Diverse Suspension Dueler Shock Review

Diverse Suspension Dueler
Watch the video to learn more about the new Diverse Suspension Dueler:

Diverse Suspension at The Sea Otter Classic

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Diverse Suspension hails from the world of motocross and brings with them years of know how with their first mountain bike damper, the Dueler. They've taken a different approach to suspension than a lot of other companies have, that is, instead of a product that is littered with strangely named adjustments that can confuse the average consumer, their shock takes a much more straightforward approach. All dials are named by exactly what they do - what a strange theory! But it's the Duelers price that has attracted a lot of attention, starting at only $389 USD including a titanium spring. Given the impressive price, a lot of questions have been asked about whether the Dueler can compete in not only performance, but also in reliability. After all, it wasn't that long ago that you had to spend that amount just to get a titanium spring on its own. We've put a lot of time on the Dueler, including heaps of laps in the Whistler bike park, and below you can read about our thoughts on the affordable shock.






The shock uses a large 12 mm diameter aluminum shaft that cuts grams over a smaller steel version, but should also make for more progressive stoke due to the larger displacement when compared to smaller shafts. Of course, this is also dependent on IFP position and pressure as well. The cut-away photo above shows just how simple the Dueler actually is. Inside you'll find the simple and proven design of a large high flow piston with shims on each side that control rebound and compression, along with a air backed internal floating piston (IFP) to compensate for shaft displacement - Nothing new or exciting, but demonstrated to be reliable and work well over time. The bridge between the shock body and piggy back sports dials that adjust low and high speed compression, with each being separate from one another for independent adjustments. A black plastic sleeve on the body of the shock protects against spring rub that some bike designs are prone to causing, and a stepped bottom out bumper prevents rubber and grime from being forced into the seal head when you use full travel. The Dueler also uses standard 1/2" shock hardware, the same size that you'd use to mount most popular shocks available today.



One of the more interesting details of the Dueler, surely to a lot of riders who like to tinker, is the ability for the consumer to call up Diverse directly to order any and all parts, including shims. This should be big news for a lot of riders who either have the know how, or want the know how, to custom valve their suspension. It also means that consumers have the option of performing maintenance themselves with less down time, as opposed to having to mail the shock out to a repair depot to have the work done.

The dueler features straightforward adjustments that are clearly labeled, including rebound, low speed compression, high speed compression, spring preload, and IFP pressure, as well as IFP volume on the longer 9.5" and 10.5" eye-to-eye sizes. The shock also comes with easy to read setup instructions that explain what each dial affects and what ride characteristics to look for while going through the setup process. You'll also find both an e-mail and phone number to contact Diverse directly if you need any assistance.

Riding Impressions

The Dueler replaced the stock shock on our Lapierre DH720 speed machine and we installed it with Diverse's titanium spring as stock. Although the spring rate was advertised as being the same as the steel version it replaced, the bike sagged deeper into its travel under my weight than with the original shock on it. How much of this is down to differences in spring rate (even though they are claimed to be the same and either companies' spring could be out a touch) or lighter valving, I'm not sure, but both likely play a part. Diverse forgoes using any sort of pedal assist or additional compression damping that would aid a bike that pedals badly, in favor of a design that is much more active than some other options available today. Even before riding the shock it was pretty clear that the level of sensitivity that the Dueler has is impressive. Only the slightest touch of the saddle is all that's needed to get the shock to enter its travel slightly. So the shock is active, but how does it perform when pushed hard? Sitting on the bike at the top of the hill had me believing that I would need to jump up a spring rate in order to keep from blowing through the travel too often, or dial in too much compression damping which is something that I always try to avoid which can have a negative effect overall. There is also the option of closing down the volume on the piggyback via the bottom out control. After a few runs that got progressively quicker, it was clear that although I was using a lot of sag, I hadn't yet felt a definite firm bottom.


The Dueler feels basically stictionless and gives an incredibly active ride when you have little to no low speed compression dialed on. This can be both good and bad depending on your bike and terrain. It must certainly provide an advantage when speaking of traction when things are loose, wet, or at any time really, but I'd imagine that bikes that already pedal badly with a standard shock fitted could be a bit of trouble with a Dueler mounted up. I also found that you need to be careful regarding rebound speed as it seemed that the Dueler benefited from a slightly faster setting that helped when I wanted to 'lift' the bike to change lines or cross over sections lightly. This may be because of the active nature of the shock when compared to the stock damper that offered more of a 'platform' to push against. Both low and high speed compression dials have a noticeable effect on the stroke, although after tinkering for a bit I ended up with both the low and high speed adjustments most of the way out. I would have liked to see both dials easier to turn though, they are quite stiff.


The Dueler is very impressive at a quick pace over nasty terrain. It literally levels roots and steps in the trail, so much that I actually had to stop to double check my tire pressure. Sharp and quick impacts that result in high shaft speeds were dealt with efficiently and in a manner that didn't upset the bike. The Dueler's performance in this regard when compared back to back against the OEM shock was eye opening to say the least. The bike seemed to carry speed better over this sort of terrain with the Diverse shock mounted because of this. The shock also had a predictable and controlled feeling to it no matter if the bike was coming off of a steep lip or pointed down near vertical terrain. Despite the extra sag I was running, I found that it didn't result in that dreaded wallowing feel that can take the momentum out of your run quickly. Although this could certainly be down to the bike's design, the fact that the shock could be so active yet not suck the life out of a bike as it exits a corner is first rate.




When I talked to riders about the Dueler I made sure to mention the price first, which was usually met with smirk that summed up their feelings about reliability and performance. I'm happy to say that the Diverse shock managed to prove those people wrong and has been not only performing on par or better than anything else available, but has also been even more reliable than the competition and hiccup free to this day. The Dueler has shown to be a great alternative to the usual options and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any rider who is looking for an active shock that they want to be able to self service or tune. Once the impressive price is also factored in it's hard to beat.

Visit Diverse-mfg.com for more info.

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