Progressive Suspension 5th Element Reviews

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Progressive Suspension 5th Element

MSRP			$
# of Reviews			103
Average Rating			3.88/5

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Submitted by robotkiller a Weekend Warrior from Chapel Hill, NC Date Reviewed: January 11, 2009
Favorite Trail:	Blankets Creek
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Strengths:	None
Weaknesses:	Everything
Similar Products Used:	Manitou Swinger, Fox RP2
Bike Setup:	Heckler
Bottom Line:	Rebound damping is way too slow and small bump compliance is terrible. The shock is cheaply made, heavy and ugly. SPV just makes the situation worse. My shock was correctly sprung and I correctly set up the shock per Progressive instructions. Bottom line: My 5th was a piece of garbage and had a harsh action that packed down
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Submitted by DL a Cross Country Rider from RSD, CA Date Reviewed: October 28, 2008
Favorite Trail:	Noble
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Purchased At:	Came w/bike
Strengths:	Smooth as silk, no bobbing, reliable, low maintenance, works great on the Heckler!
Weaknesses:	None so far
Similar Products Used:	Fox (I've had nothing but issues with Fox reliability...it's terrible.
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Heckler, XT, King, Marzocchi
Bottom Line:	Great shock for the Heckler. Smoothes out the roughest, rockiest trails...great all mountain and cross country shock. Climbs amazingly well. Absolutely no issues with shock at all.
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Submitted by Michael Lafortune a Downhiller from Kanata Date Reviewed: August 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:	Whoper Droper
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$300.00
Purchased At:	MTBshop
Strengths:	Vary plush which keeps a steady ride, keeps you on the track with no sliding because its almost always being pushed down.
Weaknesses:	Not any really, unless you don't like plush shocks.
Similar Products Used:	Fox DHX Air/5.0
Bike Setup:	Santa cruz V10, Monster T's, 5th's, e-thirteen, Double tracks...
Bottom Line:	Its a great shock unless you don't like vary plush shocks. Is great for drops, the quality keeps you from bouncing and it will take any DH section vary smooth.
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Submitted by nick bedell a Downhiller from jackson wy Date Reviewed: April 9, 2007
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Strengths:	full range of adjustments, price...
Weaknesses:	getting it set up at first...
Similar Products Used:	manitou, fox...
Bike Setup:	haro x3 66 rc2x 5th element, hayes 9's, and other things found on bikes...
Bottom Line:	great shock. kinda of a pain to get set up. but also cool that you can set it up so many different ways if you want. this shock has been great so far taking everything i i throw at it, my back tire stays glued to the trail where it should be. takes drops well also. great value. all around great shock for downhilling with jumps and smaller drops.
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Submitted by Rhys Beal a Downhiller from Haverhill England Date Reviewed: March 2, 2007
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Price Paid:	$300.00
Purchased At:	ebay
Strengths:	very, very plush. Much better than fox
Weaknesses:	little heaver than others but still fairly light
Similar Products Used:	fox shox
Bike Setup:	scott high octane fr frame 2003, 222mm 5th element shock titanium spring 9.5" travel, pace rc150 monster forks 150mm travel carbon fibre and magnesium, race face next lp cranks 3 rings, hope mono 6ti, hope bulb hubs, mavic ex729, sram x.o, panaracer fire fr 2.4 and loads more.....
Bottom Line:	This shock is very good. I have never come across a shock that is so plush. Landing from drops is like falling into a warm velvet glove, its a pleasure! And with all of its adjustment (it has loads) you can set it up to your riding style very simply. My shock has the ti spring, but my previous 5th element had a steel one and there is no difference, just weight. This shock is a lovely little upgrade to anything out there, buy it and it will transform you bike!
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Submitted by Michael Spaff a Downhiller from Franklin lakes, new jersy Date Reviewed: December 5, 2006
Favorite Trail:	road no nowear
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$200.00
Purchased At:	ebay
Strengths:	good, shock for freeride
Weaknesses:	sucks depending on the fork ur yousing
Similar Products Used:	dhx 3.0
Bike Setup:	2006 fsr2 big hit, with 5th element, travis, 32 special, and intense tires
Bottom Line:	the shock worked great with the drop off tripple, but when i got the travis, it sucked, so i tryed the dhx 3.0 and that was so much better, also depends hou i is set up, but thats a pain in th ass get it if u want problems
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Submitted by Charles a Downhiller from Scarsdale New York Date Reviewed: November 11, 2006
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	None realy
Weaknesses:	Everything, overall is horrible
Similar Products Used:	Dhx, dhx air, almost everything
Bike Setup:	Bullet, 66, 5th
Bottom Line:	Horrible shock dont waste your money
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Submitted by Justin a Downhiller from Syracuse, NY, USA Date Reviewed: October 13, 2006
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	It came on my Sunday Factory Frameset
Strengths:	Smooth. Seems perfect for the bike that I race on.
Weaknesses:	Improperly set up when I first got it
Similar Products Used:	Romic shock, Manitou swinger 6-way
Bike Setup:	2006 Iron Horse Sunday with a Rock Shox Boxxer front fork.
Bottom Line:	The first weekend that I rode and raced my bike, I realized that something wasn't right with the shock.... on small bumps, the shock kept topping out, and the compression damping was way to aggressive resulting in a slightly harsh ride. I called Progressive on the Monday after I rode and told them what was happening and requested that they sell me a heavier spring since places online seemed to be out of stock. They said that they would fix the shock on warranty (as I hoped that they would) and that they would sell me a new spring. So... I overnighted the shock to them on Monday and somehow they managed to get the shock back to me by Thursday, AND they gave me the heavier spring for FREE!!! I have to say that I am very impressed by this customer service. Plus, the shock seems to work great now that they revalved it!! I am guessing that a lot of the other people leaving poor feedback for this company aren't reading the information on Progressive's website on how to properly adjust the shock. I followed the instructions carefully, and the bike rides great!!!
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Submitted by Griff a Weekend Warrior from Conestogo Date Reviewed: August 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:	highway
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$198.00
Purchased At:	EBAY
Strengths:	VERY VERY ADJUSTABLE, can fit almost any company spring on it ( im runnin a manitou) great support from progressive
Weaknesses:	um......um..........none
Similar Products Used:	fox vanilla r, dhx 5.0
Bike Setup:	rocky 05 switch s1, all raceface, 05 boxxer race, hayes, gamut....on and on
Bottom Line:	This shock is awesome, i bought mine used, and when i adjsut the begining and ending stroke a feel hardly any change, which could be why buddy sold it too me, oh well, besides that the thing is sweet u can run any cheap manitou spring on it so u dont gotta waste ur money on buying a progrssive one unless you want the silver spring lol, i noticed one thing while putting air into the chamber my pump would read 150 psi but then when i would check it after i pumped it, it would only have about 90 in it so then i put about 200 psi reading on the pump in and got about 140 psi in the chamber, so i realized the pump reads the preasure in the chamber pump hose and pump chamber... so add about 50 psi on your pump gauge to get what u want ie 90 needed put 140 in then check it!
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Submitted by JJ a from Oregon Date Reviewed: August 2, 2006
Favorite Trail:	something steep
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Purchased At:	came on frame
Strengths:	Adjustable to $hit. Fairly light for the travel. Easy to find springs for cheap. It just looks sexy as hell!!!
Weaknesses:	Takes time for initial setup. Hard to get shock pump in the lil hole.
Similar Products Used:	Fox vanilla-r, vanilla-rc, DHX
Bike Setup:	Bullit, 66rc's, Trail Pimps, Hayes, Race Face Northshore..ect.........
Bottom Line:	I have ridden the ever loving crap outta this shock for 2 1/2 years. I dont have money for multiple bikes so this is literally a do-it-all. I bomb gravity fed parks, ride urban, and commute (short distances, dont get me wrong) I have never done any maintenance to it either. I aint gonna lie and say i go big with it but, im no school girl either. If you have the right weight spring and, set it up correctly the first time. It will be butter, butter i SAY!!!!!
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Submitted by eric a Weekend Warrior from lynnwood wa Date Reviewed: July 15, 2006
Favorite Trail:	tiger mtn
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$450.00
Purchased At:	downhillzone
Strengths:	tuneable and very supple. feels like you are stuck to the trail. it also ties the chassis together really well. my bike holds a line much better that before, climbs like crazy.
Weaknesses:	complicated setup, if the fellas take the time like the downhillzone did it makes all the differince. proper spring rate is key.
Similar Products Used:	fox itch, marrzochi the boss
Bike Setup:	04` enduro pro, z1light ETA ,hadley 521 ,hayes with 8" rotors
Bottom Line:	this has been a great product for me, i am big 6'4" 235 lbs. and i ride hard. it does what i want and need with no hassles. i would recmend it for trail riders.
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Submitted by Rick a from Mountaintop Date Reviewed: May 10, 2006
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	Came with frame
Strengths:	Can't think of any because the shock didn't work.
Weaknesses:	The customer service is the worst I've ever dealt with. Absolutely clueless and unorganized. The shock had to be sent back two times and it still didn't work right.
Similar Products Used:	Fox, 5th Element Air, Rock Shox
Bike Setup:	Heckler, Nixon with good stuff
Bottom Line:	The first time I called these idiots for a spring change I was told that I had to send it in. I was also told to buy a replacement spring which was the wrong one. I sent the shock in and they told me that it would be like it was new when it came back. They told me that it would be a "rush" order. Eighteen days later they looked at it. In the meantime, I had called them to find out what was taking so long. I was told that they would get back to me. It didn't happen. I ended up calling them back three days later. I received the shock and went for a ride. Not bad. Next ride the shock blew. The bottom out adjustment knob fell out too! I sent it back to them again. I laughed when I was told that it would be a "rush". When I hadn't heard from them I called and spoke with another one of their pathetic customer service reps. Again, I was told that they would call me back. Two days later I got a call from their manager who asked me what I wanted to do with the shock. Since it had been 30 days from when it was last worked on the warranty was expired. She said it would be $100 to fix it!! I asked if they had a dumpster at their facility. When she told me that they did I told her to toss it where it belongs. I have a feeling the dumpster spit it back out. The manager was ignorant and I can see that her managing skills are reflected in the company's success. Do yourself a favor and avoid a bike with their shock. I know two others that dumped their 5th element for a Fox. I bought a DHX coil and it's fine so far.
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Submitted by Joe Smith a Downhiller from Cali Date Reviewed: March 30, 2006
Favorite Trail:	sandhill
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	none
Weaknesses:	all
Similar Products Used:	fox vanila R
Bike Setup:	irorn horse
Bottom Line:	sucks ass
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Submitted by J Kaye a Downhiller from Toronto, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: January 9, 2006
Favorite Trail:	anything in BC
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	bike store
Strengths:	its an alright shock i didnt mind it
Weaknesses:	it seems to cause too much problem easy to distroy if u do big drops
Bottom Line:	some might say this shock is not for beginners .... but this also isnt a shock for hardcore riders. i blew mine while i was in whistler and that was not fun. dont get this shock if u plan to do big drops. also dont get it if ur taking ur bike on planes cuz u run the risk of blowing it if dont take the air out and if u do take the air out u have the risk of forgetting to put the air back in. but besides that its a good shock if ur not too much a crazy biker
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Submitted by phil arscott a Weekend Warrior from tacoma washington usa Date Reviewed: December 2, 2005
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$100.00
Purchased At:	craigslist
Strengths:	super plush, looks good, performs well when not blown out!
Weaknesses:	Blows easier than any thing else i've ridden, rebounds blown, leaks air, makes this loud KLANK sound when it is uncompressed, just a lot of trouble
Similar Products Used:	swinger, DHX, avalanche,
Bike Setup:	Big Hit DH shiver big link .....
Bottom Line:	Don't buy this shock unless you want to have problems, they are more trouble than they aare worth and a real headache!
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Submitted by Mark a from Toronto, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: November 18, 2005
Favorite Trail:	anywhere
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$600.00
Purchased At:	Cycle Solutions
Strengths:	This Shock is amazing!! It is always plush, and is firm, but still has the recomended sag. Performs well in all conditions and is trouble free after the shock is set up
Weaknesses:	The shock is very difficult to set up, but if you spend some time with it and do it right, it will feel like heaven
Similar Products Used:	Fox DHX 3.0 (2005)
Bike Setup:	2005 Kona Stinky with 5th element, Shimano deore hydro disk brakes, Alex rim DX32 rear and sun rim front. Also has the Marzocchi Drop off triple (which I would not recoment to anybody)
Bottom Line:	This Shock is absolutly amazing. I am very surprised to see so many negative reviews! The shock is plush all the time, handles very well on the trails and has no known flaws to me. it also performs very well in the city. It is firm enogh to do street, but soft enough to do trails. It has also eaten up 8 foot drops to flat very effectivly (I can't even feel them) without bottoming out or making weird noises or anything like that. I have thrown 360's off banks in the city, gone off of huge dirt jumps, done some extreme downhill trails and jumped off of huge ledges to flat without having to touch or even look at the shock!! this shock is a must have for any freerider or downhiller.
