I've seen some incredible shock wear, within a year of use, on Trunnion bikes and in particular when they have seized Trunnion bearings. We seriously love what we do, and seriously love bikes.

It's probably important to note that adding hydraulic bottom out doesn't change spring rate, it's ramping up the compression damping significantly in the last 20% of the stroke, but for some riders on some bicycles it will let them think about optimizing traction and support separately from how their bike performs when dropping to flat. Based on my experiences with other brands, this will net out to be less expensive than selling your basic Super Deluxe and purchasing a new Ultimate-level shock, especially if your shock is due for a service anyway, meaning the labour is already accounted for. In another first for the Super Deluxe lineup, all air- and coil-sprung models can be equipped with an optional hydraulic bottom-out feature, which increases compression damping in the last 20% of the shock stroke for increased bottom-out control. Hopefully this has been insightful. Here, I'm showcasing the internals of the new RockShox Super Deluxe shocks - specifically the Super Deluxe Ultimate air shock & Ultimate coil shock - and adding some information from RockShox as well as my own thoughts where applicable, but I want to be up front about the limits of my experience. The topout bumper has also been revised, to provide a smoother, gentler stop. The bottom out bumper is castled for smoother compression and theres an optional hydraulic bottom out tapered needle in the shaft damper that ramps up resistance progressively in the last 20 percent of the stroke. Size and tuning information. The volume spacers for the new shocks are purple, and the older versions arent compatible with the new 2023 shocks. We got our hands on some of the new stuff in advance and have got a series of articles for you.

If youre not the guy writing down your settings in a book every time you turn a dial, then this will make tuning your shock way less intimidating and allow you to get to that dialed setup with minimal hassle. This decision will be left up to the frame manufacturer and is largely based on the progressivity of the frame it is being installed on. A more complete rundown of the lineup is below. Tasco MTB Apparel - Shirt, Shorts, Gloves and Socks, OneUp's New Dropper Post Remote? The HBO stud is a nice piece of machined stainless steel, and this is the same at all levels of the HBO-equipped Super Deluxe shocks. (3) The prior-generation Super Deluxe shocks worked very well but werent the most fully featured. Any thoughts on that? From some setups I've ridden, I'd even go as far as to say some riders would be better serviced by not upgrading their Select+ dampers with the Ultimate control unit. I dont have an answer for that. Well see, but if Im FRS Ill be touting a longer (5mm), bright pink, version called Fox Gloves in the Factory forks next year. Note how this Super Deluxe coil shaft has a square interface to keep the shock from unwinding. Excellent write up but I do have one question that mayor may not be answerable at the moment. About Me: Hailing from the sunny landscape of California, Tor headed north and landed here in the cloudy town of Bellingham, WA.

Along with the HBO system the least harshness at full travel is the design goal. RockShox has given the core of their suspension lineup a major overhaul, and a lot of the updates seem awfully promising on paper. There's also a sized DU bushing in the seal head and a u-cup seal. Both the high and low-speed compression dials have 5 clicks of compression, with the idea being that you have two clicks to increase damping, and two clicks to decrease damping from that base tune. Rides: Pace RC295, Cotic FlareMax, Specialized Chisel, Vielo V+1 gravel bike, Nicolai FS Enduro, Landescape custom gravel tandem. There is a degree of upgradeability with the Super Deluxe rear shocks, thanks to the fact that you can swap damper head units, but it is not possible to add HBO after the fact. There's also a bottom out bumper to protect the shock and keep things smooth when a rider is hitting the end. This is the feature were most excited about, because it allows this shock to play nicely with a wider range of progressivity curves. I didnt know it was possible to fit three buzzwords in one mountain bike rear shock, but RockShox has done the impossible with their Super Deluxe Ultimate. For that application, unless theyre releasing progressive springs, I could very much see a HBO system added. Coil Shock, The updates largely mirror those added to the fork line revised dampers and air springs as well as chassis updates plus some new features and additional adjustability. The top out plate for the coil spring backing the piston is machined from stainless steel. The big bottom out bumper is designed to be progressive as well. If you're buying an aftermarket Super Deluxe it would be worth contacting your bike manufacturer for an air can recommendation, even if you're planning to ride the damper stock until your first service. His riding style is "PINNED" and he loves to scope out those seemingly impossible triples. If Vorsrpung can do a version of their Smashpot coil conversion that work with the buttercup it could a good solution. Great forks are one thing, but if you want your bikes suspension performance to feel properly balanced front to rear, the rear shocks need performance to match. (2) The outgoing DebonAir C1 air spring didnt have the best midstroke support, especially in the ZEB. At the time I'm writing this there isn't pricing available for the lower-end Select+ and Select shocks but for riders I've talked to who think HBO would make a massive difference to their bikes' performance - like everyone I know who's recently ridden a long travel Santa Cruz with an air or coil setup - I think it's sweet there will be an option to experiment with the feature at a significantly lower price point. The word back from RockShox is that the stock range will work for everyone. Very nice write-up and we'll documented!

