The XC-Pro™ has lasted the storm of international competition and the vagaries of rampant frame re-designs. With a full range of compression and rebound damping control and one of the largest air chambers in the world, the XC-Pro offers the most adaptability and tune-ability of any shock available. As a lightweight cross-country air shock with the only reliable "on-the-fly" lockout ever, the XC-Pro is a competitive edge other shocks can't match - a 'hard-tail' on demand!
Submitted by
edwardje
a Cross Country Rider
from austria
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2010
Strengths: needs no service, perfect lockout system
Weaknesses: not for sale anymore
Bottom Line:
i used this schock for 9 years now and only replaced the dubusches. Until last week it was perfect now after 9years the lockout is damaged. This thing worked better than any schock now on the market.
Submitted by
Curt
a Cross Country Rider
from Lawrence
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2006
Strengths: Looks cool. Actually, no. I'm so pissed off at it that it doesn't even look cool anymore.
Weaknesses: Leaks worse than a cotton condom.
Bottom Line:
The thing worked fine out of the box for about six months before it started leaking regularly. Finally, it completely flattenend out one day and left me stranded eight miles from the trailhead. I was so disgusted, I threw the bike in my garage and decided to ride my rigid bike from then on. After a year, I sent the shock into Tech Support for a rebuild. They sent me back a shock that leaked even WORSE than before the rebuild! I pumped it up to 80 psi, and it was flat before I reached the end of the driveway! True story. Tech Support told me to "snug up" the schrader valve, which I did. But it still leaked so bad, that after pumping it up, the needle on my shock valve would drop right before my eyes!
Without a fail-safe mode of operation, air shocks are inherently a bad idea. When they're out of air, you are stranded, period. And for the Stratos product I purchased, that was the rule rather than the exception. Never again.
Submitted by
Mike Deem
a Weekend Warrior
from Canton, Ohio
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2005
Strengths: Has everything to offer - solid shock which you can tune to the terrain - I still like a lock-out function from the handle bar which FOX does not offer anymore. (why not?) I guess if you read the reviews about all the leaks and failures you can see they can not get it right...
Weaknesses: None - Tech support was GREAT to work with and helpful. The only problem is for Statos because the products last too long and they may go out of business.
Bottom Line:
If you are tired of excuses and do not have the money to waste check out the Statos lines - they will keep you coming back if you ever need to replace the shock. They have a good solid product for everyone and every bike.
Similar Products Used: Had a Stratos that I abused for 6 years then switched to FOX and RockShock which they either leaked air or oil or break down and they want more of your money to rebuild them.
Bike Setup: Still riding the old Trek Y bikes
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Submitted by
Shane
a Weekend Warrior
from Anchorage AK
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2005
Strengths: Easy to adjust, holds air pressure from week to week, a hell of a lot nicer then the stock shock it replaced
Weaknesses: air valve is in a bad spot on my bike
Bottom Line:
Really I don't care much how it looks, I don't care how much it weighs. I'm 6 foot 5, 230 pounds, and all I really care about is that I can beat the everlivin hell out of it and it keeps working week after week.
The lockout is nice and turns my bike into a hardtail at the flick of a switch so long uphills arn't a problem. flip the switch to open it up and it gives a nice ride over all but the biggest drops.
Strengths: I have used this for 6 years. about 1000 miles/year. 20oF to 100oF. Mud, snow, dust. I weigh 225 pound. The seals just blew. I had a red strata Pro and would only get 40 hours out of a set seals, I think that was the fault of the Trek Y bike. It just put to much side tourque on the shock.
Submitted by
Kyle Austin
a Cross Country Rider
from Kalispell, MT, USA
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2004
Strengths: Reliability. lockout. Plush for an air shock. Good customer support.
Weaknesses: Not as plush as a coil, but no air shock is.
