This tiny gizmo weighs just 45g but could change your riding forever
ShockWiz is a suspension tuning system for mountain bike suspension that combines telemetry hardware with a powerful smartphone app.
And, as of now, SRAM have announced a 20% price drop on ShockWizs so you’ll now find it on sale for around £300.
They have also updated the smartphone app to include a ‘custom tuning mode’; “In addition to Balanced and Playful tuning modes ShockWiz now offers custom tuning for an even better match to different riding styles. Suggestions for air pressure, spring rate, compression and rebound can help you dial in a more aggressive or efficient ride.”
Perfect suspension setup is tricky, a dark art that sometimes requires tinkering, twiddling and frowning. So what if we told you there was now a tuning device called Shockwiz that could do it all for you? Bye-bye soft, floppy fork, hello supple yet supportive ride.
That’s the idea anyway. Zip-tie the little box of sensors to your bike, go ride, and the data will be passed to your smartphone, telling you if you need more air, less rebound, more damping, more tokens, and so on. Clever, huh?
Developed by SRAM and Dusty Dynamics, and originally launched on Kickstarter, Shockwiz was bought by SRAM last year and is now on general sale.
It’s not cheap though, £359 around £300 for the AM QUARQ version, which is the one you’ll want unless you have an upside down RockShox RS1 fork.
Is ShockWiz worth the money?
ShockWiz could be really useful for fettling your suspension setup… SRAM certainly thinks so or it wouldn’t have bought it. We think it’ll also be a great asset when you ride somewhere different, and need to work out why the new terrain is proving tricky. The app on your phone will then remember your settings for any subsequent visits.
How it works
ShockWiz measures the air pressure in your fork, or shock, 100 times a second, and uses that data to work out what’s going on as you ride. It’s looking at how much travel you’re using and how quickly you’re using it. The gizmo then sends the data to your phone via low power Bluetooth, and comes up with recommendations about how to improve your bike’s performance. You can use it on most air-sprung shocks and forks, ShockWiz says – not just SRAM products.
How to use it
Zip-tie the unit to your bike, then screw the hose onto the air valve. Calibrate it by releasing all the air, cycling the unit through its travel, then re-inflating to your usual pressure. Then ride: if you’re looking to improve on a Strava segment, or you’re a racer, it’s probably best to session a single trail to get optimum performance. But if you’re a regular trail rider, you can record data from your entire Sunday ride and come up with a setting that works for the whole thing.
What you’ll learn
Troy Hoskins from SRAM says ShockWizz will widen “the window of happiness” to your suspension. Really this means it’ll tell you things like if you need to wind on more rebound, add more air or pop in a volume spacer.