Review DVO Jade X

The Flying Dutchman

E*POWAH Master
Jan 16, 2019
340
555
Wellington NZ
Product Image:
94106067_2717729598458077_2142486973242146816_n.jpg

IMG_20200424_170533.jpg


Product name: DVO Jade X
Price paid: $900NZD
Score (out of 10): 8/10

Review: Coil shocks are soo hot right now! The Fox DPS I had on my Giant Trance wasn't a bad shock but with my heavyweight (120kg) the resulting ridiculous PSI I had to run made small bump compliance almost zero and I struggle to get the right balance of dampening and support.

After the straightforward install earlier in the week, I've had a few good rides and happy to report my experience on DVO's latest springy thingy.

The good stuff:
There's a long list of Pro's that instantly improved my ride
  • Price: At $900 NZD DVO is about $200-300 cheaper than the equivalent offerings from the big players like Fox, Ohlins, CaneCreek and far cheaper than the boutiques. I could have had the shock even cheaper before the NZD tanked. There's also a Jade (no "x") option which I have on my analog which is cheaper yet but doesn't have the 3 levels of compression/lockout.
  • Plush AF: On the trails, the first thing I noticed was how smooth the bike felt. The rear wheel was glued to the ground and this gave me added traction coming into corners under heavy braking. On small bumps and roots, the bike was noticeably less chattery and my hands were less fatigued at the bottom of the hill. The low stiction is great and the biggest improvement over the little air shock I had. The shock needs almost no breakaway force to start doing its job. It can be a bit of a mind f#uck at first, as my instinctual assumption of the shock working under little force is that's running too soft and I'll bottom out on the big hits (which I didn't)
  • Local product support: The NZ importer is also a tuning specialist and does a custom tune on every shock that he sells. You tell him your bike, weight, and riding skills, he then does his magic and sends you a shock you can ride immediately. He also accounts for different suspension systems, leverages, and kinematics etc. His wife races for Giant/Liv on the EWS circuit so he has experience tuning to Giant's Maestro system which I heard is very difficult to do. If you live outside NZ, you may not have this resource but I get the feeling DVO is a company where most employees are daily MTBers
  • Online setup guide: DVO's setup guide on their webpage is super easy to follow and gets you very close to optimal settings out of the box. They also have a troubleshooting guide to help diagnose and address unwanted riding characteristics.
  • On the fly adjustability (T3): Now there isn't a heck of a lot that you can adjust on a coil but the Jade X has the most important feature you can have on a shock, on the fly compression adjustment. The 'T3" system has the settings you normally find on an air shock; Open, Mid, and Firm. The biggest issue I had with my first gen Jade on my normal bike was the pedal bobbing which noticeably cuts your climbing efficiency. On the new Jade X, the Mid setting is very ridable on the downhill and not a drastic jump in low-speed compression from Open, in fact, I found Mid to be ideal for flowy and fast trails but still handled the braking bumps extremely well. On my air shocks, the Mid setting is very harsh and only increasing the required breakaway force. For the steep and techy stuff, the Open setting feels like another shock, soaking up the bumps and keeps the bike planted, you still get the pedal bob as you do with coils but on an eeb, it's not going to be a major drama. The Firm setting should be called Lockout as it is almost dead rigid. I don't think I'll use Firm often (if ever) but would be good for long climbs or reminding me not to ever buy a hardtail.
The not-so good stuff:
This awesome upgrade is not without its little flaws which are probably more to do with coil shocks in general rather than this particular make/model.
  • Weight: This is one heavy sucker, I didn't weigh it but I bet you could do a home workout lifting this thing up and down for a half-hour. I do have a big steel spring and I could save a 100g or so with a lighter Titanium spring but it's still going be double the weight of the air shock. If you're a weight weenie, this isn't for you.
  • Springs: You need to buy a spring separately which means you need to get the right one or risk having to buy another to get the right sag. You may also feel the need to change out for heavier or lighter springs for different riding conditions which isn't a big job but is still added cost. DVO also only makes springs up to 600lb so if you're a fat bastard like me, you'll need to source a heavier rated spring from another brand. Luckily spring dimensions are pretty much universal.
  • No ramp-up: The good thing about air shocks is the bottom out measures you can take to ensure you don't kank your steed on big hits. With the coils, the linear nature means there's no increased support towards the end of the stroke but if you have the right setup and riding technique, you should be fine.
To sum up, even though the springs are a small hassle, the DVO Jade X is a product I'm very happy with and a worthy investment of money and tinkering time for riders who are tackling rougher terrain.
 

