Stratos ID vs PUSH Vanillas: AND THE WINNER IS PUSH!
I have now spent about a month on a Vanilla PUSH 2006 after about a year on a Vanilla STRATOS ID and fve months on a standard Vanilla 2004. It is time for some comments which might not apply so much to the Stratos (thanks to Specialized out of production) but might apply to the new FOX XTT.
Brake Dive: I hated the Vanilla as it came out of the factory. Combined with my 5-spot the dive under braking was horrible. Both the ID and the PUSH solve this issue. The ID is a rock under braking, it gives a beautiful feeling of staying level that inspires a lot of confidence. The PUSH has a very effective slow-compression dial that seem to work very well at decreasing the dive to irrelevant extent. Small Adantage: ID
Climbing. The ID is amazing when climbing, it was by far the most efficient fork I ever put my hands on: the inertia valve can be felt and you can "lean" on it reaulting in rigid-bike-like-climb that needs to be experienced to be really appreciated. Now ... the Push is almost as good in the normal setting (!). With the platform activated it is as good, or slightly better because it still works better on mid-size bumps that in slow motion can upset the ID. Adantage: Tie
At Speed The PUSH is very smooth and it is stays just glued to the ground, nothing seems to perturb it. The ID is fine, but it is not as controlled as the PUSH when the going get fast and one can feel the small transition from open/close of the inertia valve that sometimes makes the ride a bit "edgy" Adantage: PUSH
Small Bumps/low speed Push with platform and ID are both not too good. The ID performance unfortunately is related to the amount of preload. (The only thing that takes care of small bump compliance with the ID is the sag-to-ID-travel. Preload can be set anywhere from 0 to about 30mm of sag. With 0 you have a pretty harsh fork, with 30 it might even be too plush. The ID really needs an independent circuit to control the "height" at which the ID starts to work ... but it relies instead on the preload .... The PUSH in its non-platform setting is great in this department, small bumps are as non-existent as large ones ... (well of course this also depend on th eampunt of platform you use). Adantage: PUSH
Adjustabiltiy The lack of adjustability is the main problem with the ID, not much you can do besides rebound. The Push is one of the most adjustable fork I ever put my hands on (preload/rebound/slow-compression/platform). Adantage: PUSH
And the winner is: well PUSH. I cannot see many reasons to get the ID (if you could), nor a FOX XTT, when the PUSH has as much platform, if you want it, but is simply sublime doing the main job of a fork (you know ... making those bumps go away
)
I have now spent about a month on a Vanilla PUSH 2006 after about a year on a Vanilla STRATOS ID and fve months on a standard Vanilla 2004. It is time for some comments which might not apply so much to the Stratos (thanks to Specialized out of production) but might apply to the new FOX XTT.
Brake Dive: I hated the Vanilla as it came out of the factory. Combined with my 5-spot the dive under braking was horrible. Both the ID and the PUSH solve this issue. The ID is a rock under braking, it gives a beautiful feeling of staying level that inspires a lot of confidence. The PUSH has a very effective slow-compression dial that seem to work very well at decreasing the dive to irrelevant extent. Small Adantage: ID
Climbing. The ID is amazing when climbing, it was by far the most efficient fork I ever put my hands on: the inertia valve can be felt and you can "lean" on it reaulting in rigid-bike-like-climb that needs to be experienced to be really appreciated. Now ... the Push is almost as good in the normal setting (!). With the platform activated it is as good, or slightly better because it still works better on mid-size bumps that in slow motion can upset the ID. Adantage: Tie
At Speed The PUSH is very smooth and it is stays just glued to the ground, nothing seems to perturb it. The ID is fine, but it is not as controlled as the PUSH when the going get fast and one can feel the small transition from open/close of the inertia valve that sometimes makes the ride a bit "edgy" Adantage: PUSH
Small Bumps/low speed Push with platform and ID are both not too good. The ID performance unfortunately is related to the amount of preload. (The only thing that takes care of small bump compliance with the ID is the sag-to-ID-travel. Preload can be set anywhere from 0 to about 30mm of sag. With 0 you have a pretty harsh fork, with 30 it might even be too plush. The ID really needs an independent circuit to control the "height" at which the ID starts to work ... but it relies instead on the preload .... The PUSH in its non-platform setting is great in this department, small bumps are as non-existent as large ones ... (well of course this also depend on th eampunt of platform you use). Adantage: PUSH
Adjustabiltiy The lack of adjustability is the main problem with the ID, not much you can do besides rebound. The Push is one of the most adjustable fork I ever put my hands on (preload/rebound/slow-compression/platform). Adantage: PUSH
And the winner is: well PUSH. I cannot see many reasons to get the ID (if you could), nor a FOX XTT, when the PUSH has as much platform, if you want it, but is simply sublime doing the main job of a fork (you know ... making those bumps go away
)Thanks Darren!
