[awareham83]

I can't decide between theses two shocks for my new giant reign x. The elka seems to have good reviews and I like the idea of custom valving, but they are new to mtb's. I know they have been making moto suspension for a while so I would like to think that they wouldn't have any issues with reliability. The fox has gotten good reviews as well, and I have never really had any reliability issues with them before. Basically I'm wondering if the fox is worth the extra money over the elka?

 

[006_007]

Elka hands down. They make a superb product and have excellent customer service.

 

[bionicman]

I am on the fence about this as well...
curious about any weight differences too..
stiction issues

 

[AL29er]

Tough call. Elka is the "latest" and "greatest" at the moment. Their non-US base and heavy bias towards motorsports makes me worry about them turning into the next Progressive.

Fox is tried and true, US based operations, and has loads of options for aftermarket tuners.

If I had to put my money down right now either Fox or Avalanche would get my business :thumbsup:

 

[boogenman]

Tough call. Elka is the "latest" and "greatest" at the moment. Their non-US base and heavy bias towards motorsports makes me worry about them turning into the next Progressive.

Fox is tried and true, US based operations, and has loads of options for aftermarket tuners.

If I had to put my money down right now either Fox or Avalanche would get my business :thumbsup:

I think Elka has a good product but agree that they may just become the next progressive for the same reasons.

I am not a fan of Fox coil shocks. The Vanilla was ok back in the day, the DHX was a underdamped generic shock that didn't work well at all without a custom tune. I think they finally figured out how to build a good coil shock with the RC4 but I hear that it is REALLY over damped for the average rider.

Avalanche chubie or Woodie is where my business would go unless you are a Canadian resident.

 

[bionicman]

what about the CaneCreek double barrel?

http://www.canecreek.com/component-shocks?product=double-barrel

 

[FM]

Elka rules. Spend some time on the phone with them or ask for their support documentation. I did, and now I have one on the way. I have not seen that quality of documentation/support from any other shock mfg.

The elka comes custom-tuned for your suspension design, riding style and weight, so lack of aftermarket tuners is sort of a non-issue. The price is also ridiculously low for what they are offering.

I had an Avy on my previous bike and loved it, but I would have a really hard time paying big money again for any shock that requires tools for basic adjustments. $200 cheaper than an avy or CCDB and no tools required for basic tuning is a huge advantage over the competition IMHO.

 

[smithrider]

I don't believe the Elka has a two stage rebound like some of the other shocks mentioned here. I see the two stage rebound as a huge advantage in my opinion.

 

[Renegade]

I don't believe the Elka has a two stage rebound like some of the other shocks mentioned here. I see the two stage rebound as a huge advantage in my opinion.

I would guess that elka's high speed rebound is custom set for you; shimmed at the piston. If so, there is no need for an external adjuster. This is how Push does their products.

 

[smithrider]

I am not a suspension guru so I may not know what I am talking about. That said, one of the main advantages of my CCDB over my DHX-C that I previously had is I can run a slower rebound for lower speed events and faster rebound when I take bigger hits. This keeps it plush for lower speed stuff both descending and climbing but prevents packup on higher speed hits with the faster return from the high speed circuit. From my understanding, the DHX (not the new RC4, the standard one) and the Elka can't do this.

 

[FM]

I would guess that elka's high speed rebound is custom set for you; shimmed at the piston. If so, there is no need for an external adjuster. This is how Push does their products.

this is correct. Elka sent me a document covering this feature, which they feel is a better solution than a vivid or ccdb style 2-stage circuit. It will still provide slower rebound on bigger hits.

 

[smithrider]

Hence why I am not a guru. Good to know.

 

[awareham83]

Elka rules. Spend some time on the phone with them or ask for their support documentation. I did, and now I have one on the way. I have not seen that quality of documentation/support from any other shock mfg.

The elka comes custom-tuned for your suspension design, riding style and weight, so lack of aftermarket tuners is sort of a non-issue. The price is also ridiculously low for what they are offering.

This is why I decided to go with an elka. Everything is top notch, plus its already tuned for you and your riding style.

 

[Pat Tellier]

I am not a suspension guru so I may not know what I am talking about. That said, one of the main advantages of my CCDB over my DHX-C that I previously had is I can run a slower rebound for lower speed events and faster rebound when I take bigger hits. This keeps it plush for lower speed stuff both descending and climbing but prevents packup on higher speed hits with the faster return from the high speed circuit. From my understanding, the DHX (not the new RC4, the standard one) and the Elka can't do this.

You are right. the Elka shock's rebound can't be set to be faster upon big hits than for smaller hits.

The main reason being that you'd be catapulted from the bike if the shock was set so.

 

[Jayem]

I don't believe the Elka has a two stage rebound like some of the other shocks mentioned here. I see the two stage rebound as a huge advantage in my opinion.

Almost every shock has a high and low speed rebound circut. The high speed circuts are usually not adjustable, and they allow the shock to rebound fast enough on fast hits, usually what you are adjusting with the knob is a more low-speed adjustment, usually via a needle valve. Depending on the manufacturer and tune you get a different amount of overlap and high/low speed rebound.

The DHX and the Elka both will have this feature, but due to how it's set up from the factory it may not have the result you are discussing. With the case of the Elka I'd imagine that it does, due to the factory valving it differently for different applications. With the DHX it is also possible, but usually there's too much overlap and it requires a revalve.