Thanks for the comments BarryW. Just want to clarify a few things. No one is more aware of the difference between the effects of air pressure vs. volume spacers. My comment about using more air pressure or volume spacers was not wrong - they will both aid in stopping the shock from bottoming too much. Maybe I could have better differentiated how those two strategies go about accomplishing that.
Also, if you read my suspension settings, you’ll see I’m nearly maxed out on volume spacers in the Float X. The Stumpy comes stock with .4 cubic inch spacer installed. I actually reached out to Specialized for them to send me the bigger spacers required for the Float X. They were happy to send them out. I settled on .8 cubic inch spacer (that size Float X maxes out at 1 cubic inch). I found I got the best ride out of the Stumpy with that spacer and pressure combo. So you see, I wasn’t afraid of opening up the shock - multiple times.
My comment about sensitivity was more a comparison to the Enduro, a bike that clearly can be set with better early stroke sensitivity, for multiple reasons.
Setting up suspension is a complex process, and I’d like to think I’m pretty damn good at it. I do wonder how many other review sites bothered with non-stock spacers in the shock. I feel like this is one of the things we do differently at NSMB.com. We live and breathe these bikes, often for a few months. I know I speak for all the reviewers on here when I say we take bike setup pretty seriously.
Sorry for the confusion.
Cheers,
Ryan
Oct. 31, 2022, 9:58 p.m. - Ryan Walters
Thanks for the comments BarryW. Just want to clarify a few things. No one is more aware of the difference between the effects of air pressure vs. volume spacers. My comment about using more air pressure or volume spacers was not wrong - they will both aid in stopping the shock from bottoming too much. Maybe I could have better differentiated how those two strategies go about accomplishing that. Also, if you read my suspension settings, you’ll see I’m nearly maxed out on volume spacers in the Float X. The Stumpy comes stock with .4 cubic inch spacer installed. I actually reached out to Specialized for them to send me the bigger spacers required for the Float X. They were happy to send them out. I settled on .8 cubic inch spacer (that size Float X maxes out at 1 cubic inch). I found I got the best ride out of the Stumpy with that spacer and pressure combo. So you see, I wasn’t afraid of opening up the shock - multiple times. My comment about sensitivity was more a comparison to the Enduro, a bike that clearly can be set with better early stroke sensitivity, for multiple reasons. Setting up suspension is a complex process, and I’d like to think I’m pretty damn good at it. I do wonder how many other review sites bothered with non-stock spacers in the shock. I feel like this is one of the things we do differently at NSMB.com. We live and breathe these bikes, often for a few months. I know I speak for all the reviewers on here when I say we take bike setup pretty seriously. Sorry for the confusion. Cheers, Ryan