I'm looking at switching up shocks on my ASR5 over the winter and wondering if anyone has experience with something other than stock Fox RP units. I'm most likely going with a Monarch or Monarch plus but would like to hear from anyone who has non-Fox experience.
Why are you changing? Just prefer non-Fox? I'm thinking of getting my rp23 on my 5C Push-ed. Mostly for maintenance, but I have found it hard at times to get dialed in.
Have historically preferred non-Fox. Have been messing with the shock over the whole season and haven't quite clicked with it. Given the cost of rebuild, push, etc. figured I might just jump over to products that I know better and have treated me right in the past.
I would be a little careful here - the RP23 for the ASR5 is tuned for its specific characteristics (velocity tune, rebound tune, and boost valve setting). Since ASR5 is a single pivot, it relies heavily on the shock to resist pedal bob in the early stages of travel, and then the shock must open up towards the later part of travel to get the full range.
For example, If you look at the leverage ratio on this bike and the shock travel throughout the range of wheel travel, you'll see a couple things:
1) For the first inch of real wheel travel, you get a high amount of shock travel (the seatstay is directly in line with the axis of the shock)
2) Towards the 3rd/4th inch of travel, the shock is now at an angle, and each inch of wheel movement has a little LESS shock travel
The RP23 chosen for the ASR5 takes this all into consideration and has a boost valve setting that is position sensitive: I'm guessing tuned to resist motion in the first inch of travel and (relatively) lighter resistance in the later range of travel.
I'm not sure what options Monarch offers but you should try to select the tuning settings that mirror the ASR5 stock RP23 as closely as possible, and be ready to either try a couple different monarch's, or swap shims, or pay for a custom tune. Otherwise, you might get undesirable results.
There are a lot of posts out there saying 'this shock sucks!' or 'this shock is great!' without any discussion of the tuning options selected and whether these are appropriate for the bike - A lot of this feedback may just be based on luck, whether the shock selected was the right combination of 'ramp-up' and compression or the wrong one. You gotta do you research and carefully select one that is a good fit.
Fox used to have a better manual on this online but I can't find it now. Check out some of these references:
I've just ordered a BOS Vip'r shock for my ASR5. I should have it by christmas as they haven't developed one for this frame apparently. They will look into the characteristics of the frame and the leverage ratio, also my weight and how I wish for the shock/frame to react. So in short BOS are gonna do all the R&D for me. This they do for all rear shocks and I hope the results will be spot on. I will leave feed back once set up and tested.
I want to modify the shock on mine too. I get too much pedal movement even with the propedal in the firm setting. I have been talking to Fox to revalve the propedal. Do you think that is the right tune? I weight 210lbs and I blow through the propedal too easy.
Yes, the propedal works but for some reason the Yeti RP23 propedal tune seems too soft. Any other changes that might be appropriate for my weight?
BOS Deville 140 forks and Vip'R shock on Yeti ASR-5a
Finally got the BOS Deville 140 forks and VIP'R shock onto my frame and rode it today for the first time. The forks are a huge upgrade over the Fox Kashima FIT forks they replaced, so much more composed through rough rocky/rooty terrain. When going through river crossing with steep in and outs the forks sat up high and never dove through their travel and always felt smooth, with the Fox I would feel as though I might go over the bars sometimes where they fully compressed.
The shock also was a good upgrade over the Fox RP23 kashima shock it replaced. I never use the different settings on the Fox shock, just leave it on open all the time and I always climb seated. The Fox would really wollow in the middle of the stroke blowing through it too much and when climbing it would sink far into its travel especially when putting a little more power through the pedals, I would run this shock at around 30% sag. I run the BOS VIP'R at around the same 30% sag and left it in open all the time. The shock is bigger than the fox, having a thicker shaft! The shock was really well behaved, never sinking into its travel when climbing and when riding along on the flats on rough terrain it was very active, easily as much as the Fox and remained roughly within 15mm of the sag setting so not wollowy, I would say efficient and It made the terrain super smooth. When descending, normal large roots and rock gardens were flattened out much more than the Fox suspension ever did, enabling me to carry a lot more speed through it all. In some cases it was a huge difference, where a particular large root after a 4 foot drop would be very noticeable through the rear end, with the BOS shock it was not felt. The pairing of the suspension has made me quicker on the downs, being much more composed, making me more composed! One point to note is I never got a pedal strike when climbing today.
