Anyone fitted a DVO Topaz shock to a Jam2?

[steve_sordy]

Great news Steve! Yes that grey part should be the travel spacer even though it looks like the Fox volume spacer. Let me know how you like the DVO when you get it tuned up. The white thin volume spacers are easy to swap out. Just be careful to not damage the o-ring that holds the housing in place when sliding it down to access the volume spacers.

How can removing that big grey part allow the shock to extend by only 5mm, unless a smaller grey part is added back? I emailed Geoff Welch at DVO this morning, no reply as yet, but they are at least 3 hours, maybe as much as 7 hours behind us.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

While overall that spacer is over 5 mm tall I think the effective portion is what you see at the smallest diameter. The rest is of the spacer is cored out to clear other parts so that inner diameter is the portion that does the effective spacing. The pic might not be of a 5mm spacer and might be a similar one as well. I would say if DVO is telling you that you can remove the gray spacer to get 55mm travel from a 50mm travel shock then it's probably reliable information. Without the parts in hand it's sometimes difficult to determine how they function.

Oh just found this link of a guy selling a 210x55 but says he has the spacer to make it a 50mm travel. If you look at the first picture the spacer is there and is light tan in color and a bit smaller than the one in your picture. 2018 DVO Topaz T3 210x50 or 210x55 For Sale

OK, looks like there are 3 sizes, black (2.5mm), tan (5mm) and gray (7.5mm) DVO Suspension Travep Spacer for Topaz Shock - 1561059

 

[Norange]

I reckon the black "cone" at the bottom of the bottom left image is what normally defines the end stop. So with no spacer, it can move 55mm. The grey spacer looks like it's moulded to fit over that, with a protruding, upper part which would define how much movement you are reducing.

So you could have one spacer where that upper part is 5mm deep. That gives you a 50mm stroke. A different one with a 2.5mm upper part would give you a 52.5mm stroke. and a 10mm upper part would give you a 45mm stroke.

I'm sure if you take pics with the shock apart and send to DVO they will confirm you've done it right. Remember to let all the air out of the shock and the bladder before disassembly though!

As a final check, it'd be worth cycling through the shock with no air after reinstallation. That should reassure you that there won't be an issue (not that I'm expecting one).

Half tempted to see if there's a spacer inside mine now. But mine is the Levo specific 197x48mm stroke, so I don't think so.

 

[steve_sordy]

The shock arrived on Sat 24th Apr and I had it installed same day! I thought I should add some useful pics and explanations for anyone else considering fitting a DVO Topaz t3 shock to their Focus Jam2.
The Topaz comes in a solid looking plastic case, lined with foam and the bits and pieces fit into cut outs. DVO have included a shock pump, some positive and negative volume spacers and a basic set up booklet. For tuning you need to go to their website (link included).

The shock pump works fine, but it was very uncomfortable in my hands so I used my usual shock pump.

First job was to convert from a 50mm travel shock to a 55mm travel version. The pics sent by DVO (see below) are correct, but I found them confusing when I saw them (the shock was upside down for starters). They make sense now I have opened up my own shock and can compare with the DVO pics.

The following will help.

If anyone has ever added a volume spacer to a Fox shock then that is exactly the picture to hold in your mind. The basic instructions are included in the box. Deflate the shock and ensure it is fully empty by compressing it with an Allen key on the Schrader valve nipple. This is not just a safety feature, it allows the air canister to be removed easily. I used a pick to gently remove the O ring from the bottom corner of the air canister, but a bent pin should do it. Then unscrew the air canister and set aside. You will see a black ring about 5mm thick on the stanchion. This is not the travel spacer! I believe it is a bump stop, so leave it there. The picture below is from a Forum Member who was doing exactly as I was only a few hours ahead of me. He thought this was the travel spacer (led astray by the 5mm part of the description). As soon as I realised I sent him some pictures (see below) and warned him as I knew he was about to go for a test ride.