The compression adjustments are approached a little differently to before, and rely heavily on the base tune set up by the manufacturer. Blister Members can read our Flash Review of the new ZEB and Super Deluxe Air for our initial on-trail impressions. We're real, passionate riders, just like you. It happens even on the stiffest of suspension linkages (@Banshee+Cane Creek pre-seal head revision). This bottom out control tunes the final 20% of travel with 5 clicks of adjustment. RCT2 damper with truly independent High Speed Compression (HSC) and Low Speed Compression (LSC) adjustments, DebonAir+ air spring system with two different air cans, Fine-tune air spring with positive and negative tokens. I've been testing the Super Deluxe Ultimate shock and while the resulting control is undeniably awesome however you like to ride there are some aspects of adjustment that might not suit everyone. In the air can there are sized glide rings which maximize support and minimize friction for the body as it travels. I believe the story with the bushings, and sized glide rings, is the effort thats gone into sizing everything (tolerances). The DebonAir+ spring can now take volume spacers in both the negative and positive sides to tune feel. The machined ribs on the air sleeve make it really easy to unscrew the can for adding volume spacers too. Then tweak both the positive and negative air spring volumes with Bottomless Tokens. I'm not saying there aren't other reasons they couldn't justify a small-batch shock, but I think there's an element of min-maxing that can't be ignored when the addition of HBO was the most notable feature of a 1,600 CAD rear shock package and the most expensive Super Deluxe Ultimate air or coil shock is less that half that amount in the after market. Typically for RockShox it doesnt overly punish a simple setup either so you dont have to be an expert fettler to get the best from it. Theres a lot to cover here, so lets dive straight in. Yeap, we're up in your social medias too. A sized DU bushing and u-cup seal in the seal head of the coil shocks provide support for the shaft and keep crap out. It actually debuted last fall, in RockShoxs Flight Attendant-equipped forks, but wasnt widely touted at the time. Whether you set it up coil-plush or racer efficient, its exceptionally responsive, quiet, calm and consistently impressive from patter bumps to horrible last run of the day hang ups.

In addition to all the new features that we talked about up top, the new Pike also gets a new bolt-on fender (similar to the one thats been available on the ZEB for a few years now).

Both shocks are designed around the brand new RC2T Damper, which has really impressed us with its ease of set without compromising on adjustability. With the DebonAir+ spring there are two different air can options - one called Linear and the other Progressive, with the progressive having a much larger negative air spring. But, I always feel a tinge of imposter syndrome when I'm writing about the guts of rear shocks. The DebonAir+ spring can be retrofitted to earlier models of the ZEB but isnt compatible with prior versions of the Pike or Lyrik. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for 14 years.

Seems to me it's important in both, so when using the word "ultimate" to describe your products, you can't credibly really debate if it's *less* important. But - and I know I've covered this I just think it's really important - it also behooves riders buying a shock aftermarket to be certain that it's properly tuned for their bike. For information on Bike Perfect's testing procedures and how our scoring system works, see our how we test page.

