Back in July, we spotted what appeared to be a prototype electronically controlled Fox shock on the back of Ed Masters’ Pivot Firebird, as well as what appeared to be a wireless sensor bolted to his bike’s rear brake mount. Fox didn’t say much at the time, other than to acknowledge that it was part of their RAD (Racing Application Development) program, but they did get in touch a few weeks later to let us know that EWS winner Jesse Melamed would be doing some preliminary tests of this very set up in Squamish. Not only that, but Matt Beer and I were able to join in to watch Jesse try out the electronic air spring shock for the first time.
While Fox allowed us to film the test session and ask too many questions, they emphasized that the new suspension is still in the development phase and that they won’t be able to tell us everything we want to know. In fact, it doesn’t even have a name yet.
So what did we learn?
Rear Suspension Only: The first thing to note is that unlike the Live Valve, this new system is entirely focused on shock performance and does not include the front suspension at all. This means riders will be able to match the shock to any fork they like, including those from other brands. I’d say it makes a lot of sense for enduro riders who basically never want their fork to be rigid, but also from a consumer and sales perspective; buying a new shock is a lot less intimidating than having to buy and install a fork, shock and a whole bunch of cables that may or may not work well with whatever bike you own.
Wireless Sensors: Speaking of cables, this is another difference between this system and Live Valve. The two sensors that tell the shock’s brain what the wheels are doing, each bolted to the front and rear brake mounts, are wireless and powered by regular CR2032 batteries, while the shock itself runs on its own removable and rechargeable battery.
Hand-held Remote Control: More interesting than the batteries, however, is the handlebar-mounted remote that Jesse used to operate the shock absorber. This allows him to manually switch between stroke modes without taking his hand off his grip, something that was never possible with the Live Valve, and also a feature that may put some riders at ease.
After filming this video, Jesse used the new shock at the Whistler EWS this weekend (he won the Pro Stage) where it was spotted by a photographer and posted on the front page yesterday. Not a bad debut, especially considering Jesse raced exclusively with a coil spring shock prior to the tests we joined him for.
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