Bottom Line:
Stratos has been making reliable shocks for many years now. This is my second stratos shock. The first was a helix expert which I purchased new direct from Stratos. It has been trouble free for 2.5 years and 5000 off-road miles. I found this XC pro on Ebay and wanted to give it a try so thinking it would be a better mach for my Minute up front (and substantial wieght savings). When I first got the shock it was not functioning right so I called stratos and they gave me an RA# to send in the shock for service. 10 days later I have a shock that looks and functions like new. Seems like good customer service to me, not sure what happend with some of the other folks who have placed reviews. Awesome shock with a linear spring due to large air volume, much better for climbing and x-country than the Helix, although I have given up some plushness. I only use the lockout for long road climbs ect, but its nice to have. Nice job Stratos!
Similar Products Used: Stratos Helix expert, Cane Creek AD-12, Fox float
Bike Setup: Ellsworth Isis with Manitou minute 1.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Tim Downs
a Cross Country Rider
from Peterborough On Canada
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004
Strengths: Quiet compared to my Fox air vannila. Lock out!! Contrary to alot of other experiences, i have found Stratos customer support as well as tech support to be top notch!
Weaknesses: Remote lock out cable stop would not align properly on my 1999 Specialized fsr xc. It came w the wrong bushings, they rectified IMIDIATLEY!!
Bottom Line:
I don't like to worry about my gear. I hate sitting home on a sunny day with a shock that won't hold air. My Fox shock was sent in for a rebuild when i was told they no longer made replacement parts. REPLACEMENT PARTS. They offered me 50$ off my next fox shock. Here's a smaller company, who cares to deal with you, who is looking to satisfy you. ride on
Submitted by
Large A
a Cross Country Rider
from woodland hills
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004
Strengths: In MY opinion, the Stratos XC-Pro is a Major improvement over the stock Fox RL that came on my 2002 Santa Cruz Superlight. The STRATOS Lockout REALLY LOCKS out if needed or wanted and the ride feel is Plush and VERY tunable to my riding style, tastes and style. i have some other No-Bob-Stable Platform style shock products on other bikes too, but sometimes i like a REAL lockout!
Weaknesses: none really - these are WELL MADE and STURDY with realistic life expectancy and the factory is always striving to improve them - i had to have my XC-Pro rebuilt after 14 months of service - But the Original FOX RL blew out in about 6 months of use, plus i was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Stratos factory had developed a new technique for burping the shock during rebuilds, which eliminated the very minor amount of play that had developed after a lot of use, which i have found to be present in other shock brands too - they say the problem has been eliminated and as far as i can tell - they are right - 1000 miles after the rebuild and it still feels tight with no noticeable DROP-DOWN when the bike is lifted up at the rear!
Bottom Line:
...if you have REALISTIC expectations, you will be very pleased with the Stratos Shock products life-span and customer service was a breeze on quite a few occasions, i WAS able to purchase small parts, replacement parts and get service with no problems, usually in a timely manor - rebuilds take 2 - 3 weeks depending on their work/race loads .....seems fair to me - experienced, prudent bikers should have a spare shock or bike to ride anyway!
Similar Products Used: Progressive 5th Element Coil, Stratos Helix Pro, Stratos XC-Pro
Bike Setup: this one is a 2002 S/Cruz Superlight - white brothers fork, stratos XC-Pro rear shock, full 03' xtr
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Submitted by
Don Nywening
a Weekend Warrior
from Wind Gap, PA USA
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2004
Strengths: Very supple, excellent range of adjustment.
Weaknesses: Damping disappeared after about 6 months; sent it back to Stratos for service. As stated previously, customer service leaves a lot to be desired. It took over a month to get my shock back and they tried to tell me that FedEx took four weeks to get it to them! Not according to FedEx tracking, though...
Bottom Line:
This shock is excellent. It is far more supple than my old Alps4 from Fox. The problem with the damping is the only time I have experienced any problem with this shock, and I have had it back now for 18 months. It wouldn't have been a big deal if Stratos had gotten it back to me in a timely fashion and not tried to feed me some story about the ineptness of FedEx. It is, after all, a mechanical device operating in an harsh environment.
Strengths: Great damping performance. Lockout works like a champ.
Weaknesses: Air valve position makes it necessary to remove rear shock mount from frame to add air.
