K2 / Proflex Riders Group
General => Tech Forum => Topic started by: yoda. on February 04, 2016, 06:16:02 am
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Good read Thanks
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Racing at a professional level (at least that's what my license said) and tuning my own suspension I can say that this technology really does work to a riders advantage. I don't think any other bike company ever used the ACX product.
(at least that's what my license said) re: self-deprecating :O)
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Very interesting article, not seen that one before, thank you!
.........Not racing at a professional level and trusting to the suspension manufacturers tuning <GRIN>............., I have run all types of Girvin/Noleen shocks on my bikes including the NR-5 SmartShock on both front and back on my 4000se for a number of seasons riding at my peak ability (not very high......<SMILE>) and to be honest, other than the novelty factor ("It's a computer controlled shock!") I could never detect any benefit.......... I'm obviously not trying hard enough!
But seriously, if the idea was so revolutionary and good, why didn't anyone else use/copy it?
I find my Maverick SC-32 and DUC-32 forks to be very smooth and responsive and infinitely better than the Crosslinks (which I love dearly for their light weight) and so keen to get the Fox RP23 onto the back end of my Oz's.........
Love the concept and technology of the Smartshock, but never convinced of its effectiveness!
Col.
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I think the biggest reason why Smart Shocks were never widely adopted is because electric-powered components on bicycles are extremely niche products, and always will be, until someone figures out how to make a bike generate its own electricity with zero drag (i.e. from energy that would otherwise be wasted, like from suspension-bob or tire-flex) and store it with zero added weight. Otherwise racers won't want it, and they're the only people demanding enough to actually get a significant benefit from things like electric shifters, smart shocks, etc. Everyone else can get the same benefit of a smart-shock from a shock that has low-speed/high-speed damping valves and a bottom-out elastomer.
Remember when Shimano made pneumatic derailleurs that ran on a compressed-air tank? Yeah, those were cool for about a week, and for the same reason. Cables work fine, dumb-shocks work fine, air-filled tires work fine, spoked wheels work fine -- the cost:benefit ratio (not just in dollars, but also weight and complexity) doesn't favor anything more complicated.
Also, I think the vast majority of bikers subconsciously enjoy owning at least one freaking thing in the 21st century that runs on human power alone.