And, hes totally gone down the NFT rabbit hole. The negative chamber volume has been increased, compared to the older DebonAir C1 spring, and the position of the equalization dimple has been tweaked relative to the piston at topout, so that the equalization happens a few millimeters into the fork stroke, for better balanced positive and negative spring forces at topout. I really like the squared shaft idea, it is great to see preventative action against side-loading fallout come from the shock manufacturer. For folks that are feeling a little bit overwhelmed by how many products RockShox has completely overhauled this year, I'm with you. Your SRAM service center can custom tune a generic aftermarket shock for your frame. Become a Blister Member now to check out this and all of our Flash Reviews, plus get exclusive deals and discounts on gear, and personalized gear recommendations from us. Put another way, there is a notable difference between each of the five clicks of LSC and HSC, but there's also a notable difference between base tunes. The base tune is set by the bike brand, based on each frames kinematics, and sits right in the middle of the shocks tuning range so that you have the maximum amount of adjustment in both directions. The HBO system is designed to work with a wide range of suspension kinematics such that the range of adjustment needed to cover difference leverage curves is actually higher than the range of adjustment needed to cover different rider weights. Air Shock, I toggled it between a couple of kinematically different host bikes Pace RC295 and Canyon Spectral 125 and the results were equally impressive on each one (once Id tuned the shcok to suit each bike).

I'm looking forward to getting trail time on the MY23 forks and shocks at some point and in the meantime reading the early feedback from other folks who've ridden them. RockShox has a plethora of tuning options for different bikes. I dont have any inside knowledge, but its fun to guess. But for those bikes with less progression in their suspension, then this will allow these bikes to enter the world of coil shocks. Both the Air and Coil versions get some chassis tweaks to increase bushing overlap and help keep the shock more rigid, especially for frames that introduce significant side loading to the shock. It works by gradually closing off damping oil flow in the last 20% of travel, making it more progressive to prevent a harsh bottom out. The only potential issue is that the bigger, re-positioned LSC dial can be a tight fit with fatter pump heads, though I managed to get every type I tried threaded on. Another piece of house keeping, reiterated from my fork teardown article, is that I have not ridden the new RockShox suspension. The climb/lock switch is also very stiff, so its not the easiest thing to move on the fly unless your thumbs are strong enough to pry on DH tires without levers. I can appreciate that SRAM felt they had to reinvent dampers and air systems to make a performance leap, but I can also lament the lack of backwards compatibility. Thanks for the additional follow up, and thats excellent news to hear that the range is large enough to cover rider weight. The 2023 updates cover the Pike, Lyrik, and ZEB forks, all of which are meant for Trail and Enduro use the XC-oriented SID and SID SL, as well as the Boxxer DH fork, are unchanged, for now. Put another way, while I'd be good to tackle a full service on RockShox's MY23 forks - which require no proprietary tools - if I need my rear shock rebuilt or revalved, I'm sending it out to the good folks at Fluid Function. This shock has been a staple of RockShoxs lineup for a number of years now, and has been one of the most popular shocks for hard-charging mountain bikers ever since it was released. Inside of these air cans, you have the option of running up to one negative air chamber token to tune your initial stroke, and up to 4 positive air chamber tokens to tune the end of your stroke. Its important to note, this only affects the compression damping rate, and not the spring curve, however they work in concert as a tuning tool. Hydraulic bottom out systems are becoming increasingly common at the premium end of rear shocks.

Volume spacer Tokens let you fine tune the volume from there, for both the positive and negative air chambers. Hydraulic Bottom Out (HBO) is a fixed feature on the RockShox's Super Deluxe air shocks and has 5 clicks of adjustment on the coil Super Deluxe shocks. While the new air cans are not backward compatible with prior Deluxe/Super Deluxe air shocks, the coil springs used here are the same as before, with all of the previous color, size, and weight options. First of all, this requires the manufacturer to do a proper job testing suspension settings and working with RockShox to come up with their best base setup.