Dirtnvert

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Sep 25, 2018
1,352
1,600
BC Canada
Good review. Glad you like it. Ive been extremely happy with my dvo fork. Very tuneable and durable. They have a youtube vid more most tuning or maintenance that needs to be done. Im thinking of putting a jade x on my decoy. Just watched there latest vid and it looks super ez go change the stroke to get more or less travel. I have to contact them to see if i can get even more stroke than is listed on the site. I guess a couple other companies shocks will do that but i like dvo(price, tuning ease, durability)
Also, maybe you have one, they have light weight steel springs after you find the correct weight spring. Still heavier than an air shock but less than 1/2lb . There is also the spindrex thing that can be added to a coil to make the spring more progressive. I havent tried one but i dont think theyre crazy expensive
Edit: not that cheap. Good reviews though
SPRINDEX (@sprindex_adjustable_coil) • Instagram photos and videos
 
Last edited:

jcmonty

Well-known member
Sep 5, 2018
472
406
California
Product Image: View attachment 29954
View attachment 29956

Product name: DVO Jade X
Price paid: $900NZD
Score (out of 10): 8/10

Review: Coil shocks are soo hot right now! The Fox DPS I had on my Giant Trance wasn't a bad shock but with my heavyweight (120kg) the resulting ridiculous PSI I had to run made small bump compliance almost zero and I struggle to get the right balance of dampening and support.

After the straightforward install earlier in the week, I've had a few good rides and happy to report my experience on DVO's latest springy thingy.

