Customer Review: DVO Topaz Air Shock

Brian Conrad sent over this great review on the DVO Topaz Air Shock for us to take a look at. Let's see what he thought of the incredible shock.

First I need to point out that I am not a suspension expert by any means. I continue to read expert opinions, user reviews, and the forums. I have tried to learn about mid stroke feel, progressive versus linear feel and all of the technical stuff. However, when it comes down to it, I just like riding and want a shock that allows me to do that. Enter the DVO Topaz. It does all the technical stuff and it does it well.

Many riders may not have heard of DVO, I know that I hadn’t. Most of the press follows the big two, Fox and RockShox. DVO is a company that is run by former Marzocchi employees who really know their stuff. When I ordered the shock from Worldwide Cyclery, they told me that DVO was close in distance to them and that they recommended their products. After reading more about the company, I liked what they are doing and their approach. Get this…they actually care about the rider!

Worldwide was great in shipping the shock. When I received the shock, I had a few questions. I called DVO and they took my call and walked me through everything. To me, that is huge. I appreciate the one-on-one help.

Now, about the shock. The best way I can describe the shock is that it is smooth. I mean really smooth. The concept of the shock is pretty cool. DVO uses a compression loader system with a bladder. There is the usual switch for climb, traverse and descend mode. I have pretty much kept the shock in traverse mode for climbing and then descend mode for descending. The climb mode is not a total lock out, but it does firm the shock up quite a bit. The shock comes with a set of volume spacers that are very easy to install. You can adjust both the positive and negative sides of the main air can. When I spoke with DVO on the phone, they gave me suggestions for what would work well for my bike. The cool part is you can change the spacers without having to remove the shock from the bike. There are cooling fins on the bladder reservoir. DVO claims these fins dissipate heat. Maybe they do, but to me they are more for looks. Another positive about the shock is the how easy it is for the user to service.

So far, the shock is working great for me. My bike has come alive on both climbing and descending. The Topaz just seems to want more after every ride. I like that DVO cares about their customers. I believe that DVO will soon be a mainstream name like the other big two. For me the shock works. I am enjoying riding. Enough said.