Magura, the German suspension and brake company, have recently announced the new products for their 2009 lineup. Some models have been improved, lightened and revamped and some new products appear too. Here we take a look at the new editions to the suspension fork range.

The suspension fork division enjoyed a revamp in 2008 with the new Wotan and Durin forks proving extremely popular. But there is a new kid on the block for gravity riders - The Thor. Aimed at the All Mountain category, the Thor has adjustable travel allowing 140mm - 100mm of movement from a fork that looks very similar to the Durin in distinctive white livery with the red sock on one leg.

You have hopefully noticed the Maxle 360 degree fitting which should lead to excellant tracking, the 32mm legs further reducing the flex. Damping is taken care of by Magura’s Albert select and comes complete with remote control lever. Weighing in at 1,785g/3.93lbs its actually lighter than some cross country forks. Magura have also thoughfully specced the fork with a 7″ mounting bracket for a 180mm rotor, removing the need for an adapter and saving more weight. If this fork rides as well as the shorter travel Durin then it could become a design classic straight away. Watch out Fox!

2008 has been a pretty stunning year for Magura’s cross country riders. At the World Championships all three female podium positions were Magura riders - Margarita Fullana, Sabina Spitz and Irina Kalentieva. The fork they all ride, the Durin MD100SL (for superlight), will shortly be available to mere mortals, an improvement on the already popular Durin.

So what’s new? Well the weight has been cut by 70 grams on the 100mm version with a fixed damping position (no remote). The fork disc mount is now also like the Thor, sized to take a 160mm rotor without an adapter. Otherwise the fork remains true to its roots as a top class cross-country weapon. Here at Spoke we have been riding the orgional Durin MD100R for some time now (review to follow shortly) and can highly recommend it as our fork of the year.

The DAD (Double Arch Design) and 32mm fork legs really work to produce a very stiff fork with great tunability. The 2008 fork has proved popular on the Irish circuit with two of our top racers Niall Davis and Conor McConvey speccing it on their race bikes. We expect to see more of them in 2009.

Another add on to the Durin range is the Durin Marathon fork which comes in two versions - either a fixed 120mm fork or an adjustable model which allows for 120mm to 80mm travel set by the rider. Fitted for a 160mm disc (no mount needed) the fork can be used with a remote lock out lever. Weighing about 100mm more than the standard version this fork may be the most versatile fork on the market capable of enduro weekend hacks and full on cross country racing.

Magura also offer a unique fork customisation programme which allows riders to pick the colour of their fork from a list. Lower legs in white, yellow, orange, pink, red, olive, turquoise, dark blue or silver are available, contact your dealer for details or see the comanies website.

Stay tuned to Spoke for details on the new Magura MX rear suspension unit and 2009 disc brake lineup over the next week and the review of the Durin fork soon.