Suspension school · Brand-Specific Technology

EXT: Era, Storia, Arma and Aria

Hand-built Italian suspension and its extra air chambers

EXT (Extreme Racing Shox) is an Italian firm with a background in motorsport damping that builds mountain bike suspension in small volumes. Products are ordered with a tune built for your bike and weight rather than picked off a shelf, which changes how you approach setup.

Era Fork: Three Chambers, Two of Them Positive

• The + chamber is the main positive spring and sets sag
• The ++ chamber sits at higher pressure and acts through a floating piston, shaping mid-stroke and end-stroke support
• A large self-equalising negative chamber looks after initial sensitivity

The net effect is the Era's calling card: strong mid-stroke support without the harsh early stroke that usually comes with it. You tune support and bottom-out with the ++ pressure while the + chamber keeps sag where you set it. EXT calls the complete spring package HS3, a hybrid design combining the air chambers with a coil element.

• Generations: Era V1 (2020), V2, then V2.1 in 2023 with revised chamber volumes and bushings
• Era LT covers 180 to 190mm travel for heavier duty
• The damper offers low-speed compression, high-speed compression and rebound adjustment with a piggyback reservoir

Storia and Arma Coils

The Storia is the enduro coil shock, fitted with the Lok 2.0 climb switch, a firm pedalling platform with a blow-off so surprise hits still move the shock. The Arma is the downhill version without the climb switch. Both are custom-tuned to order.

HBC: Hydraulic Bottom-Out Control

HBC is a position-sensitive circuit: a secondary piston enters an inner tube over roughly the final 15 percent of the stroke and ramps up hydraulic resistance. It means you can run a softer, more supple spring rate for grip and let the hydraulics absorb the biggest hits. It appears on the Storia from V3, and on the V4 Storia and Arma it is externally adjustable.

Aria

The Aria is EXT's air shock, using the AS3 dual positive chamber spring alongside HBC and the Lok 2.0 switch, with high and low-speed compression and rebound adjustment. It brings the Era's air spring philosophy to the rear of the bike.

Owning One

• Give accurate rider weight and bike details when ordering, because the tune is built around them
• Start at EXT's delivered settings, which are already personalised, and change one adjuster at a time
• On coils, get the spring rate right before touching any damping adjuster
• Service goes through EXT and its authorised centres rather than a general workshop