Introduction
We introduced you to the Kingfisher last year in Whistler. The samples that you rode were incorrect, so you weren’t able to get a good feel for what the bike was all about. Now we are back, with production bikes, ready to give you another run at the mountain on Fisher’s answer for the 7” travel full suspension market.

Key Points

• 7” of rear wheel travel
• 38mm OD sealed cartridge pivot bearings
• 25mm thru axle pivot
• Cold forged pivot assembly
• Externally fastened bearings for wider pivot stance
• Ideal pivot location for bump compliance and pedaling efficiency
• 1.5” Headtube
• Asymmetric Swingarm with no drive-side chainstay
• Replaceable dropouts convert from standard, 10mm thru-axle, and Saint
• Dual crown compatible

Philosophy - Pedal, not Push
The Kingfisher is a pedal bike, not a push bike. On a Fisher, you are free to ride from spot to spot, not rely on a lift or shuttle to get around. With optimized pivot placement there is limited pedal feedback, and with Fox DHX shock technology unwanted suspension movement is eliminated. Crucial in the design was the 73 degree seattube angle. This puts the rider in a pedal friendly position regardless of saddle height.

Frame
The frame had to be rock solid on the Kingfisher. From front to back, this is the burliest bike Fisher has ever built. The 1.5” externally butted headtube is as strong as they come. It also allows for more surface area to weld the heavily manipulated top and down tubes for superior strength. These tube shapes distribute torsional forces as well as shock point loading in the main frame. The junction between the top and seat tube is gusseted for rock-solid strength.

The super stiff I-beam pivot and bottom bracket forging opposes pedaling and torsional forces while once again providing more surface area to weld the down and seat tubes. The mechanically fastened 38mm OD cartridge pivot bearings are captured in the swingarm with a wider and more rigid stance for optimized stiffness and durability.

Kingfisher’s asymmetric swingarm is designed for maximum stiffness and drivetrain versatility. Massive forgings create the junction between the pivot bearings and the rear shock mount for a very stiff, responsive, and durable assembly. An elevated driveside box-section stay eliminates drivetrain complexities while the non-drive side retains a traditional, yet oversized, configuration. Replaceable rear dropouts allow a rider to choose from a 10mm through axle, standard quick release, or Saint style thru-axle and use of a Brake Therapy Floating Caliper.

Single Pivot
A properly designed single pivot bike is simple, robust, low maintenance, smooth and efficient. Proper pivot placement is essential of course. The Kingfisher’s pivot is located just in front of the crankset and only slightly above the bottom bracket for a balance of efficiency and plushness. It is placed in such a way to maximize the axle path regardless of what portion of the travel the wheel is in. When sagged into its travel the recommended amount the drivetrain is neutral in relation to the suspension. In other words, when you pedal you don’t affect the suspension.

One other addition to the Kingfisher is the Fox DHX 4.0 shock with ProPedal and Boost Valve Technology. ProPedal compliments the frame design characteristics perfectly by assisting an already efficient pedaling platform. The Boost Valve increases compression damping as the shock compresses, creating a position-sensitive shock that allows efficient pedaling. Fox has found a way to keep these two damping technologies completely independent of each other. The bottom line is this is a versatile, easily adjustable shock for the big-impact crowd.

Geometry
Several critical variables combine to give the Kingfisher a distinctive Fisher feel. The steeper seattube angle combined with the single pivot design allows for a tighter rear end and a more lively and nimble ride. The 66.5 degree headtube angle equips the bike for navigating super technical terrain. These features come together to make a bike that can bomb hills, ride structure, and pedal home.

Ride
With 7” of plush travel the Kingfisher can handle most anything thrown its way. The ideal pivot location delivers supple suspension and very little chain-growth through the travel. Kingfisher is a very nimble bike. Its pedaling prowess is mandatory for many technical maneuvers, and the short rear end makes it a very easy bike to launch or to get out of sticky situations.

2006 Models Offered
Kingfisher 2, Kingfisher 1

PHD
At Sea Otter we showed you the Fisher PHD for the first time. This frame is the culmination of everything that we have learned from Chris Duncan about building the ultimate jump bike. We think that dirt jumping is going to continue to grow so we set to work designing the best bike for this growing market. The frame we have here in Whistler is the final production version including color and graphics, component spec is still being refined.

Engineered to Jump
Chris does some really advanced tricks and is very good at breaking down the mechanics of his riding and determining exactly how he interfaces with the bike. He laid out just what he wanted for handlebar height and rear weight bias for the best positioning on the bike. Top tube height was critical because often times he needs to tuck his leg in between the top tube and the nose of the saddle. For a lot of the tricks that he does he really needs to tuck in close to the bike.

He has also seen a lot of jump bikes fail through the years. So we made a durable bike while still delivering good ride quality.

The PHD has an externally reinforced 1.5″ headtube and uses many of the 7″ King Fisher tubes that are manipulated to give the PHD the ergonomics Chris looks for. The top and down tubes are highly manipulated ZR9000 while the rest of the frame is 6061 aluminum. Internal cable routing is an option on both the drive and non-drive seatstays for snag-free routing. The frame has cold-forged seatstay yoke and dropouts.

Completely unique to the PHD are the removable stainless steel bash guards on the downtube and non-drive side chainstay. These allow the rider to be more aggressive without affecting the frame itself.

The PHD will come in three sizes in the BMX tradition. All three sizes have the same rear triangle but only vary in top tube length and hand position. This way everyone gets the same rear-end stiffness and rear-end bias while putting the hands in the right spot for handling.

From front to back the PHD is the most highly-engineered jump bike ever to hit the market. Expect to see it in Fisher dealers as early as this fall.

2006 Models Offered
PHD