Bottom Line:
The shock is a huge upgrade over the Float RL. Much plusher ride & a far superior damping circuit, The bigger air volume gives it more of a "coil over" feel - not harsh like the Fox. On the down side, Stratos' customer service absolutly sucks - the WORST I've ever experienced. After installing the shock on my SL I found the placement of the air valve to be screwed up. I had to drop it off the swingarm in order to put air in it. A 90 degree valve adapter would solve the problem, so I emailed Stratos to find out if I could get one from them & found out that they did indeed sell them for $8, but they had a minimum order policy of $30. So in effect, I'm forced to pay $30 for what is probably a $2 part to make my brand-new Stratos shock work on my bike. The real ball breaker was the box was labled "Santa Cruz Superlight". You'd think they'd include the 90 degree adapter, since without it the shock doesn't work very well on that bike.
Anyway, the woman I dealt with basically told me that was their policy and to pack sand if I didn't like it. What a bunch of assh@&es. If this thing ever breaks I'll throw it in the trash before I deal with that bit@h on warrany issues. There's just no excuse for idiotic service like that, period.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Superlight w/ Float 100RLC fork set at 100mm
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Submitted by
Hendrik Huebscher
a Weekend Warrior
from Rancho St. Margarita
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2003
Strengths: Adjustability, weight, durability
Weaknesses: Other then the ABSOLUTE worst customer service, none really
Bottom Line:
I had the shock for about 2.5 years and needed to get it serviced once. Has so far performed very well and the adjustability is unsurpassed. Have to agree with the other reviewers on the customer service issues. Stratos is bar none the worst company to deal with when it comes to service. Because of their customer service (not the product performance) I will never buy another Stratos product again.
Similar Products Used: 5th Element Air, Romic, Fox Float
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Submitted by
joedog
a Cross Country Rider
from Chaddsford, Pa, USA
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2003
Strengths: great ride, smooth, low maintenance, never had to do anything but service air. lockout awsome
Weaknesses: need to replace lower bearing twice a year, no big deal that is how it is designed, I bought the bearing press tool from stratos and the bearings are 10 bucks for two. 10 bucks a year aint too bad for shock maintenance.
Bottom Line:
I love it, unlock on down hill or straight away with frequent logs and rocks. Lock it out on the climbs (instant hardtail). Sweet shock.
Weaknesses: complete loss of rebound damping again! only 5 months after being rebuilt by Stratos! customer service is bad and they try to rip you off
Bottom Line:
This is an update to my previous post. I have a AR-1 shock. I sent the shock to Stratos in early November and didn't get the shock back till December. Not only did it take a month, but they also charged me $121 for the rebuild. Few days ago, the rebound damping is completely lost again, and it's only been 5 months(in the off-season too, I've been riding mostly my road bike)! They said I could either send it back in to be serviced(and charged) or spend $300 and trade it in to get a XC Pro. Would I spend another $121 to have the shock work for another 5 months or less? I don't think so... $300 to trade in their peice of crap for another peice of crap? Don't think so.
Submitted by
Andrew Basler
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2002
Strengths: Love the adjustability. I can climb like a hardtail and DH like a free ride. Sometimes I just set it have way on moderate climbs or smouth rides. I'll lock it out completely for road rides.
Weaknesses: As I read and unfortunatley experienced myself, Customer Service is horrible. I don't get it, it was like dealing with a kid in High School working out of his basement. Very unprofessional, product was way late, at one point they said they weren't making it anymore?!?
Bottom Line:
Great product, watch out for the service. Be VERY Clear on what your expectations are. It so crazy, this small company should be busting their tails to please customers. Fox has caught on, and it's just a matter of time to it's BYE BYE to stratos.
Weaknesses: Top out complete loss of rebound damping after one season bad customer service
Bottom Line:
I have the AR-1 air shock that came on my Dirt Works Cannibal. In the first few months of riding, the shock worked well. The rebound adjuster had a suitable range of adjustment. Near the end of this season, the rebound damping was none existent, and the adjuster didn't work anymore. Witht the fast rebound, the shock will top out really badly. Tried to contact Stratos, but they have not gotten back to me yet.
