Bad suspension - poor design or just in disrepair?

I unloaded the spring on this used LE Ballistic AOS shock to test for dampening, and found some curious behavior. It has (fluid?) dampening and no spring for the top ~8mm of travel, but then some sort of internal spring but no dampening for all travel below that? My first thought was that it was a nefarious design, to fool people into thinking it includes dampening. Maybe it's just low on fluid though?

I've had this DNM shock absorber in my shopping list in case the Ballistic shock was one of those cheap designs that doesn't even include dampening, but now I'm not sure if I'd be better off trying to refurbish it. Any thoughts that could help me out?

[youtube]9fY7GB8yIT0[/youtube]

Shocks with good rebound control are pretty expansive. Even then, few are able to dampen the weight of a big hub motor wheel.

Lucky for me, I'm not too picky about good rebound control yet. Even this Ballistic shock, I wasn't sure just from riding it whether it had functional dampening or not, which is why I was doing the test. I just want a shock with dampening through all of it's travel

I have a cheapo ExaForm 388Rl that I got for 20$ and it doesnt act anything like that. Unload the spring and it has great pressure for extension and a very good rebound adjustable damper (plus lockout but I dont use that much). Ive beat on it for a 700 mi and it hasnt blown yet. Very firm. Some are junk, some work, alot are expensive, and I would never consider air vs coil, coil is much better IMO.

....lack of rebound force is bad when the suspension slams at full extension. Every builder thinks about the compression force but rarely the rebound force. ...

http://exa-form.com/?products=388rl This thing was 20$ + shipping and hasnt failed yet.

Shock in the vid is junk and/or beat.

Probably junk and no parts available to repair even if it was worth it. Either the one above or a take off of a good shock (Fox, for instance which I've seen in Craigslist for $60) would be far superior.

I say just take it apart and see what you find. What's the harm? Have fun learning/tinkering and take it apart, clean it, and add fresh oil if it seems like everything is suitable. It could just be low on fluid. Put one end of the shock up and cycle it several times. Then turn it over the other way(up-side-down) and cycle it several times. See if you hear or feel a change. That could help determine if it's low on fluid. It's not 100%, but may give clues, or it may be obvious depending on the design of the internals.

I had a DNM like that, but the black one with adjustable damping. I used it for mostly road riding, but I did do a little MTBing with it. The only issue I had was that mine squeaked, which was mildly annoying. I tried lubing the shaft a few times, but after a week or two it would start squeaking again. It seemed well built and functioned well, though. The damping was completely functional, and the adjustment was functional for dialling in the ride. No idea if they all squeak or if I got a dud.

Thanks for the input guys. I did order the DNM shock that I linked. Their adjustable dampening model (at least on amazon) didn't have a 150mm option, but I'm pretty sure I'll be happy. I'll also try to refurbish the old one just for fun, and see what's going on!

thundercamel said:

Lucky for me, I'm not too picky about good rebound control yet. Even this Ballistic shock, I wasn't sure just from riding it whether it had functional dampening or not, which is why I was doing the test. I just want a shock with dampening through all of it's travel

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Dampening IS rebound control. It is what prevents that the suspension reaction does make your wheel bouncing off the ground.

Without suspension you wheel does bounce on a hit. Improper suspension does sink the hit, but bounces when returning. The damper valve is slowing down the return to control the bouncing, thus keeping the wheel in contact with the ground and making the action available for the next hit.

Hard to tell what you have there, but it appears to me like a cheap shock, essentially without any damping inside at all. A pogo stick.

dogman dan said:

Hard to tell what you have there, but it appears to me like a cheap shock, essentially without any damping inside at all. A pogo stick.

Click to expand...

It definitely does have damping, but only for the top 5mm or so of travel. Once it hits some sort of internal spring, all damping is gone for the bottom 25mm of travel. Very bizare.

The shock has been replaced with a DNM DV-22. I had to reuse the metal sleeves and nylon spacers from the old shock, which actually required some work for one of them! Thankfully I've amassed a fair amount of tools over the years. The shock is supposed to have 30mm of travel, but there's only 20mm before it hits the bumpstop, which the old shock didn't have. I could cut the bumpstop down some, but it's probably fine as is. Not including the bumpstop, I measured 38mm of travel at the top of the seat, and calculated 68mm of travel at the rear axle.

It's nice having a rear shock that actually works and to feel it cushion over smooth bumps. It's kinda like a car actually. With so much weight on the front and only 50mm of travel, sharp bumps are just a lot to ask of it. Thank goodness I spec'd the fork with the heavy duty spring and have that 2.4" tire up front.











A slightly out of date picture:


A very out of date video:
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