Upgrade shocks?
- Thread starter 330rcs
- Start date
Van de Graaff
New Member
Well, another shock question . . . alright!
Is it possible to upgrade the shocks? The answer is . . . Yes!
Do you want to upgrade? Meh . . . maybe
Do you need to upgrade? I would think, not right now as your bike is actually very new.
OK, a word of warning . . .all of this is just my opinion.
While the Mozo FatMan air shock is not the super duper best you can get, it gets the job done for now. Granted, it doesn't carry the status or specs of a FOX, ROCKSHOX, or MANITOU though, if that's what your looking for.
You need to consider several factors before going down this path.
First, the availability of an air suspension fork that is 1 1/8 none tapered. Second, a fork with a wheel clearance to accept a 4 inch wide tire, if you decide to keep the fat tire look. Third, a fork that is configured to accept a 9 inch quick release axle. With just these items to consider, the choices are few but not impossible.
Consider the axle. If a fork with quick release is not available or possible, then a thru axle design is the other choice. But . . . OH wait! The front rim on the RipCurrent is a 9 inch skewer design. That means the entire rim and/or hub needs to be replaced . . . doable, but an additional cost.
The existing Mozo fork has 80 mm of travel. As a general rule, you want to keep within 20 mm of the original spec so as to not throw off the geometry of the bike. That would mean a 100 mm maximum travel fork. OK . . . doable, not a deal breaker.
Next comes . . . $$$. . . COST. If the intent is truly to UPGRADE the suspension, I would say a minimum of $250, and you could go to $999 or higher. Yes . . you can buy cheaper forks on Amazon or Ebay, but we want to UPGRADE, and remember, "You get what you pay for!" Then, unless you have the DIY gene, you will have to get someone or a LBS to do the job for you . . . more $$$.
OH GREAT . . . you just POOPED on my dream! Sorry, didn't mean to do that!
OK . . .OK! You say that, " I don’t do any heavy off road riding but, my main purpose is a smooth and comfortable ride."
As I see it, the main function and purpose of the shock suspension is NOT necessarily comfort, but to keep the tires in contact with the road surface, much like the shocks on your car. Granted, a side effect of the shocks is they smooth out the ride. When your riding over that washboard surface, you don't want your tires spending most of their time above the road surface.
OH DEAR . . .I want to go left, but my tires are floating in the air like balloons . . NOT COOL!
If a smooth and comfortable ride is what your looking for, a suspension seat post may fill that need better. Units like these:
Kinekt 2.1 - $250 
Suntour NCX about $109
Thudbuster LT - between $130 to $150 
Thudbuster ST also $130 to $150
While some may say they are kinda pricey for a seat post, they are well made and do the job quite well.
Personally, I wold avoid the cheap seat posts like this:
they are all over Amazon, Ebay, the Big box stores and even some bike shops for $20 to $40.
While they do work somewhat, they are . . . well . . . cheap. Their travel is only linear. Sometimes the stanchion and seat post have or develop play and wobble, or the saddle starts to hunt left and right as you peddle and ride. Another, "You get what you pay for" deal.
Another option is a suspension saddle like these:
Schwinn - about $18 
Sunlite Cloud 9 $25 - $30 
Serfas $50 - $55
I know, I know! Oh Man . . . those are for old people. Who cares what your kids and friends say! Hey . . . if it works for you . . . GREAT!
I don't know if any of this helped or answered your question, but maybe it will give you and anyone else considering it something to think about.
Is it possible to upgrade the shocks? The answer is . . . Yes!
Do you want to upgrade? Meh . . . maybe
Do you need to upgrade? I would think, not right now as your bike is actually very new.
OK, a word of warning . . .all of this is just my opinion.
While the Mozo FatMan air shock is not the super duper best you can get, it gets the job done for now. Granted, it doesn't carry the status or specs of a FOX, ROCKSHOX, or MANITOU though, if that's what your looking for.
You need to consider several factors before going down this path.
First, the availability of an air suspension fork that is 1 1/8 none tapered. Second, a fork with a wheel clearance to accept a 4 inch wide tire, if you decide to keep the fat tire look. Third, a fork that is configured to accept a 9 inch quick release axle. With just these items to consider, the choices are few but not impossible.
Consider the axle. If a fork with quick release is not available or possible, then a thru axle design is the other choice. But . . . OH wait! The front rim on the RipCurrent is a 9 inch skewer design. That means the entire rim and/or hub needs to be replaced . . . doable, but an additional cost.
The existing Mozo fork has 80 mm of travel. As a general rule, you want to keep within 20 mm of the original spec so as to not throw off the geometry of the bike. That would mean a 100 mm maximum travel fork. OK . . . doable, not a deal breaker.
Next comes . . . $$$. . . COST. If the intent is truly to UPGRADE the suspension, I would say a minimum of $250, and you could go to $999 or higher. Yes . . you can buy cheaper forks on Amazon or Ebay, but we want to UPGRADE, and remember, "You get what you pay for!" Then, unless you have the DIY gene, you will have to get someone or a LBS to do the job for you . . . more $$$.
OH GREAT . . . you just POOPED on my dream! Sorry, didn't mean to do that!
OK . . .OK! You say that, " I don’t do any heavy off road riding but, my main purpose is a smooth and comfortable ride."
As I see it, the main function and purpose of the shock suspension is NOT necessarily comfort, but to keep the tires in contact with the road surface, much like the shocks on your car. Granted, a side effect of the shocks is they smooth out the ride. When your riding over that washboard surface, you don't want your tires spending most of their time above the road surface.
