The twin towers of suspension, Fox Racing Shox and RockShox are at the forefront of the latest raft of electrical advances. Fox have unleashed both an electrically-powered XC lock-out system (iCD) and are rumored to have a self-adjusting system ready for launch before the end of the year. RockShox unvieled their E.I rear shock aboard the 2013 Lapierre bikes.
Why electric suspension?
The RockShox system automatically manages the compression and lock-out settings of the rear shock with a system of sensors that monitor bump forces coming through the fork and the crank cadence. It's been developed over the last five years and will feature across the Lapierre range as well as on selected Ghost and Haibike models.
Faster than manual suspension?
The big advantage of using electric systems over traditional cable-operated numbers is the speed at which they can operate. The Fox iCD can swap between fork lock-out settings in just 0.25 seconds while the RockShox E.I can adjust between one of four presets in a staggering 0.1 seconds. In fact, E.I can adjust the rear shock as many as 200 times a minute on the trail!
What's with the package?
Obviously, the electric systems require a number of new components to function. In RickShox' case, these include a stem-mounted head unit, accelerometers at the top and bottom of the fork, cadence sensors in the bottom bracket and a small electronic motor that makes the adjustments to the shock itself. RockShox claim the system will function perfectly after being immersed underwater for a full hour.
Does it work?
Features Editor, Andrew Dodd, is one of the few mountain bike journalists who got to ride the new RockShox E.I system at the 2013 Lapierre launch:
"You can really feel the difference when climbing, because the bike sits up in the medium or locked-out position and climbs effectively. Where it really comes into its own though is in the automatic setting - getting out of the saddle and stomping on the pedals sees the rear shock lock out with no hesitation, and it impressively opens when aimed at bumps."