Good value, effective rebound adjust, smooth damping for a low-end shock, fairly light for its size, reliable

my platform plus adjust was faulty from new

This shock is a real treat for the price. I got mine for £23 new!
It rides and feels similar to a Fox VanR but, in my oppinion, the metels rebound adjust is more effective and it feels smoother through its travel.
Ive used mine for a few months riding long distance to my downhill trails- it doesnt bob too much when climbing. On the trails it somewhat lacks any small bump correspondance but takes the medium to large hits well.
My only downside is that my platform adjuster never worked. If I turn it either way it starts to let oil out, so I just leave it alone. But I probably just got a dog.
On the whole the metel is easily in the same class as the more expensive Fox Vanilla shocks. For the price you cant go wrong.

Similar Products Used:

Fox VanRC, VanR & DHX 5.0, Rockshox vivid, kindshock ks290---> lol

the platform adjustment was nice for climbin hills, then when i knew i was gonna bomb a downhill i could crank it down and bomb it. it was cool while it lasted.

This is my second shock i've blown. The first time happened right at my 1 year warranty w/ the shock. they warrantied it, gave me a new one. unfortunately you can't do it twice. about another year later, the second one i had blew out.

ride it till it blows

not bad for jumping

cant stutter bumps out at all. I blew 2 of these shocks out and broke the shaft in both

do not reccimend to buy. easy to break, and bad dampening

Similar Products Used:

dhx, swinger

Durable, keeps working, platform adjust, rebound, compression

not sure if it has any since it was designed for the bike

The thing functions and has been very durable. It doesn't fail. It looks good and nice anodized control knobs. Manitou designed this just for OEM sales, so they did not have to spend $$$ marketing it. It is a quality product.

Similar Products Used:

Fox, Rockshok, xfusion

Strong, simple, reliable

few adjustments make tuning problematic

I'm a big guy, 235+, and I need something sturdy; also, since this is my "everybike" -- I don't own a car -- I need reliable. I get it with this shock! The Swinger 3 was good...while it lasted, which wasn't long, about 8 months. No factory support for a seal kit, so I threw that bi+ch away. Ran a cheap generic for a loooong time til I found this one. Works perfectly for me, with minimal preload and compression. It moves when I hit a bump, it stays put when pedaling. It LOOKS like it weighs about 20 pounds, but it's light for its size. This shock may even outlive the frame!

Similar Products Used:

Swinger 3, generics

Really cheap. Seems solidly built. Simplicity.

Overdamped (seems to be way too much compression). Poor range of rebound adjustment (does not go fast enough)

This shock seems pretty good as a budget product, which, after all, it is. You cant expect a shock that costs this little to work like a roco or fox dhx.

On the plus side, the shock is really simple. Only preload, rebound, and platform plus valve. This makes it pretty easy to set up, but once you get it there its never quite perfect. For a start, in compression the shock seems to have way too much damping. This makes the back of the bike feel really numb and dead. I think this is due to the cheap platform system installed on the shock. It resists pedalling really well, but at the sacrifice of small bump response. This is okay for big hits, where the shock copes admirably, but on rooty, technical sections, the back of the bike bounces everywhere. Its just nowhere near sensitive enough. Having tried a fox dhx 3.0, the fox does seem to be far more active. The back of the bike really feels like its working. Also, although there is rebound adjustment, even with this fully open it seems slow. This again adds to the 'dead' feel you get from this shock.

However, its harsh to complain about this shock considering the price. Its really strong (uses the same steel body as the swinger) and seems solidly built ( no leeks ). just try not to mess about with the shock pressure and it should be reliable.

Anyway I will soon be upgrading to the fox dhx, as it seems a shame to have a DW link 7 inch bike and for it to have such a cheap shock. But overall, as an entry level product, I think it ticks all the boxes required.

Similar Products Used:

Fox DHX 3.0

none whatsoever

everything rebound is too slow even when its wide open
stp has so much of a platform the shock barely moves over bumps

its a giant doo doo. my 888 fork makes my wheel stick to the ground around corners while the metel makes my wheel slide out because of the outragous amounts of compression dampining and the slow rebound it makes my 8" travel bike feel like a hardtail because it buckes and skipps over rocks its a pile of S***

Similar Products Used:

fox 3.0 progressive 5th

this is a great shock. the adjustments work great and its fully tuniable to you how you like it.

none so far. i only wish that the compression was high and low instead of just low,but it still works good.

this thing is great because i took it apart and added a nice shim stack of about 15 all together.there were only three to begin with. so now its ok for big hits and my big butt. i also upped the oil rate to a 10w oil. and the best part is that i took an old 5th`s voulum adjuster because its the same size and screwed it on. now i can pump it up at high voulum about 200 psi and change the bottom out control. if you have a old 5th or swinger you too can do the same. and for the double it great for drops or trail riding because its a bit plusher than a air shock in the begining stroke.

Similar Products Used:

alot

It does what its designed for.

If you use the RPA setting, you stand a significant chance of blowing your shock.

Well, at first I thought this was just an OEM shock that was only available to bike companies and not available to the public.

fist off, I'm going to say that it does hold up just fine. I'm pretty impressed with it. However, I have multiple friends and aquentances that have all blown that shock! some after one ride, some after several, but they all make that nasty squeeking sound that, mind you laties and gentlemen, is NOT normal; it means you blew your shock, and your probably going to start leaking oil if not already so! I asked em how all their shocks where set up, and they said they had the RPA set up turned to MAX'd out, or close to MAX.that I have never even touched my RPA set up, only the rebound which is probably why I'm not in the same boat as the rest of these guys. SO to this day, I dare not touch it ever, and it works just fine. So that is my advice to the general public. And if it blows on you still, then...well... that really sucks... sorry, might as well upgrade to a better shock rather then send it in to get fixed because it will cost more to fix it then what the shock is worth.

I'm going to give it a fairly high rating because it works good for what it is, an entry level DH/ freeride shock thats apparently cost efficient. And we all know ( or should know) that cost efficient entry level stuff doesn't hold up all that great once you've reached a certain level of skill... Thank you for your time, take care.

Similar Products Used:

All of the swingers, DHX, and the REVOX ( man that shock is sick!)

plush, rebound adjust works great, propedal is perfect. Springs are easy to install. good controlled shock. great ramp up.

squeaks when pedaling

mine has 7" of travel, it just got back from its second year at whistler. I ride this shock harder than most of the people here. it DOES NOT bottom out, and if it is..then you dont know how to set up your shocks or are landing improperly. Get this shock, its well worth the money. I would suggest its use to FR and DH specific though, while the prodedal will make the shock not bob at all, when climbing the shock squeaks which is kind of annoying.

Similar Products Used:

Fox DHX AIR/5.0, swinger 4 way