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Fox DPX2 and Quarq ShockWiz – First Ride!

Fox DPX2 and Quarq ShockWiz Suspension Tuner Gives Me Some First-Ride Knowledge!

In Early March, I purchased and installed a 2021 Fox DPX2 Rear Suspension Shock, and began recording data from a ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System. At the beginning of every ride, I save the previous ride profile, and then clear the memory. I will continue to record my results and my thoughts regularly through the summer of 2021.

I’m not going to alter the Shock Settings much, other than air pressure, until the 20-hour/20 ride mark. I want to break the shock seals in, and I want to determine any trends for Suspension compression, rebound, damping, sag, etc.

Fox DPX2 and Quarq ShockWiz First Ride Results

My mountain bike is a 2012 Trek SuperFly 100 Pro, with a 2020 Fox 32 Factory SC front. I tuned the front  with Shockwiz throughout 2020, to the point where it routinely scores 92-96 points, and I’ve been very happy with my control and performance. Now, it’s time to use a modern rear suspension to get the bike better dialed-in. I used Factory Settings and air pressure. I also looked at the pressure that had been used by my original RP23 rear suspension.

Basically, I’m lucky to have gotten off the mountain in one piece! Air pressure was too low, and I bottomed out the shock too much. I’m going to add a lot of air pressure for the next ride, and we’ll see what the Fox DPX2 and Quarq Shockwiz app says after that.

Here’s the video – have a look and let me know what you think!

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Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride!

Tuning Mountain Bike Rear Suspension With the Shockwiz

Mountain Bike Rear Suspension Does Not Have to be a Mystery! Use the ShockWiz!

If you know my story, you know that I began my journey in cycling as a mountain biker. My first Mountain Bike Rear Suspension System was purchased in 1995; a Trek Y-Bike. I have owned probably half a dozen Mountain bikes with Rear Suspension, but tuning them and understanding how to make them work for me and my cycling, was really a frustrating mystery. However, in 2017, a project was announced on KickStarter that promised to enlighten me; the ShockWiz. I’ll be tuning my mountain bike rear suspension with the shockwiz from day one.

What is the ShockWiz?

Shockwiz is a sensor that attaches to the outside of a front fork or rear shock. It uses a short hose to connect to the air chamber, and it measures air compression, rebound, damping, time spent in the air, and how many times a rider bottomed out over the period of measurement. I was an early investor, and was more excited when Quarq purchased the company before it even released the ShockWiz.

Tuning Mountain Bike Rear Suspension With the Shockwiz.

When I moved to Northern Nevada in August of 2019, I was incredibly excited about the opportunities to mountain bike from my front door! Since that first day, EVERY RIDE has been ridden with the ShockWiz, front and rear.

The bad news is that my mountain bike is a 2012 Trek Superfly 100. It is NOT the optimal bike for this type of terrain! After about 80 hours of attempting to optimize my RockShox Sid XX, I reached out to Mike Davis of MAD RACING in Reno, and we began to discuss the data that was being revealed by my ShockWiz. I quickly realized that the Sid XX would not work well in this rocky, vertical terrain. So I purchased a Fox 32 Factory SC in late 2019, placed the ShockWiz on the fork, and accumulated over 200 hours in 2020, testing different air pressures, damping, rebound, and compression.

The result was a consistent 92 to 96 points on the Fork.

But the rear was another story.

The 2012 Fox RP23 was altered and rebuilt by Mike at MAD Racing several times, to try and optimize the values the ShockWiz was providing. However, we never got more than 88 points on the App. Furthermore, the most consistent and revealing metric showed that Low and High-Speed Compression needed to be “Softer”.

Getting a New Rear Shock

As my experience and skills progressed, I quickly came to realize over the course of 2020, that modern-geometry bikes and suspension would completely elevate my confidence and competence when riding.

However, the Covid pandemic led to an incredible crisis in supply for bicycles on a global scale. I decided to ride my current bike for the entire year, and wait for the supply chain to catch up.

It never did.

So early this year, I decided to invest in a rear shock upgrade, and to use this as an opportunity to record and optimize the shock, using the ShockWiz.

The Fox DPX2

The Rear Shock that I decided to buy is the Fox DPX2. It is slightly heavier than the older RP23, but it is MUCH more adjustable! The shock has settings for Dampening, Rebound, Air and Nitrogen. It has 13 settings for Low and High Speed Compression, which is exactly where my old RP23 said needed attention.

Let’s Get Started!

This video is about the installation of the Fox DPX2 Rear Shock. I got help from David Simon. He owns my local bike shop, Bicycle Service Center in Reno. I’ll be recording and blogging the lessons I’m learning from this new shock via the ShockWiz, every hour that I ride. It’s a bit nerdy, but I don’t believe anyone has shared a long-term experience with the public, and I’m excited about the opportunity.

So watch the video, and feel free to leave a comment, either here or on the YouTube page. I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.

Thanks for watching, and enjoy the ride!