Fox Shox Factory DHX2 Rear Shock 2020: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Coil shocks on trail bikes have become very popular in the last few years. With great small bump sensitivity and great suspension platforms that offer little to no pedal bob, it's obvious to see why. Read on to hear why our friend Jakub chose the Fox DHX2 for his Bronson.

Intro:

After having coil shock on my downhill and doing hours of internet research whether I can install and run coil on my trail bike (S.C. Bronson 2.0) I decided to give it a go. I really love how lively my DH is it feels like its accelerating from every pump, corner, etc. so I went with an option heavier than air shock, but probably more fun on the down.

The Purchase:

First things first. I did look into my manual and found shock specs for my year and model of the bike. 200x57mm. That translates to 7.785x2.25 inches. And the hunt had started. So many options, so many eye to eye and stroke lengths but thanks to Worldwide Cyclery, I found the one and clicked go. Went with 400lbs. coil for now and waited impatiently. With all my gear I weight about 190lbs so I will probably try to go with 450lbs or 500lbs.

Setup:

When the shock arrived, although I probably could have done it myself, I had a local shop install it for me. Its a piece of mind and torque on linkage bolts should be done precisely. Picked it up, set my sag to 30ish % with some extra preload (yes, I will order higher rate spring for this reason) and hit the trails. Setting up is a whole other thing. Started with everything about a third of the way open and it didn't work that well, though it felt good on smooth trails and small bumps - plush! Rock rolls felt sluggish. Did some more research and ended up setting it to about 11HSC, 15LSC, 0 HSR, 13 LSR. worked great, maybe a bit soft. Now, still have to do more fine-tuning and dial it in but getting familiar with it. And I love the way it feels on the trail. Prob going to stiffen up my settings and get a higher rate spring to glue my back wheel down even more. My riding style is lots of techy, steep trails, quite a bit of flow and not that many jumps, so I rarely bottom out.

Final Thoughts:

If you wanna save yourself a hassle, weight and little money, I would recommend a top-notch air shock. But if you want to really dial in your bike suspension and ride the extra mile, then coil shock is your ticket. I am going to run one from now on.