Opinions: 5th Element or Swinger 6 way
- Thread starter bsphere
- Start date
tough decision...bsphere said:
from my personal experience i can't feel a difference between a 04 swinger 6 way and a 04 5th.
the older 5ths felt a little more "dead" then the swinger but it seems that changed for this year
i think price and customer service should be the importan arguments.
dunno about the Swinger but my experience with 5th is their customer service is superb and they are super fast. you can even send in your spring if its the wrong weight and they'll send you the one you want.
go for the 5th. The feel difference is not noticable this year and especially on an FSR bike you will not notice the difference at all. Progressive has unmatches customer service. WHen I got a 5th for my gemini I called and in 30 seconds I had all sizes and bolt options I needed. Manitou is the BIGGEST company to hassle with on the planet. They really didnt' have a clue about shim and bolt sizes. Progressive will also do free rebuilds with super quick turnaround times. Progressive gets an A+ from me! 
Yes, Progressive has great customer service and support ther product. They also are at all Norba races ready to help you. My next bike will also have a 5th.
I have grown to really like the way 5th coil shocks feel, though I prefer my Avy for full on DH riding. Both of my 5ths blew this season but the CS is great and the shocks come back feeling better than stock. It takes a while to get them dialed in for your riding style, which can be frustrating, but once you find the right settings they feel great.
I rode my bike last year with each of those shocks. The Swinger for 2 months and then the 5th for a month and I couldn't really tell the difference. As far as performance goes, they felt the same. I have found CS to be excellent with Manitou but have never dealt with Pregressive CS.
go 5th
just for CS they rebuilt mmmmine twice a durango for free
just for CS they rebuilt mmmmine twice a durango for free
So whats the verdict on CS for the swinger? good? bad? im getting mixxed emotions and im about to have a swinger on my new bike so i want to know if something goes wrong will i be able to turn to manitou?
The air aduster on my 6 way was broken when i received it, one phone call and 4 days later it was back in my hands.
I bought the SGS team over the world cup bike, simply because it wasnt worth the extra 1k for the 5th and world cup boxxers (not including the other upgrades which I am really nopt bothered about). plus the black looks lush in the flesh, the yellow does not.
I bought the SGS team over the world cup bike, simply because it wasnt worth the extra 1k for the 5th and world cup boxxers (not including the other upgrades which I am really nopt bothered about). plus the black looks lush in the flesh, the yellow does not.
I can't feel the difference, but for what it's worth, I hear Progressive has better customer service.
What gary said was right, the yellow is minging, the black is beautiful. The 6way and 5th have the same adjustments, and it comes recommended that the 2 compression adjusters should be left all the way out on these 2 shocks,bsphere said:
this would imply that any benefit of the 6 way/ 5th over the 4 way is therefore redundant, but then i have not taken these 3 shocks apart to examine if the compression adjustment is the only difference between them.
I'm under the impression that the 5th and the 6-way are almost identical, but I've heard better things about progressive as a company (parts replacement, customer service, etc.).
Ok, I have a year on both and this is what I think.
I rode a 5th on a 2002 Orange 222, and found it was the best shock ever. I loved the Orange with it because it made the bike track superbly, was super tuneable, and felt good. I didn't like the deadness at firrst though, that takes a while to get used to.
I rode a Swinger on a 2004 Orange 223. I didn't like the ride of the orange as well with the swinger. It didn't track as well being my complaint. In the parking lot, it felt about the same, not quite as slow, but on dirt, it didn't have the superb bump performance the 5th did.
In short, I would highly recommend the 5th.
Good luck with your choice.
I rode a 5th on a 2002 Orange 222, and found it was the best shock ever. I loved the Orange with it because it made the bike track superbly, was super tuneable, and felt good. I didn't like the deadness at firrst though, that takes a while to get used to.
I rode a Swinger on a 2004 Orange 223. I didn't like the ride of the orange as well with the swinger. It didn't track as well being my complaint. In the parking lot, it felt about the same, not quite as slow, but on dirt, it didn't have the superb bump performance the 5th did.
In short, I would highly recommend the 5th.
Good luck with your choice.
bsphere said:
I LOVE my swinger. I prefer it much more to the 5th myself. Customer service is grand too, I just send it to OGC whose tech was on the world cup circuit and its all good. Awesome shock.priceseliger14 said:
I would probably go for the 5th element. Although, I heard from a friend that they aren't very good for jumping. 
i think manitou had some manufacturing issues for the 2004 products...BikeFan84 said:Get the 5th, there warranty is amazing. Manitou is not sooo good. NO OFFENSE to Manipoo lovers, not nocking on the Shermans, but there rear shocks tend to "die" quickly.
still... my swinger 6 way worked flawless this season.
