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Tender loving care for your Fox rear shock |
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Words by Corey Anderson
Photos by Corey Anderson and Stuart Kernaghan
Mountain bike suspension has evolved from a novelty into an industry of its own. For as long as I've been riding full suspension bikes, the average bike rider has been limited to the technology that comes bolted to their bike. Professional riders have had access to a different level of tuning and service that would make any gear-head jealous. When our equipment needs servicing, we only have so many avenues to travel. If we wanted something to ride differently, we were bound to the adjustments specific to our equipment.
PUSH Industries of Irvine, California has stepped up to change all of that. Darren Murphy, the mastermind behind it all, took his years of motocross suspension tweaking and knowledge, and combined it with his experience with mountain bike suspension to open up a business catering to both professional and "regular" riders like us.
PUSH Me…
PUSH Industries has recognized where the bike industry is coming up short
in regards to suspension service and tuning, and are filling that void by providing
specialized service and tuning at affordable prices.
PUSH has entered the MTB scene focusing on the entire line of Fox Racing rear shocks, both coil and air, offering a full spectrum of services from basic rear shock overhauls to full blown custom tuning. Whether you are looking for a basic maintenance service or a complete race tune, the mission at PUSH is to get your shock dialled-in to your requirements and on its way back to your bike with you barely missing a ride.
The guys at PUSH live and breathe suspension. The equipment and service they provide is created out of real-world testing and some of the most progressive technology in the bike industry. Data collection devices are fitted to bikes used for testing, with the data being downloaded to a PC for processing.
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By taking a test run and breaking it down into small sections, they can watch and see exactly how the suspension is responding to the trail, looking at how fast the suspension is moving, how much it moves, and how it affects the path and speed of the bike. Raw data like this is used to design and develop custom suspension components to squeeze the most out of the shock you are running. The parts used in your overhaul are a product of hundreds of hours of modeling, prototyping, testing, and refining. |
 The Final Product - PUSH'ed Vanilla RC |
When I opted to get the Fox RC on my 2003 Norco Team NS done by PUSH, I wanted to go with the full Vanilla RC Race System. The service portion of the Web site explains each available service, the parts that service includes, pricing, and even hi-res color pictures to give you an idea of what it entails.
When Darren at PUSH agreed to go ahead with a review, we both decided that in order to really get the PUSH experience, we'd forget any special inside treatment and would process my order the exact same way every other customer order is handled.
They have the service end of this operation just as dialled as the technical end, and ordering your service is as painless as it gets. There's no need to go through a shop, just click on "order" for the service you want and download the paperwork you need to complete. The single page form asks for your bike make, model, year, your spring rate, body weight, and riding style.
All of this data is used to build the best shock for your bike and to take your ride to the next level. By putting this info in the hands of the real experts, all margins for set-up error are removed and you can be sure your shock is tune as best as it's going to get for you.
 The guts - Luckily you leave this stuff to the pros |
Complete the form and submit it. PUSH will then email you a Sales Order, which doubles as the paperwork for the return shipping, within one business day. You figure out which carrier you want to use and ship it off. Once they receive it they call you to confirm they have it and to tell you when it is shipping back. I shipped my shock on a Thursday using Bax Global. I was able to track it on the Web and see when it arrived. I got a call from Darren on my cell the next day after it arrived to let me know my shock was done and just went out the door via UPS, their exclusive courier for return international shipments. |
The Ride
When I first saddled up on my bike, it was more than obvious that she was
no longer the same machine. The rear suspension assumed an entirely different
feel. My first ride on the new and improved shock was as exciting as my first
ride on the bike, as the bike behaved significantly different.
I found the Vanilla RC Race System transforms your stock shock into something that seems to know what you are doing. When I first went to manual the bike off of something, I nearly looped-out as the suspension didn't give as much when loaded up. On small bumps it floats as though they were not there. On larger hits, my 8" travel bike ramps up and feels like it is bottomless. Seated climbing on the bike with the new multi-stage valving doesn't seem to induce pedal bob as it did before. Standing up and sprinting puts your energy into the drivetrain, not the suspension.
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The end result is a snappier feeling bike in terms of pedalling efficiency and acceleration, yet a more supple, controlled feeling ride than the stock Vanilla RC. PUSH'ed Over If you ride a full suspension bike, servicing the rear shock is inevitable. PUSH offers leading-edge technology and experience at competitive price points, and turn around time that is difficult to compete with. The process from start to end is as easy as it gets and gives you an option that did not exist a year ago. From basic service to race tuning, these guys do it best and it's something you should look at when the time comes to service your shock. |
 The Race Kit doing what it does best. |
In speaking with Darren at PUSH, he indicated they are thinking forward and looking to expand their service and get into forks while working with the new Fox rear shock models coming for 2005. Things are only going to get more exciting.
Pricing
Princing begins at $54.95 + shipping (USD) for a basic oil change and nitrogen
recharge. A full rebuild goes for $93.85 + shipping. If you want to transform
your shock, you can look at the Platform Damping Upgrade for $138.80 + shipping,
or the full out Vanilla RC Race System for $165.75 + shipping. Check out the
PUSH website to see what packages are available for your shock and to see a
breakdown of what each package includes.
Ride hard and prosper,
