Long Termer: Foes Racing 4X

I’m going to come clean straight away and admit that I’m not a jumper. It’s not that I don’t like getting both wheels off the ground it’s just that I don’t know what to do when I get up there and it always seems to end in a tangled mess of limbs, pads and bike as my brain panics. I’ve tried ignoring its comments and warnings about going against Gravity but the brain always wins and I inevitably end up in a heap on the ground.

So you can imagine my surprise when I got the Foes 4X for a Long Termer. Me? The non-jumper? Aren’t these short travel, compact bikes all about styling up whips over 50ft doubles etc? (I may not be able to do it but I can talk a good jump at least…). Well, I was soon to find out.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed about the frame was that monocoque toptube. Flared and fluted for maximum strength & stiffness when you’re on the bike it looks like a fuel tank from above (Which is obviously why we heard you making BRAAAAAP noises on more than one occasion… James) and makes the whole structure of the frame incredibly stiff.

Looking closer you notice the immaculate welding that has gone into the construction of the 4X frame. I didn’t take a tape measure to it but there is a lot of work put into welding one of these together and no-where was there an irregular weld.

Foes don’t do multi pivots / 4 bar or VPP systems relying instead on a massive single pivot mounted above & slightly in front of the BB (inline with the middle chainring if you ran a triple) which keeps pedal induced feedback to a minimum but allows the suspension to remain fully active over even the smallest bumps. Obviously the Curnutt XTD air shock with its platform damping helps but more on that later.

Because this is a single pivot frame it’s torsionally very rigid. My regular first test of any new bike is to drop a pedal to the 6 o’clock position and put all my body weight through it. Being a heavy guy I can normally get a good amount of flex from even the stiffest of frames but with the Foes 4X the only flex came from the wheels so no worries about how well this bike is going to track over the rough stuff! A contributing factor to this rigidity is the swing link that connects the center of the frame to the top of the swingarm where the shock mounts.

The Ride

The bike came fitted out with a veritable wish-list component wise: Thomson X4 stem & Seatpost, Easton bars, Hope M4 brakes (with the fancy floating & drilled / slotted rotors), Saint cranks, MRP chain device, Atomlab hubs, Mavic rims, Continental freeride tires, Manitou Gold Label jump forks, Cane creek headset, XT mech & shifter, Speedplay ‘Drillium’ pedals, WTB Speed V saddle and ODI ‘LockOn’ grips. All up weight came in at a nudge over 34lbs which for something built to take all 280lbs of me is fantastic.

Obviously a major feature of this bike is the Curnutt XTD Air shock. All Foes suspension frames use a low leverage ratio of 2:1 (For every 2″ of wheel travel the shock will move 1″) which means the shock itself looks bulky but by using an air shock they’ve knocked over 1lb off the weight of the bike and because the shock is so big it runs at lower pressures meaning your seals last longer, small bump response is better and with the 2:1 ratio you get less stress through the shock and frame.

A very neat feature built into the XTD shock itself is an adjustable rod end which allows you to tweak the head angle by +/-1° - with the stock angle being 69° this gives you plenty of adjustment to suit most any course.

XTD stands for ‘External Threshold Damping’ which means that you can adjust the level of platform damping externally and aren’t limited to the factory pre-sets. Adjustment is made via a big, chunky knurled knob that’s easy to grip in gloves and unlike most Shock adjustments a little tweak does make a big difference.

I left the head angle set at 69° and headed to the track for a shakedown ride. After strapping on pads and full face helmet I headed out for a lap with the intention of just seeing what adjustments I’d need to make to the suspension. I needn’t have worried - I didn’t have to change a thing.

The platform damping in the shock controlled any weight activated suspension motion, even when I was sprinting hard and really hauling on the bars. Through turns the frame tracked perfectly true and responded instantly to the slightest indication I wanted to change line. Normally I hit berms low and get gradually higher and faster but from my first lap I was hitting them at full speed and at full lean. After 3 laps I pulled up, grinning like an idiot and considering (for the first time in my life) entering a 4X race.

After that, things only got better. I found myself pulling out the 4X whenever I needed to ride somewhere and it quickly became my street bike as well as my ‘jump’ bike. While I’d love to be able to say that I was instantly transformed into a jumping Deity, sadly that wouldn’t be true. I have however finally figured out Manuals and take every opportunity I can to jump over / off stuff that I come across. Even a trip from my house to the Coffee place is an opportunity to jump off kerbs and down flights of steps.

It’s not me. It’s the bike. It’s possessed Officer.

Summary

After a year I’m still ridiculously happy every time I get on this bike. I’ve had no problems at all from it, everything still functions perfectly. I did have to change the first Curnutt shock after a month of use - on top-out there was a very faint click which Foes diagnosed to be an internal valve that wasn’t seated quite fully. It didn’t have any affect on the ride or suspension action at all but next day I had a new Curnutt XTD shock at my door all setup for my weight ready to be fitted. No more noise and Foes have got a fan for life.

The Foes 4X has made me enjoy just getting out and playing on a bike. It’s pushed me to try new things and I am (slowly) learning to jump better. It’s not cheap but it is fantastically made and the most reliable bike in my collection. I’d have no problems recommending this bike to anyone who’s looking for a tough and highly capable 4X / Slalom/ Street or Dirt machine. If you can afford it - I’d advise you to buy one.

The Details

Frame - Foes Racing 4X 2:1, Large, Curnutt XTD Air shock.
Forks - Manitou Gold Label Jump Series 2 (XX Firm kit installed) 
Headset - Cane Creek S3
Stem - Thomson X4 50mm 0°
Bars - Easton EA70 DH
Seatpost - Thomson Elite
Saddle - WTB Rocket V
Brakes - Hope M4 Mono 180/180
Shifter - Shimano XT
Rear mech’ - Shimano XT
Crank - Shimano Saint
Hubs - Atomlab Aircorp
Rims - Mavic EX729
Tires - Continental Gravity UST
Pedals - Speedplay Drillium

Frame & Shock MSRP / RRP = $2499.00 / £1499.00

For more details on the complete Foes Racing range visit their website at www.foesracing.com

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