Review: Ohlins RXF3. STX2. 2 shock. James reports back from testing an Ohlins one- two duo of shock and fork. Brand: Ohlins. Product: RXF3. STX2. 2 air shock. From: Ohlins. Price: RXF3. STX2. 2 shock - £5. Tested: by James for 4. Install A Star Fangled Nut Removal ToolsOur James has been riding the full complement of Ohlins, front and rear, for the last few months. Let’s see how he got on…Long established and well regarded in two and four wheeled motorsports. 2 Headset Removal. If possible, disconnect cables shift and brake levers. Loosen stem and remove bars and stem from steering column. NOTE: If you are not removing. Install A Star Fangled Nut Removal SocketOhlins suspension is now available for your off- road push iron. The Ohlins name is synonymous with success in motorsports. The Swedish suspension manufacturer has quite the reputation, the name alone carries some clout… with a long established and proven track record in motorsports of both the two wheeled and four wheeled, both on and off road. A couple of years ago a partnership with Specialized saw it venture into the world of mountainbikes. With Ohlins forks and shocks initially only available on select Specialized mountainbike models this meant that there was some exclusivity. Now Ohlins is more readily available for those considering an aftermarket upgrade. The RXF3. 6 air fork and the STX2. What have we got here then? Ohlins RXF3. 6 fork. Ohlins RXF3. 6 air fork. Technical specifications. For 2. 9inch and 2. TTX damping technology. Uni- crown/steerer with integrated lower bearing race and tapered steerer tube. Low friction seals and bushings. BOOST axle spacing. External rebound damping adjustment (2. External high speed compression damping adjustment (5 click)External low speed compression damping adjustment (2. Weight for 1. 20mm travel model tested – 2,0. Ohlins STX2. 2 shock. Ohlins STX2. 2 air shock. Technical specifications. Available sizes – 1. Adjustable volume air spring. STX damping technology. One piece body and reservoir for low weight and high strength. Low friction seals and bushings. External rebound damping adjustment. External high speed compression damping adjustment. External low speed compression damping adjustment. Climb mode setting. Weight for 2. 00x. We tested the RXF3. STX2. 2 on a COTIC Flare. MAX. Detail. At first glance it’s plain to see that Ohlins does things its own way… there are some stand out features and methods of construction that are unique to them and not the typical norm – the RXF3. The crown race is integrated, so the lower headset bearing sits directly on the fork. The STX2. 2 shock is similar in that the body and piggyback are made out of one piece of material each. A simpler yet more intensive way of construction. Stronger and lighter too. Black with a smattering of gold and a touch of blue. Classy. Both fork and shock are well finished and have a high quality feel and look. With both high speed and low speed compression adjustment as well as rebound you have what you need to get set up just so… to suit you and where, what and how you are riding. With the black lever at the top of the left fork leg there are five clicks of high speed compression adjustment and a further higher level of compression damping that sets the fork very firm. This is featured for sustained smooth climbs. TTX – twin tube damping technology. Integrated crown race – Doing things differently…One piece steerer and crown with integrated race for lower headset bearing. Fitting the fork is as usual with one little difference to note. The integrated crown race makes for easier installation. There’s one less job to do…with no need to fit a separate crown race, simply source the required 4. An aside of the absent separate crown race means that there is no additional lower headset sealing. Three threaded posts feature at the rear of the brace for fitment of an Ohlins specific mudguard. I fitted a Mudhugger to keep muck and clart out of my eyeballs and to help protect this area. In the time that I have been using the RXF3. Three threaded posts for Ohlins mudguard. Some gold, some blue…mostly black. The RXF3. 6 is an adjustable fork. It has low speed compression adjustment, high speed compression adjustment, rebound adjustment and in addition there’s a third air chamber for adjusting bottom out resistance. Not as plug and play as some… but, is it easy to set up? Yes. This is suspension fork that rewards setup time and knowledge of what does what. The manuals supplied with both fork and shock cover all aspects and adjustments, so there’s no ambiguity or guesswork. All dials adjust nicely with positive clicks. There are no excuses really, knowledge is power… read & tweak. Then enjoy! Black dial for high speed compression adjustment, blue for low speed compression adjustment. Ohlins. Gold! Rebound adjuster. Bolt up axle & secondary air chamber at base of right hand leg for progression adjustment. It’s not too difficult to achieve a good feeling and performance, it’s simply a case of understanding what does what and spending some time on set up. The axle is 1. 5mm and relies on a good old bolt up method of fastening. There’s no quick release lever so don’t forget a 5mm allen key for wheel removal/install. Take a 5mm allen key with you. The STX2. 2 has low speed compression adjustment, and high speed compression adjustment. The STX2. 2 shock is a single tube design. Ohlins also offers a twin tube shock – the TTX2. The TTX2. 2 is a coil shock designed for heavier duty use (enduro/DH) and as such is heavier than the air sprung, and light weight STX2. Ohlins STX2. 2. The body and piggyback of the STX2. Like the fork steerer/crown. Less means more machining! High quality construction and finish. This lever goes to three (if you wish). Both fork and shock have fairly long service intervals for oil change and rebuild of air spring and damper cartridge at a recommended 1. Feeling. Quality. Both fork and shock have a high quality, well put together feel. Setting up I went with recommended pressures and went for ride. With sag set and pressure at recommended level in the secondary chamber the fork behaved in a linear fashion. I went with a little more air than the recommended setting in the secondary ramp up chamber for a more progressive feel and with low speed compression and high speed compression adjusted where I wished. This is a straightforward and simple adjustment to make with a shock pump, there’s no need to get inside the fork to fit spacers/tokens. Pretty quickly I was able to adjust to achieve a fork that tracked well with good small bump compliance while behaving in a stable manner and maintaining composure. There’s a real substantial feeling to the RXF3. It’s stout and goes where you aim it. The one piece construction of crown and steerer and the 3. It’s stiff, there’s a real point and shoot accuracy and no twist or deflection experienced in messy terrain. And it can be set up so it’s quick to react with superb mid- stroke support and a nicely progressive end. Charging along the RXF3. The Ohlins pairing of RXF3. STX2. 2 shock offers a calm and confident ride with consistent performance. We fitted the STX2. COTIC Flare. MAX test bike which features progressive linkage actuated single pivot suspension (a. Setup with 3. 0% sag I ended up with rebound set at 2 out of 6 clicks, low speed compression adjusted halfway at 4 out of 8 available clicks and high speed compression stayed mostly in position 1 sometimes venturing into position 2 and rarely position 3. Position 1 is the softest setting offering maximum traction and absorption. Switching between the first 2 positions of high speed compression there’s an incremental ramp- up with position 3 designed to be used for sustained fireroad climbs. It’s not a lockout but it does firm the shock somewhat in this setting. There’s less shock movement as such, there’s less traction on the bumps and an increase in pedalling efficiency, good for going up on smoother terrain not so great for lumps and bumps. I’m not a big switch flicker when climbing and the COTIC Flare. MAX pedals just fine so I left this alone. Still it’s there and it works…On the other hand I do like to be able to tweak low speed compression to find that sweet spot of grip and stability. It’s one of those ‘make a difference’ features that once you’ve tried it and experienced what it does… becomes a must- have. This is a great feature to have control over and be able to fine tune just how the bike behaves. If you are experiencing unwanted movement such as fork dive, you can do something about it. The low speed compression adjustment range is nice and broad, with eight available positions you can get things just how you like/achieve balance and a higher degree of control and composure. Woohoo! The STX2.
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