Why it's the winner: There are certainly good arguments to made for each of the three Gear Accessory of the Year
nominees, but while there are plenty of clever multi-tools and flat tire solutions on the market, there's only one computer-assisted suspension setup device. At $399 USD, the ShockWiz is not an inexpensive investment by any means, a fact that may see this gizmo be rented out by shops for setup use more often than being purchased by individual riders, but it also takes the guesswork out of knob turning.
The waterproof and dustproof ShockWiz keeps tabs on your fork or shock by constantly measuring the air pressure in either as they compress and rebound. It then uses that data to come up with metrics for sag, how many times you've bounded off the bottom-out bumper, rebound speed, and more. It can even tell you how long you've been in the air over a jump by way of a built-in accelerometer, a number that's more interesting than useful. What is useful, however, is how ShockWiz takes the information that it's collected and tells you things like if your fork or shock could require some love, possible setup errors, and recommendations when it comes to stuff like overall spring rate, progression, rebound, and both low- and high-speed compression, among others.
The ShockWiz communicates with your smartphone, but if you'd rather leave the electronic leash at home it's not necessary to bring your phone with you - it will still record the data, and then it can be reviewed at a later time, once you're reunited with your phone. No, the ShockWiz isn't even close to being considered a necessity, but what it does do is take away a lot of the assumptions and intimidation, especially if a rider isn't well-versed on what to look for when setting up a fork or shock. I can even see some shops including the lending of a ShockWiz out with new bike purchases.
From the review: | As it is, ShockWiz is sort of like a game for bike nerds, with the end goal of achieving a perfect score, that elusive 100%. Is it an absolute necessity? Of course not – the ShockWiz is simply one tool that can help take some of the mystery out of suspension setup. In particular, I can see it as being useful for bike shops working with customers to dial in their ride; the customer can go out with the device attached, come back, and the shop employee can take a look at the data gathered and see what steps might be worth taking. The same goes for coaches, or avid consumers keen to keep a close eye on their suspension's behavior.— Mike Kazimer |
Rear = 30-ish sag + crap load of volume spacers + a little extra rebound on jump trails so you don’t get bucked.
Front = soft-ish + a couple spacers + rebound in the middle.
Done and done, baby!
You’re welcome.
A gofundme has been set up for your $5 contribution.
For all things regarding the damper: Use common sense! The spring is the key on any suspension. Car, Truck, Motorcycle, compression and rebound damping cannot replace a proper spring. Mountain bikes are no unicorn.
Masochist.
This thing impressed me. I set the sag on my suspension fork and shock and tuned it to where Fox recommended based on my pressures. This thing told me my sag was right (which I was shocked that I did right) and gave me some suggestions for tuning. I did feel noticeable differences with it afterwards and it was within the realm of what Fox recommended.
I would however like to spend another day or two with it to see how it really works. I'd like to fumble with my pressures or clicks and see if it can still get back to that sweet-spot.
Also there's a Vital MTB Inside Line podcast with Chris Cocalis of Pivot Cycles and he was chatting about how an employee had gotten his hands on one. He was curious to see if it was in the ballpark of what this employee (with a well-dialed suspension setup) was running. Ends up the ShockWiz was within a click or so of the settings. Pretty rad if ya ask me.
I wouldn't pay for one but if you can rent it/borrow it and you're interested in setting shit up it's definitely worth your time.
Sharing it (and the cost) between your riding buddies could be a great option, depending on how tight your group is.
Because it doesn't have to!
End the never ending tinkering trying to dial in wonky air shocks on bikes with funky leverage curves. Accept it... they will never feel just right.
Put a good coil shock on a rear end with a proper leverage curve and... you will believe.
Until I did, I would have down voted this post as well. You don't even know, you don't know.
It will be ironic if the DPX2 of the Super Deluxe wins the suspension product of the year.
Is that in the sense of 'has value', or the sense of 'is value'?
Discuss.