Got Air? 5TH Element Air

[knucklebuste]

Picking it up today for my Hollowpoint. Anybody running one? It got a real bad rap over at mtbr.com/reviews but that's just a handful of peeps out of many shocks out there. I'm only using it for a couple months until my new frame is available. Anybody have any experience with this shock? I wanted a coil, but figured this would make the frame (Hollowpoint) more desirable to sell when I sell it to Splat in 2 months.

Knuckle

[Baconman]

Got one. It's great so far. No leaks and no bob. The bushings are plastic and you must set up the shock stiff enough so that it doesn't bottom out hard or the bushings will break. It has a huge air chamber and runs at a half the pressure of most shocks. I use 60 psi in the IVP chamber and half my body weight in the main chamber. BTW when you add air to one chamber it affects the pressure in the other so either you use two pumps or go back and forth between them until both are right. Instead of using sag for the setup, I use the oring on the shaft to make sure I'm getting full travel. The biggest complaint with it was the Shraeder valve caps were impossible to get off without pliers on a cold day. It's a nit but the replacement caps from the auto store have bigger knurls.

[knucklebuste]

Sounds like a nightmare to set up. :o
I'm 200 or so with gear, so what should I do? You need 2 air pumps for the thing? ::)
So basically, when you put air in one chamber it > or < the air in the other chamber? Should I hire someone to set it up properly?

Knuckle

[AGENTGRAPE]

i have one too. try 80 lbs in the ifp and 150 in the main chamber. i weighed 200 at the time i got it. now im down to 182. its on a gt i-drive frame. if you have a 4 bar linkage it may need different air pressure. i had to send my shock back to progressive after 3 rides. according to them they got a bad bunch of internal o rings that twisted on the shaft and would cause the shock to lock up. i sent them the shock paying for shipping.they fixed it in 48 hrs but shipped it ground. they said however i shipped it they would send it back the same way. didnt happen. its all right now back on the bike. its a way better ride than the fox air. i replaced a fox rlc. very close to the 5th coil in feel. mine does not leak air i have heard some stories about that. the ifp chamber is very small when you pump it to the desired pressure it is set. if you put the pump back on to check the pressure all the air in the ifp will go into the pump and the shock will read about 10 lbs. it didnt leak out!!!! the ifp is that small. it only takes about 2-3 strokes to fill. the main chamber takes about 20 or more.

[knucklebuste]

Got the 5th mounted on the bike. Of course the idiots at the shop got the wrong mount kit for one of the mounts. I had to do a little fanagling to get it to work, but it's good, not a hack. I put like 100 psi in the IFT chamber and about 150 in the main chamber and the thing sags way too much, like 1/2 to 3/4 of the shock. Any idea what could be wrong? I was sitting on the bike (no gear, just street clothes) and I'm about 180LBS. Any idea? Kevin

[Baconman]

Set up takes 2 minutes the first time and 30 seconds after that. One pump works, but if you happen to have 2 pumps it's quicker. Put 80 psi in the IFP, then 100 psi in the main. Then go back and reset the IFP to 80 and then to be careful make sure the main chamber is still at 100. Done. That's what works for my Intense Spider. If your geometry is different you may have to compensate with more air in the main chamber.

When setting up the sag, get on the bike and move the oring forward until it hits the shock body, then get off slowly and carefully. If you mount the bike quickly the shock excursion can easily exceed 1/2 travel.

[AGENTGRAPE]

try a little more air in the main chamber maybe 175 lbs. so you had to do a little work to get the bushings to fit the frame. i have not seen one go in untouched.

[knucklebuste]

Well the directions say no more than 150 in the main chamber? Is it ok to go to 175? It's just not stiff enough for my fat ass I guess. I'm only 185 with clothing though. Not that fat of a fat bastid. Not like Evil or nothing.
Knuck

[AGENTGRAPE]

how much is in the ifp max is 125 what kind of bike is on

[knucklebuste]

Iron Horse Hollowpoint, the IFP is set to 125 which is max. It's not losing air as far as I know. Kevin

[AGENTGRAPE]

if its at max pressure in both cahmbers it should be so hard its like a hardtail. have you ridden it around?

[knucklebuste]

Yeah, I rod it around my living room about 15 times. I got it at about 100 in the IFT and 160 in the main and I got 10mm of sag, so I guess it doesn't get any better than that. I'm just not use to it yet. The fox ava seemed a lot stiffer. I'm sure the shock will be fine. I've yet to hear anything bad from anyone local that has one. Hopefully my new frame will have a coil on it. Don't get me wrong, I've had no problems with the air shocks, besides knocking off the schrader valve on my Fox, bu that was my stupidity.

[AGENTGRAPE]

now you have to take the shock pump on a ride with you. you will probably let some out of the main chamber. also the rebound needs to work in a little.until you trail ride it you wont be able to tell the difference. it will be big