EMRG VPH Headset
EMRG is a small brand from Germany from Matthias Reichmann. Previously Matthias was a designer for Solid Bikes and then went on to build his own ‘RIP’ DH frames and more recently the Senduro. Matthias is still active on the DH racing scene today and is always looking for a performance edge.
The VPH (Virtual Pivot Headset) reduces your fork offset by 4mm (or increases it if you want) by using eccentric inserts that fit inside the bearings. The units are made from 6061-T6 alloy, use high-quality Enduro cartridge bearings, have titanium screws and are available in most sizes in a pick’n’mix fashion on their website. The price is €159 but they are currently on offer at €149 or you can try to win one for only £2 on my competition site, current odds as I write this are 1/8!
Two nice features of the headset is that it uses a bolt to secure the top eccentric piece in a straight line, which handily holds the whole headset together, meaning if you remove the top cap bolt and stem you don’t lose the entire front end of your bike onto the floor. The lower eccentric doubles as the crown race and also bolts to the steerer, which means no more hammering on/off the crown race (though I always cut solid crown races to avoid bashing them on and off).
The top eccentric keeps your headset preloaded and attached when removing the stem.
The lower eccentric doubles as the crown race and easily bolts on and off.
There are two eccentric units in this image…
I’ve been using the VPH on my Nicolai Nucleon test bike. The current HA is 62º with the 180mm travel Edge RRT fork with a 44mm offset which is now 40mm with the VPH. I also have a Rulezman HC V3 stem fitted with 18mm length and 38mm rise.
The concentric nature of the cups does mean that the fork is now ‘swinging’ slightly behind the centre of the steerer rather than rotating in the centre, I can’t work out how this affects the steering but I’ve had great success with this setup.
I haven’t been a fan of long offsets for some time. I find with a modern slack head angle and a big 29” wheel the front can feel vague, and wash easily, it also deflects easily of trail obstacles. I found running the 40mm offset on this bike gives the front end an exceptional feel: I can weight the front a lot and it gives huge confidence, it’s also easier and more precise to place the front wheel into a turn and initiate the corner early, and once lent over there isn’t much that can throw it off the line.
This kind of product is a fine-tuning component, but I would generally recommend the shortest offset possible when the HA is less than 64º and the current offset is >46mm for 29”.
Conclusion
Overall the VPH is a well-made simple unit, that makes maintenance a breeze and will improve your bike’s handling. Best suited to longer offsets, especially on DH bikes where they are still >50mm for 29” (modern 29” enduro forks are generally shorter).
Funding
I buy all the products you see on my site at full price or through online sales and these independent reviews are 100% crowdfunded by you guys buying competition tickets. This month, you can win a brand new EMRG VPH in any size, a pair of AstonMTB gloves and the custom Nicolai Nucleon dream machine!
To win, all you need to do is head to my competition site, answer a simple question and you have an extremely good chance to win: current odds at the time of publishing this article are 1/8!
The giveaway is guaranteed to happen on the end date regardless of how many tickets are sold. No extensions, no minimum ticket sales.
These competitions fund my reviews which I believe are the only truly independent MTB reviews online. All of the prizes and all of the products you see are bought by me - no sponsored posts, no freebies and no back-handers.
Thanks, Paul.