Anyway, back to my shock.
If you hold the shock upright and look underneath the housing you will see the travel spacer. In the pic below I have eased down the small O ring and also the washer it holds in place. You can see the spacer. It's a black shape with a big slot cut through it.

I used my pick to pull the spacer down the stanchion, but I have used a small Allen key before now on Fox shocks. It should move easily. Pull it down until it is in clear space then just push it off sideways.

Slide the washer and the O ring back up into the top of the shock. At this point the shock is in the same condition it would be if you wanted to add any air volume tuning spacers. I didn't, so I screwed the air canister back on. Hand tight and not bastard tight! Then replace the big O ring at the bottom of the air canister and we are ready for fitting to the bike.

 

[Norange]

 

[steve_sordy]

You should be able to use the same mounting kit as came from your old shock, but I thought I'd use new. Besides, I wasn't sure that the hole in the shock mount (where the bushings go) would be the same diameter. The size for the Jam2 is 25mm x 8mm diameter. The inside dia of the tube is 8mm to fit the shock mounting bolts, the tube external diameter fits the DVO shock bushings and the length fits the Jam2 frame.
I bought two of these on-line. The black rings in there are two O rings and two spacers to bridge the gap from the shock to the bike frame. Make sure that you have some of these before you order the shock. I bought mine months ago and they were out of stock for months afterwards! They cost about £9/set.

They fitted the shock perfectly and it was easy to tell that they were mounted centrally because the spacers and the ends of the tube will be flush. I used new mounting bolts because I happened to have a set (courtesy of Rutland Cycling). It's a good job too because the upper mounting bolt was a bit scored. A set of mounting bolts cost about £8. Make sure you have some of those too, just in case.

From previous posts on this thread I had established that the shock would foul the TEC pack when close to full compression. I had established that all I had to do was to move the TEC pack mounting rail from its position on the frame to the Sam2 position instead of the Jam2/Bold position. It raises the centre of gravity of the bike by a small amount and it makes the connecting cable a bit harder to fit into place. But all is secure and it looks OK. The shock moves through a shallow outward curve as it moves through its travel and comes closer to the TEC pack, but still comfortably misses it.

That was my back up position. I believed it was worth a try to mount the shock upside down to see if the shock would clear the TEC pack. But before I could test clearance with the TEC pack, I checked whether the shock would not foul the frame. I got my wife to move a thin piece of card back and forth on the frame underneath the shock while I compressed the bike through it's full travel. Sadly on my size Large carbon fibre framed bike it fouled the frame just above the motor. So no point in proceeding any further! The guy that I had been messaging back and forth with had tried the upside down shock position and on his Medium frame and it worked perfectly without any fouling.
What???? As you can see from the pic below, his bike is an alloy frame (vs my carbon fibre frame) which probably accounts for the difference. Anyway, it is worth trying whatever frame you have. You can see why he preferred the upside down position.

My final position is to have the TEC pack mounting rail in the Sam2 position and the shock mounted upright. And so to set up and testing.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

I'm so glad you two were able to get your DVO's. I'm still waiting to order mine here in the States and hoping it will clear my latest small DIY Tec pack. I'm working on an intermediate size pack for this "bag". I've come up with a way to minimize the width using 5000 maH Tesla batteries so I'll have a 125 wH and 180 wH pack to use in this adjustable bottle cage. I can also run my 250 wH bottle and maybe with some trimming at the bottom that will also fit. The 125 wH can go up to 13 miles. I do think I might have to raise this pack just a bit. Upside down would work except I also have the CF frame so maybe that is a no go for me?

 

[steve_sordy]

When applying some basic settings on Saturday I used the DVO chart in the basic set up guide that came in the box for my riding weight for the shock pressure and put the rebound at the mid point. I didn't touch the bladder, I assumed that it would come with at least 170psi (mistake!) I was short of time because we had visitors arriving soon, so I left it. I went for a quick bounce around outside on the street and after the first kerb I rode off I thought I had a flat tyre! Too late now!

