As mentioned in the intro, I used this shock absorber for 7 months on my Commencal Meta AM, trying every possible setting; encountering different situations, from the cold winter to the hot summer; passing through the dry soil of the Italino of La Thuile, the banks of the Paganella, the raises of Pogno and the roots of the Vigezzo.
The first impression was positive, I fully recovered the typical sensitivity of the spring, capable of absorbing any bumps and maintaining a constant functioning standard even on very long descents. I liked the unrestrained hydraulics of the rebound and the smoothness of the compression. But the real point in favor is given by the effectiveness of the adjustments, capable of changing the look of the bike in one click.
Compression
On the Meta that I've been using for a few months, the compression hydraulics are quite soft, a fact that allows the biggest shocks to be absorbed well, giving excellent stability to the rear end without weighing too much on the legs. A lot of softness, however, finds its limit in the bike parks, when you are looking for the extra thrust when exiting the banks or you want more support to close the jumps. Here the compression adjustment comes in handy, very sensitive to clicks and which with a few steps manages to transform it, giving us that wall in the central part of the excursion which turns out to be very useful on the most worked tracks and in tackling jumps, where a softer mono ends up eating the kick, reducing the possibility of launch.
Return
I like a fast return and this mono fits my needs. The quick response is felt all in the broken sections, where a fast return cancels the mute effect that causes the shots in sequence to cushion the legs and not the carts. But having unbridled rebound also serves to indulge in more active riding, when exiting corners or when you need to lighten the bike.
As with the compression, the rebound braking is also very sensitive. A few clicks and the behavior of the vehicle changes significantly.
The block
The block is also excellent, which makes the wagon very rigid and supported. The mono closes about the size of the sag and then hardly moves anymore, to the point that on the plains I prefer to keep it open.
Uphill, on the contrary, this adjustment allows for better transmission of energy to the wheel with little dispersion and with a work of the undercarriage which helps to copy the roughness of the terrain. In longer climbs to the block in closing or trying to join the closure of the return, the stability increases, thus allowing you to save precious energy. Similarly I tried to completely close the adjustments in comprehension finding that ideal situation when the gradients become important or you get caught up in the sacred fury of the kom uphill, even if with an endurona it may make little sense.
Conclusions
Rock Shox's long experience in the MTB sector can be seen and has made it possible to create a fantastic ammo. Excellent sensitivity to adjustments, which allow you to optimize the work of the bike, following both the characteristics of the track and the style of the biker. A ready to race product that will satisfy even the wishes of the most demanding rider.
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