Effective damping is a vital component of suspension performance. Damping makes your ride rigid when on the pedals, but it stands in your way when confronting obstacles or ripping through corners.

Regressive damping works when it should, and only when it should, because its engagement is sensitive to shaft velocity. What affects shaft velocity? Most rider inputs, like pedaling, produce low velocity, whereas most environmental inputs are the result of encounters with eruptive shapes, and result in high shaft velocity. With RE:aktiv, inputs that produce low shaft velocity do not affect performance but a threshold exists where anything that exceeds it immediately and dramatically changes the function of the shock. A sudden increase of shaft velocity—or how quickly the shock is trying to compress—opens the suspension up and allows for a supple and controlled response. It’s like having two different shocks on your bike.

Normal rider input cannot produce enough velocity through pedaling to open the shock, which is the basis for RE:aktiv’s ability to distinguish pedaling from environmental inputs that require engagement of the suspension. When abrupt obstacles are encountered, the shock gets out of its own way. The process reverses as quickly as it begins, meaning you don’t lose it on the obstacle but don’t sacrifice efficiency in the transition either. The speed of this transition is what gives RE:aktiv its unique feel—one that riders have been seeking for years.

For years, inertia valves provided damping in mountain bike suspension. While this technology is very good at keeping closed and providing efficiency, it is not successful in adapting to changes in the terrain.

RE:aktiv was designed to address the primary drawback of these systems—they require too much input to engage. Because inertia valves respond to g force, the shock often fails to open up when it should. Your shock may not fully engage until the second or third hit of a techy section, and you sacrifice control and feedback in the meantime.

The problem persists on the other end of the obstacle or corner, where a lag period occurs before the shock realizes it is no longer needed and the damping function reengages. Essentially, inertia valves work, they’re just slow to recognize what’s happening around them. They become easily confused in off-road applications because they don’t easily identify different inputs, and don’t know whether to close or open on variable terrain. Simply put, other technologies lack the intuitiveness and immediate response that RE:aktiv provides.

RE:aktiv was designed to complement existing suspension settings, such as climb and trail modes. RE:aktiv can function effectively in all three settings, allowing you to simply pick the proper setting and let her rip. Wouldn’t it be nice to no longer interrupt your flow to flip between suspension settings during a ride? It simply makes the shock better all the time.