I was wondering how one would determine the proper shock sizing for replacement/upgrade. I've seen some specs like "6.5 X 1.5" and references to stroke but it ain't jivin'. Is that the overall length of the shock X the travel of the piston?
Yes, 6.5 is the Eye-to-Eye and 1.5 is the Stroke or as you put it travel of the piston. What bike are you replacing the shock
Thanks for the help guys. I had a heck of a time finding reference material. My mkiii has a low end manitou radium shock that's been getting a bit sticky lately, I'm still researching wether or not it can be rebuilt/upgraded effectively (Push?) or if I'm better off just getting a new one. I'm looking at a fox float R which is in my price range.
i think if you buy it from somewhere like jenson they ask you what bike it's for. edit: i know i was looking at rp23 a while back and some site i was on said they needed that info. edit edit: it was blue sky: http://www.blueskycycling.com/product2532_58_-2008-Fox-Float-RP23-Rear-Shock.htm
I'd recommend simply removing the shock & taking it to your local bike shop. The manual for my '06 Kona was flat-out wrong. The folks at the Path thought I was crazy when I walked in and asked for a 6.5" x 1.5" (as stated in the manual--both online & in the manual that the Path had on their shelf). We broke out the tape measure and saw that it was 7.875" x 2". I'm glad they decided to measure it on their own. It was a bit disheartening not to be able to trust the manual.
I had a good experience with the Cane Creek Cloud 9. It was pretty plush on my DW-Link. I would get an old school Fox Float with no ProPedal and get it pushed.
The Cloud 9 is what I upgraded to. I've been loving it so far. Cane Creek has the insane $100 rebate for sending in your old shock. Add the Path's 10% STR discount...I couldn't resist. $260 out the door, including shipping. It would have been close to $400 had I gone elsewhere. It's taken me 5 or 6 rides to get the Cloud 9 dialed in, but it's really been plush so far. For my style of XC riding, it is all I need.
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=list&PageID=30&category=697&modelId=8129&type=T I bought mine from here. Keep your old shock as a spare and just buy it normal priced here without worrying about sending in your old shock and getting 100 bucks back.
Wow, great deal. For that price, you should definitely keep your old shock as a spare. It'd be almost criminal to take $100 off of that price. Plus, you have to go through a Cane Creek authorized retailer for the discount. May be worth the $100 simply to avoid the hassle of being sans shock for almost 2 weeks.
If you need 7.5 x 2 here's a good deal http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/market-place/16588-fox-dhx-air-7-5-x-2-a.html
ok, question, i have a bike that takes a 7.5x2 shock.. if i put a slightly longer shock, 7.875x2, it would still work, it would just allow less travel correct? Or am i totally off.. i tried looking around for info and couldnt find anything
it would raise the back end if you had room, same amount of travel if your frame has clearance first number is your length the second is your travel (stroke)
I know that with some bikes it will fit but it won't positively effect the bike but even negatively effect the bike. I know there was a question about that for an IH MKIII on another forum and Dave W. (not sure how to spell his last name, the guy who created DW link) said that it would negatively effect the performance, that the link was designed specifically for that length shock. So it might not be to your advantage to put in a longer shock.
b dog... to help you visualize undo your shock... and raise the linkage another 1/8" inch, to simulate the longer shock. See if it has the clearance
