Tech

Quarq introduce ShockWiz suspension tuning system

By Press Office · 44 comments

ShockWiz is a suspension tuning system for air-sprung mountain bikes that combines high-tech hardware with an intuitive smartphone app.

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Lightweight, durable and powered by a long-lasting coin cell battery, ShockWiz automatically records and evaluates suspension performance every time you ride. The ShockWiz app displays straightforward adjustments that unite bike, terrain and riding style. ShockWiz works for all mountain bike riders, regardless of their experience or bike’s intended use. With ShockWiz, you know exactly how your suspension is performing – and how to make it better.

How it works

ShockWiz’s small, waterproof case houses a highly accurate pressure sensor and microprocessor. You connect it to your fork or shock’s Schrader valve and it samples air pressure 100 times-a-second while you ride.

Finely tuned algorithms analyze the changes in pressure to detect undesirable characteristics such as pogo, pack-down or bob, and class their severity. If a characteristic is severe or persistent ShockWiz will determine the adjustment required to fix it – baseline air pressure, air spring ramp, rebound, compression – and display this in the smartphone app.

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Validation

The engineering principles behind ShockWiz were derived from thousands of hours of laboratory and on-bike tests. The tests verified that suspension displacement could be interpreted from changes in air pressure.

ShockWiz’s algorithms came from detailed analysis of suspension data from all types of mountain bikes and terrain, and using a range of riders — from beginners to racers in the Enduro World Series and Mountain Bike World Cup.

Target audience

ShockWiz is designed for all mountain bike riders, regardless of their riding style or how much suspension travel their bike has.
It works on hardtail and dual suspension bikes, and for all levels of skill, speed and terrain.

ShockWiz teaches novices basic suspension tuning concepts and adjustments. It shows experts how one adjustment can affect others and helps them learn advanced tuning concepts.

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New category

ShockWiz creates a new product category: MTB suspension tuning that combines high- tech mechanical sensing with an app that delivers easy to understand recommendations.

Features & Benefits

  • Automated tuning recommendations.
  • Shock tuning score — a snapshot of how well your suspension is set up for you
  • Works on hardtail and dual suspension bikes. Works for Cross-Country, Trail, All Mountain and Downhill
  • Inexpensive, replaceable CR2032 battery lasts for months
  • Waterproof and dust proof — IP67 rating
  • Two alternative hoses (included) offer a range of fitting options
  • Smartphone App is compatible with Apple and Android phones

Hardware specifications

Weight: 45g (with rubber mounting boot and valve caps)
Wireless Communication: Bluetooth low energy (also called BLE; formerly called Bluetooth Smart)
Waterproof, Dust Proof Rating: IP67
Battery Type: CR2032
Air Volume: ShockWiz and one hose add around 0.50mL of air volume. (The volume of a single M&M candy piece is 0.60-0.65mL.)

Hardware compatibility

ShockWiz is compatible with most air-sprung forks and rear shocks from many different manufacturers.

Compatible: The fork or shock must have a positive chamber with a single volume. RockShox Solo Air is compatible. RockShox Dual Air is compatible.

Partial Compatibility: Adjustable travel forks such as TALAS and Down Low Adjust need to be kept in the same travel
position or a new calibration is required. Non-linear, bump detecting dampers such as Terralogic, Brain, iCTD and E:I will not work as well, but you still get usable suggestions.

Not Compatible: Suspension with variable chambers such as DRCV and Equalizer are not supported. Suspension where the positive and negative chambers are joined when a shock pump is installed, such as some Manitou forks, or filled through the negative chamber, such as White Brothers and MRP forks, are not supported. RockShox Dual Position Air is not compatible.

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Software compatibility

The ShockWiz app is compatible with most smartphones and tablets that feature Bluetooth Low Energy (formerly called Bluetooth Smart).

Android devices require Jellybean 4.3 or newer and Apple devices require iOS 9 or newer. The app includes language translations.

