Being as how I have spent no real time on the 5th Element to know if there is any difference other badging, I have to say that the Manitou Swinger shock on my new AC is by far the best shock I have ever used, or been on. I set the sag and the compression (my "platform"), dialed in the progresiveness I wanted and off we went for a night ride.
This thing seriously made me feel like I was peddaling a hardtail, but I felt the 6" of suspension working through the choppy ice and roots! There is a nice rock-wedge jump on one of the lines we took that I usually have to work a bit, but this bike didn't even flinch upon touchdown, nice and settled in every situation I put it in, at night, with ice, roots, steeps and mud...lots of mud.
I know that any bike is a package that needs to work together, but the thing that really blew my doors off was the shock. It makes my other FS bike seem like a pogo stick, and that one has 2.3" less travel!!
Well...the 8" hydros are WAY more brake than I am used to as well...coming from 6" Avid discs....I'm hooked.
This thing seriously made me feel like I was peddaling a hardtail, but I felt the 6" of suspension working through the choppy ice and roots! There is a nice rock-wedge jump on one of the lines we took that I usually have to work a bit, but this bike didn't even flinch upon touchdown, nice and settled in every situation I put it in, at night, with ice, roots, steeps and mud...lots of mud.
I know that any bike is a package that needs to work together, but the thing that really blew my doors off was the shock. It makes my other FS bike seem like a pogo stick, and that one has 2.3" less travel!!
Well...the 8" hydros are WAY more brake than I am used to as well...coming from 6" Avid discs....I'm hooked.