5th Element Shock

Cessna

Blown Seals I just bought a used 2003 Heckler (3 months used) and have been reading MTB BBS posts flaming the Progressive shock. Anyone have any experience / comments about reliability? Also the shock has a 500 lb spring installed, I weigh 210 and ride aggressive singletrack, no sick drops, does this seem like the right spring?

ireman_1

I've been riding with a 5th element on my new Heckler for about 2 months with no problems. I went with the 5th element on the advice of friends who love them and have been a fan. Some don't like that they are designed to be ran with a little more sag than a traditional shock (significantly more than air forks). The 500lb spring will end up being too heavy for you. You probably won't get any sag with that weight. I am at the rated limit for that bike (240lbs) and have my bike set up with 30% sag using the 400lb spring and 6mm of preload. I have seen people running heavier spring rates than the shock/bike is meant to utilize, but then they blame the shock when the ride characteristics are not what they wanted. Set up your shock with the correct spring rate and play with the tuning a bit and the 5th elements are cool. If I were you I would run the 400lb spring with very little or no preload. Try adjusting the air pressure as well. That makes a ton of difference with the initial movement. Good luck.

__________________
Don't give up, don't ever give up.


Disciples Of Dirt