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Submitted by Nir a Racer from SoCal Date Reviewed: November 2, 2005
Favorite Trail:	Whistler
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Price Paid:	$1.00
Purchased At:	Come on my frame
Strengths:	The highest suspension quality, light with TI spring. Good customer service.
Weaknesses:	Not for beginners who can't get help with the first setup. 2.5 years and I had to send it to Progressive to replace parts.
Similar Products Used:	Any DH shock out there.
Bike Setup:	M1, XTR, Race Face, MRP, Hadley and more..
Bottom Line:	Fortunately it's a quality product and service but along the years I lost few races couse of lacking reliability. I gonna try the DHX 5 with Ti spring... see ya next year.
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Submitted by ian a Downhiller from Mt. Shasta, CA Date Reviewed: September 5, 2005
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	came w/bike @REI
Strengths:	smooth, comfy. Takes everything I can dish out
Weaknesses:	poor user manual, super techy sounding setup
Bike Setup:	Yeti ASX, Manutou Sherman Breakout plus, hussefelt, hayes hfx9
Bottom Line:	I must have got a good one, because mine has been completely maintenence free and seems to be doing what it is supposed to. Freaks me out to see all the negative reviews, but i am completly stoked so far, I ride three or four days a week on a burly downhill trail with tons of drops, stumps, wall rides and huge boulder launches, not always smooth landings and it seems like it has only bottomed out a few times, i weigh 180# and love riding again because of this setup!
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Submitted by Dennis a Racer from North Vancouver, BC Date Reviewed: September 2, 2005
Favorite Trail:	crack addict and no joke at whistler
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$500.00
Purchased At:	Cove Bike Shop
Strengths:	looks cool, people think u are cool with one, works for 15-20mins
Weaknesses:	blows too bloody easy, i weigh 160 and blew it while bouncing around on it, no jumps
Similar Products Used:	fox vanilla r (WAAAY TOUGHER)
Bike Setup:	05 cove playmate, jrts, MTX rims, race face evolve groupset, deore xt derailleur, maxxis minion tires
Bottom Line:	BOOM when i was setting the rebound, the adjust was in the middle, then i went around and bounced on it, came back and oil everywhere. Plus, as an added bonus, Progressive 5th element has THE CRAPPIEST service, i have been without a shock for 3 weeks now, i wont even be able to ride my new bike this season because of them!! POO!!
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Submitted by Rog a Cross Country Rider from Spokane Date Reviewed: July 15, 2005
Favorite Trail:	Roger's Greatest Hits
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Purchased At:	Intense
Strengths:	Lots of adjustability. Seems invisible. I don't think about it. It just works. 7" travel is about right for cross country riding. Just stay seated through those roots, small logs, and baby-heads. It rides very firm until I need it.
Weaknesses:	Dependability could be better. Having so many adjustments may be overwhelming for many. It's important to have the correct spring rate for the bike, ride weight, and travel option.
Similar Products Used:	Fox air, Rock Shox Super Deluxe.
Bike Setup:	Intense Uzzi SLX, Progressive 5th Element shock, Marzocchi 2004 Z1 FR coil (130mm), XTR shifters, XTR rapid-rise, Hayes mag brakes. Rear suspension setup 7-inch travel setting, 350-pound titanium spring, 140 to 150 PSI. Time ATAC XS Carbon pedals. Weirwolf race tires 2.5 front and 2.1 rear. The bike is 33 pounds.
Bottom Line:	I love this shock. When I posted a review here back in Aug 2003 I said I may buy a spare. I did buy the spare and I have needed it. Even the spare I purchased needed repair and it was brand new in a box. I knew the technology was new and I was willing to take the risk on dependability. I am not sorry. I think the first repairs were updates as they found solutions to problems. The lower shock mount eyelet problem was updated on both my shocks and I haven't had any more problems with that or any more problems with leaking oil through the air chamber. And what else would I buy? The Fox DHX looks good but they don't make one for my bike. I just replaced the shock again today and this time I think it just needed a rebuild. The first part of the stroke has no damping. I had the shock on for about a year and rode about 2,000 miles. That seems reasonable to me for this level of performance. It takes about 15 minutes to a half-hour to swap the shock on my Intense SLX. The guys at 5th Element are great to work with. I hope to have my repaired spare shock back in two weeks. They can probably turn the repairs around faster for those owners that don't have a spare.
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Submitted by Unknown a Downhiller from Arkansas, USA Date Reviewed: June 1, 2005
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$400.00
Strengths:	Feels good when works, doesnt happen often. Service is good at progressive.
Weaknesses:	Set it up according to how santa cruz wants it. Blows when i sit on it. CRAP
Similar Products Used:	vanilla
Bike Setup:	Bullit
Bottom Line:	Dont buy this peice of garbage...Simple
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Submitted by Rick a Weekend Warrior from North Vancouver, Canada Date Reviewed: April 24, 2005
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	Works as advertised. SPV makes my Santa Cruz Heckler climb with little or no bobbing.
Weaknesses:	Takes awhile to get the correct spring rate figured out as well as the multitude of settings.
Similar Products Used:	Fox (various), Risse
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Heckler, Manitou Sherman Firefly plus front (150mm/6"), XT/XTR, Raceface, Chris King, etc.
Bottom Line:	Just had this shock upgraded to 2.25 inches of stroke which yields around 5.70 inches of rear travel which is a noticeable change from the stock 5". Never had a problem with it at all.
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Submitted by Tom a Racer from Philly Date Reviewed: February 24, 2005
Duration Product Used:	Tested or demo'ed only
Purchased At:	Came with bike
Bike Setup:	Cove g-spot
Bottom Line:	This review is an attempt to get advice. I just got a g-spot with a 5th element and after reading the reviews, I am concerned that I may have the wrong spring. I've been looking everywhere for some kind of guide, but can't find anything. One thing I do think is people who are blowing these up probably have the wrong spring rate. I weigh 190' and currently have a 500lb by 2.00" spring. My thought is that this may be too heavy from what I've read so far. If anyone has a similar setup or any good advice, please email me. Thanks. Have a good ride!
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Submitted by MICHAEL LAPKA a Cross Country Rider from BEL AIR, MARYLAND Date Reviewed: February 15, 2005
Favorite Trail:	ALL DIRT ALLTHE TIME
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$450.00
Purchased At:	BLACK CAT BIKES
Strengths:	AWESOME PEDAL FEEL, NEVER BOTTOMS OUT
Weaknesses:	CAN BE TRICKY TO SET UP, PROGRESSIVE SHOULD INCLUDE 'MORE' DETAILED SET UP INSTRUCTIONS.
Similar Products Used:	FOX VANILLA, ROMIC D
Bike Setup:	AZONIC SABER WITH THE WORKS
Bottom Line:	AS I NOTED ABOVE, IT WOULD GREATLY BENEFIT PROGRESSIVE TO HAVE MORE/BETTER SET UP INSTRUCTIONS EITHER IN THE BOX OR ON THEIR WEB SITE. THAT SAID, IT JUST KILLS ME WITH SOME OF THE SO CALLED PROBLEMS PEOPLE ARE HAVING WITH THIS SHOCK. I'M SURE SOME ARE VALID, BUT I'M ALSO SURE THAT MOST WHO HAVE HAD ISSUES DID NOT READ NOR UNDERSTAND THE SET-UP PROCEDURES. IF THE SHOCK CAME STOCK ON YOUR BIKE THE SHOP SHOULD HAVE EXPLAINED A BIT ABOUT HOW TO USE IT. (IF YOU BOUGHT IT ON-LINE, YOUR SOL, SO DON'T BLAME IT SO READILY ON PROGRESSIVE). THE SHOCK CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE MOST AMAZING RIDES THAT YOU'LL EVER HAVE....IF YOU LEARN HOW TO SET IT UP AND USE IT. THIS CAN TAKE 5-10 RIDES. IT SEEMS THAT MANY OF THE 'ISSUES' ARISE FROM NOT HAVING THE CORRECT SPRING. IF PEOPLE WOULD R-E-A-D THE MANUAL THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF SETTING THE 5TH UP CORRECTLY. AFTER THAT IT IS JUST A MATTER OF FINE TUNING TO YOUR LIKING. THIS SHOCK RULES! AND IT WILL RULE EVEN MORE WITH THE ADJUSTABLE RESEVIOR PLACEMENT. ONE FINAL NOTE TO ANYONE INTERESTED ABOUT STABLE PLATFORM SHOCKS, RESEARCH AND READ HOW TO SET UP....90% OF ISSUES COME FROM NOT LACK OF SPIRIT BUT LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.
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Submitted by Mark Foster a Downhiller from Livingston, NJ Date Reviewed: January 28, 2005
Favorite Trail:	Mtn Creek
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	Atlantic Cycle
Strengths:	Adjustment (can be a weakness too, cuz complicated) and feels real nice. Works well with my set up and riding style.
Weaknesses:	Adjustment can be confusing, but if you can dial it in then its nice. I blew it up, but think it didn't have any air in it.
Similar Products Used:	None
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Bullit with Super T
Bottom Line:	Ok I've heard alot of bad things about this shock and Progressive but I gotta say the shock has worked great for me. I noticed it was leaking oil on day after a snow ride and it had no damping. This was after killing the bike at Diablo Freeride Park and other DH trails in North NJ for 4 months. I didn't check the air in awhile like a dumba** so prob ran it hard one day without air. I called Progressive and the guy on the phone was super nice and told me to ship it back to them in California and they would have it back to me in 72 hours. I was alittle skeptical cuz of what I heard but sent it in and just got it back, within the time they said! Serivce was excellent, I haven't ridden it since I got it back but seems solid again. So maybe they have good batches and bad ones, but for me this shock seems great, I about 160 lbs and ride my bike like I stole it, so don't let the rumors stop you from buying one! I guess if it blew every few months and I had to return it, I would get annoyed but so far Progressive has been super kool!
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Submitted by Ken Berkley a Cross Country Rider from Pueblo Colorado Date Reviewed: January 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:	Captain Jack's
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$350.00
Purchased At:	Vances Bicycle World
Strengths:	When it's good it's good. When it's bad you have to remove it, send it back, wait(ride something else for a while)eventually you will get it back. Hopefully it will be ok for a while.
Weaknesses:	Longest streatch without a problem has been 5 months. Very, Very unreliable. First, after a month, the rebound dampening went out and it leaked air. Second it locked out completely out of the blue. After one month from being repaired it began to leak massive ammounts of air from the main chamber. I have had many problems with this shock;I will be replacing it with a fox float RP3.
Similar Products Used:	Fox
Bike Setup:	santa cruz blur
Bottom Line:	This shock is terrible. Please don't wast your time or money, unless you don't mind not riding for extended periods of time.
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Submitted by Adam Cahoy a Downhiller from spearfish sd usa Date Reviewed: December 22, 2004
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$400.00
Strengths:	all this shock has been nothing but good. the SPV is the best and actually works unlike some other shock brands. this shock can the big hits and the small i use this on all my full supension bikes.
Weaknesses:	none that i found. the people that said that they bought a 550 lbs coil on it and wondered why the rebound adjuster went to crap and then it blow out get a brain! SPV shocks are made with coils that are less than 100lbs lighter that normal shocks. you probably over stressd the rebound because it's over sprung.
Similar Products Used:	swingers but still not as good
Bike Setup:	m1 dorado hope mag 30s
Bottom Line:	it rules!!!! actually read about the shock befor you do something stupid to it!!!!!
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Submitted by Eddie Ellis a Cross Country Rider from Framingham, Mass. Date Reviewed: December 4, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Gilbert State forest
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	Adrenaline
Strengths:	rebound adjuster works well.
Weaknesses:	This think makes a loud klunk when it tops out. That sound is driving me nuts. Other riders 20 feet away ask it there's something broken. I spent an hour going over the shock pivot and frame pivot on my brand new San Andreas. it is the shock. I called the techline at progressive and avery nice woman said it's normal to hear that.
Similar Products Used:	Rock Shox coup deluxe on old LTS. (Still works arter 7 years) ???
Bike Setup:	San Andreas with Fox Vanilla 125R set up for cross country.
