Fox Live electronic suspension

[Rob Rides EMTB]

This is an interesting development.

I wonder which EMTB’s we will see it on first?

Review: Fox Live Valve Suspension - Pinkbike

Pinkbike's Take:

Fox was right to wait until Live Valve was thoroughly proven before they released it. I imagined that I'd be concluding with a carefully scripted paragraph that weighed its astronomical retail price against its potential benefits. The bottom line is that Live Valve represents the most useful and important suspension innovation to emerge during a decade of boring gradual improvements. It works great, and I don't want to ride without it.

 

[eFat]

Fox pins the aftermarket price for a Live-Valve system based upon the 36 fork at $3250 USD

 

[Dax]

Incremental upgrades? Pinkbike have clearly forgotten how shitty air forks were before rock shox released the pike in '14ish

 

[Slowroller]

I haven't used a lockout or climb mode on any suspension part I've owned in probably 20 years, so saving me fiddle time or having to check if my shocks are open certainly isn't worth an extra $2,000. On the other hand, it sounds like you could design a bike with kinematics for descending only, then let the shock support it when under power, which when coupled with a motor, could make for an exciting ebike.

 

[Jonowinter]

Really interesting bit of tech. Think we might all have the chance of running this when the price is more sensible in however many years time.

 

[Gary]

anyone remember noleen/K2 doing the a similar system back in the 90s?

no?

Exactly

 

[R120]

Pretty sure Fox also had a mechanical version of this floating around last decade?

I can see this making its way on to an e-bike and taking power from the battery

 

[Gary]

Yeah. probably a Pivot shuttle with Di2, powermeter cranks and any other gadget that can run off the battery just so they can clickbait the fuck out of having a $20000 mountainbike in their line up

The only electric accessory I really want is a cheap way of running chinese LED lights off the port on the shimano display unit

 

[Al Boneta]

I had one of those Lapierres with the electric shock. Seemed like more trouble than it was worth. The tech is impressive, but I don’t think it’s something that’s going to have widespread adoption with it’s very steep price tag.

 

[R120]

Cant help but think that the BMC Trailsync concept is a far simpler way of achieving much the same result, albeit only with the rear shock and of course the fact it is linked to the dropper is not to everyones taste, but i think really quite a neat concept:

https://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/seatposts/bmc-trailsync

 

[Gary]

I don't want my shock settings changing at all during a ride no matter whether I'm riding fast rough DH, steep tech, smooth n flowy, jumpy bermy or climbing. I'm really finicky about how I like my suspension set up and what I want is consistency. Every mountain bike I own has great pedalling characteristics so I don't feel any need to use the pedal or lockout settings on the shock or fork. Even on the road. An electronics program trying to decide what's best for the rider while riding is a shit idea as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't want a shockwiz to suggest settings for me either.

The only aplication for electronics in a shock I'd be genuinely interested in would be a self regulating damping port controller to adjust settings to compensate for when a shock overheats on a long rough DH track keeping the shockperformance consistent. But I'd only really be interested in this feature on a DH bike. Not that I ride DH anywhere near enough these days to ever pay a huge premium for it.

 

[R120]

I kind of agree with you in that i like to find a set up and then not touch my shocks, i think looking out the rear shock is kind of uneccassary on an EMTB anyway. If i was into XC in a big wy i can see the benefit of being able to remotely lock the shocks but its never been something i have seen any benefit in for the riding i do.

 

[Al Boneta]

This is an interesting development.

I wonder which EMTB’s we will see it on first?

Mine

 

[Pauliemon]

Greatest tech invention that nobody needs.

 

[DrStupid]

Is Giant the first manufacture to spec this OEM? I see that it's factory on the upper end of the Trance range.

 

[Waynemarlow]

How many of you have driven vehicles with electronic suspension control and then switched it totally off ? You will be surprised just how good its become.

Electronic suspension for emtbs is in its infancy, give it a few generations and you guys with unlimited deep pockets will be looking for the next bauble as it will be on even the mid range bikes.

 

[R120]

Is Giant the first manufacture to spec this OEM? I see that it's factory on the upper end of the Trance range.

No, I believe Pivot and Yeti have it on some of their bikes, and I am sure others do too.

 

[Pdoz]

How many of you have driven vehicles with electronic suspension control and then switched it totally off ? You will be surprised just how good its become.

Electronic suspension for emtbs is in its infancy, give it a few generations and you guys with unlimited deep pockets will be looking for the next bauble as it will be on even the mid range bikes.

There's something disturbing about the way a modern 4x4 ignores input when the stability control / traction control / electronic suspension et al gets confused by an intentional drift through a corrugated corner. It's terrifying when an overweight adv motorbike decides it knows better than you halfway down heart attack hill.

So having owned a 2018 giant and seen multiple giant cr@p failures.....nah, I might wait a few generations

 

[Waynemarlow]

There's something disturbing about the way a modern 4x4 ignores input when the stability control / traction control / electronic suspension et al gets confused by an intentional drift through a corrugated corner. It's terrifying when an overweight adv motorbike decides it knows better than you halfway down heart attack hill.

So having owned a 2018 giant and seen multiple giant cr@p failures.....nah, I might wait a few generations

Agree but you are probably a better driver than most, intentionally putting the vehicle into a situation where the human is quicker reacting than the preprogrammed factory settings. What I would bet though is that over one hour of driving, the electronic suspension will be quicker than you.

And thats the crux, to a really good rider who knows how to set up a suspension correctly, electronics are probably not needed. To the other 99% of riders, good electronic suspension may well be better than their attempts to setup said suspension. But do consider data input from idiots in any computer system will lead to idiotic output, any setup by a factory is only going to be as good as the technicians doing the design.