Electronic rear shocks for mountain bikes have some big selling points, but it's imperative that they react to changing terrain quickly. That shouldn't be a problem with Fox's new Live Valve Neo, as it's claimed to be the world's fastest-responding wireless cycling suspension system.
On conventional mountain bike shock absorbers there's typically a lever that allows riders to choose between a few different compression settings, depending on what sort of terrain they're heading onto.
The problem is, the rider has to reach down and manually flip that lever, which isn't all that doable when the trail is rapidly changing back and forth between being smooth, rooty, uphill, downhill or whatnot. Additionally, each setting is a bit of a compromise, intended to more or less suit different riding scenarios.
That's where electronic active suspension systems come in.
Offered by companies such as Cannondale, Magura and Pinarello, they utilize onboard sensors to detect bumps, slopes, or other changes in the riding surface. Within a fraction of a second of detecting such changes, the systems adjust the compression of the suspension fork and/or rear shock accordingly. This means that the suspension is always optimized for what's happening right at any given moment.
All of that background info brings us to Fox Live Valve Neo.
A wireless version of the company's existing Live Valve hard-wired active suspension system, the setup utilizes Fox's proprietary Neo wireless protocol. Neo is reportedly 100 times faster than Bluetooth, and 20 times faster than its closest competitor.
The Live Valve Neo tech is integrated into modified versions of Fox's Float X air shock and DHX coil shock – it isn't offered on forks. The setup also includes two accelerometer-equipped sensors, which are mounted on the front and rear brake calipers.
Each sensor "reads" the terrain 400 times a second, transmitting a signal to a processor in the shock whenever a change is detected – the signal makes that journey in approximately one millisecond. A magnetic latching solenoid in the shock responds by opening or closing the shock's compression circuit, maximizing shock absorption/traction or pedaling efficiency respectively.
This all happens in 1/70th of a second. According to Fox, this means that even at race speeds, a bump detected by the front-wheel sensor will trigger the shock before the rear wheel reaches that bump.
Using an accompanying app, users can choose between five presets: Standard, Firm (in which the system leans toward a firmer ride), Plush (for a generally softer ride), Open (in which the shock always stays open) and Closed (in which the shock is always firm, except when landing a jump or drop). It's also possible to create and save custom settings.
Fox Live Valve Neo is available now as an upgrade for most full-suspension trail and all-mountain bikes, priced at US$1,398 for the Float X model and $1,348 for the DHX version – those prices include the shocks.
You can see it in use, in the following video.
Source: Fox
