First Look: Push Industries' Elevensix Shock

Push Industries is arguably the largest and most successful aftermarket suspension tuning business in the world, and after over two decades in business, founder Darren Murphy announced today that Push will sell its own shock. The Elevensix is a coil-over damper with a remote reservoir, and it is targeted at the all-mountain and enduro racing segment of the sport. While that market is dominated by air-sprung forks, Murphy says that his coil-over design is better suited for suspension designs with travel in the 140 to 160-millimeter range. Reportedly, the Elevensix weighs slightly more than its air-sprung competitors, but it is significantly lighter than any of their coil-sprung models.



To ensure that the shock's damping rates and spring curves are spot on, Push will build every Elevensix shock as a custom order for an individual customer, who will then have access to the tech who assembled the order for future questions. Most everything outside or inside the Elevensix shock is manufactured at Push Industries' facility in Loveland, Colorado, and the few items which they out-source are also made in the USA with domestic materials. The MSRP of the Elevensix is $1200 USD. At present, Push has configurations to fit the Santa Cruz Nomad 27.5, Pivot's Mach 6, Yeti's SB66 and SB6C, Niner's WFO, the Ibis Mojo HD and the Banshee Rune. In case your bike wasn't on that list, Push is presently certifying the Intense Tracer 275, Ibis Mojo HD3, Giant Reign 275, Specialized Enduro 29, Transition patrol, Knolly Chilcotin, Norco Range and the Trek Slash.

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Interview: Darren Murphy - Founder, Push Industries

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Push industries has been tuning and servicing mountain bike suspension forks and shocks since 2003, when founder Darren Murphy began with an 800 square-foot industrial space in Irvine, California, furnished with two bike stands, a roll-away toolbox, two work tables and a dozen plastic bins that contained a modest number of custom designed damping pistons, seals, shims needles and springs. I was lucky to be one of the first people that Darren trusted to reveal his plan to rebuild Fox shocks and provide a custom tuning service that would tailor the shock's performance to the individual rider, as well as to the idiosyncrasies of the many suspension designs of that pioneering era.

Every dollar that Murphy possessed was in those tiny little plastic bins and I couldn't help thinking about how risky it seemed to bank on the possibility that riders would box up their forks and shocks and send them to a virtual unknown, who would then charge a decent sum in exchange for his promise that the items would perform noticeably better when they were returned. Darren is gifted with an uncanny understanding of how suspension works, and he made good on his promises. Based upon word-of-mouth alone, Push Industries, now based in Colorado, grew into a worldwide business in just one decade. Using custom parts they design and manufacture in house, Darren says Push has tuned or serviced over thirty thousand shocks and forks. We interviewed the man himself to the get the back-story on Push industries and the factors which led him to develop the Elevensix shock. - RC



Where did you get your start in the bicycle suspension business?

My first job was with Marzocchi back in ‘95. Back then, MTB suspension development was on fire. I still remember going over to Bryson’s house and having him pull out the first Z1 Bomber prototype from a bike that he brought back from Italy. We put the bike together and myself, Jim Mahan, and Bryson rode around smashing curbs and stairs. At that point I knew MTB suspension was going to be big.

When and why did you launch Push Industries?

My wife and I started PUSH in 2003 in Irvine, California. The business model had been proven in the motorcycle industry and I felt would be a great asset to riders in the MTB world. I started out servicing and tuning the Fox Vanilla coil series, offering a line of engineered and machined tuning parts that would allow me to customize suspension to meet the expectation of niche riders. Having worked on the manufacturer’s side, I understood some of the challenges and limitations that existed for the big brands in regards to working directly with the end consumer. After speaking with a few industry colleagues and putting together an initial plan, we went to work.

Who is your basic customer, and what is the type of service that is most asked for?

Two types really. The first are riders that have exhausted their efforts trying to get a certain ride quality out of their stock suspension. These types of riders don’t fit the mold of the “average rider” as determined by product managers or they have a certain expectation of what they want out of their bike. The second are riders who are in need of service on their fork or shock and make the decision to have it tuned more specifically for their riding style instead of just a standard service. By far, the riders coming to us are looking at tuning options, not just service.

What is your estimate for the number of forks and shocks Push Industries has worked on over the years?

Haha! That’s not one that I normally get! I can say that there’s more than 30,000 PUSH Factory Tunes out there in the world. We’ve been very fortunate to have a very supportive customer base!


What did you learn from over 21 years of servicing suspension that led you to design your own shock?