This all could be down to new kit syndrome but time will tell. The forks are the biggest difference and I suppose if you like to use all the different settings on the shock then it may not be such a big difference. I was after a shock which would hold up better through the middle stroke, giving me more support, propping the bike up when climbing but still super plush and calm on the descents and with the BOS VIP'R shock so far after my first ride I feel I have found this. :thumbsup:
BOS were meant to supply needle bearings with the shock, which they didn't, so looking at being even better once they finally turn up. I did specify the odd shock requirements being a 56mm shaft but only using 51mm when at full travel but BOS just sent me a 200mm length shock with a 64mm stroke length. I set the sag as though it was a 51mm stroke length and the max I got out of the shock was around 54mm luckily as any more would result in the tyre hitting the seat tube!
No real details on the custom tune. The setting on the box was 'VIP02' which is the same as they use with the SB66 frame. They have several different pre set custom tunes which they then configure which is best for your frame. So all their hype on approaching you as an individual isn't truly followed through but the end results can't be argued with as they are very good, even if the customer service is slightly lacking!
Finally got round to taking a few pics of my ASR5 with the BOS suspension. Got to say that it just keeps getting better and better the more I ride it and I slowly dial in the suspension. Expensive but well worth it and improves the bike loads over the Fox stuff it replaced.
For what it's worth, I got a Push tuned Monarch Plus over the winter and put it on my ASR5. It DESTROYS the performance of the "custom" RP23 that Yeti provides with this bike. I'm not sure what Push changed from a M/M regular Monarch Plus but it's awesome (and I'm sure a regular Monarch Plus would be better as well).
*It climbs better in Min Compression than the RP23 did in ANY setting. Whether I'm seated or standing the shock bobs less. At Max compression it doesn't noticeably move unless I'm trying to get it too. I was suprised by this as I was thinking of the RP23 as a ascent focused XC shock.
*It descends over short to medium distances better than the RP23 with a much more damp feel.
*I haven't been able to ride anything with sustained descents yet, which was the primary reason I got this shock, but I have to think it's benefit of the RP just magnifies when the increased oil volume really comes into play.
All in all, I'm thrilled by this shock out of the box from Push. The nice thing about getting it from them is it's already set up with air/compression pretty dialed. In coming rides I'll probably play with it a bit since I'm probably using ~75% travel but in a year of using the RP23 I didn't get it close to this level of performance.
Good to hear. My RP23 needed servicing, so I got it Pushed. Haven't had a chance to ride it yet, but look forward to trying it out. I wasn't completely unhappy with performance, but I'm hoping the custom tune might help out performance for a larger than average cyclist (c. 200 lbs).
What's the standard tune(printed on the can) on an RP23-Adaptive Logic shock for the ASR5?
I want to make sure that it's the correct tuned shock(by Yeti) when I do get my 5. The frame is a size 'S' and I'm 64kg(140lb) if that matters.
My size large 2011 came with rp23 kashima boost valve adaptive logic with rebound tune M, velocity tune F, boost valve tune 150. Might have changed slightly for 2012/2013, especially with the introduction of the ctd version. Not sure if they have different tunes for different sizes, if anything I'd bet the boost valve tune would change slightly for lighter riders vs heavier riders on small vs large frames.
Quick update: I did get my rp23 Pushed, and after a few real trail rides I can say I'm really impressed. Seems so much smoother, tracks better, and propedal is improved. I wasn't completely unhappy with the stock shock, but I do think if you are a little bigger (I'm around 200 lbs), it can really improve things.
My stock RP23 is wonderful on the trail, but when I take any drops, my landing feels wicked harsh. Nothing big, maybe 2 - 3 foot drops. I only weigh 150lbs. Does an upgrade from push give the shock a more bottomless feel to it?
Not sure about Ava, but the push big hit was a game changer for the ASR5. I love it! Also curious about Ava, but I won't be dropping anymore shock upgrades on the bike for some time.....I hope.
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