Fox Racing to Utilize Kashima Coat Technology in the 2011 Range

Fox Racing Shox, the highly rated designer and developer of suspension, has entered an exclusive arrangement with the Miyaki Company of Japan to use its Kashima Coat for suspension components in the bicycle industry. Kashima Coat will make its consumer debut in Fox Racing Shox’s 2011 model year aftermarket mountain bike suspension fork product line.

The Kashima Coat technology has been used for years across the motorcycle and automotive industries in suspension components and clutch and valve train assemblies because of its low-friction and ultra-wear resistance properties.

In the Kashima Coat process, lubricating molybdenum disulfide is deposited, via electrical induction, into the billions of micropores on the surface of hard-anodized aluminum. According to Fox with the debut on the international mountain bike racing circuit, the distinctive gold coloured, Kashima coated stanchions maintain better lubrication characteristics, and the lightweight aluminum components treated with Kashima Coat attain a level of hardness and abrasion resistance four times tougher than standard hard-anodized aluminum.

Throughout the 2009 mountain bike racing season, Fox Racing Shox utilized select sponsored athletes to test and race on suspension treated with Kashima Coating. “Before we started using Kashima Coat, we had been testing and racing on nickel coated upper tubes during the past two seasons,” explained Fox Racing Shox Mountain Bike Race Manager, Mark Fitzsimmons. “Although the friction properties were decent, the nickel’s durability was not. The Kashima parts we raced on maintained the low friction requirements we were after and exhibited excellent durability.”

“Beyond the obvious benefit of added durability, the significant decrease in friction proved to provide a tangible increase in suspension performance. Athletes who tested and raced with Kashima coated FOX Racing Shox suspension reported an improved overall consistency and feel with Kashima Coat.

When you are racing on the World Cup level, a huge percentage of races can be won or lost in the preparation of the bike — the seemingly small details that take the bike from good to excellent,” said 2008 Downhill World Champion, Gee Atherton. “The Kashima coating made the forks so much more reactive to the small hits that I would normally feel on rough terrain. When the forks were skittering over tiny bumps they could soak up the impact much more quickly, without giving me so much feedback through the bars. That’s a huge advantage on long courses.”