Bottom Line:	This shock holds air and oil so far but the spv doesn't seem to do much at all. It takes a big change in spv pressure to do much. Adremaline was able to get a 550 lb/in spring really fast so at least it's sprung correctly and ridable. It bobs more than my riding buddy's Stratos on an old San Andreas. I rode some of the spv and propedal air shock bikes before when deciding what to buy and they seemed much better. Even the cheaper Radium seemed to work much better. KLUNK
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Submitted by colin a Downhiller from Nor-cal Date Reviewed: December 1, 2004
Favorite Trail:	my back yard
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Purchased At:	came with my iron horse
Strengths:	great adjustability. great rebound.everything else
Weaknesses:	a little noisy but performence makes up for it
Similar Products Used:	none as good
Bike Setup:	iron horse sgs dh pro special edition.super ts.laserdisc wheelset.hussefelt 31.8.raceface prodigy cranks
Bottom Line:	great shock
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Submitted by Gekko a from Bp. , Hungary Date Reviewed: November 22, 2004
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$400.00
Strengths:	The cv/t actually works...for a short period
Weaknesses:	Well... 2 of these beautiful shocks broke in 1 year, first one lasted a day...warranty is crap in europe, I had to take it back to america, but they said it cannot be repaired, and didn't even accept my warranty, so I had to buy a new one...(thank god it was winter) The second one lasted for 6 month (incredible) but then blew, without even doing a jump or anything. The rebound went crap in both.
Bike Setup:	SC Heckler, Fox Vanilla front, Manitou Swinger rear
Bottom Line:	I used the shock with the recommended spring for my weight, checked the pressure before every ride... but it just gave up. It works well for a while, but if your not either featherweight or use a superstrong spring, it will probably blow... Buy a Manitou Swinger( same technology but much better quality)
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Submitted by mike a from PA Date Reviewed: November 15, 2004
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	Used on 03 Bullit for FR and DH. Works as advertised. Filters out bob. Adjustable air chamber is super to dial in progressiveness. Very adjustable. Durable so far.
Weaknesses:	As with ALL spv type shocks, you lose low speed bump sensitivity.
Similar Products Used:	Only coil over spv shock used. The Manitous seem nice as well as that's what my friend has on his Gemini.
Bike Setup:	Originally had this on a Heckler for a short time. Quickly outgrew the Heckler and moved to a Bullit.
Bottom Line:	Very nice shock. Works as advertised. Would consider buying another if I had to.
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Submitted by Bob a Cross Country Rider from Osan AFB Koea Date Reviewed: November 15, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Bobs Trail
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Purchased At:	Speed Goat
Strengths:	You do not feel the shock working. Does not rob pedal power. Keeps rear tire planted to ground.
Weaknesses:	Require some effort to setup.
Similar Products Used:	Fox Float R and Vanilla R
Bike Setup:	S/C Heckler
Bottom Line:	Works awesome.This shock on my Heckler makes for the best climbing bicycle I have ever owned. I have owned a 2000 S/C Superlight and a 2003 Kona Dawg with Foalt R. Both pedaled well but they do not compete with how the Progressive shock works. I do not feel the shock working yet it makes everything disapear on the trail. I really like the pedaling performance it is really noticable on the road. I feel this shock is the reason my Heckler is the best bike I have ever owned. The performance going up hill is amazing. It also descends incredible also. I clean technical uphill stuff that none of my other bikes could clean. Awesome technology which allows me to have a trail bike with 130mm of travel. That is simply amazing.
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Submitted by Stuart a Downhiller from Abbotsford, B.C., Canada Date Reviewed: November 3, 2004
Favorite Trail:	aline @ whistler
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	came on bike
Strengths:	I feels great on the hits, takes bumps well and is relatively smoothon fast descents. Its very adjustable, but lack low speed compression......at least i think so........
Weaknesses:	it always finds a way to bob more than i'd like, but thats what you get for a 9" travel bike. it leaks a little, but one fill every month will do the trick. also, its either WAY too soft for climbing or else too firm for small bumbs. can anybody help me?
Similar Products Used:	VanillaRC, vanillaR, DHX, avalanche......the works
Bike Setup:	Norco team dh 04(oh yea) with 9.5" 5th element, 888r, boxguide, profiles, doubletracks, gazzaloddis, the works.
Bottom Line:	Im not sure if it was the best choice for me on my dh bike, but i think it would make a great freeriding shock, as it takes a lot of small bumps as long as it's set soft, but we all know the concequences to doing that. anyway, its a good product, but it doesnt quite cut it next to the new DHX's. sorry progressive..........
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Submitted by Dirk Diggler a Downhiller from Baltimore, MD, USA Date Reviewed: October 25, 2004
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$550.00
Purchased At:	Santa Cruz
Strengths:	Looks nice!
Weaknesses:	Blows up every time I ride. Expensive. Progressive service is slow!
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla, Manitou Swinger
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz VP-Free w/ 5th Element, Marz Jr. T, Avid Juicy, etc.
Bottom Line:	I just blew my 2nd shock 30 min into the ride. I guess that's pretty good given that the first blew within 15 min. Takes over three weeks for Progressive to send me a defective replacement. I've had the bike for 2 months and have only ridden it for a total of 45 min. $550 is way too much to pay for just a steel spring. This shock blows, literally!
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Submitted by Mike R a Weekend Warrior from Lynnwood, WA Date Reviewed: September 26, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Tiger Mountain
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$400.00
Purchased At:	Came with the frame.
Strengths:	Durable Ajustable Tunablility
Weaknesses:	None
Similar Products Used:	Rock Shox super delux
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Heckler Marzocchi Z1 FR XTR Mavic
Bottom Line:	I've been riding this shock hard for over a year and have not had one complaint. Set up the shock for my weight, 190lbs, and other than ramping up the compression damping to keep the shock from bottoming and filling the air preload before riding this shock has been a dream. The stable platform works and compliments the Z1 nicely. Would recommend this shock.
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Submitted by Derek Falberg a Weekend Warrior from Solana Beach, CA USA Date Reviewed: September 20, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Mission Trails
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	Came with bike
Strengths:	Tunability, performance, reliability, soooo plush, takes drops like nothing else.
Weaknesses:	Expensive new, does seem to lose some air after each ride, but that is expected.
Similar Products Used:	First coil shock, had Fox Float RC air shock on my older Klein
Bike Setup:	SC Bullit, 5th Element, Boxxer Race, Azonic Outlaws, Maxxis Mobster 2.7f, 2.5r, XT drivetrain, Avid mechanicals
Bottom Line:	I love this shock. For all of those considering buying this shock - TAKE NOTE: I bought my 2003 Bullit online and it came with the 5th. Took it to my LBS and had it built up. They noticed the shock was already blown, so they mailed it Progressive, and the guy called and said he'd replace it with a newer version of the shock, b/c if he fixed it, it would probably blow up again. I tell you this b/c I think this product is relatively new, and they had some bugs to work out, and seems they have worked them out, b/c the shock is flawless now. If you get one that seems to have problems, send it in, they'll take care of you.
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Submitted by Brian a Weekend Warrior from Edgewater, NJ Date Reviewed: September 1, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Mountain Creek
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$700.00
Purchased At:	eBay
Strengths:	Very smooth, I'm sure all the adjustments will work out in my favor eventually. Great customer service.
Weaknesses:	Squeak, and maybe I'm the only one, but I'd like to be able to adjust my shock without tools.
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Bullit, Marzocchi Jr. T up front
Bottom Line:	Best uphill 7 incher I've ever ridden, and its pretty well dialed in because the guy I bought the frame (came with shock) must have been about my weight and size. The shock started squeaking when I got on the bike recently. I called Progressive and he told be to oil it and call him if there were any problems, but it didn't sound like anything serious. He then said since he told me it didn't sound serious, if I killed the shock he would take care of me. I don't know what people are talking about with bad customer service, but I'd rate that pretty high.
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Submitted by James Howery a Downhiller from Prescott, AZ Date Reviewed: August 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:	South Mountain/Flag
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	Good low-speed tunability, bottom out resistance when using air volume adjuster. Doesn't bob much. I blew the shock up on the first day, sent it in and got it repaired, and it's been perfect for over a year in terms of keeping air and reliability.
Weaknesses:	High speed performance is terrible. There's just no other way to put it. For me, this far outshines any other aspect of the shock.
Similar Products Used:	Curnutt on my other bike, other shocks used: Vanilla R, RL, RC, Romic exploding shocks, stratos helix expert, avalanche, and few oem no-name shocks on a few of my bikes.
Bike Setup:	2003 IH SGS Pro w/shiver.
Bottom Line:	Does what it claims as far as platform and progressive damping, but it feels horrible on high speed impacts (rocks, rock gardens, etc). I've tried every concievable tuning setting and I still can't get it to work anything close to what I'd accept. I'll give it 3 stars, but that's only because it's been one of my more reliable shocks and does most of what it claims.
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Submitted by Stephan Strebel a Downhiller from Mississauaga Ontario Date Reviewed: August 1, 2004
Favorite Trail:	bromont
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$500.00
Purchased At:	dukes cycle
Strengths:	very tunable looks strong
Weaknesses:	almost too soft even at the hardest settings the customer support warranty
Similar Products Used:	stratos el jeffe
Bike Setup:	santa cruz bullit stratos S8 Ultra's, race face equiped
Bottom Line:	this shock is amazing, im 15 and i can pedal my 45 pound bike almost anywere. I have really enjoyed it until the past few days. its been acting up on me. im not sure whats wrong with it but im gunna take it in to get serviced. the people at progressive suspension are not the greatest people to deal with. i was saving up for a bike for almost 2 years. i spent all my money on this bullit that had the new 5th element shock. i got it home, built up the bike with all the parts i had laying around. went for about a 30 min bike ride. went home and cleaned the bike. i noticed that the spring was rubbing on the shock itself. i called them up and they said theres nothing that they could do. i mean like what the hel. yeah the one thing i cant understand tho is how these people say they cant adjust it? what are you doing using like a screwdriver in the allen key hole? i can adjust it perfectly fine and im 15. if u cant adjust this shock, then i suggest you shouldnt be fixing your own bike.
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Submitted by Jeff a Weekend Warrior from Cambridge, MA Date Reviewed: July 12, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Killington #6
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	LBS in NH
Strengths:	minimnal bob, does not bottom, very adjustable
Weaknesses:	weight, annoying rebound noise
Similar Products Used:	Rock Shox SID SL
Bike Setup:	Heckler, 5th Element, XTR/XT drivetrain, Hope minis, Sun Rhyno lite wheels, King hubs, Answer riser bars
Bottom Line:	Although I see lots of reviews with the shock blowing up, etc mine has been fine so far. It was setup by my LBS and it did not lose any air between rides, even over the winter. My only complaint is the shock makes a "whoosing" noise like air being blown off whenever the shock rebounds. Does anyone else get this? Is this normal and what is the cause of the sound? Just wondering if I may have a problem with the shock that I'm missing. I do 3-4 foot drops and technical single track and have been happy with the results although it could be lighter.
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Submitted by Lewis Ress a Weekend Warrior from Hebron, CT Date Reviewed: July 2, 2004
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	Vernon Cycles, CT
Strengths:	None
Weaknesses:	Shock was blown before riding. My son put my bike in the truck while I was talking with the guys in the shop! He told me he noticed a clunky noise while he handled the bike! I should not have ignored him. A few days later when I took the bike for a ride I knew something was wrong. Progressive says the reservoir was damaged by seat post. Well their shock is not so great and their "standing" behind their product is worse. I did not even get a chance to try the impossible task to tune their complicated shock. I must say I have had better luck with Fox shocks and forks.
Similar Products Used:	88 Klein Mantra, 89 Mantra carbon, 02 Titus Switchblade, 03 Specialized Enduro(my son's)
Bike Setup:	Uzzy SLX with 5th element frameset with Fox Talas fork and XTR etc... The bike is nice and surprisingly easy to pedal up hill with an old Fox "loaner" from the shop while the 5th element is being evaluated by Progressive!
Bottom Line:	Before buying a Progressive shock I would do some research and if it is on your dream frameset I would ask whoever is selling it to swap it for ANYTHING else! I am not a freerider who killed a shock! I just found out that Progressive is washing their hands clean of this. The shop owners have to "discuss" how they are going to solve my problem. I think I am going to mail order a Fox 6 inch propedal... By the way when the Fox shock that came with my long travel kit for my Switchblade would not hold air last year Fox very nicely took care of it. Not a problem since and never have to touch it!
