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Brain shock vs Lockout mode on regular shock for small bumpy trails.

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  yogiprophet 
#1 ·
Hello.

My Local bike shop told me that the brain shock takes .75 G in order to activate the shock. So anything below .75G bump, it would act as a hardtail.

This seems great if you were going down smooth roads then quickly going to massive jumps. However, what is you are going down a trail which was generally bumpy but not enough to activate the .75G brain shock ?

Would this type of mountain trail riding be better suited for a shock you would switch between lockout mode or full suspension? This way the bike shock would be better absorbing the smaller bumps under .75 G?

As for riding on relatively smooth roads, would a regular shock on the Stumpjumper base model on lockout be the same as the brain shock?

In other words, is there any difference between the brain shock vs fox shock on lockout mode?

Thanks for your help.
 
#2 ·
well, the biggest difference would be you don't have to reach between your legs and flip a lever every time you wanted to alter the shocks characteristics. also, the .75g thing is kind of arbitrary; this also depends on what year bike you're looking at and what shock it has (some are adjustable). the rear end will more or less ignore smaller bumps unless you're going pretty fast. large volume tires will help in that area though.

try and demo a bike that has one and see what you think. it's more suited towards efficiency (racing really) versus a normal shock, which would be ideal for general riding.
 
#3 ·
I rent a 2007 Stumpy in the NC mountains and I am amazed at how well it absorbs the small bumps. Noticably better than the 2006 model I rented last year. It is set at the softest setting and it still does pretty well for out of saddle efforts. Not even close to a lockout, but very nice not to have to fidddle with anything :thumbsup:
Very nice bike, but kind of heavy for my taste. Could be the component spec and/or frame weight with the brain? dono
 
#4 ·
So which year or model lets you adjust the brain to ignore or take into consider the smaller bumps( .75G trigger)?

I know specialized has one and fox shocks seem to have another one.


For the second response, you rented a Stumpjumper with what I assume was the the brain shock and not the fox triad shock correct?

When you say its not even close to lockout, are you saying thats its stiffer or more plush than lockout mode?

I was under the impressing that the brain was kind of like cruise control setting for your shock. It automatically sensed a large bump and changed the setting for a shock then would change it back once you were over the bump. I was under the impressing that the shock itself was the same as any fox shock but the ability to have an automated trigger that shock the fancy part.

Are you saying that a regular fox shock in lockout or ProPedal pedal assisting damping has less stiffness than the brain shock in stiff mode?

Is adjustable rebound, 7.75x1.75 a measurement of the stiffness or plushness of a shock?

Thanks for your help.
 
#7 ·
Jonnydanger said:
So which year or model lets you adjust the brain to ignore or take into consider the smaller bumps( .75G trigger)?

I know specialized has one and fox shocks seem to have another one.

For the second response, you rented a Stumpjumper with what I assume was the the brain shock and not the fox triad shock correct?

When you say its not even close to lockout, are you saying thats its stiffer or more plush than lockout mode?

I was under the impressing that the brain was kind of like cruise control setting for your shock. It automatically sensed a large bump and changed the setting for a shock then would change it back once you were over the bump. I was under the impressing that the shock itself was the same as any fox shock but the ability to have an automated trigger that shock the fancy part.

Are you saying that a regular fox shock in lockout or ProPedal pedal assisting damping has less stiffness than the brain shock in stiff mode?

Is adjustable rebound, 7.75x1.75 a measurement of the stiffness or plushness of a shock?

Thanks for your help.
It was the Brain Shock.

I mean it is more plush than a lockout (at least when set in its softest setting). I did not care to or try to put it in a "harsher" setting as I am not interested in a rear lockout, but I am a big fan of platform such as in the manitou shock. Propedal is a very cheap knockoff...JUNK!

The brain itself does not change any settings. It has a brass disc that covers the compression damping valve that when you hit a bump - it knocks it off the valve so that oil will be allowed to flow. The settings for the brain (which you can set on the brain module) determines how much oil can flow past the disc while riding on a smooth surface AND to what size bump it takes to knock the brass disc off the compression valve.

Not quite sure about your last question... all shocks have adjustable rebound. Rebound damping is the amount of oil allowed to flow when the shock returns from compression. 7.75 is the length of the shock and 1.75 is the stroke(amount the shock can compress) so at full compression the shock will be 7.75 minus 1.75 or 6 inches long.

Hope all this helps. I think the Brain shock is a great idea. At first I did not like it because I do not want a shock that is fully locked out. NOT good for jumping logs...at least the way I jump is the compress the suspension and use the compressed springs to leap over objects. Now that you can adjust the thing - I LIKE :D
 
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