5th Element or Romic for banshee Chaparral???

[bubbadillo]

I am considering buying a chaparral as an all purpose/trailrider. I generally put in a lot of miles so pedalling is definately a big consideration. Small bump sensitivity is a plus and the occasional 4' drop. So any thoughts on which coil would be better for the chap is appreciated. thanks -bigB

p.s. I have also heard good things about the new manitou swinger coil but I am not sure if it is offered in a lenght that will fit the banshee.anybody??

[corey@nsmb.com]

The 5th and the Swinger are essentially the same thing. I wouldn't say one is really better tha the other.

I have a friend with a V10 (w/5th) and the Giant DH Comp (w/Swinger) who says they feel almost identical.

They both (5th and Swinger 6 Way) feature the same adjustments...Compression, Rebound, High Speed Comp, Low Speed Comp. and air volume. For some reason, Manitou counts Pre-Load as the '6th' adjustment....

Now, Romic or one of these? It depends on how much you understand the whole SPV thing. If you are the kind of rider who likes to just set things up and go, and doesn't make a lot of adjustments and such (set and forget) (aka the majority of riders), a Romic is the way to go. It will pedal just as well, and comes factory set to you and your bike.

If you like to fiddle and have a good hands on feel for susp., the adjustability of the 5th and Swinger will be nice. BUT, don't fool yourself.. If you don't know what you are doing, you can set these shocks up such that they are NOT helping you in the least, and they can and will perform well below their intended level.

[aShogunNamedMarcus]

Corey - have you ever thought about writing up a basic list or a FAQ of certain things for each forum? We all answer the same questions just with different parts essentially (ok so not really the same). At least in regards to rear shocks and tires then just sticky it for reference value. It could actually help the load on the servers a tiny bit too. Just a thought.

[Desloc]

Had a chance to throw a leg over a Scream with a Swinger 3 way and was very impressed. No pedal induced bob when the right air pressure was added to the SPV and it was plush and sensitive at the same time.

I liked the more 'lively' feeling of the Swinger's SPV over the 'deadish' feeling of the 5th, even though the tech is similar. The Fox RC w/propedal was pretty damn sweet too, much better than I expected.

The Romic is the one shock I haven't had a chance to ride on, but I'd say that at this point my next ride will be sportin' full SPV... Slider plus and 4 way. The SPV ride is amazing.

My guess is Zocchi will be jumping on the bandwagon next year, playing catch up like the peeps at Fox


Des

[corey@nsmb.com]

Originally posted by Desloc
I liked the more 'lively' feeling of the Swinger's SPV over the 'deadish' feeling of the 5th, even though the tech is similar.

..I think that has to be related to the way each was set up. I've ridden bikes with the 5th E shock and it can feel lively when set up accordingly.

I am currently demo'ing an RMX for the website that has a 4 Way Swinger on it. Feels pretty nice.

All I am saying is that I have felt 5th's and Swingers that have each felt lively and dead...it all depends on how it was set up.

[Universe]

The real difference is the seal breakaway pressure, which is much lower in the swinger making it a little more supple.

Originally posted by corey@nsmb.com
The 5th and the Swinger are essentially the same thing. I wouldn't say one is really better tha the other.

I have a friend with a V10 (w/5th) and the Giant DH Comp (w/Swinger) who says they feel almost identical.

They both (5th and Swinger 6 Way) feature the same adjustments...Compression, Rebound, High Speed Comp, Low Speed Comp. and air volume. For some reason, Manitou counts Pre-Load as the '6th' adjustment....

Now, Romic or one of these? It depends on how much you understand the whole SPV thing. If you are the kind of rider who likes to just set things up and go, and doesn't make a lot of adjustments and such (set and forget) (aka the majority of riders), a Romic is the way to go. It will pedal just as well, and comes factory set to you and your bike.

If you like to fiddle and have a good hands on feel for susp., the adjustability of the 5th and Swinger will be nice. BUT, don't fool yourself.. If you don't know what you are doing, you can set these shocks up such that they are NOT helping you in the least, and they can and will perform well below their intended level.

[corey@nsmb.com]

^^

I will agree with that, only based on what I have hear the guys I know with both shocks say.

..anf, because I am currently riding an RMX with the 4 Way Swinger. Just sitting on the bike does reveal a degree of that break-away stickyness, but once you get moving, I can't feel any of it.


But, I think that feeling would be limited to the parking lot test , where you are cycling the suspension around like a sugared up 10 year old. Once you hit the dirt and get things moving, I'm not sure how much break-away friction you would notice.

I have never tried a Romic...but I would like to!

[Loopie]

If I was choosing.....I'd go with a 5th or Swinger over the Romic.
Only because at least you have the option to adjust it for only a few dollars more(I'm assuming they are a little more money??)...but of course you can set the 5th/swinger and leave it just the same too.
DO NOT be afraid of the adjustabilities.......they are super easy to understand and it won't be hard to find someone to suggest a base setting for you.
Tha Avy would be the ultimate...but probably overkill for your intentions.

[Nelson]

Swingerrr!!!!

Id get a 4-way, I have a 6-way right now, and the highspeed and low speed compressions dont make a difference worth an extra $100.

[bubbadillo]

Will a swinger even fit on the Chaparral?

[Nelson]

Yeah, Anything will fit if you want it badly enough....

[otbscm #13]

The spring on my romic is fifty pounds light, and I've only had one bottoming and I was droping 3' to flat on a 4 inch travle bike with a single pivot. (higher leverage ratios) So the valving is very efective. I would highly recomend the romic exept for a race bike where you're going to do lots of heavy sprinting, because you can over- come the compreshion damping when you realy slam on the cranks. All in all, a very good shock and super ez to set up. Plus the guys at romic are great to deal with.

[Zedbra]

When I bought my wife's Chaparral, I considered a 3 Way Swinger for her, but went with the Romic. I absolutely believe everything Corey has said. My preferance is Romic, easier to tune. The Romic has very minimal bob when I ride her bike, and it is tuned for someone 50lbs lighter than my fat ass - and yet is plush on the trails.

It sounds like for the kind of riding you want to do, a 5th or Swinger may be better - you can set them up stiffer/

[Smoke]

5th Element, all the way. The Romic feels plusher, and more suited to DH style, but that's not why I'd recommend the 5th.

If you blow the Romic, who knows when you will see it fixed. Progressive has a service center in North Van and will turn your shock around inside of a week.

[corey@nsmb.com]

Originally posted by Smoke
If you blow the Romic, who knows when you will see it fixed. Progressive has a service center in North Van and will turn your shock around inside of a week.

Solid point.

I never really considered what would happen if he needed service.

C.