anyone use ShockWiz?

jimcav · #1 10-13-2017, 09:12 AM

Just read about it online and curious if anyone had any actual experience with it? I love mtn biking and have moved to FS as I keep pushing my limits on the terrain i try, and now really need the suspension both physically (for various musculoskeletal injuries and arthritis etc) and to make up for my limited skills on the rougher sections, but I really don't feel competent on how to fine tune the shocks. I just set the recommended air pressure for my weight and ride.

simplemind · #2 10-13-2017, 11:05 AM

I have one and used it to set up my newest bike for fork and shock setup. It does what it says, and if you always ride the same type of terrain, then you never have to change the settings. However if say you have it setup for smooth Xc, and then want to do gnarly trail riding, then you'll have to go through that setup again. Write down your settings to refer back to on each type of terrain, then your good to go for whatever.

45K10 · #3 10-13-2017, 11:40 AM

seems like a steep price to me ($400) for an individual user. Also tire pressure has a lot to do with how the suspension feels.

Does the algorithm take tire pressure into account when making tuning suggestions?

foo_fighter · #4 10-13-2017, 11:43 AM

You can rent one if you're curious. Also you should measure the sag even if you start from the recommended pressures and then adjust up or down to achieve the desired sag.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimcav

Just read about it online and curious if anyone had any actual experience with it? I love mtn biking and have moved to FS as I keep pushing my limits on the terrain i try, and now really need the suspension both physically (for various musculoskeletal injuries and arthritis etc) and to make up for my limited skills on the rougher sections, but I really don't feel competent on how to fine tune the shocks. I just set the recommended air pressure for my weight and ride.

Lewis Moon · #5 10-13-2017, 11:45 AM

Let me preface this by saying I rarely ride suspended bikes.
An old friend used to wrap a pipe cleaner around one leg of his fork. He used how high the terrain would push the ring up the stanchion to adjust his preload, etc.

simplemind · #6 10-13-2017, 01:33 PM

It's hard to comment honestly unless you have seen or used one in person. It measures true dynamic sag which I found out was quite different than static sag. While tire pressure is critical to the total suspension characteristic, it is but one link in the puzzle. The Shockwiz take it's reading as the total of all the elements in a dynamic system. IE, if you run low tire pressure, the tire will filter out the "buzz" from getting to the shock/frame and the Shockwiz will adjust it's readout given the predetermined terrain algorithm. No...it's not perfect, but it will give you a good place to start.
Also, the higher level of fork/shock that you have with more adjustments, the more valuable this thing is. If all you had was air pressure adjustment, then you really wouldn't need this device, as you could just change air pressure as you saw fit. Where it comes into it's own is where you have multiple adjustments, ie Low-Speed and High-Speed compression adjusters, Rebound adjusters, etc, which all play a role in the bottom line.

jimcav · #7 10-13-2017, 03:13 PM

yes my stuff has various setting such as low speed compression, rebound adjustment, etc and i don't really know a good process to adjust it. What i ride is "trail", although there are some sections that obviously would be fine on a hardtail but plenty of steep sections with rocks, ruts, and sand or loose gravel/sandy areas, and some sections where i get sort of a kickback on the pedal if i try to pedal and other sections where things feel harsh as the hits stack up. I know ideally i should learn more about the shocks but i may start calling local shops to see if any rent the wiz as it seems like it could dial it in for me.

thanks again
jim
QUOTE=simplemind;2246985]It's hard to comment honestly unless you have seen or used one in person. It measures true dynamic sag which I found out was quite different than static sag. While tire pressure is critical to the total suspension characteristic, it is but one link in the puzzle. The Shockwiz take it's reading as the total of all the elements in a dynamic system. IE, if you run low tire pressure, the tire will filter out the "buzz" from getting to the shock/frame and the Shockwiz will adjust it's readout given the predetermined terrain algorithm. No...it's not perfect, but it will give you a good place to start.
Also, the higher level of fork/shock that you have with more adjustments, the more valuable this thing is. If all you had was air pressure adjustment, then you really wouldn't need this device, as you could just change air pressure as you saw fit. Where it comes into it's own is where you have multiple adjustments, ie Low-Speed and High-Speed compression adjusters, Rebound adjusters, etc, which all play a role in the bottom line.[/QUOTE]