OH DEAR . . .I want to go left, but my tires are floating in the air like balloons . . NOT COOL!
If a smooth and comfortable ride is what your looking for, a suspension seat post may fill that need better. Units like these:
Kinekt 2.1 - $250 Suntour NCX about $109 Thudbuster LT - between $130 to $150 Thudbuster ST also $130 to $150While some may say they are kinda pricey for a seat post, they are well made and do the job quite well.
Personally, I wold avoid the cheap seat posts like this:
they are all over Amazon, Ebay, the Big box stores and even some bike shops for $20 to $40.While they do work somewhat, they are . . . well . . . cheap. Their travel is only linear. Sometimes the stanchion and seat post have or develop play and wobble, or the saddle starts to hunt left and right as you peddle and ride. Another, "You get what you pay for" deal.
Another option is a suspension saddle like these:
Schwinn - about $18 Sunlite Cloud 9 $25 - $30 Serfas $50 - $55I know, I know! Oh Man . . . those are for old people. Who cares what your kids and friends say! Hey . . . if it works for you . . . GREAT!
I don't know if any of this helped or answered your question, but maybe it will give you and anyone else considering it something to think about.
Wow thanks for all the info! Answered my questions totally. You’re correct I don’t need to do anything for my purpose. Just commuting and light trails. Honestly I’m probably just really excited about my new bike and trying to see what I can upgrade etc. I’ve beem having a blast and haven’t really gone far yet. Just riding around in the neighborhood until all my new accessories, locks, helmet, bags, side mirrors, etc. come in.
I just purchased the Kinect bodyfloat after researching reviews on here. It’s new and I got $50 off retail on eBay.
Thanks again!
I just purchased the Kinect bodyfloat after researching reviews on here. It’s new and I got $50 off retail on eBay.
Thanks again!
Van de Graaff
New Member
Hey jeffrios, thank you for the thumbs up, I do appreciate it.
I live in the city of New York, and while the roads are better today than they use to be in the 70's and 80's, they are not smooth as glass. I have a friend that lives in Louisiana, and the roads there were like driving on the moon. It's been almost 5 years since I visited, hopefully it's better now.
I tried a few of the suspension posts out there, and came away with a . . . Meh . . . attitude. A co-worker that rides was willing to let me borrow his post for a week or two. It was an older Bodyfloat unit from Cirrus Cycle. Anyway, that one impressed me. I like that different springs can be installed, and you can vary the preload. and . . . well, do I need to say more?
I live in the city of New York, and while the roads are better today than they use to be in the 70's and 80's, they are not smooth as glass. I have a friend that lives in Louisiana, and the roads there were like driving on the moon. It's been almost 5 years since I visited, hopefully it's better now.
I tried a few of the suspension posts out there, and came away with a . . . Meh . . . attitude. A co-worker that rides was willing to let me borrow his post for a week or two. It was an older Bodyfloat unit from Cirrus Cycle. Anyway, that one impressed me. I like that different springs can be installed, and you can vary the preload. and . . . well, do I need to say more?
hurricane56
Active Member
I've had my issues with the stock Mozo shock offered by JuicedBikes. It gets the job done, but wasn't as responsive as I'd expected. The real issue with the Mozo shock on the fat bikes is the lack of serviceability. There's no documentation that can guide you through a rebuild and as far as I know, a lack of available replacement parts.
I did a replacement of the Mozo shock with a RockShox Bluto. I'm not taking my bike off road, but I feel that any comfort upgrade that I can do, I'll do it. I use my bike daily as a commuter and I feel the upgrade is worth it. I'm not sure about the newer bikes, but my HF1000 had a straight head tube, and all of the Bluto forks are a tapered head tube. This is easily correctable with a adapter headset. The other cost is in replacing the front wheel. The RockShox stuff is all thru-axle, so you'll need to get a new front wheel to match. Out the door, the cost of the used Bluto fork, headset adapter, and wheel was probably $600.
I did a replacement of the Mozo shock with a RockShox Bluto. I'm not taking my bike off road, but I feel that any comfort upgrade that I can do, I'll do it. I use my bike daily as a commuter and I feel the upgrade is worth it. I'm not sure about the newer bikes, but my HF1000 had a straight head tube, and all of the Bluto forks are a tapered head tube. This is easily correctable with a adapter headset. The other cost is in replacing the front wheel. The RockShox stuff is all thru-axle, so you'll need to get a new front wheel to match. Out the door, the cost of the used Bluto fork, headset adapter, and wheel was probably $600.
Good to keep in mind for the future! If I have any issues with the current setup I’ll start looking into that upgrade. Thanks for your feedback!
John from Connecticut
Well-Known Member
Hello, Regarding upgrading or in my case adding a quality shock to an eBike. Short answer. Yes I installed a Rock Shox Recon. The cost was worth every penny to me.
I have a Trek XM700+ Commuter which comes with a very modest spring as part of the fork. The new Rock Shox made a world of difference on my bike. When riding
I feel much more in control, the steering seems more responsive. I'm very pleased and would do it all over again !
I also have a Kinekt 2.1 Bodyfloat Seat Post, again to me it's worth every penny. I love this Seat Post. I have one on both of my bikes.
You didn't mention the type of bike and the length of time you'll be in the saddle. If you're going to just 'cruise' around the block then
one of those 'old people' seats will be fine. If you're going to ride for any length of time and there is no medical reason you need an
'old peoples seat', I urge to go to a LBS who has a competent trained bike fitter for an anatomically correct bike seat.
John from Connecticut
Well-Known Member
I'm confused ? Doesn't your bike come with a Front Shock ?
Yes the Mozo Fatman
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