I went for a test ride and took my normal shock pump because the DVO shock pump was uncomfortable to use. That turned out to be a mistake. Setting sag was easy, no problems there. I had put 220psi in there initially, but discovered that I needed only 165psi to get 30% sag. Rebound was a doddle and I quickly found a good setting. I started 5 clicks out of 9 away from slow, but soon went a bit faster to 4/9. The detents are very soft and you have to pay attention when turning the knob.

The piggyback reservoir proved to be the problem. There is an air-filled bladder in there that operates between 170-200psi. When I checked it had 80psi in there! It had ridden OK, but the bike felt soft. This is where it all went a bit wrong! My shock pump was 13 years old and had never given me any bother at all. To get the shock pump between the frame and the bottom of the piggyback reservoir required the air hose to bend quite a bit. This exposed a flaw in the air hose and while I could pump up the bladder to 200psi quite easily, all the air leaked out as I removed the pump. No matter what I tried I could not overcome this. I had no such difficulties with the shock sag because I could keep the hose straight. I went to the on-site bike shop and borrowed a shock pump and I had zero difficulties with either inflation or disconnection. So I inflated the bladder to 200psi and off I went.

DVO say that light riders will find the 170psi satisfactory, but that heavy and/or aggressive riders should go higher. I'm 92kg in my riding kit so I tried 200 psi and it was way too much for my liking, the ride became hard throughout the shock travel. I felt every bump, whereas at 80 psi the bumps were ironed out (not surprisingly). I returned to the bike shop and reset the bladder pressure to 185psi (half way between 170-200) and tried again. Much better, but still too hard. At this point I ran out of time. The shock I had borrowed was a Rockshox high pressure (600psi) shock and I was astonished at how easy it was to use, not just the disconnection, but how easy the pressure strokes were compared to my normal pressure pump (300psi). I ordered one ready for my next test session.

Overall, despite not being able to complete the set up, I am absolutely delighted with the DVO Topaz T3 shock. The small bump response has been excellent, I can tell what impact the bladder is having too - it's not one of those features that don't seem to make much difference. I look forward to further experimentation, I haven't even tried tuning the air spring yet.

 

[Tooks]

I did a couple of rides over the weekend on mine, and similar to you I was really pleased with how it feels over my Fox DPS.

In fact, what it has done more than anything is show up the limitations of my Fox 34 140mm Rhythm fork, which feels quite harsh and twangy now.

It’s got me looking at DVO forks now too...

Still cheaper than a new bike though, right?!

 

[steve_sordy]

I did a couple of rides over the weekend on mine, and similar to you I was really pleased with how it feels over my Fox DPS.

In fact, what it has done more than anything is show up the limitations of my Fox 34 140mm Rhythm fork, which feels quite harsh and twangy now.

It’s got me looking at DVO forks now too...

Still cheaper than a new bike though, right?!

That is an interesting comment about the interaction between the fork and shock. I felt that my fork (Rockshox Pike Ultimate) was performing better! I know it sounds weird and it was only my initial thoughts (I was focusing on the shock after all), but it's going to be fun exploring this in the rides to come.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

When applying some basic settings on Saturday I used the DVO chart in the basic set up guide that came in the box for my riding weight for the shock pressure and put the rebound at the mid point. I didn't touch the bladder, I assumed that it would come with at least 170psi (mistake!) I was short of time because we had visitors arriving soon, so I left it. I went for a quick bounce around outside on the street and after the first kerb I rode off I thought I had a flat tyre! Too late now!

I went for a test ride and took my normal shock pump because the DVO shock pump was uncomfortable to use. That turned out to be a mistake. Setting sag was easy, no problems there. I had put 220psi in there initially, but discovered that I needed only 165psi to get 30% sag. Rebound was a doddle and I quickly found a good setting. I started 5 clicks out of 9 away from slow, but soon went a bit faster to 4/9. The detents are very soft and you have to pay attention when turning the knob.

