The Topaz Gen 3 is DVO’s latest iteration of a do-it-all air shock. It’s beefier than previous versions and it's been optimized for performance. The shock comes with its own carrying case, a shock pump, and clip-on volume spacers. I bought this one to go on my Fezzari Wire Peak ebike in a 210x55 size that provides 140mm of rear-wheel travel.
Specifications
What’s in the box
Inside the shipping box, you’ll find the nice plastic carrying case that has the shock, pump, volume spacers, sticker, and a setup guide included. The shock feels and looks like a high-quality product as it should with this being the top-of-line air shock for DVO. The markings for compression and rebound are clear and easy to understand. The only thing it doesn’t include that you might need is mounting hardware to fit your bike. I ordered the appropriate hardware from DVO and got straight to work getting it installed.
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Setup
Getting the shock installed was easy and then I followed the setup guide to get it adjusted and ready to ride. The first step was to set the air pressure. There is a convenient chart showing a psi range for various rider weights.
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The included pump works great and has a nice gauge that is easy to read and allows you to get the pressure set to exactly the level you want. I then did a sag check to make sure the air pressure was where it needed to be for my weight.
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The Topaz Gen 3 has a bladder that can be adjusted. I followed the chart in the setup guide to set the bladder pressure and then went to step 5 to set the rebound. There’s only 1 rebound knob and I set the number of clicks per the chart according to the air pressure. Easy peasy and it can be adjusted on the fly to rider preference.
For compression adjustment, there’s only a 3-position switch for open, mid, or firm. Wow, does this switch make a huge difference. I’ll talk more about this later in the riding section, but there is a massive difference in all 3 switch positions that had me excited to get out on the trail and see what it felt like.
I didn’t add any volume spacers during the initial setup, but they are there and the final step in the setup guide explains how many to use and where to put them (positive or negative) to dial in the shock for your preference.
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The Ride
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Out on the trail, I wanted to get a feel for the shock and see if I needed to make any adjustments to the rebound. I’m no suspension setup guru, but I can tell when it feels good or feels bad. I went to a trail system that has a mix of single-track, rocky tech, and flowy jump lines.
I found myself using the mid compression setting the most. This is the best position to use for those set-it-and-forget-it types. It’s good for climbing and descending and it’s what I used for the jump lines. It feels plush and supportive and is perfect for trails that meander and have short climbs and descents over and over. I’ll likely leave it in this position for 80% of my rides and only use the two other settings in certain situations.
The Open setting on the switch is buttery smooth. Small and big bump compliance felt great and it just soaked up anything the trail could dish out. This is the setting you’d want to use for long descents and when the trail gets really chunky.
The Firm setting on the switch surprised me the most. On my other shocks that had compression switches, I could barely tell a slight difference between open and firm. I expected the same here, but when I moved the switch to the firm setting and sat on the bike, it barely moved. I would not want to ride down a chunky trail in this setting, but man does it work for climbing. I will certainly be using this setting on long climbs and road passes.
Verdict
Overall, I’m really impressed with the DVO Topaz Gen 3 shock. It’s priced right at $550 and that includes a descent shock pump. It’s simple to set up and is easy to tune and adjust to your liking. It feels great on the trail, but I already expected that. What impressed me the most was the compression settings and the fact that you can actually tell a difference between each one. It’s more useful than most open/firm switches I’ve had on other shocks.
Another little detail is I love the shape and position of the reservoir. It’s more out of the way than others and allows me to fit a bottle on my bike where I wasn’t able to with other reservoir shocks. This thing is a premium piece of kit that I can easily recommend if you are looking for a new shock.
Specifications
- Damper Features: T3 Compression, Rebound, Bladder Pressure Adjust
- Spring Features: Adjustable Positive and Negative Volume via Spacers
- Sizes: Available in a variety of metric and trunnion sizes.
- Price: $550
- Available at: DVO
What’s in the box
Inside the shipping box, you’ll find the nice plastic carrying case that has the shock, pump, volume spacers, sticker, and a setup guide included. The shock feels and looks like a high-quality product as it should with this being the top-of-line air shock for DVO. The markings for compression and rebound are clear and easy to understand. The only thing it doesn’t include that you might need is mounting hardware to fit your bike. I ordered the appropriate hardware from DVO and got straight to work getting it installed.
Setup
Getting the shock installed was easy and then I followed the setup guide to get it adjusted and ready to ride. The first step was to set the air pressure. There is a convenient chart showing a psi range for various rider weights.
The Topaz Gen 3 has a bladder that can be adjusted. I followed the chart in the setup guide to set the bladder pressure and then went to step 5 to set the rebound. There’s only 1 rebound knob and I set the number of clicks per the chart according to the air pressure. Easy peasy and it can be adjusted on the fly to rider preference.
For compression adjustment, there’s only a 3-position switch for open, mid, or firm. Wow, does this switch make a huge difference. I’ll talk more about this later in the riding section, but there is a massive difference in all 3 switch positions that had me excited to get out on the trail and see what it felt like.
I didn’t add any volume spacers during the initial setup, but they are there and the final step in the setup guide explains how many to use and where to put them (positive or negative) to dial in the shock for your preference.
The Ride
Out on the trail, I wanted to get a feel for the shock and see if I needed to make any adjustments to the rebound. I’m no suspension setup guru, but I can tell when it feels good or feels bad. I went to a trail system that has a mix of single-track, rocky tech, and flowy jump lines.
I found myself using the mid compression setting the most. This is the best position to use for those set-it-and-forget-it types. It’s good for climbing and descending and it’s what I used for the jump lines. It feels plush and supportive and is perfect for trails that meander and have short climbs and descents over and over. I’ll likely leave it in this position for 80% of my rides and only use the two other settings in certain situations.
The Open setting on the switch is buttery smooth. Small and big bump compliance felt great and it just soaked up anything the trail could dish out. This is the setting you’d want to use for long descents and when the trail gets really chunky.
The Firm setting on the switch surprised me the most. On my other shocks that had compression switches, I could barely tell a slight difference between open and firm. I expected the same here, but when I moved the switch to the firm setting and sat on the bike, it barely moved. I would not want to ride down a chunky trail in this setting, but man does it work for climbing. I will certainly be using this setting on long climbs and road passes.
Verdict
Overall, I’m really impressed with the DVO Topaz Gen 3 shock. It’s priced right at $550 and that includes a descent shock pump. It’s simple to set up and is easy to tune and adjust to your liking. It feels great on the trail, but I already expected that. What impressed me the most was the compression settings and the fact that you can actually tell a difference between each one. It’s more useful than most open/firm switches I’ve had on other shocks.
Another little detail is I love the shape and position of the reservoir. It’s more out of the way than others and allows me to fit a bottle on my bike where I wasn’t able to with other reservoir shocks. This thing is a premium piece of kit that I can easily recommend if you are looking for a new shock.
