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12 Rides With ShockWiz Front and Rear – An Update

The ShockWiz Continues to Provide Great Insight For Proper Suspension Setup

ShockWiz Front Rear 12 Rides
Rides on the new bike have yielded improvements in time and performance, especially when descending. The ShockWiz is helping me set up air pressure, compression and rebound damping, as well as sag. It really is making a difference in my Competence, Confidence, and Cornering Capabilities.

The ShockWiz Front and Rear Suspension Tuning devices continue to provide me with great information as I learn more about my bike and its’ performance capabilities. I set the phone up on my handlebars, and change the settings on the phone so I can see the ShockWiz app the entire time. I always review the previous day’s ride score and suggestions. So far, I haven’t made too many changes to the air pressure. However, I continue to adjust the compression and rebound settings, based on those suggestions.

The Limits of a Cross-Country Rear Shock

On my old bike, a 2012 Trek Superfly 100, I eventually replaced the rear shock with a Fox DXP2. The DXP2 had a Nitrogen chamber and was infinitely adjustable. Going with the Fox Float DPS has left me with fewer options. For example; While the ShockWiz app continually recommends softening the dampening, on the Fox Float, there are just 3 settings for this. On rebound, there are a larger number of clicks, but they don’t seem to be showing much of a difference.

After 12 rides, the ShockWiz app suggests that I make the rear suspension SOFTER on Compression, and SLOWER on Rebound. The Compression is as soft as I can get with this setup. I’ll tweak Rebound a bit more, Suggested rebound is 8 Clicks, but I’m already at 5 clicks, and I’ll now go to 4. This will increase Damping on Rebound even more, so we’ll see what that does.

Shockwiz niper T Rear Suggestions 6 Rides
This is a GIF of the most recent 6 Rides on the rear suspension. The ShockWiz consistently suggests Softening up Compression, and I’ve done what I can with the dials as they exist right now.

I’m certain that I’ll need to do some revalving under the experienced eye of Mike Davis at MAD Racing in Reno, NV.

Front Fork Improvements via ShockWiz

The Front Fork has really impressed me. It’s a 34mm Fox Fit4, with 120mm of travel. The first 3 rides revealed a low score of 74 points. The suggestions were all over the place. But after about ride 5, the Fork began to break in and show improved scores.

The most consistent suggestion that the ShockWiz reveals is to slow down Rebound. About every third ride, if the suggestions are consistent, I will rotate the Rebound knob 1-Click Clockwise to increase and slow down Rebound. The scores continue to improve, and honestly, my descending times on this one segment continue to decline as a result.

The ShockWiz App DOES suggest that I soften up Compression as well, but that feature is as light and open as it can be right now. I have ordered 10cc volume spacers for the front fork, and I will blog about those over the next few weeks. On my previous bike, I purchased a 32mm, 120mm travel Fox Fork, and the addition of Spacers yielded multiple 96-100 point rides! I definitely felt the difference!

Shockwiz Sniper T Front Suggestions 6 Rides
On the front fork, ShockWiz consistently suggests that I SLOW DOWN (“+”) my Rebound settings. I’m doing this one click every 2-3 rides.

Optimizing Suspension Makes for More Confidence, Competence, and Cornering!

It does NOT turn me into an aerial specialist – I’m too old and too scared. That said – the ShockWiz devices and app with data collection is helping me make tuning decisions that I would otherwise be unable to make, given my status as a novice in the world of MODERN mountain biking. I started racing in 1993 with a RockShox Mag21, and I can only dream of what type of performance we would have enjoyed had we had these devices way back then.

Thanks for reading and use this hardware and app to ENJOY THE RIDE!

 

 



Like what you see in these posts? Why not take the next step? Coach Wharton is currently accepting new clients for both Xert and PerfPro training methodologies. He is also available to discuss specific questions or equipment/training issues—just  schedule an online video consultation.