Hardware wireless regulatory compliance

Australia (AU), Austria ( AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Canada (CA), Czech Republic (CZ), Cyprus (CY), Denmark (DK), Estonia (EE), Finland (FI), France (FR), Germany (DE), Greece (EL), Hungary (HU), Iceland (IS), Ireland (IE), Italy (IT), Latvia (LV), Liechtenstein (LI), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Malta (MT), Netherlands (NL), New Zealand (NZ), Norway (NO), Poland (PL), Portugal (PT), Romania (RO), Slovakia (SK), Slovenia (SI), Spain (ES), Sweden (SE), Switzerland (CH), United Kingdom (UK), and United States of America (US)

As at Thursday January 26, 2017.

International pricing

AM Quarq ShockWiz: $399 / €419 / £359 / AUD $529

AM Quarq ShockWiz Direct Mount: $449 / €469 / £409 / AUD $579. Dedicated version for inverted forks such as the RockShox RS-1.

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Comments

Capricorn

Feb 21, 2017, 12:58 PM

Don't you think that it is not the opposite? With only a 100mm of travel, it is more important to be setup correctly? You do not have the luxury of those extra mm?

was thinking the same thing, especially wrt XCO.

Odinson

Feb 21, 2017, 1:25 PM

Don't you think that it is not the opposite? With only a 100mm of travel, it is more important to be setup correctly? You do not have the luxury of those extra mm?

 

 

was thinking the same thing, especially wrt XCO.

 

I agree with the reasoning, but in general longer-travel forks have wider tuning ranges. It's piss easy to blow through 100mm of travel and thus you could spend less time in the different strokes (beginning, mid and end stroke). Thus, you 'feel' the different strokes less as you move through them quickly during hard riding.

 

HOWEVER, taking the update RS SID as an example, it has a wide range of tuning options (bottomless tokens, compression damping (with independent LSC), rebound), so with such a fork you can benefit from ShockWiz.

 

Personally, I think in XCO you could get away with poorly set-up suspension (just as long as the air pressure is sufficient, whereas in gravity racing you would be definitely penalized by poor suspension set-up.

Donovan Le Cok

Feb 21, 2017, 1:50 PM

I agree with the reasoning, but in general longer-travel forks have wider tuning ranges. It's piss easy to blow through 100mm of travel and thus you could spend less time in the different strokes (beginning, mid and end stroke). Thus, you 'feel' the different strokes less as you move through them quickly during hard riding.

 

HOWEVER, taking the update RS SID as an example, it has a wide range of tuning options (bottomless tokens, compression damping (with independent LSC), rebound), so with such a fork you can benefit from ShockWiz.

 

Personally, I think in XCO you could get away with poorly set-up suspension (just as long as the air pressure is sufficient, whereas in gravity racing you would be definitely penalized by poor suspension set-up.

 

I definitely agree that short travel forks of old have not had adequate tuning options. Changing compression rates on my fox float means running different thickness oils. On a DH fork it would have been a quick dial setting. It is good to see that both RS and Fox both releasing short travel forks with more adjustment options. The stepcast float fork from Fox now has 22 clicks of compresssion. They went from no clicks to 22 in one update. :)

 

An XC bike that is not properly setup can be a big problem. Just two weeks ago I crashed out of a race and I think part of the reason for the crash was that my rear shock was way too hard with no rebound damping and the setup contributed to me chucking it down the road.

 

Regardless, I think the device is great and I am going to pull the trigger on one. I have always enjoyed the setup side of things on the bikes. Too often guys spend huge money on bikes with the best suspension available and they ride around with no setup whats over in their suspension. On a R100k bike a R4k tool is worth it.

Capricorn

Feb 21, 2017, 1:54 PM

I agree with the reasoning, but in general longer-travel forks have wider tuning ranges. It's piss easy to blow through 100mm of travel and thus you could spend less time in the different strokes (beginning, mid and end stroke). Thus, you 'feel' the different strokes less as you move through them quickly during hard riding.

 

HOWEVER, taking the update RS SID as an example, it has a wide range of tuning options (bottomless tokens, compression damping (with independent LSC), rebound), so with such a fork you can benefit from ShockWiz.

 

Personally, I think in XCO you could get away with poorly set-up suspension (just as long as the air pressure is sufficient, whereas in gravity racing you would be definitely penalized by poor suspension set-up.

 

as I see it, a longer travel has an associated wider tolerance on any setting within each travel zone: beginning, mid and ending travel zones.

