Damper Weights 2020

PHeller · Nov 18, 2020

I was curious what various dampers weight. For comparison's sake.

So far, I've got:

FOX 36 GRIP2 Cartridge 29 "| 180 mm - 314g (from R2 bike)
Fox 36 GRIP2 Cartridge - 285g (from cyclinic.com.au/ - not sure if includes knobs and other neccesary parts)
Fox 36 RC2 damper - 240g (from cyclinic.com.au - not sure if includes all necessary parts)

Avalanche 20mm Open Bath Cartridge - 300g (From Avy - used in pretty much all of their fork upgrades.)

Rockshox Charger Raceday (for SID 35) - 88g (weighed by BikeRumor)
Rockshox Charger 2.1 (for SID?) - 214g (weighed by BikeRumor)

Claimed weights for the dampers are 88g (32mm SID SL), 96g (35mm SID), and 186g (MY20 Charger 2.1 RLC). (also from BikeRumor)

Rockshox Charger 2.1 upgrade kit for Lyrik - 260g (from R2 bike)

If anyone has got weights for other dampers, which include all necessary parts to function (as in, everything inside the damper-side leg) I'd love to hear it.

dlxah · Nov 18, 2020

Do these weights include the oil? I'd be surprised if the open bath Avy cart with all that extra oil weighs less than a sealed GRIP2 cart. Also, do those GRIP2 weights include the additional damper-side bath oil vs the RC2?

What is the point of this anyway? Most of these dampers are not compatible with the same chassis, so wouldn't it be more useful to compare the weights of the complete forks instead?

FactoryMatt · Nov 18, 2020

shift up for sid
NDTuned air damped for Fox 32

spo0n · Nov 19, 2020

You aren't comparing the filled avalanche to a filled grip2. It's a filled grip2 plus the 40ml bath. I think that 300g is unfilled

mike156 · Nov 19, 2020

Avy damper with oil as about 150g over the charger damper.

PHeller · Nov 19, 2020

Ok I was able to track down some specifics of Avalanche's cartridge weights:

The cartridges range in weight from 222g to 300g depending on length and if ABS is included. Craig lists a bunch of weights for his cartridges, but for the 36 I saw 222g and 238g empty, which I imagine is the difference between a 275" and 29" fork.

Oil quantity ranges by fork, but the 36 Hybrid at 150-160mm requires 240cc of oils, weighing roughly 158g. That 1.5g per cc of oil.

So, an Avalanche cartridge added to a Fox 36 will end up around 2100g, or roughly 100g heavier than the stock 36 with the FIT4 damper (that Craig weighed at 278 w oil). Not sure if the FIT4 weight also includes 40cc bath oil.

Lets aim on the high end of Avalanche's claimed weights and say that at the very most we're looking at 450g for a 29" fork.

He also weighed a Fox Fit RC2 Cartridge - 266 grams filled with oil - again, that's probably a 26" or 275" fork.

If we say that a GRIP2 weighs 314g with 40ml of bath oil weighing roughly 60g, and the GRIP2 ends up being 375g. If the the 314g is without the damper filled, then it could be over 400g.

However, the Avalanche cartridge isn't the only fork on the market that's using a lot of oil. The MRP Ribbon's Twin Tube Damper, for example, uses 200cc of oil for the damper, and another 15cc for the lower the leg. This means that adding the Avalanche damper to the Ribbon might not change the overall weight at all.

I would assume that the Ohlin's TTX18 damper cartridge is similar, it's not a bladder, so there is a fair amount of oil in there, likely between 150-200cc.

This is interesting because I always thought of Avalanche damper kits as being oldschool and heavy, but the GRIP2 damper has dispelled some of that - it's a modern damper, yes, but it also uses a fair amount of oil and is not a bladder-style damper.

Lone Rager · Nov 19, 2020

FWIW: "That 1.5g per cc of oil. " Water is 1gm/cc (by definition). Oil floats on water, so is less dense, typically around 0.9gm/cc.

mike156 · Nov 19, 2020

FWIW, the benefits of a good damper FAR out weigh the weight difference.

Like this really isn't worth talking about beyond just "huh, yeah... It makes it slightly more heavy...ok"

That weight of an open bath also comes with the added benefit of better lubrication too.

PHeller · Nov 19, 2020

Lone Rager said:
FWIW: "That 1.5g per cc of oil. " Water is 1gm/cc (by definition). Oil floats on water, so is less dense, typically around 0.9gm/cc.

Thanks for summarizing that. I had looked for validation of my claim but couldn't find a specific note saying exactly how much oil weighs.

PHeller · Nov 19, 2020

mike156 said:
Like this really isn't worth talking about beyond just "huh, yeah... It makes it slightly more heavy...ok"

I disagree.

Bear in mind that really the only thing separating most dampers in their fitment in most fork chassis is some top cap threads and a few mm or less of material.

mike156 · Nov 19, 2020

But if a superior damper is 150g heavier, it's still the better choice.

You will NEVER feel that 150g.
You will feel a damper that works better for you.

That said, I don't think there is a one size fits all to dampers. Some ride more plush and feel like you can smash anything on them and some ride like a sports car, ready to keep up with the pro athlete. Most are some where in between. Some just suck.

Dougal · Nov 19, 2020

mike156 said:
FWIW, the benefits of a good damper FAR out weigh the weight difference.

Like this really isn't worth talking about beyond just "huh, yeah... It makes it slightly more heavy...ok"

That weight of an open bath also comes with the added benefit of better lubrication too.

However. A FIT4-RC2 is lighter, IMO more tunable and better performing than a Grip2.

So sometimes there's no reason for the extra weight.

The best dampers can be tuned to deliver whatever ride you want. Then the only real consideration is maintenance cost/complexity and heat capacity. Not many people can overheat a fork damper.

mike156 · Nov 19, 2020

He's also comparing an 88g SID damper to an open bath Avy damper. Weight is irrelevant in that context as I'm quite sure the SID damper won't work in an 180mm enduro fork...

Now, comparing two dampers that can fit in the same fork and both are fairly similar in capability (or can be tuned so) then sure.

But machining custom caps to put a FIT cartridge in a Pike or something like that makes no sense.

Dougal · Nov 19, 2020

mike156 said:
He's also comparing an 88g SID damper to an open bath Avy damper. Weight is irrelevant in that context as I'm quite sure the SID damper won't work in an 180mm enduro fork...

Now, comparing two dampers that can fit in the same fork and both are fairly similar in capability (or can be tuned so) then sure.

But machining custom caps to put a FIT cartridge in a Pike or something like that makes no sense.

I took it as more a point of interest and reference. I don't think any sane person is going to put a Fox damper into a Rockshox. The Avalanches and stuff of course can cross-over.

PHeller · Nov 20, 2020

Dougal said:
I don't think any sane person is going to put a Fox damper into a Rockshox.

Yea, who would do that?

mike156 · Nov 20, 2020

PHeller said:
Bear in mind that really the only thing separating most dampers in their fitment in most fork chassis is some top cap threads and a few mm or less of material.

Guess I read that as making that comparison.

But ok, I put up the weights of all kind of random parts. I'll dig these up, pretty sure I have weights on all of them.

2018 Lyrik Charger RC -
2018 Lyrik Charger RC w/HC97 - 258g
2019 DVO Diamond D1 -
Avy Cartridge (Lyrik 170mm) - 221g/392g (with oil)
2020 Mezzer MC2 - 249g

Damper Weights 2020

PHeller

dlxah

FactoryMatt

spo0n

mike156

PHeller

Lone Rager

mike156

PHeller

PHeller

mike156

Dougal

mike156

Dougal

PHeller

mike156

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