Tech

Review: Lauf Trail Racer 29

· By Nick · 24 comments

Meet the Lauf Trail Racer 29. A lightweight, ruthless and futuristic mountain bike fork.

Lauf TR29 3.jpg

The mechanics behind the Lauf are straightforward. Inspired by leaf suspension, it uses carbon shafts and twelve composite springs to suspend the front axle. I won’t pretend to have an understanding of the materials and construction techniques used to create the Lauf, but the naked carbon version we tested looks fantastic on the trail.

The TR29 offers a mere 60mm of travel but comes in at a weight of around 990g (half a kilo lighter than conventional cross-country forks). The sub-kilogram weight does however come at cost. There is no rebound dampening or any kind of suspension adjustment. You simply have to pick between the regular fork (the fork we rode) which caters for riders over 65kg (topping out at 110kg) and the light fork which suits riders under 70kg.

Lauf TR29 1.jpg
Lauf TR29 2.jpg

Another very appealing characteristic of the Lauf is that it requires zero maintenance. Not even a quick rinse after a ride is needed. Slap it on a single speed and you’ll be unstoppable.

The ride

The intention of the Lauf is to provide a lightweight option for cross-country riders. But how much can it really handle?

Gravel roads

The Lauf performed well on the jeep track and the mild single track found around Table Mountain. At first it felt a bit rigid but I soon grew accustomed to this and later completely forgot about the front end.

The reduced weight was instantly noticeable and appreciated on the climbs. The steering felt sharp and predictable.

Lauf TR29 5.jpg
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The Lauf handled the relatively tame single track on Table Mountain admirably. It wasn’t a magic carpet ride but I was satisfied with the way it handled the rocks and ruts.

I thoroughly enjoyed riding the Lauf on less technical rides. I found the downsides were negligible on gravel and smoother single track making it a serious consideration for this type of riding.

On the trails

On technical rocky and rutted single track the control and comfort provided by the Lauf was poor.

Lauf TR29 4.jpg

The Lauf lacked composure on rough terrain. Due to the absence of dampening and the high spring rate, any succession of rocks, roots or ruts felt like I’d imagine operating a jackhammer to feel. Over dense rock gardens, I simply held on hoped I’d smash through. My arms soon turned to putty. Half way down Cool Runnings at Welvanpas, a long open rutted descent, I have to admit that I pulled over for a quick breather.

It was during this shameful respite that I realised I was doing it all wrong. I needed to stop fighting the fork and adjust my riding style to suit it. I started becoming an active participant on the bike. I focussed even further ahead, cut my lines like a surgeon, and lifted and pumped the front wheel. This approach was hard work but it was rewarding and brought the Lauf to life.

Lauf TR29 13.jpg
Lauf TR29 14.jpg

Bike park

We took the Lauf to Chris Nixon’s bike park at Constantia Uitsig to take some photos. We inevitably found ourselves, and others, giving the bike a go. It turned out to be great fun on the pump track and proved to handle dirt jumps with ease.

Lauf TR29 8.jpg
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Conclusion

The Lauf achieves its goal of being a lightweight option for everyday riders and serious racers who participate in the less technical disciplines of mountain biking. It suits the majority of South African trails and our obsession with covering kilometres. For endurance races, the Lauf has proven itself by breaking records at 36ONE this year and we’d happily ride it on smoother stage races like sani2c. I’m not advocating that everyone rushes out to buy this fork but if you’ve ever flirted with the idea of going rigid upfront, the Lauf is an excellent compromise.

If tricky trails are your thing, the Lauf can offer a new and challenging experience through the riding style that needs to be adopted to cater for the Lauf’s lack of big hit prowess. But don’t expect to be winning any enduros with one of these.

Technical details

  • Wheels29” or 27.5”
  • Travel60mm / 2.35” travel
  • Weightsub 990g / 2.18lbs (175mm steerer with Lauf axle)
  • Unsprung weight260g unsprung weight
  • Spring rateRegular (over 65kg riders) and Light (under 70kg riders)
  • Axle15mm Lauf thru axle
  • Rake48mm (29″) / 45mm (27.5″)
  • Axle to crown485mm (29″) / 466mm (27.5″)
  • SteererTapered 1 1/8” – 1 1/2” (uncut length 250mm)
  • Min rotor size180mm
  • Max tire width2.35”
  • Rider weight limit110kg / 243lbs
  • ColoursCarbon red, carbon orange, carbon green, carbon blue, carbon white, full white, full red, naked glossy, naked matte.
  • RRPR12,000

Comments

Rocket-Boy

May 19, 2015, 7:20 AM

At that price Im not sure its worth it. Unless you are looking to win less technical stage races of course.

rock

May 19, 2015, 7:32 AM

if you're the carbon hardtail 29er type rider with a flat carbon bar and races marathons its the fork you want to build up a light bike.