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Submitted by Sam a Downhiller from Hertfordshire Date Reviewed: May 9, 2004
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$500.00
Strengths:	Nothing, its completely cr*p and i hate to ride it
Weaknesses:	to soft, leaks, things keep breaking off, the rebound adjustment was damaged out of the box, then it decided to blow up on me after the first day of riding
Bike Setup:	intense uzzi slx, boxxers, atomlabs
Bottom Line:	dont buy this shock unless u r one smoooooth downhiller, this shock was clearly not designed for hucks or drops, any abuse and it will blow up and start leaking oil, ive been so dissapointed with this shock, i wish this was a one-off, but the amount of reviews of it blowing up after one day..well.. its no coincidence, they really need to do something about this shock, o well.. i'm going back to the classic fox vanilla
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Submitted by Alexander a Weekend Warrior from Moscow, Russia Date Reviewed: April 27, 2004
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	come with my Yeti ASX frame
Strengths:	looks nice
Weaknesses:	died before first ride
Bike Setup:	Yeti ASX
Bottom Line:	Rebound died before my bike was assembled completely. After 2 or 4 test pushes on saddle , rebound dumping went away with a terrific sound and never came back. Yeti and Progressive kept silence for about a week, so for now there's no opinios about what to do or where to send this Dead Element.
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Submitted by mike a Downhiller from WA Date Reviewed: April 26, 2004
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Strengths:	I havent felt any harsh bottom outs like i felt with my fox RC, and it dosnt bob much
Weaknesses:	when i first got it i was overwhelmed with adjustments, and i just couldnt figure out what each did. the user guide sucks along with their tech support when i tried to get their help. it feels dead, even with 150 lbs air and the rebound turned up.
Bike Setup:	banshee scream, monster t
Bottom Line:	this shock is good because it soaks up big hits with harsh bottoms. it isnt sensitive over little bumps, it just takes the big stuff. i like it but im not sure if it is really worth the MSRP. mabey if i find someone that can make it feel like it should, like god or something, ill think its worth the money.
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Submitted by MAXXED a Weekend Warrior from Honolulu Date Reviewed: April 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Anywhere two wheels can go
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Strengths:	Pedals like a hardtail. Lots of adjustability.
Weaknesses:	Poor quality control, sloppy tolerances on upper and lower spring retainers. Finish on shock shaft drags on o-ring, probably drastically shortening the life of the o-ring.
Bike Setup:	'04 Mountain Cycle Fury. XTR front/rear derailleurs, Shimano XT Mega 9 crankset w/Octalink bottom bracket. Avid BB disc brakes & Speed Dial 7 levers, Manitou Black fork.
Bottom Line:	The Progressive 5th Element shock is both amazing and disappointing at the same time. It does exactly what they say it does. Going from a Fox Vanilla to the 5th Element was like going from a Lincoln Navigator to a BMW M5. It is much firmer with amazing control, but it’s not harsh under most conditions. It like riding a hard tail, but you never feel the impacts. The firmness and control of the 5th Element quickly become addicting, taking full suspension to the next level. The amount of adjustability to fine tune the shock is endless, and can be bewildering. I took Progressive's advice and started with all the settings at minimum, and took it from there. Probably the most noticeable difference with the 5th Element is its ability to pedal like a hardtail on uneven singletracks that require constant pedaling. With a Fox Vanilla shock under these conditions on my Cannondale Jekyll and Mountain Cycle San Andreas, both single pivot designs, it would feel like the crank was offcentered as the chain would slacken and tighten over dips and rises. With the 5th Element, that sensation is completely gone. As amazing as this shock is, the quality control is disappointing. The top and bottom spring retainers are toleranced so loosely, that the spring rattles on every bump and compression against the spring retainers. If you run the spring tension near the minimum 1mm compression limit, the top retainer tends to unscrew, throwing off the spring tension and creating more of a racket. I thought my bike was falling apart on the second ride, and I knew something wasn’t right. My fix was to make two gaskets out of marine shoe goo to take up the slack between the retainer/spring surfaces. The proper fix would be to have Progressive machine the spring retainers to fit more closely to the spring. The Fox Vanilla shock has noticeably tighter tolerances on the spring retainers and spring. It also runs completely silently, and never unscrews even under very light preload settings. A more concerning area is the finish on the shock shaft. I know it’s supposed to have a long wearing, indestructible finish on it for long life, but the surface is either too rough or not slick enough for the o-ring to slide freely. The o-ring squeaks and creaks on every little bump. My concern here is that if the o-ring is dragging that noticeably, it will wear rapidly, causing a serious oil leak when it fails. To solve this problem, I lubricated the shaft with Lubriplate, a grease that is specifically formulated for use on rubber and plastic parts. Most electronic stores like Radio Shack will carry Lubriplate or an equivalent. The shock instantly became more responsive, and the squeak disappeared. More importantly, it probably increased the life of the o-ring significantly. Before lubricating the shaft, I thought the shock was way over damped, and the adjuster useless. It was the o-ring dragging on the shaft that created the false sense of over damping. The dampening adjuster is now fully functional. For those experiencing squeaking, a feeling of over damping, or have blown the o-ring, try this fix before continuing to ride under this condition. I suspect not lubricating the shaft will result in rapid o-ring wear and failure, with catastrophic results. If the 5th Element was a $150 shock, I would be nitpicking, but we’re talking about a $450 shock. It is one of the most expensive shocks on the market, and hopefully, as stable platform technology becomes more mainstream the prices will drop to a more competitive level. At this price point, I feel Progressive needs to put in a lot more effort on quality control. These are not major redesigns, but simply poor quality control, that mars the excellent performance of this shock. If they can address these problems, I'd give them a full 5 star rating.
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Submitted by Paul a Downhiller from London Date Reviewed: April 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:	anything down
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	Stif (came with my SC Bullit)
Strengths:	It works on everything from XC to big hucking hits
Weaknesses:	Non
Bike Setup:	SC Bullit, Marz Shiver DCs, Race Face, MRP, XTR mech etc etc
Bottom Line:	I first built my bullit for XC in Aug 03. I set up the shock and went out on my normal XC rides and, providing I did not stand up to pedal, it did not bob. Since Sept 03 I have only ridden DH and North Shore and have kicked the living s**t out of this shock. I'm 230lbs and ride hard with very little finesse at least once a week. Its had so much use and abuse that I have even worn the bushings out. I soaks up all the big hits I can throw at it. It has bottomed out a few times but not so many and like the name says its very progressive! On the small stuff and on braking bumps is really shows its true colors keeping my rear pinned to the ground. I've mucked arund with the rebound and compression damping, begining and end stroke and have found the perfect mix for my various types of riding. I've heard loads of stories about poor reliability with these shocks but so far I've had no problems - not for want of trying. Its off to Tim Flooks for its first service before I go to France and BC this summer to really beat it up. Bottom line this shock rules.
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Submitted by Chance a Racer from Bainbridge Island, WA Date Reviewed: April 20, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Porcupine Rim
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Strengths:	Plush,no Bob, outstanding quality
Weaknesses:	None
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla Coil, Cane Creek Cloud Nine
Bike Setup:	SC Heckler
Bottom Line:	As far as performance I couldn't be happier. It handles anything I throw at it and begs for more. It has no bob when set up properly. I just returned from a week in Moab and my riding partners all told me that they saw no Bob when pedalling. I believe this allows me to use my SC Heckler as an all-around XC bike that can keep up with their Truths and other more XC oriented rigs. I want to address the so-called air leakage problem because it has none. If I set my pressure to 120# as it says to do in the setup guide then after a ride I check the pressure of course it is going to be lower. In fact, it is about 40# lower. This is because when you attach the shock pump, the air in the chamber expands into the shock pump. Remember P1V1=P2V2. When you attach the shock pump it increases the volume and decreases the pressure therefore making you have to pump the shock up again so that the larger pressure is felt in the larger volume. Then, when you remove the shock pump it is set again to your desired pressure. In short, if you don't want it to lose air, stop checking the pressure!
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Submitted by Romie a Weekend Warrior from Los Angeles, CA , USA Date Reviewed: April 13, 2004
Favorite Trail:	palos Verdes
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	On Frame
Strengths:	TAKES THE ABUSE YOU'RE ABLE TO THROW AT IT!!! REALLY!! Very plush, extremely smooth and feels bottomless.
Weaknesses:	None yet.
Similar Products Used:	None!!
Bike Setup:	Flat black '04 Yeti ASX, 5th Element (obviously), Cane Creek 1.5 XX head set (awesome!!), Hayes Comps, Marzocchi Jr T (very plush!), Intense Mag 30 rims, WTB Moto Raptors (not sure what all the fuss is about, these have beem good to me), WTB Race seat (comfortable), MRP LRP (so far, so good!)
Bottom Line:	The 5th Element is the best shock out there! I say that because I have not experienced any air loss and even if I do, who cares.... I can remember the correct psi. The manual says to refer to the "quick-start guide", which I couldn't find for this frame ('04 Yeti ASX), so I set it up based on the bullit. The quick start guide can be found at: www.tftunedshox.com ***Also, don't ride on the shock until you put in the minimum amount of pressure, since this is why most are experiencing air loss and other problems. Hope this helps.
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Submitted by Grant Geiger a Cross Country Rider from Emmaus, PA Date Reviewed: April 4, 2004
Favorite Trail:	south mountain
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	Saucon valley Bikes
Strengths:	Great shock but it took a while.
Weaknesses:	Had it fixed twice because it blew out but it has been solid for at least a year now.
Similar Products Used:	none
Bike Setup:	Heckler
Bottom Line:	This is a follow up review because I was pretty unhappy early on when I had to send it back twice when it blew. Since that time I have been very pleased w it. Handles 5 foot drops nice, downhill it flies and it does well on the ups too.
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Submitted by Daniel a Downhiller from Oceanside, CA USA Date Reviewed: April 2, 2004
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Strengths:	pedals well
Weaknesses:	difficult to set up, unreliable, very heavy
Similar Products Used:	fox float RL AVA propedal, old fox vanilla RC
Bike Setup:	'03 heckler
Bottom Line:	The shock sucked. It blew up twice in 9 months. Progressive repaired it free both times quickly and gave me good service but I shouldn't need it that often. Both times the oil seal on the main piston failed slowly leaking oil over the course of a couple rides untill there was none left in the shock. Also the rebound was too progressive and slow. I've heard that this problem is solved now. I now have a Fox float RL AVA. This shock is great! No reliability issues, light, easy to set up, and honestly I think that it pedals better, feels smoother, and soaks up bumps better than the 5th (despite what some magazines will tell you). In fact to this day I have never blown a fox shock and after 5 years of working in high end shops selling full suspension bikes exclusively, I've rarely seen a fox fail due to defect. Fox's only seem to have problems when riders deside to substitute higher compression damping for a heavier spring.
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Submitted by Mike R a Weekend Warrior from Lynnwood Date Reviewed: March 25, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Tiger Mountain
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$400.00
Purchased At:	cyclepaths
Strengths:	SPV valving. Rebound, compression, preload, and progressive adjustment.
Weaknesses:	You have to pump up the air before every ride but it's a small price to pay.
Similar Products Used:	Rock Shox deluxe and super delux.
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Heckler Marzocchi Z-1FR XT drivetrain Avid discs
Bottom Line:	I love this shock. I have ridden 4 bar linkage designs for the past 6 years, but when my last frame broke I bought a Heckler. This shock turns a single pivot design into a dream bike. I'm 200lbs and ride this bike hard. You do have to check the air pressure before every ride but the rest of the adjustments are the same as a coil over. Not sure if I've been lucky or the negative reviews were just a bad batch of shocks but I ride every weekend over rough terrain and have never had a problem.
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Submitted by Tom a Cross Country Rider from East Coast Date Reviewed: March 17, 2004
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Strengths:	Works as advertised, transformed ( for the better ) the ride of my bike.
Weaknesses:	Rebound blew after 4 rides.
Similar Products Used:	Fox RC Coil
Bike Setup:	2001 Santa Cruz Bullit
Bottom Line:	Although it seemed to work well, I have a hard recommending a shock that blew after 4 rides. Compare that to my experience with Fox coil shocks, which last over a year ( or more ) of regular riding. I'll post a follow up review after I get this one back and hopefully ride it for a while. For now I would have to give it the lowest rating possible.
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Submitted by kevin english a Cross Country Rider from broken arrow,ok Date Reviewed: March 8, 2004
Favorite Trail:	turkey mtn.
