Modern suspension elements, especially the high-quality ones, are complex systems - and actually a nightmare for people who primarily just want to do sport in the great outdoors: Buttons at every nook and cranny, some for compression and others for rebound adjustment, and even separate ones for different compression speeds. Recently, you also have to think about the optimum characteristic curve, progression curves, sag recommendations - nerd tech at its best. But you have to think about it if you want your expensive bike to fulfil its potential. Fortunately, many manufacturers now offer basic set-up recommendations that deliver good results for the majority of customers.
But in times of general perfection mania, when nobody wants to consume white flour products without a guilty conscience and training apps turn the journey to the office into a stress test, "good" results are of course not enough. And that's why SRAM now has the ultimate gadget for the self-imposed urge for perfection: ShockWiz. The little black box is an electronic tuning aid that continuously measures the air pressure in the fork or damper while riding. In combination with an acceleration sensor, sag values, spring travel utilisation, rebound speed and compression settings are analysed. Once ShockWiz has collected enough data, it sends setting recommendations to the corresponding mobile phone app via Bluetooth. Rocket Science!
The system is quick to install: the plastic box, which weighs just a few grams, is attached to the triple clamp or damper body with two cable ties and the high-pressure hose is connected to the valve using a screw head. You then have to calibrate ShockWiz using the app. This means releasing air, compressing the fork several times and pulling it apart again as far as possible. In this way, the sensor determines the basic data that it can use to measure how the suspension behaves. You then restore the recommended basic set-up of the suspension fork or shock, start a "session" in the app and ride off. Well, almost. Before ShockWiz can make suggestions for improvement, you have to select the setting in which you want to optimise. There are four modes in hip English: efficient, balanced, playful and aggressive. The app gives a definition for each mode: efficient means rather firm, balanced should be a kind of compromise between good response behaviour and bob-free suspension, playful aims in the same direction but with more pop, and aggressive focuses on maximum suspension travel utilisation. Actually, as is the case with us spoilt testers, I would like to have everything at the same time, but unfortunately ShockWiz doesn't provide this option. Just "aggressive" then. But here we go.
We received two ShockWiz units from SRAM for the test and fitted them to an enduro bike with RockShocks Lyrik RCT3 and Monarch Plus RT3. I had tested the bike for some time beforehand and set up the suspension as recommended by the manufacturer, but at the upper end of the recommended scale for my weight. Just under 20 per cent sag at the front and 30 per cent at the rear. The rebound stage was rather quick, the low-speed compression stage (LSD) of the fork closed two clicks (out of 7). In my opinion, I was riding well at high speed in partly flowing, partly blocked terrain: stable in the mid-stroke and with just under one centimetre of remaining travel at the front as a reserve. The popometer would say that it was in "playful" mode, with a score of 120 per cent for optimum travel utilisation. But what does the black box say? Does it approve of what I think is good here? Or does the ultra-modern measurement technology via app show that we testers are in fact complete fools who talk a big game, but in reality have no idea what they're talking about?
With beads of cold sweat on my forehead, I race towards the valley. The system needs some time on the trail until it has collected enough data. I stop after about two kilometres to get some initial feedback. According to the app, this setting only utilises the possibilities of the suspension with a score of 76 percent! Now there are two options: Switch to "playful" so I can save face in the score ranking pose, or see where the journey takes me if I follow the digital know-it-all's tips. As I had tuned rather tightly, the sub-optimal result is not surprising at first. But will the recommended settings positively change the set-up in the direction that the mode promises? ShockWiz recommends less air pressure at the front via a bar chart, reducing the tokens in the air chamber and more LS compression. At the rear, I should also reduce the air pressure and increase the LS compression. With the RockShox Monarch Plus RT3, this can only be done in very large steps - and I wouldn't want to select these in order to have a sensitive suspension that utilises the suspension travel. But I don't have a chip in my brain. After adjusting the front and rear, I start the next session and ride the same route again. Result: 82 per cent at the front, 74 per cent at the rear, which, according to my popometer, feels more like 50 per cent at the rear. With the tips for the front (even less air pressure and maximum LS compression), I'm now at the lower end of the manufacturer's recommended air pressure for my body weight. I would never have chosen the combination with the LS compression set to maximum, but the result is comfortable to ride and, as promised, utilises the entire suspension travel. This corresponds to the mode definition.
At the rear, there is suddenly talk of less LSD, even less air pressure (almost 40 per cent sag!) and more high-speed compression? The fact that these aren't available on the shock shows that ShockWiz is either totally stupid or currently only suitable for complex high-end shocks like the Fox X2 or Cane Creek Double Barrel Air. I'm betting on the latter and radio SRAM to beg for the plastic cubes for another month of testing. Because for today I've had enough of the app stare and pumping around. Now I want to have fun, regardless of the score! And the basic set-up is more than enough for that.
ConclusionSomehow we think the idea of the digital suspension travel butler is cool, and we were actually able to find a really good suspension set-up on the fork. But it wasn't better than the basic set-up recommended by the manufacturer - just different. So cool? I refuse to say and continue the test with more complex dampers and forks with extra buttons! You'll hear from us.
More info under: www.quark.com/shockwiz
Marcus Klausmann, thoroughbred racer:
Opinion 1: "I was pleasantly surprised. ShockWiz is amazingly accurate. On my standard 2-minute route, I achieved a score of 94 per cent on my first ride - ShockWiz suggested that I should increase my high-speed speed.adjust the compression damping a little softer. That also seemed logical to me."
Opinion 2: "On tours, ShockWiz distorts the values. It mainly works on short routes that are very similar in profile. The device may be useful for amateur racers, dealers and tech nerds. The added value for bikers with an already sensitive popometer is limited."