 

half the price of a RS-1 :)

LONE TWO

May 19, 2015, 8:40 AM

saw one of these on the spruit about 2 weeks ago on a swift carbon hardtail, It  looks super weird tho 

DJ84

May 19, 2015, 8:45 AM

I reckon i might get one,

loved the rigid but was just a tad rough at times.

 

This will be a good compromise for me i think.

Marius

May 19, 2015, 8:50 AM

Weight saving of about 600 grams over a normal light weight fork. I'm also not sure a one trick pony is worth R12k

Mongoose!

May 19, 2015, 10:31 AM

Lock out?

Tubehunter

May 19, 2015, 10:58 AM

Sounds like the perfect fork for that new BMC pseudo hardtail frame!

Nick

May 19, 2015, 10:58 AM

Lock out?

 

No lock out. Wasn't a concern for me though. There was very little movement when out the saddle and the high spring rate keeps things relatively stiff.

Tubehunter

May 19, 2015, 11:17 AM

Here you go. Pair the fork to this and do a review!

 

http://www.marathonmtb.com/2015/05/11/bmc-release-new-teamelite-01-a-racing-evolution/

Fisan

May 19, 2015, 11:20 AM

Weight saving of about 600 grams over a normal light weight fork. I'm also not sure a one trick pony is worth R12k

 

600 grams is a lot if your current bike is already at 9kg. And considering what people would pay for the advantages of the RS1 above the SID (for example)... or the amount people spend on a Single-speed rigid MTB, it becomes less ridiculous.

 

That said, I won't buy it myself. But just imagine the mean marathon machines pro-teams (or people who have enough money) could create with this...

Heel Drop

May 19, 2015, 11:46 AM

what makes it so expensive ? No maintenance it should be half the price 

Hairy

May 19, 2015, 11:49 AM

what makes it so expensive ? No maintenance it should be half the price 

more than likely a time consuming construction process and labour (human labour, not some automated mechanism) is naturally a fair bit more costly........that or they have moerse markups :P

Monark

May 19, 2015, 12:14 PM

Considering one on the cyclocross bike

skipperw

May 19, 2015, 12:32 PM

what makes it so expensive ? No maintenance it should be half the price 

 

No maintenance means it should be double the price...

Hairy

May 19, 2015, 12:51 PM

No maintenance means it should be double the price...

....mmm...no.

skipperw

May 19, 2015, 12:57 PM

....mmm...no.

... mmm... yes. You pay for all your maintenance upfront!
Hairy

May 19, 2015, 1:00 PM

... mmm... yes. You pay for all your maintenance upfront!

so if I can make a tyre that never goes flat for R1.00 and could sell if for R2.00 to make a decent profit, but because you never have to fix the flat again I should now charge you R8.00 as this is what you would have paid to repeatedly fix the flats?

 

Not saying this is what the Lauf chaps are doing, as noted I believe this to be a labour intensive product to make, just scratching my head at your point made.

Goodbadugly

May 19, 2015, 1:54 PM

My riding experience:

I bought one a month ago. I had a few tough days at work and thought retail therapy might be the answer. :blush:

I will try not to repeat what was said by others.

 

The Bad

At first I installed the fork on my Lynskey ridgeline. The wheels on the bike was built with revolution spokes and 350 gram rims(read lightweight with flex). I wish I could say it was good. But it was not. The flex in the system was simply disastrous. The flexy frame, flex in the wheels, lightweight tires and flex in the fork made the bike difficult to steer. I nearly had a speed wobble going down a straight tar road! :cursing:

 

I changed the wheels to my trusty Arch EX wheels and it felt better. But still not what I expected.

 

The good

The next option was to put it on my Santa Cruz Highball carbon frame. Now this is a stiff frame. I previously had 2 Reba forks on this frame. A old style qr model and a 15mm thru axle fork. There was still some flex in the system. Somewhere between the qr Reba and the TA Reba.  :thumbup:

I will review my experience on the Highball then.

