Fox's "Performance" line of forks and rear shocks offer high performance suspension tech in a more wallet friendly package compared to their "Factory" Kashima coated siblings. Our friend Anthony recently upgraded his rear shock to the Performance DPS and has been enjoying the plush ride. Read on for more!
I bought a full suspension trail bike that was equipped from the factory with an entry-level rear shock. The bike is equipped with horst link style suspension with 130 mm of rear travel. The first month or so of riding was on the pavement around the neighborhood, easy-going XC trails, and fire roads to get used to the bike. I then brought the bike to more serious trails to work on setting up the suspension properly. Starting with factory air pressure and rebound recommendations, I took several runs back to back adjusting air incrementally to see how the changes would affect the suspension feel. I eventually got the shock to where I thought it was performing well enough for my needs.
After going on several rides I came to the realization that the shock is lacking mid-stroke support when going over medium to large bumps and it also did not have enough support through the entire suspension travel on bigger hits. After going on a ride I noticed a new squeak coming from the rear shock linkage and discovered a bolt was bent most likely from bottoming out the suspension from a big hit. I replaced the bolt and had to compensate for the lack of support in the mid-stroke with more air pressure. The increase of air pressure took away small bump sensitivity and also gave the rear suspension more of a pogo stick feel that could not be solved with rebound either.
At this point I was on the hunt for a replacement. Worldwide Cyclery made my search for a new shock very easy being able to filter by size, brand, etc. With a good selection I was able to find the Fox Float DPS Performance rear shock. After some research and reading some reviews I decided to pull the trigger on the Fox. Upon receipt of the shock, I installed it quickly and set sag according to manufacturer's instructions and recommendations. After setting the sag to around 20% -25% I flipped through the shock's 3 different compression settings I noticed the lockout/firm setting was firmer and more supportive than the lockout on the stock shock. I performed some in place bunny hops to cycle the suspension through its travel and I immediately noticed a difference for the better. I took the shock for a few rides on the same trails that flushed out the issues of the old shock.
The mid-stroke support was great and small bump sensitivity was improved throughout the ride. I also noticed better performance while climbing keeping the rear wheel planted.
There was an improvement in pedal efficiency with less perceived pedal bob in all 3 settings, with the shock in the firm setting an almost hardtail feel is achieved allowing to put the power down on fire road climbs, pavement, or anywhere you would want pedal efficiency over suspension travel. In "Open" mode, the shock also made my bike feel more planted while cornering and allowed me to carry more speed through the corners.
I would recommend this shock to anyone looking to upgrade their trail bike's shock and improve the overall performance of their bike.
