Rail (625Wh) What rear suspension shock is best for heavy riders?

[scotty1959]

I just got a Trek Rail 5 , im 63 and got it to ride on the farm , through the woods , trails etc…. Im a big guy at 6’4” and 300, weight was due to a medical condition last yr. And its on its way down to my happy weight at 265. Who makes the best rear shock for my purpose. ?

 

[Stihldog]

I haven’t got one yet but my next shock will be the Ohlins TTX1 air shock. They’re expensive but I didn’t really know how they compare to other shocks. More research I guess.
There are a few options for your size and terrain. I have a medium Rail 9.7

 

[JP-NZ]

I just got a Trek Rail 5 , im 63 and got it to ride on the farm , through the woods , trails etc…. Im a big guy at 6’4” and 300, weight was due to a medical condition last yr. And its on its way down to my happy weight at 265. Who makes the best rear shock for my purpose. ?

I'd be very weary of riding it currently.. from the Trek website.

This bike has a maximum total weight limit (combined weight of bicycle, rider and cargo) of 136 kg (300 lb).

As for best shocks for heavier riders a coil shock with 700-800 spring. Something like a 230x57.5 or 230x60 Marzocchi Bomber CR is good dollar to performance ratio

 

[scotty1959]

Not really worried about the cost, just something that works

 

[Stihldog]

You’re packing a lot of weight. I’d be concerned with the wheels. 28 spoke might not be enough. I went to a 32 spoke, decent wheel and a hub with a higher POE. Most of the Rail’s around me have increased their spokes to 32. Some guys were breaking spokes every week until they upgraded. (Several Rails on my street).

I’m not happy with the POE on my HT though so I’ll probably change out the wheel, spoke count and hub on that bike.

 

[scotty1959]

Hard to be a big guy! Lol

 

[Stihldog]

I know a few guys who are 265-300 who ride Rail 5’s. They don’t seem to be concerned about the Rail 5. Just get the sag settings right and replace stuff as they break. Or upgrade to “shinier” things like I do.
I’m not as worried about suspension as you but new wheels and hubs were a noticeable difference for me. With my air settings I seldom bottom out, but I did taco a rear wheel once.

 

[vertrkr]

I'm 6'4" 280lbs and I've had my Rail 5 for 2 years now at 1,000 miles. I don't jump or do drops more than a foot or so. I've tried 3 shocks and here's what I've learned.

Nothing off the shelf will give you a smooth ride if you're over 200lbs. What ever shock you get you'll need to get it re-valved by a suspension tuner.

That said, I rode the first year on all the stock equipment. It worked fine and I had fun. I then put on a Fox Float X2, had to pump it to max pressure at 300 psi. It really didn't feel any different than the stock RockShox.

Recently I decided to see if I could get a better ride and talked with a suspension tuner (Mike at Full Flow Suspension). He set me up with a re-valved Ohlins TTX22m.2 (708 lb spring) rear shock and '23 Zeb Ultimate with a Smashpot coil conversion (60lb spring) fork. Holy crap, that made it a whole new bike and experience. It's not cheap but definitely worth it. That setup cost me about $2,700.

I also upgraded my wheels with some Industry Nine carbon wheel sets.

Bottom line is you need to talk to a suspension tuner. Talk to your bike shop and see if they have any local recommendations. Otherwise you can find some online and just get the shocks shipped to you.

 

[scotty1959]

Thanks, this is very useful!!

 

[Ark]

This bike has a maximum total weight limit (combined weight of bicycle, rider and cargo) of 136 kg (300 lb).

63 year old guy won't be sending it so I'm sure it's fine.

I'd expect the 136kg total weight limit takes into account jumping the bike and the linkages taking some big whacks as bike falls back to earth

 

[scotty1959]

Just joy riding some easy trails, no problems. The bike store aired the shock up for me , but I will still get a custom made one for my assurance, thanks to all who helped

 

[BigMark]

I had no problems with the stock rockshock pumped all the way up, I'm not saying it was ideal...Got about 8500 miles out of it riding mostly medium trails. In my opinion what you should be most concerned about is the stock brakes, on a steep hill my brakes would get super hot and lose power. I went with Shimano Icetec R86 203 mm rotors and Icetec pads, Organic compound in the front to minimize squeal. I lost about 30 pounds the first year and the exercise cured my meniscus pain. Good luck and have fun!

 

[scotty1959]

Thank you for your input, I will check into those brakes.