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$100.00
Purchased At:	t-town
Strengths:	rock solid
Weaknesses:	heavy
Similar Products Used:	none
Bike Setup:	heckler, xt group, mavic xm819
Bottom Line:	Paid $100 extra over stock shock and I feel like it's well worth it. When riding street it pedals smooth w/out bob, and even trails it's the same thing while soaking up small bumps, but when riding rocks and small drops is where it'll make you grin! I'm a big guy, 6'2" & 235, lbs set up shock and all I've done is top off the air before each ride. Unless I take a nasty fall I'll leave it as is because it feels perfect. Smooth, plush, and seemingly bombproof.
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Submitted by Chris Herraghty a Racer from Edinburgh, Scotland Date Reviewed: February 26, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Innerleithen
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$700.00
Purchased At:	TFTunedshox.com
Strengths:	Very adjustable, no bottom-out, hydraulic valving prevents top-out
Weaknesses:	Too many adjustments!
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla RC
Bike Setup:	Cannondale Gemini, Shermans, XT, Hayes
Bottom Line:	This shock is excellent. I personally have had no problems with leaks (air or oil) and it has performed well. I had it sent back to Tim Flooks to have the rebound reworked to make it faster (a few poeple have complained about this). This was free of charge and improves the shock's small bump capabilities. Now it's awesome! Never seems to bottom out, looks sweet and very adjustable. I'm still fiddling with the setup though - so much to experiment with! Overall, a great product.
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Submitted by colin a Weekend Warrior from arlington, wa Date Reviewed: February 8, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Galbraith
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Purchased At:	part of a bullit frame
Bottom Line:	Let me just start by saying that this shock was great when I first rode it (on my bullit frame). I had read the reviews and I was a little skeptical of the 5th because some people said that the shock leaked oil, blew its seals, etc... However, I decided to get the 5th anyways because it sounded like if you tuned it properly you might be okay. Needless to say, it was not okay. Even though I adjusted the air pressure and checked the shock every time I rode, I still ended up blowing the damn thing up. What is really disturbing, is that I was just riding down some s-turns when I lost all rebounding, damping, and compresion on the shock. It felt like I was on a pogo stick. I'm going to take it into the LBS tomorrow, so I'll post an update if the results are positive. I heard that 5th element had problems with some of the production run shocks, so maybe that explains it. I guess I am pretty frustrated with the fact that I spent a lot of cash for a nice frame and shock and the thing doesn't even hold up to minor abuse.
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Submitted by Dondi Duenas a Weekend Warrior from Quezon City, Philippines Date Reviewed: February 1, 2004
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	Power Bikes
Strengths:	Looks good and has several adjustments
Weaknesses:	It leaks!!!
Similar Products Used:	Fox vanilla air
Bike Setup:	Intense Uzzi Slx, full XTR, manitou super air fork, sun ringle wheels with intense system 2 tires
Bottom Line:	This shock came with my intense frame and I expected it to be able to handle big hits; since it came with a free-ride frame. I am not an extreme rider and I am using a freeride ride bike for xc trails. I only weigh in at 130lbs. After about 8 rides, its rebound suddenly became very bouncy. I took a look at the shock and saw that it was leaking! For a very expensive product, I didn't expect this to happen. My bike shop sent it back to progressive. It was a good thing that the whole shock was replaced for I wouldn't have confidence with it if it were only repaired. I only had to wait for two months for it to arrive. I just hope that I won't have the same problem with this new one
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Submitted by glunt bramling a Cross Country Rider from la honda Date Reviewed: January 17, 2004
Favorite Trail:	equestrian
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$1.00
Purchased At:	lbs
Strengths:	Works so well, I'm not even sure it's working. It's getting all the travel, but I never feel the bounce. When grinding uphill, it doesn't seem to move at all (though it does, some).
Weaknesses:	Gotta pump it up every few days with a schrader valve pump. And if you're on a long ride without a shock pump, DO NOT try to let "just a little" air out of the reservoir. By the time you hear any air escaping, it's all gone (must be like 20cc), and the bike sags a few inches. Which just proves how well the air/spring combo works together. But which sucks mightily when there's no air at all and you end up with a swaybacked MtB for the rest of the ride. Carry the shock pump if yer gonna mess with pressure during a ride. You're welcome.
Similar Products Used:	Spring-only shocks.
Bike Setup:	'03 Heckler.
Bottom Line:	Works extremely well. Lots of variation in settings for whatever you happen to be riding. Letting "some" air out during a ride is a bad idea if you're not carrying a shock pump.
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Submitted by Jason a Downhiller from Modesto, CA Date Reviewed: January 7, 2004
Favorite Trail:	Whistler
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla RC
Bike Setup:	2003 Iron Horse SGS Pro with a 2003 Monster T and a handful of minor upgrades
Bottom Line:	I'm very happy with it. It seems like it never bottoms out (even though I know it has). It's very plush WHEN HAMMERING IT HARD DOWNHILL. It does pedal very efficiently (cancels out pedal-bob). I had a problem with the preload collar not wanting to move when I first got it, but I sent it in and Progressive provided great customer service (very quick turn-around time). They are also helpful if you need advice setting the adjustments. The adjustments are worth the minimal intial hassle of getting the shock set-up (it's really not that hard and I consider myself a mechanical retard). The best thing I can say is that I don't even notice it when I ride. So far it has performed great and has been relatively trouble-free. I forgot to mention that I'm 225 lbs. and pound components! I also recommend setting the air pressure before EVERY ride. I'm looking into one for my Bullit. It's a little pricey if you buy it aftermarket, BUT you get what you pay for (it came stock on my bike). They recently came out with 2 new models (lower prices for fewer adjustments). Overall, it's worth serious consideration.
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Submitted by Tom a Racer from Palm City, FL USA Date Reviewed: December 17, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Anything with dirt
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Strengths:	adjustability, plushness, firm-pedaling, bottomless travel, tech support from PS is 1st class.
Weaknesses:	weight, get used to having to add air prior to each ride
Similar Products Used:	nothing coil, always Fox RL or RLC on my other bikes
Bike Setup:	'03 Heckler with steel spring, TALAS fork, RF Next LP's, Avid Juicy 7's, thomson, etc...set up with top-drawer stuff for do-anything XC riding
Bottom Line:	This thing really rocks. I wanted a bike that was kinda heavy duty for trail riding and chose the heckler. The thought of less maintenance and firm pedaling pushed me toward the 5th coil version. Once I got accustomed to having to add air each time, I'm 100% happy with my decision. Save yourself the hassle and call PS for the hot setup. There are so many adjustments, and each one makes a profound difference, that you could chase the hot setup for days and never get as close as one call to the factory. Minor tweaking from there. This thing is so plush you barely feel any rock or root <4" tall on the trail while sitting, feels plush, ramps up smoothly and feels bottomless on bigger stuff, pedals as well as my Racer X as long as you stay seated, and flat hooks up when climbing. In all, the most impressive shock I've ridden by far. It's hard to believe the additional confidence it gives you in fast corners. When hitting something fairly big or off-camber while cornering you think in the back of your mind the bike will give way and slide, but then you feel that the rear tire sucked it up and is actually still in contact with the ground and tracking fine. It is so unique you almost can't believe it. I might try the TI spring to save a little weight, but other than that I really can't think of one thing that one can improve on this shock.
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Submitted by jason a Downhiller from modesto, ca Date Reviewed: December 3, 2003
Favorite Trail:	whistler
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	it feels like it never bottoms out (even though i know it has). it pedals great (even when sprinting out of the saddle). it just feels really plush all the time (i ride it strictly DH, so i don't feel the harshness over small stuff like some people say).
Weaknesses:	initial set up (not too bad with the help of one of their tech guys).
Similar Products Used:	2001 fox vanilla rc
Bike Setup:	2003 iron horse sgs pro. stock except for a 2003 monster T, wtb saddle, thomson seat post and a few other minor changes.
Bottom Line:	i love it. thinking about getting one for my bullit. it's taken some big drops to bad landings. i'm not very mechanical so i guess the best thing i can say is that i don't even notice it when i ride. it does a great job all the time. it survived a rough summer at north star and auburn. i'm 225 lbs. so that means something. i never experienced problems jumping it (i've heard some say that was a problem).
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Submitted by beavis a Weekend Warrior from asia Date Reviewed: November 14, 2003
Duration Product Used:	2 Years
Strengths:	infinite adjustment possibilities. plush ride.
Weaknesses:	oil seals
Similar Products Used:	n/a
Bike Setup:	2003 yeti as-x
Bottom Line:	my shock came as factory spec on 2 frames that i have owned. it's a great performer but i blew the oil seal on the shaft just 4 months after getting my latest bike! and to think i wasn't even hucking. i was going through a fast section with chatter bumps when all of a sudden i lost all damping in the rear shock. when i stopped to check, i noticed the shaft was covered in oil and the foam bumper was soaked as well. this isn't the first time i've heard of a 5th fail like this. i know of 3 other guys whose shocks failed the same way and they were on different bikes so we couldn't blame it on the suspension design. bottomline is progressive used oil seals of poor quality. if they address this, i'd give the shock 4 to 5 chilis. but because of the poor quality of oil seals, 3 is as high as it goes.
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Submitted by Mike a from PA Date Reviewed: October 16, 2003
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Bottom Line:	Use: Aggressive XC on large 2003 Heckler. Great shock. Works just as it says. Filters bob totally away. If you set the air chamber too high the ride becomes a bit stiff but if you go just a bit low the ride becomes much more supple and sensitive to small hits. The only bob I get while hammering is from the Z1 up front. While I really like to keep things simple the adjustments on this shock are great. All work very well and really let you fine tune the shock to your your own specs. I'm 180# and am using the 400# spring. Supposedly I'm just on the line between a 350 and 400#. The 400# works well but if anything I would say it is a bit too soft. I think the 350# would be far too soft. When I got the bike home from the the shop and began to fine tune the adjustments I found the rebound did not work correctly. It appeared that someone hamfisted the knob and caused it to malfunction. A call to Progressive, where I spoke with Johnny Youngblood, resulted in a quickly repaired shock at no cost to me. Johnny was great to deal with and Progressive did a nice job. Though I've only ridden the shock about 3 weeks I've put a ton of miles on it on varried terrain and really like it. We'll see how it will hold up.
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Submitted by Mike a Cross Country Rider from Pawcatuck, Ct Date Reviewed: October 6, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Ho Chi Minh at Bluff Point
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	Employee purchase
Strengths:	Amazing adjustability and function
Weaknesses:	Oil seals
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla R, RC and Float RL
Bike Setup:	'02 Stinky DeeLux: Chris King ISO hubs/D521 rims CK Patriot headset Sherman Slider fork Razor Rock lever blades 8" Hayes rotors F&R Suntour XC pro thumbies RF ISIS turbine & Truvativ Gigapipe Team DH BB
Bottom Line:	This shock is awesome. Amazing. Nothing short of spectacular. Unfortunately, I've blown two sets of oil seals within a year. The first set was explained as a manufacturing error, the 2nd set was given no explanation. The repair ticket that came with the shock listed "new-type seals" in the materials used section, hopefully these will solve my problem. Beyond that, the shock is an amazing upgrade to the Stinky platform. Out of the box, the Stinky pedals well. With the 5th, it is a better climber than all of my previous XC FS and HT bikes. The adjustable platform gives me 6" of bob-free travel to use on a climb, technical ascents just aren't a problem anymore. I have flogged this shock at Mt Snow for roughly 24 hours total riding time since coming back, there isn't a drop of oil on the seal or in the bottom out bumper. I'm going to declare that Progressive finally fixed my problem and give this thing a solid 4 chiles overall and for value.
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Submitted by Rogue a Weekend Warrior from Hong Kong Date Reviewed: September 29, 2003
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Strengths:	Control Adjustment - lots of them
Weaknesses:	Access to adjustments - a little hard to get at.
Similar Products Used:	Fox RC
Bike Setup:	Stock on 03 Bullit, Super T Pro........
Bottom Line:	Still working nice and still tinkering with some adjustments to change the feel. There are so many adjustments / combinations and you can feel the difference each makes within reason. I increased the Volume adjust from 2.0 ret to 3.5 ret @ 80psi and the difference was a lot plusher and forgiving ride. Much happier now (but still trying small adjustemnts). For the record there is almost no bob unless u get out of the saddle and really hammer, but overall its nice and controlled. I'm 6'2" weigh almost 200 ponunds and run a 350lb steel on my Large Bullit. Also I check the air pressure before every ride.... just something u have to do with this shock - doesnt take long anyway.
