Fox Live Valve Neo

About a month ago, Fox rolled out the Transfer Neo Wireless Dropper post. That Neo wireless protocol system had a lot of R&D behind it, so it shouldn't be a surprise to all that today Fox is unveiling Live Valve Neo. Fox Float X and DHX shock platforms now come with the option of being equipped with Live Valve Neo, which Fox says reads terrain inputs up to 400 times per second, and is capable of transmitting adjustments to your shock in 1/70th of a second from the time it decides it's time to party - or shut the party down if it's time to pedal.

Fox has been testing Live Valve Neo for the past three seasons on the EDR and WC DH circuits, so it's had a lot of time under some fast riders. And while racing is an obvious application for it, Fox also believes Live Valve Neo will be beneficial to trail riders as that is the first segment they're targeting.

Going Wireless

The Live Valve Neo system consists of a Neo-equipped shock + controller (at launch Fox is starting with the Float X and DHX platforms), the smartphone app, and two sensors which attach to your front and rear brake calipers. Although Neo is a radio wave protocol similar to Bluetooth, it was designed in-house for Fox's specific needs, making it both faster and more energy efficient than Bluetooth, which is hampered by its requirement to be compatible with so many different devices and a very different use case.

Sensors

The sensors are very deliberately placed in unsprung locations near your two axles*, and they work slightly differently from one another. The front sensor measures pitch (the angle of the terrain) and bump force experienced by the front tire, while the rear sensor simply measures bump force. The sensors read terrain 400 times per second but only send a signal to the controller when they determine the shock needs to be open. The sensors use CR2032 coin cell batteries and Fox says those should last a year, however just like the coin cell batteries that drive SRAM AXS controllers, that may be a conservative estimate depending on use and only time will tell.

Worth emphasizing here is that Live Valve Neo (LVN) only requires inputs from the two sensors, meaning an aftermarket install is just a shock and two sensors - much more viable than RockShox's Flight Attendant, which requires sensors placed in FA-equipped fork, shock, and cranks to make it work.

*FOX says their sensors are known to be compatible for mountain on Shimano (other than last gen Deore XT aka M8000), SRAM, TRP and Magura brakes.

Controller

The sensors gather the data and, if certain conditions are met, they'll send a signal to the controller (which is attached to your shock) to tell it to open the compression circuit. The controller can be thought of like the functioning body of the operation (if you want to consider the app to be the brain). It has a battery attached to it, same as the one used on Transfer Neo, which powers the opening or firming of the compression circuit based on trail data received from the sensors. The decision to open or firm that circuit can be executed in 1/70th of a second - in other words, just as soon as the fork's sensor perceives rough or smooth terrain, the signal is sent to the shock so that your rear wheel is doing the right thing well before it makes contact with that square hit or, conversely, it firms up in time to help you start realizing better sprint or pedal efficiency.

Why no Fork Live Valve Neo?

This was an early question and Fox said that for trail and all-mountain riding, with its quick terrain changes, even 1/70th of a second response time may not be fast enough. Also, they felt that the main efficiencies that can be gained from this system are realized through the shock and that a firm fork has insignificant impact on efficiency, especially if you risk sacrificing performance in the open setting. I've rarely used a climb switch in recent years, and I definitely don't miss it.

How it Works

There are a few things about Live Valve Neo that are not intuitive, but Fox's reasoning makes sense. First of all, the system has two modes only: Firm and Open. There is no middle or Pedal position. Fox's reasoning for this is that the system is so fast and responsive that it really isn't necessary to skirt the middle ground. You may need a different tune or mode for certain ride conditions, but that's something you can control in the app. Otherwise - and here's the second part I initially found surprising - the system defaults to firm mode even when descending. This is to provide maximum performance and efficiency to the rider, without giving up control or comfort. And it wouldn't be possible if Neo wasn't so damn fast, but that system speed makes the whole thing work.

As I mentioned, the sensors transmit info to the controller only when it needs to open, because its default setting is firm/closed. That signal can be communicated in as little as one millisecond (Fox told us Bluetooth requires 200 milliseconds to transmit a signal). Lastly, rather than using a motor to open or firm the compression circuit, Fox went with a 2-position magnetic latching solenoid, because it is faster than a motor, and virtually silent.

If speed is sounding like a persistent theme here, that's for good reason. It's race-derived tech that relies on fast and accurate response times to work. Paradoxically, that also means it works well for non-racers, especially when you get back to that default firm/closed decision. Theoretically, a downhill racer could adjust those two modes to account for different compression tunes on a course, whereas a trail worker (weekend warrior or enduro racer alike) benefits from Fox's binary open/firm shock positions. However, it doesn't end there, and that makes this a good time to dig into the app...

FOX Bike App

MTB component apps to date have not felt like the vanguard of development. In most cases they can feel a bit like an afterthought, starting out a little janky and getting better with time. In this case, Fox has done a pretty good job from the outset. I found it easy to navigate the FOX Bike app, connect components to it, and figure out what I needed from it. Most of it is what you'd expect, with screens that let you select different Neo-equipped bikes, navigate to components within each bike's systems, and adjust them accordingly.

The adjustments available to you are interesting. Fox starts you off with some defaults, and to be clear, the part you're tuning is the force threshold at which the system will go from firm to open mode. Those force thresholds can be adapted individually for each sensor, depending on whether that sensor perceives the bike is in flat terrain, climbing or descending. Want Neo to stay firm on flat terrain, regardless of bumps you man encounter, but want it to be quite soft on uphill and/or downhill terrain at the same time? You can do that. And beyond those six controls (flat, up, and down for both front and rear sensors) you can also input the bump sensitivity setting which tells the system whether you want it to respond to smaller bumps or larger ones.