  1. On tar as expected it is a very comfy ride.
  2. Gravel road is a pleasure.
  3. Hitting smallish sinkplaatpad is better than any air fork. The reduced upsprung weight shows its advantages.
  4. Hitting rough sinkplaatpad at speed is really bad. Maybe even worse than a 100mm air fork on a hardtail.
  5. Enough dirtroady riding. And off to Mankele. We went up the old Sabie road, stayed left after the climb up to the ridge. Then down the mountain to the dirt road where we connected to the gold route. A long steady climb. Then down on the other side through Sappi and Junior bushtunnel and back to Mankele.
  • The first thing that was noticeable was that this is a very light bike. Climbing was phenomenal. Out of the saddle climbing was superb. Bob was unnoticeable. And the flex that killed the idea of the fork on the other frame was gone.
  • Going slowly through the first little rock garden proved to be more challenging than I at first thought it would be. The front end of the bike not only bounced up, but also sideways when you hit a rock. More so than with a Reba. Higher speed fixed this to a large extent.
  • The jeeptrack as can be expected was good. Smooth flowing singletrack was fun. Small drops was good, but bigger ones required a LOT of arm and leg suspension.
  • I can't really say that the handling of the bike in tighter singletrack was any worse than with a 100mm air fork. Neither did flex bother me in singletrack.
  • One thing that stands out is that this is not a fork for a lazy rider. If you like sitting back on your full susser while you fly down the other side of the mountain, this is not what you need. Be awake and prepared to work when you ride this fork.
  • I had to get used to the riding style of the fork. Remember that there is no dampening. On the plus side it is much easier to lift the front end of the bike over an obstacle. Just compress it and up goes the front wheel.
  • I did not experience any problematic brake diving.
  • NO stiction. Ever.

The ugly

  1. The fork costs more than 4 generic ridged carbon forks.
  2. Half the price of a RS1.
  3. Twice the price of a SID.

The question then:

Is it worth R10k-ish?

  1. If you are a weight weenie who actually ride the bike it is a good option.
  2. If you can fork out R5k for a bike maintenance package on a stage race, R10k might not pose a big obstacle.
  3. I still have to ride a lightweight air suspension that is still excellent after 24 months of riding. That includes forks serviced on a regular basis. If you ride 6 hours a week, you will ride 100 hours in 4 months. At least 2 services/year on your SID. You will pay the Lauf off in 2 years. And (hopefully) it won't be dead like a lightweight air suspension fork after 2 years. A new SID will cost you R7.8k (CWCycles). Meaning that the Lauf will set you back R4k more. For 600 grams less on the bike.
  4. $1050 is not the manufacturing cost. Neither does it cost R30k to manufacture a Specialized SWORKS hardtail frame.

Is it worth it? Not if you are a blue-collar worker. But I will certainly not be surprised to see this fork on a top end carbon hardtail in 2016-7 straight from the factory. :ph34r:

 

Will I buy it again? 

This is not a Jack-of-all-trades fork. It is a marathon fork. A KOM/QOM fork. A verydirtydustyroadyfork. Unfortunately I am closer to the wheelchair than the perambulator in age. So no KOM's in my near future. :wacko: 

BLACKvoodoo

May 19, 2015, 2:02 PM

For 12k wouldn't you rather get a full carbon DT Swiss that has plenty of set up gadgets to keep you happy on the rocks and on the gravel and anywhere in between.. 

Goodbadugly

May 19, 2015, 2:31 PM

For 12k wouldn't you rather get a full carbon DT Swiss that has plenty of set up gadgets to keep you happy on the rocks and on the gravel and anywhere in between.. 

I am not into multiple gadgets. I prefer a knife with one blade.

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RocknRolla

May 20, 2015, 7:22 AM

nice review Gbu, thanks for taking the time to write it.

ChUkKy

May 21, 2015, 11:01 AM

I see a similarity...

 

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CohJksnlT1g/maxresdefault.jpg

Heel Drop

May 21, 2015, 4:48 PM

12 k for a fork that can only be used in certain surfaces means change of fork or two bikes to be able to ride all surfaces comfortably - I will do with just one air fork which can do it all 

 

long dirt road races its good for if that's all you do but if you want to ride your bike any time anywhere at least an air fork gives much more options - I like the idea and if it was cheaper perhaps it could have been an extra fork for long dirt roads but not at 12k

i24

May 24, 2015, 7:51 PM

A conventional fork has a bridge between the two lowers so they have to move up and down together. There appears to be nothing stopping these forks from moving out of phase, one extending while the other is compressing, causing the wheel to rock from side to side. Can anybody who has ridden one comment, if you pull the wheel from side to side between the forks, how far will it move? Can the tyre touch the fork.

 

I know the loads on a bicycle wheel are almost always directly up and down, but the above freedom movement might trigger off some unexpected handling side effects or even a wheel wobble, particularly as there is no visible damping.

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