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Submitted by bob a Downhiller from vancouver Date Reviewed: September 26, 2003
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Strengths:	adjustable, solid construction, very plush, makes wheel stick to ground like nothing else, mine doesn't leak any air (sorry guys below)
Weaknesses:	more "sluggish" than others, so harder to pogo even with rebound dialed out; finger adjustment knobs (esp. rebound) would be nice instead of needing allen key
Similar Products Used:	fox, manitou swinger
Bike Setup:	03 bullit
Bottom Line:	ridiculous ground hugging action here! feels like gold. absolutely zero bob, even on my (brilliantly designed)single pivot bike, and even with preload as low as she goes, so it pedals like a trail bike. takes a lot of playing around to figure out all the possible combos (i'm still not through them all yet), but the smallest adjustments are very noticable. its scary to have this much control of how your bike feels. too much fun. if you're thinking of upgrading from a fox, stop thinking and get one with the ti spring now! what an upgrade! the swinger has a more lively feel and is also very adjustable. which is cheaper?...
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Submitted by Luke a Downhiller from Henniker, NH, USA Date Reviewed: September 15, 2003
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$2200.00
Purchased At:	Stock on Bullit
Strengths:	Sticks to the ground like duct tape, no bob what-so-ever, decent on the small stuff but really shines on big hits (8' to flat) and good size doubles, and amazing adjusablitity.
Weaknesses:	I know am ordering a new fork to keep up with this rear shock! Loses air quite fast, and my stupid beginning stroke adjustment knob stripped out so I need a new bolt, and that was the first day! You have to get used to the slow feeling, but its soo much nicer than any Fox's on big hits.
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla RC, Fox Vanilla RL, Fox Float R, Rock Shocks Pro-delux, Noleen.
Bike Setup:	03' Rootbeer Santa Cruz Bullit, 8inch Avid Mechs, 01' Monster T's, 2.3 Nokians, and other assorted low maitenece parts.
Bottom Line:	Great shock for those who prefer quality and performance over "reliability". Just buy a used backup for when you have to ship it out, and hopefully I wont have to for a while. But if your the big hit type, and like butter-smooth travel, look into this amazing shock!
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Submitted by charlie a Downhiller from seattle,wa Date Reviewed: September 8, 2003
Favorite Trail:	a-line,chutes n' ladders,crystal mtn.
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$740.00
Purchased At:	downhill zone
Strengths:	super plush ride, never bottoms , practically indestructible!
Weaknesses:	does lose air at the end of the week , but if you are to lazy to do a preride check , than this shock is not the shock for u.
Similar Products Used:	fox rc, romic double, avalanche.
Bottom Line:	this is a good shock. If u notice most people having problems with this shock have santa cruzes. From what I understand, progressive(shock 's manufacturer) had a little problem adjusting seals to the ultra-flexy santa cruzes. So stop complaining , they fixed the problem already. I for one love this shock and am using my avalanche dhs as a backp race shock. both leak air eventually and face it, there is no one perfect shock. just do a 2-5 minute pre-ride tune every ride and check the pressure and you'll be fine. This shock performs at race speed and has made me much faster(45-50m.p.h.) and is also great for a freerider. no pedal induced bob , bottomless travel, makes a dh feel like an xc shock. ti spring option only sweetens the shock's performance. Great race or freeride shock, best out there right now and it is worth either $500 or $750 for the sweet ,plush as hell ride that it delivers. Great for any serious weekend warrior, freerider or racer. Great for xc but best on a dh/ freeride rig. I say that its worth every penny and far outperforms the avalanche. I've had no problems with it during the 6 mos. I've owned it and I think ,after trying them all , that this is by far the best shock on the market. don't buy this shock if u don't want to take care of it or you r rig.
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Submitted by Jody a Cross Country Rider from Santa Fe, New Mexico Date Reviewed: August 31, 2003
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$350.00
Purchased At:	Santa Cruz Bicycles
Strengths:	Holy Moly and good Lord Jesus. This makes my Superlight a whole different vehicle, one which transcended itself as a result of its new 5th Element shock. It's made my bike feel like a freeride bike at 2/3 of the weight.
Weaknesses:	Pay attention to the air pressure.
Similar Products Used:	Fox Float R
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Superlight w/Hayes disc, Marzocchi air forks, LX/XT and a 5th Element air shock.
Bottom Line:	Completely otherworldly feeling. Adds a ton of control both up and down the hill. Made me feel like a champ.
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Submitted by Richard Chin a from bronx Date Reviewed: August 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:	any stair gap or dirt jump
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	Bronx Pro shop,with Bullit
Strengths:	Strong components after upgrades,works flawless on Bullit after first service,it works more consistent than the RC vanilla's,I dont have to use heavy spring rates like other shocks,no nitrogen charged piggy back(uses lower air pressure)to aerate oil chamber.
Weaknesses:	When I first got the shock it had some pit falls and still does after my first service like; the shafts coating is cheap and makes the stoke sticky,it leaked like hell when before service,CONSTANTLY HAD TO ADD AIR TO CHAMBER before every ride,some of the adjustments made no difference,shock adjustment collar was too small to make adjustments.
Similar Products Used:	Used Most fox Shocks(vanilla RC,R,Air,float RL),used DNM torche or Fire something(junk),tried Avalanche(works really good for big hits) and reliable too.
Bike Setup:	02 Bullit,all azonic,full xt 8spd,hed rims zocchi. hubs,03 boxxer race.
Bottom Line:	when i first got it with my bullit it had problemp out of the box for the firts 2 months, but when I sent it for service I asked them to do some slight modifications to it,whoever serviced it did a awsome job because I never one had to add air to the chamber,it also stopped leaking oil and getting really hot while being used,the dampening adjustments worked better and the guys at progressive even gave free decals and extra bushings too. I have been really using it since the service febuary 03 and it nevers fails to suprise me.
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Submitted by Rog a Cross Country Rider from Spokane, WA USA Date Reviewed: August 2, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Lakeshore Trail
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	Came with Bike
Strengths:	Works like magic, but it's science!
Weaknesses:	First generation product had a defective lower mount.
Similar Products Used:	Fox air, Rock Shox Super Deluxe.
Bike Setup:	Intense Uzzi SLX, Progressive 5th Element shock, Marzocchi 03 Z1 FR, XTR shifters, Hayes brakes. Rear suspension setup 7-inch travel setting, 350-pound titanium spring, 165 PSI. The bike is 33 pounds.
Bottom Line:	My last bike was a Schwinn 4-Banger Homegrown All-Mountain, which I liked. Compared to my 4-Banger my Intense SLX, with the 5th Element shock, feels like it is firmer with less travel when pedaling and riding relatively smooth trails. But as soon as I hit anything rough the shock transforms the bike into a plush bump eating machine. With this technology 6 or 7 inches should be the minimum rear travel for cross-country bikes. Those weight weanies that pursue light weight, while sacrificing ride performance and comfort, are missing out. The shock has so many adjustments it may be overwhelming for some persons. I like the adjustability. My lower shock mount is defective, so I am waiting for a time when I don't need to ride my bike for a couple weeks. Since I ride every week in the winter (thanks to NiteRider) this may never happen, so I am considering purchasing a spare 5th Element.
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Submitted by Matt a Racer from Colorado springs Date Reviewed: July 29, 2003
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Strengths:	works good, while it works
Weaknesses:	Cheap schrader valve core leaks all air presure out within 30 minutes!
Bike Setup:	02 Giant Ac1
Bottom Line:	Well that didnt take long folks, Its blown up already- not even 2 months old. The initial problem started after disconnecting my shock pump, I could hear air escaping out the valve on the shock, a slow hiss- the cheap .20 cent piece of crap schader valve core does not seal. On my first run, I listened to my rear swing arm topping and bottoming out like never before, when I got to the bottom of the run I checked the air press. low and behold, there was 0 psi! I recharged the shock to the proper psi, but now it looses all air pressure after 1 run (30 miuntes), in addition, the sweet feel of the shock is gone- probably got screwed up as I limped my way down the mountain with 0 psi. Overall Im pissed, I paid premium $ for this thing- I expected it at least to last for a summer's worth of riding before needing servicing. It was great while it lasted- but there are some serious reliability issues. Its sad because the shock was so awesome at first- but the damn thing dosent last!
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Submitted by Ian a from Great Falls, VA Date Reviewed: July 21, 2003
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$390.00
Bottom Line:	It is an amazing shock... It honestly made me ride better after I blew out my RS Pro Deluxe. I am faster and I can do larger drops. I recommend this shock to the kid who has everything or a serious freerider or downhiller.
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Submitted by Matt a from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: July 14, 2003
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	-infinite adjustability -Platform Damping Control -allows use of lower lb. rate springs -seperate high/low speed compression adjusters -beefy shock shaft/ large piggyback resivor
Weaknesses:	-requires frequent air pressure and spring sag adjustments -does lose air between rides (3-4 days) -requires bike tuning/setup know how to get the most out of it
Similar Products Used:	none
Bike Setup:	'02 Giant AC1, all the goodies.
Bottom Line:	This shock is amazing. Properly set-up, this thing will make you faster. The stock shock (RS Pro Deluxe) feels like a kids toy compared to this- actually there is no comparison. This shock is plusher but yet pedals better than stock. The quality of the travel is so good the bike feel as if it has an extra 2" under it, thats how good it is. As for durability, we'll see, too early to tell- I'll be sure to update if anything goes wrong. It does loose more air than other air shocks I've used, and requires checking before every ride. This is not a downside the way I see it as any truly 'performance' oriented riders check their bikes over before riding anyway. The bottom line is this is NOT a forget it and go shock- you will blow it up very quickly if not setup/ridden properly. If you have the time/knowhow to set this up, you will be greatly rewarded with a new level of speed and confidence.
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Submitted by Old Proflexer a Cross Country Rider from Mission Viejo CA Date Reviewed: July 10, 2003
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Price Paid:	$210.00
Purchased At:	ebay - taken off a bullit
Strengths:	very adjustable shock
Weaknesses:	a tad heavy for xc use
Similar Products Used:	many
Bike Setup:	k2 4500 carbon, mono pivot
Bottom Line:	bought this shock off a guy on ebay last year who was pulling them off of the santa cruz's and using something different. i took the shock along with one of my frames, up to the progressive factory in hisperia, ca which is not too far from home. met with gerald leighton the product coordinator for pregressive and he grabbed the shock, took it into the machine shop and rebuilt the unit right there just to check it out. we measured up my k2 carbon, and figuring the leverage ratio tried out some different springs in the parking lot. he changed out the lower spring clip to the newer aluminum as the first models used steel but left the spring preload collar as they had none of the newer units in at the time. this shock was from the orginal production run. we set up the k2 carbon mono pivot and played with the various adjustments until i was happy with the ride - no pedal induced bobbing at all, helped by the high pivot design of the bike as well. (a very plush ride - now i just need a front fork to replace the psylo sl to even things out) he set me up with some new mounting pins and asked that i return some day so he could do some additional measurements so they could market to the k2 / proflex crowd - haven't made it back as i'm still riding it and lovin it everday. oh, all this free of charge never lost a drop of oil or a single p.s.i. http://idriders.com/proflex/files/mount%20pic.JPG
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Submitted by Richard Utting a Downhiller from Windermere, UK Date Reviewed: July 7, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Lake District
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	Windwave
Strengths:	Utterly tuneable. Excellent separation of slow speed and high speed compression and top and bottom stroke adjustments. Square-edged spike blow-off is incredible.
Weaknesses:	You need to know how to set up a bike properly. Inaccessible rebound adjuster.
Similar Products Used:	Stratos, Super Deluxes, Fox, Sunn Obsys etc
Bike Setup:	Shockwave 9.5, Monsters, etc etc
Bottom Line:	I'm more impressed with this shock than i thought i could be. I've used good shocks before but this one enables such remarkably versatile setup options that i feel it represents the next stage of rear-wheel suspension technology. I particularly like the spike blow-off circuit. It reduces pinch flats and enables safer sat-down riding when the legs need a rest. Out of the box, the shock seemed to be set up quite heavy and slow and progressive. The linkage on my bike is progressive (I don't need the shock ramping as well) so I knocked both the beginning-stroke and end-stroke compression damping down and reduced the final ramp-up collar and reduced the spring preload and air pressure. The bike is now butter soft and the midstroke really is something else. End-stroke ramp-up duties are taken care of by the linkage. Even with the bike set up in this DH-specific, super soft manner, the shock still seems to resist bobbing without sacrificing slow-speed compression sensitivity. Very impressive indeed.
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Submitted by JZM a from Manila Date Reviewed: June 29, 2003
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	Does what it was designed for.
Weaknesses:	Blew a seal - and I don't even ride as hard as the shock is supposed to be able to handle. Last ride on it and I had absolutely no rebound damping and oil all over the place. Bummer!