We learned that riders want something that is user friendly, durable, and has simple adjustments. We’ve built a ton of technology into Elevensix, but the one that stands out the most is our patent-pending Dual Overhead Valve system. This technology was developed as a direct response to customer feedback. In this day and age of on-the-fly adjustable suspension, riders are looking for something that doesn’t compromise. With all of the current shocks in the marketplace, the quick adjust compression lever is tied to the overall compression damping level in the shock. This means that both product managers at bike companies and tuners such as ourselves, must settle on a compression setting that offers good bump sensitivity while still having firmness when the lever is flipped. The reality is that firm pedaling settings with the lever on, means a reduction in small bump sensitivity and vice versa. This also means that the rider is locked into a certain range that they can’t adjust themselves. With Elevensix we’ve eliminated that compromise. By having two completely independent fully adjustable valves that you can toggle between on-the-fly, riders can not only have both a setting that is incredibly plush and extremely firm, but they get to define what those settings are ultimately to meet their individual needs.

Why a coil-over design, when air-sprung shocks are widely accepted and more adaptable to different rider weights and suspension curves?

Performance. We were specifically targeting the 140-165mm travel bikes and in that category coil shocks have significant advantages. We won’t be stocking any complete shocks, just parts kits. This is because each shock will be hand assembled by one of our technicians one at a time to customer spec taking into consideration rider weight, riding style, and leverage characteristic. This ensures that each rider gets the right setup for their bike.

Where does your shock fit into the marketplace? Will you be selling only to aftermarket customers, or will you also be seeking OEM sales?

Initially, production of the shock is going to be very limited, and for that reason we are limited to aftermarket only for now. OEM is something we’re exploring with several interested manufacturers.

What features does the new shock have that might set it apart from a reservoir shock from Cane Creek, RockShox or Fox?

Certainly the technology, but also the process. As I already mentioned, our Dual Overhead Valve system is unique in the fact that it gives riders two completely user-adjustable, independent shock settings that can be toggled on the fly. Additionally, this can all be done without tools. Another key technology is the use of parabolic needles for all of our external low speed adjusters to ensure a controlled, consistent change between clicks. We also have worked very closely with HyperCo, one of the world’s premiere suspension spring manufacturers in both the spring and spring retainer system. With this shock, we’re offering 25-pound increments in spring rate and a 2-pound spring tolerance. We also are taking advantage of HyperCo’s Optimum Body Technology and advancements in high performance spring alloys. For a given spring rate we’re between 100 and 200 grams lighter than a traditional MTB spring. With our spring and retainer system, we not only have eliminated unwanted spring rub on the shock body with a 360 degree capture of the spring ends, but have incorporated a bottoming bumper cup eliminating the extrusion of the bumper like in traditional slotted retainers. We’ve also added friction-reducing shaft and cylinder coatings, seal designs, asymmetric piston bolt, increased nitrogen and oil volume…..the list goes on.


With all that being said, the one element that stands out the most is that we make it. Not just assemble it from parts sourced from both here and abroad….we actually make it starting with 100-percent US-sourced raw materials. For parts that we don’t make such as springs, seals and glide rings, we utilize domestic vendors with whom we have built a close working relationship. From the initial design to laser marking the final product, it’s all done behind our doors in Colorado. We use state-of-the-art 3D CAD systems, and 3D CAM systems for all of our design, engineering, and CNC machine simulation. 100-percent of our machined parts are manufactured using the latest CNC technology from DMG/Mori, Citizen, and HAAS. We have complete on-board suspension data logging for all of our in-field testing as well as a custom built Roehrig Engineering EMA dynamometer that has trail playback capabilities as well as an additional Roehrig unit used for quality control.

As I mentioned, the product itself will be hand assembled and made custom to order, including vacuum bleeding and finally dyno testing to ensure the build quality. Each customer will then get a settings card, dyno report, and technician phone extension and email address as a point of contact. Who better to help you with your product than the person who’s logged thousands of miles on one, was involved in the development, and built it with their own hands?

Besides the damping controls, did you include any other features like needle bearings in the spring collars or eyelets?

The shock does have a built in polymer spring bearing and will come ready to bolt up to the bike with our 5pc sealed polymer mount bushing kit. Both of these items are extremely durable and increase small bump sensitivity.

Are there any fit-up issues for some of the most popular AM/enduro models?

At this point we’re limiting sales of Elevensix to those bikes for which we have a fully developed application, instead of just selling a shock to someone because it’s the correct size for their bike. For that reason we don’t currently have any known fit issues.

How does Push Industries plan on supporting the new shock – warranty issues, rebuilds, on-line tutorials, etc?

All warranty concerns as well as service will be handled directly through PUSH or one of our Factory Tuning Centers. We will be coming out with a “Tech Tuesday” series of online videos where we’ll discuss setup, installation, and technology. Due to the complex nature of the damper, we won’t be providing tools or materials for consumer service unfortunately.

Will you be selling through dealers or directly through Push Industries?

The shock will be available directly from PUSH as well as our Factory Tuning Center partners: TF Tuned in the UK, Suspension Experts in North Carolina, SuspensionWerx in Canada, and NS Dynamics in Australia. We also will be welcoming retailer sales here in the USA. Retailers can purchase directly from PUSH for their customers as well as their employees.

Is there a fork coming down the pipe any time soon?

Hmmm…...that would be interesting wouldn’t it?

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Reviews and Tech First Looks Shocks