Dylan was one of our first riders to test an early version of our system. When we first met up, we didn’t even have the shock sensor working, but he was eager to try out the fork sensor. We eventually conducted 3 tests with Dylan, first on his hard tail then on his full suspension Enduro bike. The Enduro bike received brand new Fox36 (Grip2) and a DH-X2 Coil shock for the final test which really showed the promise of using data to dial in an infinitely tunable system.
“Rob reached out to me about testing Motion Instruments, and after hearing about it, I couldn’t wait to test it out. I was curious and have never had a way to test my suspension so precisely. My background on the bike is 16 years of racing DH, Dual Slalom and Enduro and now coaching professionally over the last 9 years while still racing select events in the California Enduro Series. Between racing, free riding, and coaching for my business, A-Singletrack-Mind, I was able to truly feel the effects of the system in all elements of being on my bike.
Prior to the test, my basic suspension theory was to try to get the suspension to feel equal and not so fast that it felt bouncy in the parking lot or while standing next to the bike and pushing down on the suspension. Needless to say, my settings after testing were way different.
First Impression:
Easy to use once I was shown the basics. It was so rider/user friendly.
The app displays data in a useful format and highlights critical information, more than any other system I have used. The first time I tested the product was on my hardtail fork. I was very surprised at how raising the rebound speed helped the overall tracking in corners.
After having a loaner for a couple of rides I had to return the sensor. That was a sad day. I really looked forward to testing with Motion Instruments after that.
My second time out, I received an updated system on my full suspension bike and I was shocked! I took 6 runs on my favorite trail. First run was 6 seconds slower than my previous PR. By the end of testing and adjustments, I had beat that previous PR 4 consecutive times and each run just got faster. Looking back on the data, the final two runs were almost totally balanced.
My third test was with updated suspension, a Fox 36 with a Grip2 damper and DHX2 Coil. The new dampers had both high and low speed compression/rebound, a vastly more complicated and precise suspension than my previous setup. On a simple suspension (less knobs), there are only so many adjustments to be made for the damper and pre-load, making this a less time consuming process. My newly suspended Enduro race bike would be almost impossible to tune without the tool. My initial impression still holds true, the device is easy to use and reinforces the need for having a solid understanding of how different suspension settings affect your bike.
My Tuned Enduro bike rode noticeably faster and smoother. I raced three of four enduro races on my tuned race bike and got three top 3 finishes only to then end up breaking my chainstay during practice before the final race. I was able to borrow a bike and struggle to a seventh place (Not Tuned!). :(
In the end, after using the system, I was able to get my bike set up so that it rode well uphill, downhill, railed corners, and hopped over obstacles easier. My only complaint is that I don't have my own system right now. After using the system, I can’t go back to my old ways of just pushing down on my suspension again to test what is happening and to find the settings.”
Dylan has been great to work with over the past couple of years. If you are choosing between coaching, or a system to dial in your bike, our take is you probably need the coaching first. But when you feel like your tune is holding you back, then data will take your bike to the next level.