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla RC
Bike Setup:	Craftworks FRM 125
Bottom Line:	Hats off to the technology behind the shock but if its reliability is questionable, then I'd settle for the Fox. It may be basic compared to the 5th or Romic but at least you can set it and forget it.
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Submitted by dennisd a Cross Country Rider from Eastern Ontario Date Reviewed: June 26, 2003
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Strengths:	-performs as advertised: no pedal induced bobbing -great adjustability -dead on reliability (so far)
Weaknesses:	-does not hold air! Shock nust be re-pressurized BEFORE every ride! -careful attention must be paid to settings, especially preload
Similar Products Used:	Fox, which wasn't bad. But too primitive.
Bike Setup:	'03 Santa Cruz Bullit. Set up more for aggressive XC. Psylo SL fork, XT everything, Mavic X317 rims, Hayes 6" hydro brakes.
Bottom Line:	The problems have been fixed, or they were non-existent in the first place. I've been thrashing the hell out of the Bullit on downhills and cross country. Fortuneatley, I recieved the updated 5th Element with my new Bullit frame about two weeks ago. Absolutely no problems. I've done jumps, hucks, deep bouncy rolls, just about everything I can think of on my 220 pound butt. So far, no hassles whatsoever. There is ONE caveat. You absolutely have to set up the shock correctly for your weight. There's an old saying that applies here: RTMF (read the f***ing manual)! It is critical that you set up the preload correctly too. You can't back it off too much. I think some people have made that mistake. Blown shock? Guaranteed. Run the preload on the harsher side, trust me. The shock will know what to do. I've discovered also that it is absolutley critical to recharge the shock with air before each ride. I don't consider this to be a problem. In fact, Progressive makes it crystal clear in the manual. Air pressure MUST be checked and topped up before every ride, period! Face it. The 5th is a performance item. And it performs. Absolutely zero pedal induced bobbing, even in the higher gears. Great responsiveness on the trail. The shock doesn't like to be jumped, but keeps the rear wheel glued to the ground. Climbing with this shock is something else. Hell just pedalling with this shock is a revelation. I'm running higher gears by default, and I'm a slow rider. Suddenly, I'm keeping up with guys who used to drop me like nobody's business, even on the hills! And this is on a 34 pound bike! The 5th Element is on the leading edge of technology, no question. The shock will improve in its newer iterations. Truth is, Progressive wasn't even planning on releasing the shock last year. '03 was supposed to be the first year of production for the 5th Element. Looks like they've ironed out some of the bugs in the design from last year which is inevitable. This shock has definitely come into its own over the last eighteen months. Properly set up, there is nothing on the market that currently matches its performance, weight and price. Highly recommended.
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Submitted by Grant Geiger a Cross Country Rider from Emmaus, PA Date Reviewed: June 23, 2003
Favorite Trail:	South Mountain
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	Saucon Valley Bikes
Strengths:	Feels good on the drops and keeps the bob out on the hills. I still need to dial it in a bit more precisely.
Weaknesses:	It will eventually be the end of me. I don't care what anyone says about all shocks not being reliable this is just wrong. Within the first two weeks it was blown, oil everywhere. A few months after that it happened again. I got it because I thought it was supposed to take some abuse. If it continues after the warrenty is up I'll smash it.
Similar Products Used:	First full suspension.
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz Heckler. Fox Talas Float (now that is a sweet fork), freeride package from Santa Cruz.
Bottom Line:	Who cares how great it performs if it is always blowing out. In the short term I have not been impressed so I'm waiting to see what happens next.
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Submitted by gary a Weekend Warrior from Cooper city Fl,USA Date Reviewed: June 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$400.00
Purchased At:	big wheel bicycle
Strengths:	the shock has so many adjustments. u can get it so dialed in to your prefs. shock is beefy and strong. comes from a company who also produces performance mx shocks
Weaknesses:	you have you have expert advice to really set it up right and i blew my shock out on my weyless but im sure that its the frame (p.o.s) my friend blew his shock on his bullit after 2 months of riding but he was running to high air pressure. im glad that my shock came back with an upgraded cv/t damping resi.
Similar Products Used:	rock shox pro delux
Bike Setup:	weyless fr 67 with boxxer and dh components. my bullit frame will be here in 3 days :)
Bottom Line:	this is a good shock.i have learned the settings for it an i hope that this will not happen again any time soon. follow the instructions!!!! i was running 130 air when i should have had 100 big mistake ! awesome shock!
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Submitted by Aaron a from Whistler Date Reviewed: June 15, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Sak Ripper
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	stock on bike
Strengths:	Very Strange that the previous poster (or is it poser) blew it with in an hour, nothing but great on my 2002 Bullet. I'm 200 pounds and thrash this thing. Sounds like he got a lemon. I work at shop and I've seen lemons from all the major shock makers.
Weaknesses:	Takes a while to dial it in.
Similar Products Used:	Avalanche, Fox, Romic
Bike Setup:	Bullet, Monster T, etc.
Bottom Line:	Great shock so far!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Zac Horrocks a Downhiller from Lake Placid, N.Y., USA Date Reviewed: June 12, 2003
Favorite Trail:	27
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Strengths:	Adjustible for the first hour it works, light, makes a good paper weight, boat anchor, or anything else you need a heavy piece of metal for.
Weaknesses:	I broke the shock within one hour. Its a piece of junk!!!
Bike Setup:	2003 Santa Cruz Bullit R freeride, stock
Bottom Line:	This shock came with my bullit(amazing bike) and in the first hour of doing some 5 and 6 foot drops the beginning and ending stroke adjustments broke. Now, I'm only 130 pounds doing some small drops and getting use to my new bike. If a shock can't hold up to that i would hate to see it in a race. What I'm trying to say is don't get this rear suspension unless you enjoy $500 paper weights. I hope this was a defect, because its a piece. I have an old bed spring that i think would do a better job than this shock. I gave this shock 1 flaming chili because I didn't have the option of zero.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Thomas Van Der Veer a Downhiller from New York Date Reviewed: June 9, 2003
Favorite Trail:	All kinds of big stuff
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$350.00
Purchased At:	A bike shop
Strengths:	Very plush when set up right, light weight, no pedal bob, nice Ti Spring, does not bottom out easily.
Weaknesses:	Constantly blows up, it has been back to 5th Element on five occasions in the last 6 months. It is a bit of a pain in the a$$ when you set the shock up the night before a race and then find that it has let air out overnight. If you are racing it is a bit more involved than checking your tires, it takes a while to get something feeling right. It should not do this to me.
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla RC (could be better), Stratos, Risse,Romic etc.
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz V10, Foes F1, Mavic, Azonic, Race Face Intense rubber
Bottom Line:	This is a very good shock when it works and is a pain in the a$$ when it blows, and mine has blown and blown. I weigh about 185lbs so I am not a big guy and this thing still has still let me down. I ride big but that is the point ain't it? The comments about setting the shock up are varied but the bottom line is that a quality shock should not let air out overnight. Like "El Rosso" below I also think that a shock should "just work" and should not need attention after a pre race set up, but I still like my shock even though it has let me down when its working it is very good. But it should be more reliable so it will have to go. This shock seems to get such mixed comments, maybe 5th Element have two guys on quality control and one is on drugs or something.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Matt a Downhiller from Cleveland, UK Date Reviewed: June 5, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Hamsterly
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	OEM on Santa Cruz Bullit
Strengths:	Infanately tuneable looks good! plush can set it up much softer than normal shocks but not have any bob.
Weaknesses:	did take a while o get it set up
Similar Products Used:	fox, shockworks
Bike Setup:	Santa cruz bullit, White Bros UD150, Mavic, Hope etc
Bottom Line:	Superb shock. bit fiddley to set up but when sorted the bumps in the trail seem to dissappear. Magnificent performance on big drops. No pedal bob, unless you mash like i-dunno-what! I highly recomend u buy this product...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by JOHN LEE a Weekend Warrior from SF, CA. Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:	ELDRIDGE GRADE
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Price Paid:	$500.00
Purchased At:	BIKE SHOP
Strengths:	HARDLY ANY PEDAL BOB. KEEPS REAR WHEEL ON THE GROUND. PLUSH RIDE.
Weaknesses:	HEAVY WITH STEEL SPRING. BLEW A SEAL ON THE FIRST 60 MILES ON THIS 500.00 SHOCK.
Similar Products Used:	NONE REALLY. FOX RC.
Bike Setup:	SC HECKLER, MANITOU BREAKOUT FIREFLY, HAYES 8" ROTORS,RACE FACE FORGED TURBINE CRANKS.THOMPSOM POST,STEM, EASTON MONKEY LITE BARS, SUN SINGLE TRACK RIMS, HADLY HUBS, MAXXIS MOBSTERS, CHRIS KING HEADSET.
Bottom Line:	THIS IS GREAT FEELING SHOCK. GREAT RIDEABILTY ADJUST TO ANY TYPE OF TERAIN. ONLY HAD 60 MILES ON THIS SHOCK BEFORE IT BLEW A SEAL. OIL WAS EVERYWHERE. NOT GOOD.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Ryan Schostag a Downhiller from Sherman Oaks Date Reviewed: June 2, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Lines found by me in Valencia
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Price Paid:	$300.00
Purchased At:	Santa Cruz
Strengths:	This shock holds up so well under any conditions, whether it be: tough terrain, drops, and jumps.
Weaknesses:	NONE
Similar Products Used:	NONE
Bike Setup:	Santa-Cruz Bullit with a Super-T,5th element,mavic 321 disc rims, Maxxis Mobster 2.8, Purple Hayes, etc.
Bottom Line:	Dude- You have some serious issues. I don't know what kind of riding you so but to insult someone about a shock that has absolutely no problems except that it so happens to be the most used shock in the Freeride and Race industries- What I mean to point out to you is that I've done a 30foot drop-off with this shock with no problems whatsoever- it was setup up as follows: 500lbs spring plush in the beginning On a Santa-Cruz Bullit. I believe that my experiences with shock as well as other's is better than your intellectual study called "homework". Please find a different shock to complain about, such as a Fox VanillaRCorDH. Thanks for reading this- I appreciate it very much.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Scott P a Weekend Warrior from San Jose Date Reviewed: May 28, 2003
Favorite Trail:	plea da 5th
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$300.00
Purchased At:	intense
Strengths:	Works great, keeps the wheel on the trail. Doesn't feel like i'm on a pogo stick! Doesen't bob when pedaling!!!
Weaknesses:	Harder to get air. No pedal kickin here. I probally get half the air from j hopping compaired to a hardtail but that's not it's for.
Similar Products Used:	Don't know of other shocks like this.
Bike Setup:	Uzzi slx, Z1, M4,rhino lites.
Bottom Line:	This thing feels so buttery smooth thru studder bumps at 30 mph it is amazing. If the rear tire gets bucked flying off a ledge it sucks it up so good you don't feel it. When it's time to pedal this thing really shines, no bob in the saddle period. While the adjustments can at first be confusing, I quickly figured out that the air pressure is the main adjustment & I havent played with anything but that for months. Can't give enough credit to the guys that came up with this one. If a picture is worth a thousand words a ride on this shock will be worth a million.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Chewy a Weekend Warrior from North Vancouver, BC Date Reviewed: May 26, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Upper Oil Can, Pink Starfish
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Purchased At:	Stock with frame
Strengths:	Tuneability, progressive travel
Weaknesses:	None
Similar Products Used:	Fox RC
Bike Setup:	Yeti ASX, Sherman Breakout
Bottom Line:	For all the people whining about having to add air and having too many adjustments, stop and read your own reviews. Don't you ever check the air in your tires, or check any bolts on your bike, this is something that takes all of 1 minute to do. Having all of the adjustments is what makes this shock so good, you can set it up how you want it, not like a Fox, which you can do what to besides change the spring, NOTHING! As for the guys who blew up their shocks, I noticed they all had Santa Cruz Bullits or Hecklers, if you talk to SC, they will tell you that Progressive changed the shock after about 3 or 4 months of production to compensate for the flexy rear of these bikes. You should now be receiving the new shock with the new parts, that will take care of your problems. If you are interested in getting your bike set up, the way you like, then this is the shock for you, if not, buy a hardtail.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Alastair White a Downhiller from New York, NY Date Reviewed: May 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:	The Omen
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Price Paid:	$500.00
Purchased At:	Tread Bike Shop NYC
Strengths:	Unbelievable tuning and performance. Can be tuned a variety of ways - I run very soft and progressive - destroy the gnarliest trails that wheel is ging to Stick! Every major DH brand with minor exception either has this in their standard builds, or is an option.