RockShox had two main goals for the new damper: (1) decoupling high- and low-speed compression adjustments, so that one truly doesnt impact the other and (2) reducing the amount of harshness / high-speed spiking that occurs on sharp and repeated impacts. Just as an FYI, the downside to this is that you need really tight seals to keep that gas from escaping, and those tight seals create friction, so the piston cant move as freely or react as quickly.

If all of this sounds like a lot, check out the new Rockshox Trailhead web app. Theres definitely no way this is going to open or close on its own, and it may not be as easy to give a quick flick open or closed while riding along as the previous version. I think this makes a lot of sense. Once Id done my dial due diligence and just got on with riding the snot out of it, the background changes to the shock really delivered too.

I think its awesome, air or coil. RockShoxs move away from the traditional feel change of LSC adjustment from essentially a preload/threshold feel to deeper stroke support wont be to everyones taste. Super Deluxe Ultimate comes in both conventional and trunnion mounts and there are Select+ and Select models with the same base structure, air-spring and fluid changes, but without LSC and HSC adjust and LSC, HSC and Climb lever respectively. Cheers! Photo: RockShox, For the coil shocks, the HBO has five clicks of adjustment and affects the last 20% of the stroke. The flagship Ultimate versions (both air and coil) get a high-speed compression adjuster that was absent from the prior-generation shocks, and the new RC2 shock damper features the same decoupling of the two compression adjusters as the Charger 3. RockShox says that running them in just one leg is possible, in the case of a partial upgrade, and would provide roughly half the benefit of running two. Bushing overlap is increased for a structurally stiffer and stronger shock, but more sensitive movement and RockShox have upgraded to the latest Maxima Plush Dynamic fluid. (1) How does the new Charger 3 damper stack up against the Charger 2.1 that it replaces, and the rest of the high-end market? The low speed compression (LSC) dial is now a big knurled dial on the end of a barrel that sits across the head of the piggyback chamber. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Getting your new shock tuned specifically for your bike is recommended for most performance shocks and this isn't specific to RockShox, but it's easily done at your local service center. I think adjust-ability has a limit for a lot of riders, and feeling the change with each click would be more productive to many, in my opinion. Tags: But the new Deluxe line gets a revised chassis with extra bushing overlap for improved stiffness and less binding. Think Push ELEVEN SIX or EXT Storia. The HBO circuit on the Super Deluxe air you would tune (support) with volume spacers (aka bottomless tokens). Apart from what I've already covered the most important thing to note with the Super Deluxe air shocks is that they use entirely new volume spacers which are not backwards compatible. The system can accept 0-4 volume spacers in the positive chamber and 0-1 volume spacers in the negative. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We'll figure out which side of the skinny you fall on in a minute, but I'm going to start with a quick explanation of what HBO is and why what RockShox is doing with it is exciting. Got questions? One of the universal themes for MY23 is that suspension companies are quietly tired of covering shock warranties caused by their customers' crappy standards. Start riding though and the difference that dial makes in terms of cornering support and ride height are very clear. The Pike Trail bike fork gets an all-new chassis, and while the 35 mm stanchions remain, RockShox says that the new version is both slightly stiffer and a few grams lighter than the outgoing version. I now have HBO front (Mezzer Pro) and rear (EXT Storia), and this setup is many miles ahead of my last (2019 Fox 36 GRIP2 Factory, 2019 DHX2 Factory), I'd be very hard-pressed to decide whether it is more important in the front and rear. So no matter what bike youre on, if its sprung correctly and has the right tune the HBO range should be good. Copyright 2022 Bikerumor, All Rights Reserved. For air and coil, the focus on eliminating harsh bottom outs through the HBO and rubber bottom out bumpers should also lead to an easier life for the shocks, the bicycles they're installed on, and the riders pedaling them. For an example, many owners of the Transition Patrol remove a spacer to increase shock stroke from 60mm to 65mm, which bumps the rear travel from 160mm to 170mm. I'm not a suspension tech, or a suspension engineer. Both get five clicks, which doesnt sound like a lot, but Rockshox says theyre meaningful changes. This may be a negative for owners of bikes designed around multiple stroke settings who want to experiment with difference setups. In the seal head there are now two sized DU bushings with an o-ring sandwiched between them. The base / least-expensive versions of all three forks get a new damper that RockShox calls the Rush RC, with adjustable rebound and compression. HBO is seen as a priority for rear shocks as the RS shocks are seeing a whole range of different leverage rate curves.

