Any thoughts / benefit in matching manufacturers' shock & fork, regardless of bike or geometry? I imagine Fox, etc. uses their own shock/fork combo. when testing.
RichardHead
No real benefit
From my point of veiw, there's no benefit to sticking with one manufacturer's damping front and rear, unless of course you choose to back that company because of personal preference or experience with their products. I know that on RockShox web site, they "reccommend" the fork or shock to match the product you are viewing. I think this is more of a sales and marketing tool for add on sales and to educate the consumer on what a product's intended usage is.
Many manufacturer's reputations excel in one area (say forks) yet may not have that same reputation in another (shocks). I personally run a Marzocchi Marathon S up front and a PUSH'd Vanilla R in the rear. Why? My perception that this is the best combo for me personally is the reason why. That's the best reason to pick and choose.
Bob
From my point of veiw, there's no benefit to sticking with one manufacturer's damping front and rear, unless of course you choose to back that company because of personal preference or experience with their products. I know that on RockShox web site, they "reccommend" the fork or shock to match the product you are viewing. I think this is more of a sales and marketing tool for add on sales and to educate the consumer on what a product's intended usage is.
Many manufacturer's reputations excel in one area (say forks) yet may not have that same reputation in another (shocks). I personally run a Marzocchi Marathon S up front and a PUSH'd Vanilla R in the rear. Why? My perception that this is the best combo for me personally is the reason why. That's the best reason to pick and choose.
Bob
Personally, I'm suprised that Push or anyone else haven't marketed 'matched' fork and shocks, where a fork's damping and spring curve are tuned to match (as closely as possible) a rear shock.
For example, take a popular frame like a Turner 5-Spot and then offer a tuned Pike & Pearl that have similar spring rate curves and damping curves. Of course, the shock would have to factor in the changes in leverage ratio throughout the travel, and the rider weight would be a part of the equation.
Currently, you can buy a tuned fork and/or a tuned shock, but not necessarily made to match each others' damping/spring characteristics. They offer matched sets for autos, like Eibach Pro System, so I don't know why they could do a similar thing for bikes. The major difference is the fact that the Eibach Pro System has a fixed automobile weight, where as the bicycle/rider weights would have to be customized.
For example, take a popular frame like a Turner 5-Spot and then offer a tuned Pike & Pearl that have similar spring rate curves and damping curves. Of course, the shock would have to factor in the changes in leverage ratio throughout the travel, and the rider weight would be a part of the equation.
Currently, you can buy a tuned fork and/or a tuned shock, but not necessarily made to match each others' damping/spring characteristics. They offer matched sets for autos, like Eibach Pro System, so I don't know why they could do a similar thing for bikes. The major difference is the fact that the Eibach Pro System has a fixed automobile weight, where as the bicycle/rider weights would have to be customized.
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