore the higher it is also. stiffness. We have been able to see this in action, in fact the dry feeling is decidedly different from that of setting the tightest curves where the load of the front axle is high, the precision that we have been able to ascertain is from the top of the range.
Uphill
We are talking about a fork intended for trail bikes that wink at all mountain, so it is necessary to check its operation even on climbs.

It is possible to completely block it by operating the knob that adjusts the compression, thus transforming it into a rigid fork, but the surprising thing is the stability that is also obtained by leaving it with the standard settings, those used in descents. despite the excellent sensitivity even on small bumps, the fork remains stable even in the sections where you pedal standing up, giving a perception of rigidity that winks at the forks intended for the 'xc, to help this design that does not include a sag as important as on all other forks. In fact, the brigh suspension does not need an initial lunge, so the 130 mm are all effective.
Downhill

Immediately there is an excellent stability and precision, the absorption of shocks in succession is excellent, as well as the buoyancy in the sections where it is possible to soap the roughness, of the precision in setting the curve we have already mentioned before, but let's try to elaborate on the concept, the modern driving leads to anticipate the curves a lot, also climbing on the banks where possible to round them as much as possible and close them in the second phase also trying to pump to find that acceleration useful to keep the speed high in all situations. The setting of the curve is precise, the possibility of directing the wheel where we want as well and when it is time to close to make the bike turn it all happens with high precision. The feeling is that unlike other softer forks, the deformation of the knobs and the work of the tire are better perceived, undoubtedly thanks to a structure that transmits forces correctly. Some forks in absorbing shocks cancel all the sensations that must be transmitted to the handlebars, here instead, while cushioning the bumps well, there is a positive transmission of the ground that helps driving. In saying this we must remember that we are facing a fork designed for an advanced public, who knows how to ride the bike and is looking for those details that can perfect the ride.
Compared to other products, it is still necessary to work to improve the initial sensitivity, that detachment point which here is slightly more delayed, but the possibility of personalized tuning will certainly obviate this perception that we had with the fork on test.
PROJECTED IMPACT
An excellent product for those looking for the high-performance niche product with customized tuning possibilities. A product designed with care and passion that will delight all those who prefer hand-made products to those produced on an industrial scale. Immediately intuitive and precise, she wants the rough and curvy terrain to get excited