I can only imagine that HBO will change a lot of aggressive riders' setups and I wonder how it will affect base compression tunes as well. And like the Charger 3, the compression adjusters are indexed to the middle of the range to simplify tuning (go read the section on the Charger 3, above, if you skipped past that bit earlier). But because of the stud for the position-sensitive HBO, it's no longer possible to just add or remove a travel spacer - now the damper body needs to be changed at the same time. If you have an older Super Deluxe, or buy a MY23 with a lower end fitment, and would like the full adjustment range of the RC2T, then that's something your RockShox service center can quote you on in addition to your next routine yearly service. The new approach to low speed compression might not suit everyone though. This is not available as an aftermarket add-on, but it is possible to bolt the Ultimate level RC2T controller onto other Super Deluxe shocks with the same chassis.

I know this is a repeat, but I think the one obvious mistake SRAM made here is making it optional. In short, varying the amount of oil that can flow through the low-speed circuit changes the threshold at which the high-speed one has to take over and start taking on some of the oil flow, which in turn means that the amount of oil flowing through the high-speed circuit, and therefore the amount of damping force that it generates, isnt constant at a given shaft speed, depending on how the low-speed adjuster is set. Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves finding new travel adventures to share with his family and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter. Some of these OEM air shocks will also come with a hydraulic bottom out bumper, while some will not. We are not a warehouse store. Complete valving set from a Super Deluxe Ultimate air shock. How do the new ones stack up, and will the new features and additional adjustability position them as a true premium product? As a much larger then average rider I suspect the rampup provided by the HBO wont be as significant with the high spring rates. Much better than the typical marketing fluff the others have. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, As someone who has had multiple coil shock pistons unthread while riding due to questionable frame alignment/design/QC, that keyed piston is a great idea! why no HBO in the Charger 3 damper. If you have any questions please fire them in the comments below and I'll do my best to answer them or, if it's out of my league, track down an answer for you. Cheers, I didnt see the separate components to say if its a quad seal, x-ring, or o-ring between the bushings myself - so I probably should have just said rubber ring.. Bike manufacturers spec their Super Deluxe shock tune around a middle setting with two clicks of LSC and HSC in either direction from there. At that point (stick or otherwise) a Charger 3 / Coil Boxxer becomes a possibility. Thanks to some brilliant suspension nerds I've been privileged to work with in the past I'll even give myself credit for being more than competent at setting suspension bikes up and doing bike fits. The HBO-equipped shocks contain a specific cylinder and piston but the good news is that when the HBO system on the coil shocks is set in the lightest (open) setting the shock has the same ramp and resistance as the non-HBO units. Between Air and Coil, the Super Deluxe shocks share many parts. This holds true even solely based on friends of mine who pack their air cans with the maximum number of volume spacers or run significantly less than recommended sag to deal with the routine bottom outs they're experiencing.

The big updates for the 2023 Rockshox rear shocks are: Across the range, most of the best new tech sits on the top models, which are also the only ones you can buy as aftermarket upgrades, so well focus on those. The elimination of cross-talk between the HSC and LSC compression circuits are accomplished the same way as the Charger 3 damper. For the coil shocks we add the 5 clicks of adjustable hydraulic bottom out. Get the latest industry news direct to your inbox. If the seal head is anodized purple then the carrier for the Counter Measures lattice spring and the volume spacers will be purple as well.

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