[Closed] Push / Pushima or Avalanche mod?

I can tell you in a few weeks - I already have a push tuned RP2 that was tuned to feel similar to my old Bos Vip'r, but I've just sent my RP23 to Avalanche for their ssd tune. I also have a Push tuned Van R shock.

They're for different bikes and for a different style of riding, so the comparison will be a bit limited. The push tuned fox is on a yeti asr5c and suits it very well, whereas the Avalanche will be going on my Helius AM.

I really like the push tuned Van R - from a fit & forget point of view I can't fault it. I would say that the only other shock that comes close was my Vip'r, but erratic after sales service put me off the brand.

I've gone down the Avalanche route for the Helius because although it's a frame that seems to flatter shocks, it gets harsh deep into its travel on fast square edged hits. I'm told by other owners that's Avalanche tune is slightly better than Push for eradicating this. Something to do with the boost valve.

Anyway, give me a shout inns few weeks and I'll be able to give you an idea of the difference.

Cheers Mildred - it'll be a few weeks before I decide anyway

Don't know if I'm ever gonna be fast enough to warrant SSD over Push and your reasoning sort of helps me confirm what I was thinking

Definitely interested in your comparisons tho

I had my CTD Pushed and it's been really good for everything from XC to DH. TF got it spot on for me and it performs better that the upgraded 5th Element that TF also did (was better than stock but no where near as good as the CTD)

Does the PUSH tune do anything to propedal at all?

I had my shock push'd. Struggled to feel any difference. Got the avalanche upgrade and it made such a difference, my forks suddenly felt crap so I had to do them as well.

For the Avalanche mods, do you send the shock to the states? if so, who do you use for postage?

yeah, i think i went fedex or dhl to send mine

you get stung for taxes on the way back though

im very very pleased with my dhx air mod

i had a proper Avalanche DHX a few years back now, still the best shock i've ever ridden.
Keen to get my float X modified for my Dune as its really harsh

As promised here's a quick (rambling) comparison after a few ride on the recently returned Avy rp23.

A bit of background to my preferences. I've had all manner of shock absorber from basic rst coil through to CCDB coil & air with RS, Fox both standard & tuned in between.

I like the shock to be virtually unnoticeable; I don't want it to draw attention to itself with any particular quirk or characteristic - I just want it to get on with its job without fuss. I like a bike that's stable around its sag point without any see-sawing or bobbing when I stand up or put a lot of effort through the pedals. I hate wallow and that flat tyre feel but also hate harshness - I want the shock to absorb the bump and be ready for the next one; if there's succesive fast hits I don't want it to pack down or lock up - I want it to take the hits and recover for the next.

The only shock I've found that does this is the Bos vipr; the Cane Creek coil & air felt ok but a little dead and lifeless. I bought these from TF Tuned who set them up & I used the recommended settings. Ok but I was expecting more. Could be that I fell for the hype. This is what sent me down the custom tuned route. Both Mojo & Loco have done custom jobs with Fox RP series shocks but I've never been blown away. They still always have quirks I don't like such as locking up on fast repeated hits or that horrible trap-door into wallow feeling when a hit overcomes the pro-pedal.

Push is very accessible in the UK via TF; I wanted my RP2 to be very controlled like my Bos. It was very good indeed but only as long as you set the sag perfectly. It virtually eliminated pedal Bob on my yeti asr5 but absorbed shocks perfectly without that sudden feeling you get when you overcome pro-pedal. It used travel sparingly. It recovered very well from big hits; never reboundin so fast as to put you over the bars, but quick enough to be ready for the next. The only weakness I found was on fast succesive hits where I think it still locked up a little. Bear in min though that this was on a 127mm travel carbon trail bike. I'd say it allowed the bike to punch above its weight.

I had the rp23 tuned for my Nicolai Helius am. This bike is very flattering on shocks and is very neutral. However, I was getting issues on fast succesive hits where the rear was virtually locking up then skipping across bumps rather than absorbing them. No amount of tweaking got rid of this. I did a bit of reading, particularly on Nicolai forums and found other people had similar issues. A common theme was the fox shock hydro-locking. Apparently this is to do with the boost valve; the most common suggestion was an Avalanche tune, which removes this valve and replaces it with a shim stack. as interesting as the details are I'm not actually bothered how it's achieved, I just wanted the back end to work better.

My 1st impressions are - the shock is completely cured of that quirk; I know this is a cliche but it feels bottomless. No harshness whatsoever, no bottoming out & very quick recovery for the next hit or series of bumps. It's odd but it almost feels elastic; its now incredibly easy to pump the bike and it seems to gain speed everywhere. On setup, I now put more pressure in it to get the same 30% sag. The pro-pedal settings are very VERY subtle in the difference they make, and the shock is perhaps a little more active than it was - nothing that upsets it and no bob to speak of, just a little more willing to use it's travel when needed. The Nicolai is a four bar design, which as mentioned is very flattering in most shocks; I would question Craig at Avalanche quite closely if I was to have a shock tuned for a single pivot. That said, they're designed as downhill shocks with the tune varied slightly for Enduro & trail. All in all I'm very happy with it. I wouldn't say it's massively better than the Push tuned shock but they were tuned for different bikes and applications.