The piggyback reservoir proved to be the problem. There is an air-filled bladder in there that operates between 170-200psi. When I checked it had 80psi in there! It had ridden OK, but the bike felt soft. This is where it all went a bit wrong! My shock pump was 13 years old and had never given me any bother at all. To get the shock pump between the frame and the bottom of the piggyback reservoir required the air hose to bend quite a bit. This exposed a flaw in the air hose and while I could pump up the bladder to 200psi quite easily, all the air leaked out as I removed the pump. No matter what I tried I could not overcome this. I had no such difficulties with the shock sag because I could keep the hose straight. I went to the on-site bike shop and borrowed a shock pump and I had zero difficulties with either inflation or disconnection. So I inflated the bladder to 200psi and off I went.

DVO say that light riders will find the 170psi satisfactory, but that heavy and/or aggressive riders should go higher. I'm 92kg in my riding kit so I tried 200 psi and it was way too much for my liking, the ride became hard throughout the shock travel. I felt every bump, whereas at 80 psi the bumps were ironed out (not surprisingly). I returned to the bike shop and reset the bladder pressure to 185psi (half way between 170-200) and tried again. Much better, but still too hard. At this point I ran out of time. The shock I had borrowed was a Rockshox high pressure (600psi) shock and I was astonished at how easy it was to use, not just the disconnection, but how easy the pressure strokes were compared to my normal pressure pump (300psi). I ordered one ready for my next test session.

Overall, despite not being able to complete the set up, I am absolutely delighted with the DVO Topaz T3 shock. The small bump response has been excellent, I can tell what impact the bladder is having too - it's not one of those features that don't seem to make much difference. I look forward to further experimentation, I haven't even tried tuning the air spring yet.

I'm 160 lbs or a bit less now with all my gear. I never ran more than 170 psi in the bladder. Yes if you check it later it will show far less which is because each time you attach the pump it has to take a large part of the tiny volume (the bladder has a much smaller volume than the shock of course) to fill the pump. It's not really low so fill it to 170 and then take off the pump. If you do happen to check it again later it is always going to be VERY low because it is filling the pump, a fairly large volume for the bladder to lose. The air you hear escaping when you take the pump off is just from the pump and not the bladder. You always need to check sag again if you do change the bladder settings. I think I ran 150-160 psi in the shock and one volume spacer and 1 or 2 negative spacers too. I never got any closer than about 10mm of full travel and DVO said that's OK. They encouraged me to use the main volume spacer for better mid-range support. I was just going to use 3 negative volume spacers and no positive ones. Our FOLD suspension is a bit of an odd duck I think. Even my Fox DPS had two rubber negative volume spacers. Yes I didn't even know that existed, lol. Hope this helps.

 

[steve_sordy]

@sdcoffeeroaster Thanks for that! I was aware what the hiss meant as I uncouple the shock pump, but the problem with my shock was a lot worse than that. I knew that the bladder was small because of how few strokes it needed to get to 200psi. Once I borrowed a new pump, I had no further problems.

The comment that I need to check sag again after changing the bladder settings is fascinating, I had not come across that one! Notice taken!!
When it comes to further tuning, you can be sure that I will be paying attention to your experience.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

@sdcoffeeroaster Thanks for that! I was aware what the hiss meant as I uncouple the shock pump, but the problem with my shock was a lot worse than that. I knew that the bladder was small because of how few stoked it needed to get to 200psi. Once I borrowed a new pump, I had no further problems.

The comment that I need to check sag again after changing the bladder settings is fascinating, I had not come across that one! Notice taken!!
When it comes to further tuning, you can be sure that I will be paying attention to your experience.

I think the pressure in the bladder has the effect of shifting the "curve" up or down. It's probably a minor change in sag. I too had some issues with the DVO pump and it always felt pretty rough as it tightened up. So I used my pump which also has a shorter end piece and it's easily to fit to the bladder port.