 

for short travel suspension, those tolerances are tighter, and the sweet spot is thus smaller making ideal setup fidgety Air suspension by its nature can be tricky, so trying to find a rider preferred, track-matched balance between various settings on air-suspension in a short travel package could be pretty much blackmagic when going on a touchyfeely approach. If shockwiz has very tight measurement tolerances, and a solid basis for recommendation, then it could take a huge amount of guesswork out of short travel suspension travel.

 

I don't think any XCO rider would want a sloppy suspension setup. there was benefit to be had moving from rigid to suspended setups. To have all that effort wasted in a highspeed lapped race would be a rather silly approach, and negative the very value of suspension that you initially sort.

 

Ultimately, what I, and I think DlC is saying, is that there's likely benefit for all manner of suspension travel.

Eugene Oppelt

Feb 21, 2017, 2:16 PM

Gotta love the innovation culture at SRAM hey

Eugene Oppelt

Feb 21, 2017, 6:21 PM

Yes except for the life of their cassettes and chains ....otherwise they are pretty much the market leader in my opinion.

 

I still prefer shimano in most cases

Just the innovation culture now, I like

 

I use Shimano on my dirt bike

Only because I don't have a sponsor ????

Iwan Kemp

Feb 21, 2017, 6:55 PM

We'll get one for Bike Hub HQ. Will maak 'n plan to make it available / loan / hire for hubbers. 

Rudi Pollard

Feb 21, 2017, 7:13 PM

Yes except for the life of their cassettes and chains ....otherwise they are pretty much the market leader in my opinion.

 

I still prefer shimano in most cases

I got 8500km out if my xx1 cassette and 3500km out of a xx1 chain. How did that compare to Shimano?

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Eugene Oppelt

Feb 21, 2017, 7:15 PM

I got 8500km out if my xx1 cassette and 3500km out of a xx1 chain. How did that compare to Shimano?

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Sounds good????????

Of course it's about regular maintenance checks and riding conditions

Shebeen

Feb 21, 2017, 8:00 PM

We'll get one for Bike Hub HQ. Will maak 'n plan to make it available / loan / hire for hubbers.

kiff! I see bike shops going this way rather than individuals
splat

Feb 22, 2017, 6:06 AM

We'll get one for Bike Hub HQ. Will maak 'n plan to make it available / loan / hire for hubbers. 

:thumbup:

Where do we form a queue?

Capricorn

Feb 22, 2017, 6:16 AM

:thumbup:

Where do we form a queue?

 

@ fightclub :devil:

Super_mil

Feb 22, 2017, 6:27 AM

We'll get one for Bike Hub HQ. Will maak 'n plan to make it available / loan / hire for hubbers. 

 

DIBS!

 

Apparently that works for lining up a sale in the classifieds!  :ph34r:

PhilipV

Feb 22, 2017, 9:40 AM

I have a massive technology crush on this little marvel.

I'm seriously considering getting one and then renting it out.

Along with skills coaching I reckon setup is a massive shortcoming in rider preparation.

droo

Feb 22, 2017, 9:45 AM

Pitchforks back in the sheds for now gents, it'll be a while before we see these things here. ICASA still has to approve it cos it's wireless. So maybe 2019 if we're lucky.

 

Although there will be a rental unit or 2 at Stoke as soon as we can get our grubby paws on them...

Raydek

Mar 2, 2017, 12:49 PM

Thought I'd put it out there.

 

I have a Shockwiz that cleared customs this morning and is on its way from JHB to CPT, so if history serves, I will have it during the course of next week.

 

I'm going to mess around with it for a bit on my bike and then I have a friend who wants to review it for his Youtube channel, thereafter it is my intention to make it available for rent.

 

When such time comes (most likely mid-March), I will post an ad in the classifieds with all the details for rental.

Raydek

Mar 3, 2017, 8:03 AM

SAPO on the ball...

 

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Odinson

Mar 3, 2017, 8:08 AM

SAPO on the ball...

 

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Is there an app available for my Nokia 3310? I really want to get my SR Suntour XCM fork dialled to shred!

Raydek

Mar 3, 2017, 8:13 AM

Is there an app available for my Nokia 3310? I really want to get my SR Suntour XCM fork dialled to shred!

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