Here's a quick write-up of the X-Fusion Vector DH2 rear shock for ya'll.
First impression:
Holding the DH2 in one hand and my no-longer-working 5th Element I have in the other, I could instantly tell that the DH2 was lighter than the 5th. Not that 5ths are renowned for being lightweight, but even with the same weight steel spring (450#), the X-Fusion weighed a ton less. And it looks pretty cool, too.
Dealing with X-Fusion:
I called X-Fusion originally just to get the hardware sizes I needed so I could order everything. After finding out what hardware sizes I needed (8x22mm is what you need for the VP-Free, FYI), I got transferred to the sales department, and they took care of me right there. I talked to John, and he hooked me up with the hardware I needed for $10 shipped. I ordered everything Tuesday afternoon from X-Fusion in California, and had it on my doorstep in Montana by Friday morning. Everyone I talked to there was friendly. It was awesome dealing with these guys - you can't beat that in a company.
Bike/Shock Setup:
SC VP-Free, Boxxer World Cup, X-9/Holzfeller/Juicy 7/shiny stuff. She's probably sitting around 41-42 lbs with thicker tubes. And for reference, I'm about 175 lbs with gear.
X-Fusion Vector DH2, 450# steel spring - Rebound is 4 clicks in from full open, compression 2 clicks in, and 140 psi in the chamber (120-180 is the range on the shock, although you can run lower pressures according to a guy I chatted with at X-Fusion). The spring is about 1 full turn past where the collar first engages the spring - so just a little bit of preload. Sag is right around 30%
The Ride:
The parking lot test got a audible "wow" from me. I've ridden VP-Frees with DHXs, Rocos, Swingers, and 5ths. In terms of suppleness, the DH2 felt amazing. I promptly found a curb and rode over it - much to my delight, I didn't even notice the rear wheel going over it. Over the next couple days, I got it onto a couple of easy trails, and mobbed around the neighborhood on it, but nothing too crazy.
I put the DH2 through its first real test on a trail called Dead Man's here in Missoula. It is 8 miles of high-speed flow, steeps, ruts, dust, and very loose and rocky Montana goodness. I really though the parking lot test gave me a good idea of what this shock was going to be like, but once I actually got onto the trail, I couldn't believe how well it performed. The one thing that I really noticed about this shock compared others that I've ridden is the range of adjustment. It seems like you can fine-tune your settings much better than other shocks I've ridden. You can get the rebound to go from full-on pogo to the shock not rebounding at all. The compression settings are the same - full-open squish all the way to just about locked out. I actually bumped up the compression a touch on the trail. Through all of the nonsense that is Dead Man's, I always felt like my rear wheel was glued to the ground. However, I could still catch some sweet air popping off of roots and rocks with relative ease. Pedaling was pretty good - there are a couple short sections where you have to pedal, and there was very little bob when seated.
Dead Man's is a technically difficult trail, but there aren't any jumps or drops on it, so after Dead Man's, we went to Deep Creek. There we've got hips, ladder drops, doubles, step-downs, and more of the loose and rocky Montana goodness. Jumping felt great with this shock. There was a good amount of pop that you could generate off of lips, but it felt very controlled. Over everything I hit, the rear suspension just felt bottomless. Everything was so smooth - drops seemed more like rollers, and jumps seemed to have perfect dirt jump landings. I cased a couple of jumps - one bigger hit, and one smaller one at speed, and it still felt bottomless.
All in all, I'm really excited to be rocking this thing on my bike. The guys at X-Fusion really got it right with this shock.
First impression:
Holding the DH2 in one hand and my no-longer-working 5th Element I have in the other, I could instantly tell that the DH2 was lighter than the 5th. Not that 5ths are renowned for being lightweight, but even with the same weight steel spring (450#), the X-Fusion weighed a ton less. And it looks pretty cool, too.
Dealing with X-Fusion:
I called X-Fusion originally just to get the hardware sizes I needed so I could order everything. After finding out what hardware sizes I needed (8x22mm is what you need for the VP-Free, FYI), I got transferred to the sales department, and they took care of me right there. I talked to John, and he hooked me up with the hardware I needed for $10 shipped. I ordered everything Tuesday afternoon from X-Fusion in California, and had it on my doorstep in Montana by Friday morning. Everyone I talked to there was friendly. It was awesome dealing with these guys - you can't beat that in a company.
Bike/Shock Setup:
SC VP-Free, Boxxer World Cup, X-9/Holzfeller/Juicy 7/shiny stuff. She's probably sitting around 41-42 lbs with thicker tubes. And for reference, I'm about 175 lbs with gear.
X-Fusion Vector DH2, 450# steel spring - Rebound is 4 clicks in from full open, compression 2 clicks in, and 140 psi in the chamber (120-180 is the range on the shock, although you can run lower pressures according to a guy I chatted with at X-Fusion). The spring is about 1 full turn past where the collar first engages the spring - so just a little bit of preload. Sag is right around 30%
The Ride:
The parking lot test got a audible "wow" from me. I've ridden VP-Frees with DHXs, Rocos, Swingers, and 5ths. In terms of suppleness, the DH2 felt amazing. I promptly found a curb and rode over it - much to my delight, I didn't even notice the rear wheel going over it. Over the next couple days, I got it onto a couple of easy trails, and mobbed around the neighborhood on it, but nothing too crazy.
I put the DH2 through its first real test on a trail called Dead Man's here in Missoula. It is 8 miles of high-speed flow, steeps, ruts, dust, and very loose and rocky Montana goodness. I really though the parking lot test gave me a good idea of what this shock was going to be like, but once I actually got onto the trail, I couldn't believe how well it performed. The one thing that I really noticed about this shock compared others that I've ridden is the range of adjustment. It seems like you can fine-tune your settings much better than other shocks I've ridden. You can get the rebound to go from full-on pogo to the shock not rebounding at all. The compression settings are the same - full-open squish all the way to just about locked out. I actually bumped up the compression a touch on the trail. Through all of the nonsense that is Dead Man's, I always felt like my rear wheel was glued to the ground. However, I could still catch some sweet air popping off of roots and rocks with relative ease. Pedaling was pretty good - there are a couple short sections where you have to pedal, and there was very little bob when seated.
Dead Man's is a technically difficult trail, but there aren't any jumps or drops on it, so after Dead Man's, we went to Deep Creek. There we've got hips, ladder drops, doubles, step-downs, and more of the loose and rocky Montana goodness. Jumping felt great with this shock. There was a good amount of pop that you could generate off of lips, but it felt very controlled. Over everything I hit, the rear suspension just felt bottomless. Everything was so smooth - drops seemed more like rollers, and jumps seemed to have perfect dirt jump landings. I cased a couple of jumps - one bigger hit, and one smaller one at speed, and it still felt bottomless.
All in all, I'm really excited to be rocking this thing on my bike. The guys at X-Fusion really got it right with this shock.
