I'm no stranger to customizing mountain bikes. I have come to truly love MTB not only for being off the roads and communing with nature, but also for the tech and engineering applications that faffing about with a full suspension bike brings. Almost every upgrade and/or random-thing-to-try comes with a ton of research, a spreadsheet, and sometimes even a little hand-calculation of things like leverage curve or effective CG change, etc before I pull the trigger on a purchase.
This time, I didn't do all my homework. I knew the size shock I needed to replace my OE O2-RL. I knew I wanted the IPA vs just an open/closed setup, and I knew I had nothing to worry about in terms of quality from Hayes/Manitou shocks. I took a chance, went with my gut, and I was not disappointed.
I won't get too repetitive here - Other have said it, this is one fantastic little shock! It feels bulletproof in the hand while only being a bit heavier than my old shock (not enough to feel when riding, but when I put them on my digital baking scale, it comes in just a dozen grams heavier) Setting sag and rebound to what felt good was a piece of cake and I didn't feel the need to mess with the negative air chamber, though I probably will in the future because I can't NOT mess with it. But I digress.. It's a little early for a review as I have only gotten out for a handful of rides since installing, but I didn't want to forget. I will come back to update the review if I have anything to note, but if there's no update, just assume I'm out biking and loving this new shock.
I'm a seriously-casual rider. I don't wear spandex and don't worry about my times, I just want to make sure I'm having a good time. If I get a PR in the process, that's neat, but if my soul is refreshed, the ride was a win. All this to say there may be other lighter, more purely-performance-oriented shocks out there, but that (and their hefty pricetag) really isn't my style, and if you're looking at this shock and reading my rambling review, probably isn't your style either. This shock has taken my main bike (which I ride in just about every discipline except DH, from pump tracks to long XC rides) and given me just that little bit more ability to have a good time! It has just the right amount of dampening right off the bat, but is still buttery smooth and keeps my back tire firmly planted on the trail, even here in Michigan where we have a lot of clay soil and roots and rain (which makes for very gnarly trails). Climbing on a hard-tail was nearly impossible, and climbing on my full squish with the old shock was dicey, with my rear-end washing out to the side when I try to aggressively climb the gnar. This shock has smoothed that out for me to the point now where it's now my legs that are the failure mode when climbing. Guess I have work to do lol.
The IPA options really open this bike up making it a true quiver killer; Rough/rocky/jumpy loops at my favorite local trail system? Run it wide open and feel the rocks and drops melt, with the last 10% of travel ramping up progressively for a bottomless feel. Got a flowy trail with some jumps and gardens but mostly hardpack? The "trail" setting feels just about perfect. It has just enough compression dampening to feel like you're not squandering all your hard-generated wattage because you're too wimpy for a couple bumps, but rather propels you forward with noticeable efficiency while still soaking up most of the chatter and definitely still takes a big hit without complaint (this has been the setting I use the most so-far). I havn't been able to get to my favorite XC trail with it yet due to hunting season, but having tested the "XC" setting on other trails, it seems to take away almost all pedal bob for a firmer, sportier feel, but I can tell it still soaks up some of the bigger stuff. I bet I'll still be up and out of the saddle a bit more for large roots or rock gardens when in XC mode. The "climb" setting has me almost (almost) wishing for a remote lockout setup for this shock, as I really like climbing smooth trails/fire roads in this mode! It's not a 100% lock, so it still keeps the rear wheel somewhat planted, but it firms things up to the point you know your efforts are going to get you to the top fresher. But I do not like forgetting to unlock it after a big climb lol.
To sum up: the build quality seems rock solid, I don't know if it's the slightly different aluminum or they just knew where to put more material for more strength, but I have no qualms riding it hard. When run open, it soaks up even big hits, and the IPA settings offer a noticeable difference and make my one bike more suited to many trail situations without needing to change pressures or a flip chip etc, and the planted feel this gives the rear wheel when climbing make this shock a no-brainer. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a do-it-all shock!!