Most people will put it in Fox's Standard tune and be happy with it - and that's what I've done so far. But the system comes with five standard tunes, and users can input their own custom tunes as well as share them or look up other riders' custom tunes. For example, Fox staff have developed a Shore tune that differs from Standard in that it has more sensitive breakaway thresholds in flat terrain - makes sense in an environment that begs for traction. There's also a Traction tune that was designed for the American Southwest 'where traction is hard to find'. YMMV and I need to do some more experimenting - test time is always scarce in late summer but that's about to change.

Precision Mode

Everything above is just the beginning as far as the app goes. In Precision mode aka 'how to really mess things up, you clumsy dork' mode, you can tweak the tunes to a deeper level: climb and descent angles, coupled or decoupled (rear sensor only can open the shock), open/closed/live mode override, front and rear bump sensitivity thresholds, and open timers (how long the shock stays open based on sensor inputs before automatically closing again). The combinations are endless and for most users, probably not necessary at least in most scenarios. Tweaker's dream, though.

Riding Live Valve Neo

After attending a product talk on the new system during Crankworx in the middle of nowhere, since there is probably no mtb venue with more prying eyes than Whistler, the folks at Fox bolted a Float X Live Valve Neo onto my Trek Slash+. My first ride was a lap of Top of the World to Million Dollar. Not a white knuckle situation, but not exactly chill, either - you have to pay attention and not do something stupid, or you'll have one or more flat tires or worse, rake your bike across the alpine's sharp rocks and really damage something. So I was in focus mode for that ride. And, because of the way Live Valve Neo works - that is to say, really well and really subtly - it was hard at first to really feel what was going on. When I needed the shock to do shock-y things, it did. What it was hard to perceive at first was the efficiency the system was providing, even in chunky, technical, steep terrain. Where I would have thought the shock should be open ALL the time, it was (after I started working harder to perceive it) clearly firming up even for half second moments of smooth terrain in between big moves. At first I thought I was just having a good day on a bike that suited me, but as the rides piled up it became clear that the results were more consistent than my skills are capable of producing. Something was afoot.

As I experimented more, I realized that the system was in fact firming up my shock as my front wheel exited corners and perceived smooth sailing ahead. Small speed gain. In choppy sections, I'd go from having a solid platform to pump or pedal into if the front wheel wasn't being asked to do much, to the bike's plush 170mm of travel as soon as things got hairy and travel and traction became important. Small confidence gain. Because Live Valve Neo makes adjustments so quickly, the performance doesn't feel miraculous or drastic, it just happens right beneath you; but all those small events start to add up. The translation of all of that isn't raw speed or a (always) a conscious knowledge of what's happening. Rather, I simply feel like I have more comfort and capability in sections where I'd normally be fighting a little harder to overcome a firmer or softer setup in the conditions that don't favour it. Bits of speed and traction led to more control and comfort.

Live Valve Neo may have been most noticeable on technical climbs. Small areas of respite in between square-edged steps are suddenly places where a pedal stroke becomes more of a weapon - the system firms up enough to transfer some of your hard-fought effort into a bit more momentum and then opens again as soon as you need the traction to clear a few wet roots or chunky rocks. On a mid-powered ebike, climbing capability increased to be closer to a full-powered rig. On a regular bike, I'd speculate the impact might be even greater.

A few FAQs

If batteries in either of the sensors or the controller dies, the system will default to open mode. There is no lever to engage the firm mode in that case. Controller battery life is stated at 15-20 hours of ride time (my battery has been near or over the high end of that estimate so far) and the coin cell batteries in the sensors are expected to last at least a year.

Fox is working on a handlebar remote that will allow users to switch between shock tunes without opening the app. This is obviously geared towards racers and not expected until 2025.

Float X Live Valve Neo will come in Factory (OEM and aftermarket) and Performance Elite (OEM only). DHX Live Valve Neo coil shocks will come in Factory only, OEM and aftermarket.

The app does not need to be running while you ride, nor at the start of your ride. The system wakes up automatically with motion, or if you press the on button on the controller. Once your system is set up, you don't technically need the app anymore, except for firmware updates, however it's useful for tracking service intervals or if you need to disconnect/reconnect or troubleshoot settings.

It's Early Days

This is not the next coming of rear suspension, just like the Transfer Neo is not the second coming of the dropper post. What it is, though, is an impressive display of technology with benefits that will be tangible for many racers and some others. The original Live Valve didn't make it to too many bike spec sheets, but I think Neo will be seen on more high end bike builds in future. By no means must you have it, but for those enamoured with technology and tweaking, it presents an interesting option for the well-wheeled.

Live Valve Neo Product Pricing - a complete system utilizes a Kit and Shock of the rider's choice:

Live Valve Neo Kit: $ 399 USD / $ 534.65 CAD / £449.99 GBP / € 499 EUR*           Fork and Rear Bump Sensors, Battery, Charger, Charger Cable

Live Valve Neo Float X MSRP: $ 999 US / $ 1399 CAD / £1119 GBP* / € 1299 EUR*
Live Valve Neo DHX MSRP: $ 949 US / $ 1269 CAD / £1099 GBP* / € 1249 EUR*

Spare/Replacement Product Pricing:

Neo Spare Battery MSRP: $79 USD / $106 CAD / £99.95 GBP* / €99 EUR*
Spare Charger and Cable MSRP: $49 USD / $69 CAD / £62.95 GBP* / €79 EUR*
*price includes VAT

For more on Fox Live Valve Neo, visit FOX's Official Website.