Progressive 412s v. 440s: tell your story
#51
06-29-2011, 03:42 PM
#52
03-08-2012, 09:04 AM
So here goes:
412 Series: Gas charged (keeps oil from foaming), multi-staged velocity sensitive valving (damping increases with shaft speed) and a simple 5 position preload adjuster. Also, available in standard rate or heavy duty (big riders or those who spend most of their time two up are great candidates for Heavy Duty shocks)
430 Series: High pressure gas mono tube design with deflective disk damping (typical of high end shocks and generally considered the best method to provide damping control). Hand adjustable preload cap (DO NOT underestimate the importance of correctly setting preload/sag).
440 Series: Similar to the 430, with the addition of an Inertia Activated valve that helps separate chassis movement from wheel movement. An example of this would be an encounter with a big pothole. The IAS valve senses the ground has fallen away under it and permits the shock to open up an oil path (speeding up droop travel), allowing the wheel to drop into the hole without taking the chassis with it. This result is a bike that is more likely to stay on one plane while the wheel and suspension are down there doing their getting busy!
We can go into mind numbing detail if you guys can tolerate it, but this simplified overview should give you a good sense as to the differences between the three shock series.
412 Series: Gas charged (keeps oil from foaming), multi-staged velocity sensitive valving (damping increases with shaft speed) and a simple 5 position preload adjuster. Also, available in standard rate or heavy duty (big riders or those who spend most of their time two up are great candidates for Heavy Duty shocks)
430 Series: High pressure gas mono tube design with deflective disk damping (typical of high end shocks and generally considered the best method to provide damping control). Hand adjustable preload cap (DO NOT underestimate the importance of correctly setting preload/sag).
440 Series: Similar to the 430, with the addition of an Inertia Activated valve that helps separate chassis movement from wheel movement. An example of this would be an encounter with a big pothole. The IAS valve senses the ground has fallen away under it and permits the shock to open up an oil path (speeding up droop travel), allowing the wheel to drop into the hole without taking the chassis with it. This result is a bike that is more likely to stay on one plane while the wheel and suspension are down there doing their getting busy!
We can go into mind numbing detail if you guys can tolerate it, but this simplified overview should give you a good sense as to the differences between the three shock series.
The remaining 35% of my miles are on long rides - ranging from 200 miles to 500 mile days. On long rides, i plan to go 2up. My girlfriend is about 120.
I'm trying to decide which model to get and what length is ideal.
I've read some posts saying that unless you weigh above 220, you will get little value out of the 440s. And others that state that you should go above 12" or 12.5" lengths.
Could you shed some light on what your recommendation would be?
And please feel free to go into mind-numbing detail if needed
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