I’d probably describe it as akin to fitting softer compound tyres or running slightly lower pressures
While Charger 3 gets high and low-speed compression control, just like its predecessor, Rockshox wanted to reduce what’s known as cross-talk. In other words, the influence that one adjustment has on the other. Make a change to one aspect of damping with Charger 3 and it will only have an impact on that parameter. Alongside this goal, was the aim of creating a truly usable range of damping, where each click makes a noticeable and consistent difference, and simplifying the dials so you don’t get lost in detents.
On Charger 3 there is a middle, or neutral setting, and you either add or subtract damping from there. Why no high-speed rebound adjustment as offered by Fox? Because Rockshox believes the trade-off between added complexity for the user and improved control is less significant on the rebound side, as the two adjustments can have a lot more influence on each other and the range of shaft speeds are much closer than they are on the compression side.
While we’re on the subject of the rebound circuit, there’s a new ‘silencer’ valve that deflects the oil flow and prevents it spraying into the chamber, which reduces the slurping noise. After all, a quiet bike is a fast bike.
Two final details carried over from the Flight Attendant forks are the bolt-in dropout adaptors that let you run a hub without Torque Caps and still get the axle to align with the hub, and the specially formulated Maxima Plush Dynamic Suspension Lube.
SUPER DELUXE ULTIMATE SHOCK
With its new RC2T (Rebound, Compression x2 and Threshold) damper, the new Super Deluxe Ultimate air and coil shocks aim to offer increased rider control over tuning.
There are five base tunes available to manufacturers when speccing a bike, and Rockshox says a full sweep of the adjustment dials can get you from the midpoint of the next lightest tune to the midpoint of the next firmer tune, without changing the shock.
Once again, cross-talk has been significantly reduced, so each compression adjuster has more of an independent effect. Total clicks have been reduced and the shock ships in a mid, or neutral setting, so you turn it towards the + symbol for more damping and the - symbol for less. There are five clicks for low-speed (the big dial) and five for high-speed (a 3mm hex key), and each click is said to have a more consistent and appreciable effect on what you actually feel on the trail.
There’s a new kid in town when it comes to end stroke progression – Hydraulic Bottom Out. Found on some EXT and Push shocks, this technology aims to restrict the movement of damping fluid in the last 20% of the stroke. On air shocks the HBO is fixed, but on the coil version you can actually adjust it, giving very precise control over end stroke characteristics. How do you know if your shock has it? Just look for the pyramid stack of lines at the base of the shock body.
By using the damping circuit to reduce harsh bottom outs, riders can focus on tuning the air volume to adjust the initial sensitivity and levels of support. To this end there are two air can options – progressive and linear. The progressive can has a bigger negative air volume (though less than a Megneg)