 

[themoon]

Interested in trying out this shock - wonder how it compares to cane creek inline db coil. So far these seem as the only viable options for medium frame, which clear tec pack - and hopefully diy pack that I own as well. I had to shave off 2 mm from rebound knob on stock rockshox deluxe, probably if turned upside down, topaz will be fine as well. Can someone pls tell me whose photo it is above? Want to ask some questions in PM. Actually quite happy with deluxe now as well, now that I've installed MegNeg to it, but maybe either of these two options will be even better for small bumps compliance. I often ride in forests, not trails as such - these roads have marks from vehicles, which are actually those small bumps which bother me sometimes

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

Interested in trying out this shock - wonder how it compares to cane creek inline db coil. So far these seem as the only viable options for medium frame, which clear tec pack - and hopefully diy pack that I own as well. I had to shave off 2 mm from rebound knob on stock rockshox deluxe, probably if turned upside down, topaz will be fine as well. Can someone pls tell me whose photo it is above? Want to ask some questions in PM. Actually quite happy with deluxe now as well, now that I've installed MegNeg to it, but maybe either of these two options will be even better for small bumps compliance. I often ride in forests, not trails as such - these roads have marks from vehicles, which are actually those small bumps which bother me sometimes

I have the medium carbon frame and have a DVO shock on order but they probably won't be in until the end of the month. Funny thing is I did have one over a year ago and sold it when I started to do my range extender. It did just barely rub one of the packs I had built but I should have just raised the pack up in retrospect. I loved the DVO and now that I have a Lyrik Ultimate I really want to go back to the DVO again so I've ordered another.

 

[Tooks]

Can someone pls tell me whose photo it is above? Want to ask some questions in PM.

Of the upside down EVO with the DIY battery extender? That’s mine so please fire away!

 

[themoon]

Of the upside down EVO with the DIY battery extender? That’s mine so please fire away!

Which model year do you have? Mine is 2018, Alu. Also, was your stock shock a rockshox deluxe? I tried to pit it upside down as well - no go, it just won't fit.

 

[Tooks]

Which model year do you have? Mine is 2018, Alu. Also, was your stock shock a rockshox deluxe? I tried to pit it upside down as well - no go, it just won't fit.

Mine is a 2019 model year, it came with the stock RS Deluxe (no piggy back), which I changed to a spare DPS Evol I took off an analogue bike I sold on.

The DVO Topaz fits either way up, but clears my DIY Tec Pack better upside down.

 

[themoon]

Cool, thanks! Now just need to find 210x55 topaz in stock

 

[Norange]

Cool, thanks! Now just need to find 210x55 topaz in stock

Nope, as above, you can also use a 210x50 by removing the spacer.

 

[steve_sordy]

@themoon Don't make the mistake I did and keep looking for a 210x55. As this thread explains you can also buy a 210x50 and remove the travel spacer. It really is easy; it took me less than 10 mins the first time I did it, but I believe that I could do it in less than 5 mins from start to finish the second time. See the pics further above.

I had a 210x55 on order with EVO Cycles, due in the UK in June. They are a very helpful bunch (except for not telling me that I could have ordered a 210x50).

Evo Cycles - Bike Parts - Rear-Shocks

Bike Parts - Rear-Shocks - for the best mountain bikes and components, hot sales and imported brands come to Evolution Cycles

www.evocycles.co.uk

I bought my 210x50 from CRC when they had five in stock. I'd like to think that this thread informed so many people that CRC have now sold them all! (In only just over a week!)

 

[S D]

Does anyone have their working RS deluxe r for sale perchance? (210x55)

 

[steve_sordy]

Does anyone have their working RS deluxe r for sale perchance? (210x55)

PM sent.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

FYI, DVO shock delivery date in the States has now been pushed out to July due to supply chain material issues!

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

FYI, DVO shock delivery date in the States has now been pushed out to July due to supply chain material issues!

Make that August now!

 

[themoon]

To revive the thread - I used Topaz in total for about 100 hours under the same conditions where I previously used RS deluxe for 1000+. Same bike, LBS, wheather.

Paint starter to wear off at its shaft. After mailing DVO support they suggested to send it to one of their service centers, where they finally said it is not a warranty case and asked 270 EUR for repairs.

This is looks like a bit of nonsense to me. Shock performs great, until it does not...

I'd think twice before I put any faith in DVO products now