[powderboy]

This is my second Turner. The first RFX I had came with the Fox Vanilla RC, which I had no complaints about whatsoever. After riding the Romic on a few bikes at Interbike, I thought my new Route 66 (RFX w/1.5 steerer) would be great with the Romic.

I went for a ride yesterday and I wasn't very impressed overall. It felt much less plush than the RC. Obviously, I don't have it dialed in just right yet... that's most likely the problem.

On downhill braking and descending, the rear bounced around, very much unlike the RC I had, which had none of those attributes.

Well, if someone is an expert at setting up a Romic, chime in here.

I thought I'd get some beta before hitting up Turner and Romic for advice.

 

[prisspringle]

i can't help with the romic but dear lord thats soooofsfsdf*can't control dribble*:heart: :heart: :love:

sweet rig, wot u think to the shurmans?

priss

 

[powderboy]

sweet rig, wot u think to the shurmans?

The Shermans are nice, but they are different than the Marzocchi's for sure. Not quite as supple, but very nice nonetheless.

I'm still trying to get used to them too, but I do really like the travel reduction feature for the climbs. It's pretty sweet. They're plenty stiff too and can take serious abuse.

 

[R.T.]

I had a Fox RC on my 2002 RFX(sold it) and have ridden a demo Romic as well. I also have ridden the Fox and Romics on the XCE.

I hate to tell you but the Fox RC is plusher on the small stuff on that frame than the Romic, it's not a matter of proper or improper tuning to get it as plush. The same reason that the Fox is not as efficient as a climbing shock and creates more bob is what also gave you the 'plusher' feel on your previous RFX.

The Romic makes the frame climb a bit better and eliminates some of the 'pogo' feel on med hits that the Fox Rc has.

At speed the Romic makes the RFX more stable and not as erratic over rough terrain but at slow speed small bump terrain the Fox RC is plusher. The Fox gives that springy feel that might be advantageous for slow tech trails if you like compressing the frame to hop around and over obstacles. But it's only a matter of getting used to a shock's characteristics, you can easily ride the Romic as well on slow trails after you get used to it's performance.

So it's a matter of compromises and what you are looking for out of your frame. It's my opinion that for more fast paced DH trails at speed the Romic would be the better choice, where a slow tech trail bike the Fox RC might be better suited to some.

This is only about shock feel on that frame, not shock durability( that's another story). Also the new 03' Fox RC's should pedal better than the 02' shocks.

 

[powderboy]

I was guessing that was the story. I just might have to switch back to the Fox in the spring once I get around to it. I thought the Romic would make this frame even sweeter, but I guess I like the slow speed sensitivity on it more than the big drop absorption.

I'll see what I can do. I should take Turner and Romic up on their help too...

I just might have gone for my last ride of the season today, though. We have a cold front coming in later this week which should really dump alot of snow around here.

 

[R.T.]

So you do like the Sherman breakout? I assume since it's not quite as supple it doesn't have quite as much dive as the Marzocchis? Looks like a very solid fork.

The Sherman slider DC fork looks like it should be a very stiff option for a 6" DC. It's a tough call since it's the first year.

Just put some Gazzalodi Jr 2.6"s on the "66" and the snow is no problem. It's actually softer to land on.

 

[R.T.]

Also, you might want to talk to Bonk about the Avalanche on his 02' RFX. Could be exactly what your looking for shock wise, but at a price.

 

[powderboy]

Cool... will do. Thanks!

 

[-BB-]

Ok... I' have some advice for you on set-up.
Have you tried lowering the pre-load and upping the compression (for more small bump stuff)
and as far as the chattering, maybe you need to slow the rebound a bit.

 

[Romic tech]

Powderboy,

I can assure you that we can adjust the settings of your shock to make it exactly what you want. The tuning options that we have with the Reactor Valve arrangement allows us to recreate almost any damping configuration.

Give me a call @ (760) 244-4478 and I'll be happy to get you set up.

Later,

Darren @ Romic

 

[powderboy]

I was planning to hit you up next... I'll give you a call. Thanks

 

[gravityfreak]

When are you guys gonna update your website ? It's in dire need of it. We wanna know about the new shock as well as get a bit more info on the existing one. The "fit list" page has been saying "coming soon" for about 8 months! '

You guys do a good job of monitoring these boards - how come you ignore your very own site ?

 

[Romic tech]

Gravityfreak,

Point very well taken. Truth be told, I've been way busy finishing up the new stuff. I promise a site rev in the very near future.
We've spent the last six months focusing our efforts on our new assembly facility, manufacturing, and of course, lots of development. It's just real easy for me to unwind at the end of the day at home and check out what's going on on the boards.

Thanks,

Darren @ Romic

 

[binary visions]

Darren-

Hey, just how custom is your "custom valving"? See, I think the breed of high-spring-rate shocks is dying. Seems like the top shocks now all use some kind of pedaling platform, and all use sub-500lb springs due to the valving and/or pneumatic assistance. However, I do a lot of around-town riding (not just urban drops but BMX type street-riding), and having a high spring rate in the back makes that a lot of fun. Can the Romic be valved so that a 150# guy can use a higher spring rate but still have a supple rear end? Of course this would probably be at the expense of some pedaling efficiency, but what if I don't care?

I'm looking at a Fox Vanilla RC but it seems rediculous to spend that much money when I can get a Romic for the same price (less, actually). Also, how much does it cost to get a shock custom valved?

Thanks.. I think it's awesome that some of you guys take time out from your day to talk to the masses. I'm sure you've made a lot of sales that way.

 

[Romic tech]

Binary,

When we say custom valving, what we mean is that we look at each bikes leverage and motion ratio and try to maximize the performance of the shock for the application. Does that mean that every single bike takes a different shock spec? No. There is a certain percentage of crossover between frames however, just look at how similar certain designs are.

Does a person who's 150lbs in weight get the same amount of compression damping as a 220lb person on the same bike. No. They require different damping characteristics. The same would be true for a freerider vs. a racer. Generally, they too would be looking for a different characteristic. The racer wants the wheel to be glued to the ground and the freerider wants our YMR technology.

Anyway, we can produce a very wide range of characteristics and would be happy to help you out.

Later,

Darren @ Romic