The good stuff:
There's a long list of Pro's that instantly improved my ride
  • Price: At $900 NZD DVO is about $200-300 cheaper than the equivalent offerings from the big players like Fox, Ohlins, CaneCreek and far cheaper than the boutiques. I could have had the shock even cheaper before the NZD tanked. There's also a Jade (no "x") option which I have on my analog which is cheaper yet but doesn't have the 3 levels of compression/lockout.
  • Plush AF: On the trails, the first thing I noticed was how smooth the bike felt. The rear wheel was glued to the ground and this gave me added traction coming into corners under heavy braking. On small bumps and roots, the bike was noticeably less chattery and my hands were less fatigued at the bottom of the hill. The low stiction is great and the biggest improvement over the little air shock I had. The shock needs almost no breakaway force to start doing its job. It can be a bit of a mind f#uck at first, as my instinctual assumption of the shock working under little force is that's running too soft and I'll bottom out on the big hits (which I didn't)
  • Local product support: The NZ importer is also a tuning specialist and does a custom tune on every shock that he sells. You tell him your bike, weight, and riding skills, he then does his magic and sends you a shock you can ride immediately. He also accounts for different suspension systems, leverages, and kinematics etc. His wife races for Giant/Liv on the EWS circuit so he has experience tuning to Giant's Maestro system which I heard is very difficult to do. If you live outside NZ, you may not have this resource but I get the feeling DVO is a company where most employees are daily MTBers
  • Online setup guide: DVO's setup guide on their webpage is super easy to follow and gets you very close to optimal settings out of the box. They also have a troubleshooting guide to help diagnose and address unwanted riding characteristics.
  • On the fly adjustability (T3): Now there isn't a heck of a lot that you can adjust on a coil but the Jade X has the most important feature you can have on a shock, on the fly compression adjustment. The 'T3" system has the settings you normally find on an air shock; Open, Mid, and Firm. The biggest issue I had with my first gen Jade on my normal bike was the pedal bobbing which noticeably cuts your climbing efficiency. On the new Jade X, the Mid setting is very ridable on the downhill and not a drastic jump in low-speed compression from Open, in fact, I found Mid to be ideal for flowy and fast trails but still handled the braking bumps extremely well. On my air shocks, the Mid setting is very harsh and only increasing the required breakaway force. For the steep and techy stuff, the Open setting feels like another shock, soaking up the bumps and keeps the bike planted, you still get the pedal bob as you do with coils but on an eeb, it's not going to be a major drama. The Firm setting should be called Lockout as it is almost dead rigid. I don't think I'll use Firm often (if ever) but would be good for long climbs or reminding me not to ever buy a hardtail.
The not-so good stuff:
This awesome upgrade is not without its little flaws which are probably more to do with coil shocks in general rather than this particular make/model.
  • Weight: This is one heavy sucker, I didn't weigh it but I bet you could do a home workout lifting this thing up and down for a half-hour. I do have a big steel spring and I could save a 100g or so with a lighter Titanium spring but it's still going be double the weight of the air shock. If you're a weight weenie, this isn't for you.
  • Springs: You need to buy a spring separately which means you need to get the right one or risk having to buy another to get the right sag. You may also feel the need to change out for heavier or lighter springs for different riding conditions which isn't a big job but is still added cost. DVO also only makes springs up to 600lb so if you're a fat bastard like me, you'll need to source a heavier rated spring from another brand. Luckily spring dimensions are pretty much universal.
  • No ramp-up: The good thing about air shocks is the bottom out measures you can take to ensure you don't kank your steed on big hits. With the coils, the linear nature means there's no increased support towards the end of the stroke but if you have the right setup and riding technique, you should be fine.
To sum up, even though the springs are a small hassle, the DVO Jade X is a product I'm very happy with and a worthy investment of money and tinkering time for riders who are tackling rougher terrain.
You mention bottom out lack of ramp-up being an issue. How is the bottom out bumper working for you on big hits? Are you able to fully bottom out the shock , and is it harsh? Or does the bumper measureably help?
 

Doomanic

🛠️Wrecker🛠️
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 21, 2018
8,461
9,930
UK
Nice review, thanks. I'm looking at one of these for my Rail, just waiting for the importers to get more stock.
 

volts

Active member
May 15, 2018
331
254
DK
If you want a more progressive feel or have a frame that doesn't normally suit coils you can always get a progressive coil from eg. CC, they will fit or so I'm told.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,361
8,586
Lincolnshire, UK
Good review. I bought a DVO air shock, the Topaz T3. Worth the wait, absolutely brilliant. :love:
DVO are right up there IMO with Fox and Rockshox. Well worth consideration.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,361
8,586
Lincolnshire, UK
No hardware is needed, it bolts right up
Then you were lucky!
I had to buy new bushes to bridge the gap between the shock bolts and the frame. But that was for my DVO Topaz T3. I'm sure I would have to do the same even if I had bought the Jade X. I found them on eBay, but they were from Swinnerton Cycles

 

Battman85

New Member
Feb 10, 2022
21
32
Wollongong
considering the age of your original post, this probably wasnt available at time of posting. But DVO do have the progressive lightweight springs now. Could be worth the upgrade if still running this shock.

cheers for the great write up. I was nearly going to get myself one of these shocks, but ended up stumbling on a really good second hand Fox DHX2 so pulled the trigger on it instead. Will be pairing up with progressive spring on my Rail 7.

happy shredding
 

Stuker

New Member
Apr 22, 2023
6
0
UK
nice review of the Jade X coil. what non-DVO branded springs can you fit to it? have you tried any other springs from Fox, RS etc?
 

Dirtnvert

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Sep 25, 2018
1,352
1,600
BC Canada
nice review of the Jade X coil. what non-DVO branded springs can you fit to it? have you tried any other springs from Fox, RS etc?
I put a SAR spring on my dvo jade. Highly recommend SAR. Theyre great to deal with and they have the spacers for different shocks. Top quality springs
 

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