I assume you have the HSC maxed?

I tried maxing mine today (on an air version without the HBO) and it still seems to bottom the same. I was just playing around trying to decide if I should go up a tune over the winter.

 

Mine is three years old, and the only adjustments are LSC and LSR. I run LSC almost all the way open because I’ve never felt like it needed more, but maybe that’s an error on really big tech moves. I can see more LSC keeping it off the bottom where rebound forces would be the highest.

 

At any rate, I'd be curious on opinions whether it would be money better spent to buy the newer one (with the tune you want) or get this one custom tuned.

I honestly have no idea. At least with the new one you have some kind of control over the HSC to fine tune. I don't really like how it works on mine, but you may find it better.

 

I have a Canfield Lithium with a Marzocchi Bomber CR coil. Rode it for about a two years stock, then sent it for an Avalanche tune rather than a typical full service. I was pretty satisfied with the bike before the tune and a little skeptical that the custom tune would be much better, but I figured pricing for a custom tune wasn't much more than a full rebuild.

I tell you now I would do it again in a heartbeat. The thing is just more controlled, yet more poppy and playful than ever. I didn't know what I was missing until I got it back and saw how much better the bike was at just about everything.

As for which ones to keep and tune, I'd call Craig at Avalanche and ask him. He'll tell you what will work best with his tuning.

 

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/field-test-bonus-can-we-release-the-rockys-potential.html

some bikes are really tough without a better shock tune, as was evidenced with the 2024 model year Rocky Mountain Instinct

 

This query is right up my alley.

I got a Fox DHX as OEM equipment on the Relay PNW, which I later got tuned by Avalanche.

I also have a RockShock SDU coil and a Vivid Air. They’re all three the same dimensions and therefore interchangeable.

I like the SDU coil better than the stock DHX.

I like both more than the Vivid Air (which is still good).

The Avalanche tuned DHX is better than either RockShox

The Avalanche DHX handles high speed chunk best of all. It feels more composed. My Strava supports my perception by a small amount.

The only benefit of either RockShox over the Avalanche DHX the hydraulic bottom out.

I’ve run all of the above on both my Relay and my Spire. On the Spire the Avalanche has a better climbing setting. I selected the “medium” option for the lockout lever threshold tune (LLTT) setting. It’s less jarring than either SDU lockout.

The cost of the Avalanche tune is not much more than any LBS shock service, so I figured “why not?”

Summary:
Avy DHX > SDU coil > stock DHX = Vivid Air

 

I didn't know if I'd even be able to tell a difference with a nicer shock. But i put a DVO Jade X Prime with a Sprindex coil in my 19 Sentinel and it really does feel magical. Just infinite grip, buttery gliding over any chunder. And that's with a stock tune. Sprindex was the real clutch buy, enabling me to try a bunch of different spring rates to find the perfect one.

 

Having something custom setup for your bike/weight/riding style isn't necessarily something that can be fully communicated until you experience it. I have an 11-6 on my spire and the amount of chunk i can send that thing into and it remains completely composed is insane. It gets hucked into rock gardens and rides through them without issue. Transition's progression/leverage curves really love coils and they can be really be dialed in with a custom tune.

One of the biggest changes would be dials that actually make meaningful changes in a range that is fine tuned for you. That means significantly more performance and adjustment in a targeted area. When it's tuned for the kinematics of the bike, at least to some degree, it is supportive, plush, and incredibly planted. The bike never gets out of sorts even when I make a mistake (granted the spire itself does that to some degree too). But overall I think it would be well worth it if you like to charge and want to get the full potential of what the travel/bike can do.

It'll ruin you for OEM shocks though, at least it did for me. Nothing beats bespoke custom tuned suspension.

 

The bike never gets out of sorts even when I make a mistake (granted the spire itself does that to some degree too).

It'll ruin you for OEM shocks though, at least it did for me. Nothing beats bespoke custom tuned suspension.

Earlier this year I went for a big gap jump and came up short. Seeing that I was about case the bejesus out of the landing, I remember thinking that I was about to get bucked over the bars. Instead the Avalanche DHX-shocked Spire just squashed the impact and I kept on going. It was a big enough hit that I thought, “What just happened? Where was the return kick???”

 

I rode a really rowdy section yesterday at a higher speed than I ever have before. It had sustained deep holes, rock chunk and roots down a very steep hill for about 100meters/yards. I have a Lift V2 in my 38 up front, so the front offers superb performance.

The SDU coil still handled it really well, but one always wonders how much better it could be, lol.

