Stratos? Yes. Noleen? history ...

[GaryF52]

Just installed a Stratox Helix Expert on my 5000 and took for a good ride today.  Oh man, what a difference!  I know it's been said by some on this forum how poor the Noleen shock is, but now I truely understand what they're talking about.  No more pogo.  Much smoother ride.  The rear end really sticks on fast curves and bumpy downhills.  No more chain slap or blurred vision even on fast stutter bumps.  Every aspect of the ride is greatly improved.  As you can probably guess; I'm stoked!!

Played around a bit with the air pressure and rebound damping.  It seems to be quite adjustable.

If you've been waiting for your Noleen to die before you upgrade; trust me, it's already dead.  

[chainsaw]

just went to their website. I have a 5000 also. I don't see the 5000 listed  in their fit guide web page. so which did you choose? did you input the 4000 under Proflex, or under K2?  is your Expert 8.25 inches in length?

[GaryF52]

Mine was used, but was previously mounted on a Disco Monkey.  It transfered right over to my 5000, except I had to flip it over.  On the Monkey it was mounted with the air valve down.  On the 5000 it only fits with the air valve up.  I also had to grind a couple of small notches in the lower shock mount to clear the shock body.  Very minor work.
It's the same length as my old Smart Shock but offers more travel.  The 4000 and 5000 are basically the same frame and swingarm so you should be ok with that choice.  Call Stratos to be sure.
Another note: I also had to modify my shock pump to fit on the Stratos.  The schrader valve is quite close to the shock body and there wasn't enough room for the knurled connector to screw all the way on.  A few minutes with the grinder and I rounded the end of the connector to screw on all the way.  I think they may have change this on the new Helix models.

[Matno]

Does your shock have the 90deg angled Schraeder valve or the straight one? My Helix Pro has no problem at all with clearance with a straight valve. Frame clearance isn't the best, but it's totally doable with a flexible pump head... The schraeder valves are available from Stratos for pretty cheap and are very easy to exchange..

[GaryF52]

Mine has a straight valve that is perpedicular to the shaft.  If you look at the pic on Statos website, the valve appears to be about 45 degrees to the shaft.  

[Matno]

I just looked at mine and realized that it is quite close with the perpendicular valve. I guess my shock pump either isn't as thick as yours or I just don't screw it on as far since I've never noticed a problem. (It's been a while since I even touched it, but I do remember that it is a pain to screw the pump on because my fingers can't get around it. I'm glad you were able to file yours down cause I'm not sure what I would do if I couldn't fit mine on there. Now, if I could just fix my pump. I've only used it a couple of times and the last time I had it out I noticed that it zeros out at 50 psi. So much for accurate measurements...  

[deano]

[I have recently rebuit a proflex 855. I need to replace the rear shock. I thought a Risse Genesis damper would be a good choice. Is anyone using  Risse shocks at the moment ? What have people heard about them? I also considered a helix expert but was more expensive compred to the Genesis.

[Matno]

If you can find a deal, aim higher than the Genesis. I've got a Helix Pro and a Risse Astro. Both great shocks in their own way. I've heard that the Genesis is okay if you have it set up exactly right, but that's very hard to do since you have to have it adjusted by the factory. The only adjustment you can make to it is the air pressure.

[Dean]

What extra adjustment does the astro have over the Genesis and whats the advantage in having that adjustment?

[Matno]

The Astro has a damping lever that adjusts both rebound and compression damping (at the same time). Works quite well for adapting the shock to different terrain or riding styles at the flip of a switch. To do the same thing with the Genesis, you have to take it apart and replace some internal parts. I can't imagine not being able to tweak my settings during a ride...