Weaknesses:	Does lose air, but to those who complain are looking for something to hate. My settings stay good for up to a week, and if you don't have an extra minute to add to the 2 or 3 minutes you should be checking all your bolts and frame out pre-ride, then you are really out of it! It is more than worth the effort.
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla R, Vanilla RC, Romic RD, Stratos Helix Pro
Bike Setup:	03 SC Bullitt 5th Element, 03 Super T Pro, Mobster on TrailPimps, RF NS DH Cranx, Azonic Pedals, Stem and Bars, Hayes 8"s
Bottom Line:	Awesome shock, definitely one of the best - taste always plays a role, gotta try out El Jefe, Avalanche and anything elsee interesting!! Don't hate, there are always several top dogs, and properly tuned - there is no better shock out there. Not saying it's #1, but it ain't #2. BTW, I also blew the valve stack! And I still love it! I've blown shocks before, nothings immune - even seen blown Avalanches so nobody kid yourself!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Dylan a Downhiller from Ottawa, Canada Date Reviewed: April 28, 2003
Duration Product Used:	3 months
Strengths:	Performance - Sucks up the big hits and butter on the small stuff too. Kills bob, even on low pressure settings.
Weaknesses:	Break-in throws off your initial setings - but that's the same with any shock. Adjustments aren't independant. $$$
Bottom Line:	To El Rosso below - if you did a bit more than "test or demo only" then you'd realize that the 5th rips once it's dialed in and ridden somewhere other than a parking lot. And no, it's really not that difficult to get a "factory tuned" feel to it either - Took about a day for break in and set up. Give the blokes at Progressive a shout for tech help. This shock has been damn reliable too, even after some sketchy flat drops. For everyone else, read the manual (a Swinger 6 way one will do just fine too ;) You'll probably only need to "fiddle" with the air pressure/volume during the initial set-up to find the shock's sweet spot.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Len Meserve a Downhiller from Brighton, MA USA Date Reviewed: March 29, 2003
Favorite Trail:	all of them
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	shop employee
Strengths:	Amazing suspension performance simply the best.
Weaknesses:	None
Similar Products Used:	Pro Deluxe, Fox Vanilla RC, Stratos Helix Expert
Bike Setup:	02 Uzzi SLX,03 Z.1 QR20,Hayes,Hadley,Mavic,Thompson,Race Face,King,XT,Azonic,MRP
Bottom Line:	I had to post a review upon reading other reviews. IF YOU HAVE SET-UP QUESTIONS CALL PROGRESSIVE THEY ARE THE MOST HELPFUL COMPANY I HAVE EVER TALKED TO. I had a M1 for a year and my Uzzi for 1 1/2 years and have a lot of ride time on both. I had my M1 shock collar break after a couple of months riding on a race weekend(after my race run thankfully).They had me send in both my shocks and replaced both sets of collars for me w/ the new stronger versions all w/ in 5 days. I paid for 2day UPS shipping and they returned it the same way so I could race the following weekend.After a 11mths of riding my SLX shock started to lose air while riding. I sent it back and they warrentied it for me and suggested that it should be sent in every 6mths for service. The 5/th Element is like a Pro level motocross shock that requires a higher level of service. Basicly if you want to ride Pro level equipment service it like one. I have to comment about the reviews of Ryeder and Dave Andrews. Dave lives in Australia and Ryeder Korea? Do these guys even have a local service center and if you do could that be the problem or did they send it to Progressive?Long time in shipping too. BUY IT if you are some who has FINESSE, at least a little knowledge about suspension,are willing to commit to check the air in it,and commit to a higher level of service. DON'T BUY IT if you don't know what FINESSE is. You can buy an Avalanche.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Aaron Clarke a Downhiller from Nottingham, England Date Reviewed: March 29, 2003
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	Loves big drops and jumps.
Weaknesses:	Doesn't want to move over anything smaller than an 1/2 inch. Too much to adjust and not enough range.
Similar Products Used:	Fox twin clicker, rock shox deluxe.
Bike Setup:	Bullit, Shiver DC
Bottom Line:	This shock is strange. Sit on the bike and it looks like the springs way to soft. Yet doesn't hardly ever bottom out. This shock is not plush. Great for huge drops and jumps, but small stutter bumps don't make it want to move. This can be annoying when cornering on rough grass, because it makes the rear tyre try to break away. The setup guide that comes with it recommends way to hard a settings for my weight. I run this on minimum everything, and the rebounds still slow and the compression is still to harsh. If you forget about and just rides it's ok, but then i rode a knackered RS deluxe for 2 years like that. End result, if you go big then it's good, if you ride cross country or up hills it's fine, but if you want something super plush stick to the fox.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Ryeder a Downhiller from Spokane, WA (Seoul Korea) Date Reviewed: March 25, 2003
Favorite Trail:	The one she rides
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Purchased At:	Santa Cruz Bikes
Strengths:	Doesn't bottum on the big ones. Oh so many options. Made for the Bullit. Looks better than a Romic.
Weaknesses:	Doesn't last.
Similar Products Used:	Fox Vanilla R, Vanilla RC
Bike Setup:	03 Bullit, 321 rims, 02 Super/ 02 Shiver, 2 Rings up front.
Bottom Line:	The shock works as advertised. It doesn't bob and it won't bottum out, yet. I wouldn't ride a Bullit without it, which means I may be switching soon. The stupid thing will not hold up. Note that I have been riding on this shock for about 6 months. Actually more like 3 months. The other 3 were down time between 5th Element shocks. Shock no. 3 is in the mail. Well see how long it lasts. Thank God I have a beefy hard tail KONA to keep me satisfied with little problems.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Kevin a Downhiller from Buffalo, NY, USA Date Reviewed: March 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Plattekill
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	came on bike
Strengths:	Looks good, does it's job, adjustments work great
Weaknesses:	Having to inflate every ride
Similar Products Used:	Rockshox
Bike Setup:	03 M1 boxxer Team
Bottom Line:	This is one of the best shocks out there, if you follow the setup guide the adjustments are not bad at all.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Dave Andrews a Downhiller from Sydney, Australia Date Reviewed: March 23, 2003
Favorite Trail:	the one i'm beating you down
Duration Product Used:	1 Year
Purchased At:	Brookvale Bike Factory
Strengths:	Tunability is amazing, and the shock is simply phenomenal- when it works...
Weaknesses:	Too many adjustments to go wrong, doesn't hold up long in the real world,unreliable as a 1970 Diesel Merc, no adjustment stops (ie: keep on turning past the limit), not easily servicable....
Similar Products Used:	Rockshox, Manitou Swinger.
Bike Setup:	Evo 4 Bullit, Boxxers, Hope C2's, Northshores, Aireal, 321's, Azonic, Michelin Comps, Sram 9.0sl, ODI, email me for pics...
Bottom Line:	Based on what the shock has been touted as, i'm stoked. It does furfill what it is said to do- a raritiy these days! In the 7.5 months i've owned the bike, i've been through 3 shocks. In terms of reliability, i rate these closely to the old rockshox pro-deelux. The shock works well for a while, but this gradually deteriorates, until there's no rebound. Yes, the anti-bob factor is amazing, but i'd prefer to have a bobbing shock that works well for at least a year. I think, though, that the greatest attribute of the shock is the ability to control bottom out. i have bottomed my boxxers, but never come close to that on the rear. I also hear that the shock is goin to be stupidly expensive after- market. I think that when unless the new shock that i get next week lasts, i'm going to cut my losses and get a Fox Vanilla RC or even a DH...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Mike a Cross Country Rider from Pawcatuck, Ct Date Reviewed: March 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:	McKenzie River
Duration Product Used:	Less than 1 month
Purchased At:	Shop employee pricing.
Strengths:	Absolute tunability
Weaknesses:	The time it takes to get everything right.
Similar Products Used:	VanillaR, VanillaRC, Stratos Helix Expert
Bike Setup:	'02 Stinky DeeLux with all the trimmings - King hubs and headset, RaceFace cranks and BB, Thomson stem/seatpost, Sherman Slider fork.
Bottom Line:	Because of weather, I haven't been able to make a thorough test of the shock, but so far I've got this to say: 1. It feels undersprung. Progressive reccomends a 350# spring for general use and 450# for DH. Perhaps its the time I spent on all the other shocks, but it feels soft. 2. Despite the soft feeling, it doesn't bottom or bob. How does it do it?! 3. Sensitivity over small harsh bumps, like footprints in frozen over snow, is incredible. Its possible to tune the shock to respond to that terrain and still not go mushy while climbing. 4. Mounting is a pain in the arse. To switch springs, I have to remove a bushing. Flipping it so the resivoir is on top works and doesn't cause frame interference in my 18" frame. In addition, I'm able to swap springs by just removing the shock. With spring bearing down on the Northeast like a truck without brakes, I hope to have a much more detailed review soon with some DH experience and setup info also.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Steve a from San Jose, CA Date Reviewed: March 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:	Anything Dirty
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	This shock (Or should say, Design) is perfect for single pivot systems. It does everything it’s supposed to do. Very responsive, and perfect amount of travel for a free ride set up.
Weaknesses:	Weight. Blew shock in less than 350 miles, Slow Repair service (3+ weeks down time so far…).
Similar Products Used:	Fox Float (this shock is the loaner while my 5th is being repaired). This shock does not belong on a Free Ride bike, period. But hey, at least I’m still riding my bike while I wait.
Bike Setup:	S.C. Heckler.
Bottom Line:	Ok, let’s be realistic. There isn’t a shock on the market that doesn’t start leaking or pop a seal in a short amount of time, Forks included (at least for serious riders). So far, there isn’t any Holy Grail shock that is indestructible (yet). So, that being said, we should all plan on purchasing extra/back-up shocks for when our primaries are in the shop. It’s all part of being an MTB’er. Of Course, if you have the cash, you should always have a back-up bike (even a hard tail would suffice. At least you’d be riding). The 5th element is an incredible design. Most of the time you forget it’s there because it’s doing it’s job so well. I do love this shock. But I have to admit, like everyone else, the short life span and repair time has me questioning the company. Of course I haven’t owned or dealt with Romic (for example), so I can’t say they would be the same. Once again, it’s all part of the sport (it shouldn’t be, but it is). Value rating is questionable, and Overall rating is just because of disappointment.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Andre a Racer from South Africa Date Reviewed: March 7, 2003
Duration Product Used:	More than 3 years
Bike Setup:	Santa Cruz S8
Bottom Line:	Want to know if a 5th element fits on the S8? and if, is there a big difference. Riding at the moment Fox rc thanks
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Tyler Durden a Downhiller from Hpg Date Reviewed: March 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:	my downhill, freeride, ...
Duration Product Used:	6 months
Strengths:	It's perfect.
Weaknesses:	It's not easy to find a good setup.
Bike Setup:	Scott High Octane 2003, Boxxer Race, Chris King Steelset, Race Face Diabolus, Hayes, Alex Rims Supra D, Shimano XT.
Bottom Line:	The best rear shock on the world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Terry Ash a Weekend Warrior from Cedar Hills, UT Date Reviewed: February 4, 2003
Duration Product Used:	Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:	Major Cush factor; Adjustability; No Bob!
Weaknesses:	Figuring out all those adjustments.
Similar Products Used:	Misc Foxes and Cane Creeks
Bike Setup:	Heckler SuperX
Bottom Line:	This shock was unbelievable. Bike was set-up with a Psylo (Yeeek). The Psylo behaved...well...like a Psylo, but the 5th L felt like it wasn't even on the same trail. I could feel the bumps and drops up front, but the rear felt like it was cruising on pavement no matter what the terrain was like. I was particularly impressed since the shock on the demo bike was sprung too light for me, and yet the shock rode better than anything I have ever experienced! I was so impressed, I have already put down my deposit for a Heckler with 5th L. Trouble is, I now have to choose a color, a fork components... Decisions decisions... Any suggestions???
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

Submitted by Hunter a from Billings, MT Date Reviewed: January 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:	anywhere
Duration Product Used:	Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:	Progressive stops pedal bob can adjust to anyone can take huge hits plus provides small bump and medium bump performance keeps the tire glued to the ground the weight savings
Weaknesses:	setting it up properly takes some time
Similar Products Used:	Fox vanilla r/c
Bike Setup:	V10
Bottom Line:	This rear shock is amazing. i rode one for a whole day and it made such an improvement to the handling and pedaling. This rear shock is easy to set-up. This shock is completely bottomless. i recomend this shock to anyone with a freeride or downhill bike. it makes a huge difference.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:

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