My last experience with Avalanche was close to 20 years ago. I was riding a Santa Cruz Bullit and the DHS transformed the bike compared to the stock Vanilla RC. It took a couple retunes to get it right, but it was awesome. I didn’t really have the same understanding of suspension back then as I do now, but what I remember about that shock is that I could charge into anything at warp speed and it would stay calm while still having plenty in reserve for big, stupid drops and over-shot gaps.👌

 

Hmm, in my opinion there are two parts.

1. Tuners make your shock function better in its stock tune. By that I mean that if they didn't tune it the rebuild they do on the shock alone makes it better.

2. The second part is how far the stock tune on shock is off for you. If the tune on the current shock is right for you their tweaks are going to have a minor effect. I would say if any of your setting are close to limit, fast or slow, then a different tune might make a difference.

 

5 horsepower

 

I can only speak from motorcycle experience. WP & Ohlins. High end suspension is just beautifully supple, plush, smooth and controlled. Almost "soft" feeling, but doesn't get itself all tied up in knots or feel harsh. Absorbs small bump chatter but also manages the massive hits without big drama's. Also generally doesn't need lots of aftermarket tuning to get it in the operating window, as long as you fall somewhere close to the weight range it was designed for. I ride a Hardtail, so no bicycle experience there
Edit -It's also quite a personal thing. I've helped out plenty of mates in sorting out road/dirtbike suspension, educate them a little on what does what and so on, what they eventually work out & come up with for themselves -and obviously works for them, I can find nearly unrideable at times

 

The RS SD I have works great after swapping to a linear rebound tune. It made a big difference on those deep compressions where it felt like I was getting bucked.

 

When your weight is well over or well under 170 custom tunes are great. Other than that most shocks with independent adjustments will work great. My experience with tuning is limited so take my opinion for what it's worth. Only one shock tuned by avalanche years ago and I did like it. A lot.

I recently scored a killer deal on a float x that's not really great for my frame but works fine. Rebound tune is too light but everything else feels great. I thought about tuning it but ended up scoring a brand new vivid select for 200 bucks. Even though it only has rebound and HBO it feels amazing. Really couldn't ask for more out of an air shock and it cost less than having my float x tuned. My only complaint is the HBO is too pronounced. Feels like I'm bottoming 10mm or more before true bottom. It's not easing into that last bit of travel like I thought it would. Feels as harsh as true bottom. Backing it off is where my sweet spot is for getting full travel without hard bottom outs. I will say my float x handled bottom outs just as well if not better without HBO. I'm not convinced a firm pedal platform at the end of the stroke is the best way to go. That's pretty much what HBO feels like to me. Other than that the HBO vivid is a great shock. I'm actually glad I'm happy with more open HBO. There is some talk of blown shocks from running HBO too firm. Restricting oil flow too much is hard on dampers.

 

Unless you push against the end of the range for your adjustments, or you are using a really crappy shock, which you are not, I don't see what gain there is to get. Most of the time I am convinced people rate mods highly because they go in together with a shock refresh, and that would make the shock work better anyway ...

I have a Formula Selva and I have the luxury to be able to change the compression damping curve of the fork in 5'. It's great, and the simple reason is that, in my case, a softer compression curve puts me right in the middle of the external dials and I can (finally) fine tune my fork as I want. But otherwise the behavior of the fork is not dramatically different, especially within a valve family (the concave/support best with lighter spring/pressure vs the convex/traction curves, shown below). Compression curves are compression curves, there is no magic.

So, yes, if you need more compression dumping for big hits (the red and titanium curves below), or a slower rebound maybe you want to have your shock modded. But those seem your only occasional problems, so unless they are really getting in the way of your riding: save your money!

 

Unless you push against the end of the range for your adjustments, or you are using a really crappy shock, which you are not, I don't see what gain there is to get. Most of the time I am convinced people rate mods highly because they go in together with a shock refresh, and that would make the shock work better anyway ...

The fresh rebuild is a good point. I have switched around air and coil shocks over the past few years. Self admittedly I really love the way the push shocks feel as compared to other coils I've ridden (new for new, fresh build for fresh build). I don't know if that's in my head or not but the bikes are significantly more composed when having something setup for the bike and the rider together. I've found OEM tunes to be trying to hit a large area of bikes and rider leverage curves/weights/riding styles that the tunes, even if my dials are in the middle, just don't work. Too harsh, bottom too easily, not enough support, etc. Add air, change coil rate, add/remove compression doesn't seem to give me the same performance as something setup just for my weight, my riding style, and the bike it's going on. This is a rather subjective response I know but on-trail performance has been drastically different than what the specs or graphs say.

 

The other factor is if you are running a spring rate that is different than what the manufactor suggested. For example if you run a lot of sag (soft spring rate) then the stock shock will probably not generate enough dampening force for you.