Levo Gen 2 PUSH 11.6 Coil vs Air on the Turbo Levo

[paulmoir]

For those interested in air versus coil suspension, which in itself is a personal preference for both ride feel and ride handling. These are my thoughts and feedback on both the originally fitted Rockshox air rear shock and the PUSH 11.6 coil shock.

This is the video link... https://youtu.be/5IuhQ7hZVYw

 

[JetSedgwick]

Great video, thanks for making it.

 

[JetSedgwick]

A coil is good for only XC/trail riding with the Levo. Meaning 90-95% seated riding. If you do DH or anything with legit jumps you’ll just be hammering the frame with bottom outs unless you over spring to the point of shit trail riding.

this has been proven by many. I have a push 11/6 and it’s great except for anything big. And I’m running a 50lb heavier spring.

The bike was designed for an air shock!

I ordered a Push and it arrives today. I definitely jump my Levo...I take it to bike parks. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

 

[RebornRider]

Air spring riders add some psi before hitting big jumps at the bike park. Coil spring riders swap in a stiffer spring. Takes about 5 minutes and has exactly the same result. It's annoying to see people call a product "stupid shit" when that product genuinely works better for some of us .

I agree that there are some who want to buy something cuz it looks cool or it's trendy or their hero has it, but some of us buy parts because they work better for us. In my case I bought a coil for a specific performance attribute. I still have the original air spring, so I can switch back whenever I want to. But I'm not gonna cuz the coil works better for me. Maybe it wouldn't for you, but you'll never know unless you try it.

 

[JetSedgwick]

After you get over the ‘it’s so plush’ and I gotta justify the cost phase and hit some big jumps you’ll see that it burns through travel like it’s cool. Like I can bottom out a coil on a levo by pumping in a parking lot.

All this said, for people who ride XC and light trail it’s pretty ideal if you can really get it to ride at proper sag. If you get the Cascade components it still doesn’t match the standard for a coil. I think stock the bike is 16% progressive. Which means if you coil it then don’t be mad when you go off a curb and use 60% of travel.

sorry to be a dick (not sorry) it’s just annoying to see people push to burn money for stupid shit.

I'll write up a review when my stupid shit arrives, I guess I would not make such bad decisions if I were not so dumb.

 

[ebikerider]

Unfortunately old mate above has a point. The 11.6 in the Levo and Kenevo SL platform isn't a stellar performer for some peoples riding and terrain. Back to back with an EXT highlights how quickly the 11.6 will get thru its travel using the same rate spring and also highlights how much better the HBO is on the EXT. I guess having such a large bottom out bumper should also give away the lack of effectiveness of the Push HBO (compared to the EXT) and how much Push are relying on it for progression. Quality control on the Push can be an issue too, not everything on the inside is as well made as the outside appearance (burrs on shims, stuck rebound needles, holes in shafts oval from blunt tooling, HSC springs warped).

I have no preference for any company or brand btw, I just like my gear to work and work well when its big $$, Push has missed the mark twice for me and chasing a solution can be time consuming so I don't bother with them any longer.

In stock form supplied by Push I believe the Levo/Kenevo shock is designed for a rider who doesn't hit anything but smooth landers off max 2m jumps and/or isn't the quickest person on the trails. Nothing wrong with this at all as they are creating and selling a product to what they believe their demographic is.

I have friends that are extremely quick (National champs) and in the past have had great success with Push shocks so in some applications the shocks work and work well. It could be argued that these guys could run any shock and just be as quick but I just wanted to highlight that sometimes they get it right, it's just this application ime I believe they have had (another) swing and a miss.

 

[JetSedgwick]

Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings man just trying to save people from reselling it at a loss. Or you can always rock airshock for your party days and the coil when you’re gonna crush some distance.

I'll ride it for the first time today, if it is worse I'll be honest and let the forum know.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

A coil is good for only XC/trail riding with the Levo. Meaning 90-95% seated riding. If you do DH or anything with legit jumps you’ll just be hammering the frame with bottom outs unless you over spring to the point of shit trail riding.

this has been proven by many. I have a push 11/6 and it’s great except for anything big. And I’m running a 50lb heavier spring.

The bike was designed for an air shock!

One more thing that is negative about coil is that the bike does not get as poppy and that it removes some of the playfulness in the bike.

 

[JetSedgwick]

I installed the Push 11/6 and I agree so far with the above negative posts (@BAMBAMODA is correct). The shock is plusher on minor stuff and is less chattery. But it bottoms out too fast...my riding weight is 185 lbs and I have a 575 lb coil. I will contact Push and see about sizing up to a 575 or 600 lb coil.

 

[mtbbiker]

I had a Push shock on my Gen 2 Levo and I weigh about 215. I’m a very aggressive rider and bottom the crap out of that shock. Revalved it once and still the same issue. Sold after about 6 months of trying to get it toWork.

I think the bigger problem is the shock stroke 55mm is a great stroke for trail riding and for riders under 190lbs. Once you get around to 190lbs Or more, the shocks just take too big of a spring or even air pressure to stop you from bottoming. I’ve ridden these 55mm stroke for some time and this always seems to be the issue. My brother has the Gen 3 Levo with the Cascade long stroke kit and this solves a lot of the issues.

I bought a Kenevo and it also uses a longer stroke shock. I still bottom occasionally, but I rarely feel it bottom. The Levo, I would bottom so badly, the upper bolt would bend.

 

[Pedal-Man]

I installed the Push 11/6 and I agree so far with the above negative posts (@BAMBAMODA is correct). The shock is plusher on minor stuff and is less chattery. But it bottoms out too fast...my riding weight is 185 lbs and I have a 575 lb coil. I will contact Push and see about sizing up to a 575 or 600 lb coil.

Glad I just bought an EXT V3 for my 21 LSL, after I snapped the shaft on an X fusion HLR coil in Big Bear a couple weeks ago. The DPX2 is pure shit on the Levo /LSL. Inconsistent ride feel is the culprit. With a coil you have to be selective with your spring rate and adjust accordingly. Most people are afraid to use the appropriate coil spring for their weight and "under spring" their coil, which ends up super plush but super boring and a muted ride feeling.

I'm the same weight (185) and I am running 600# on my EXT and did on the same on the X-Fusion
I do have the Cascade Link and run both 210x55 coils

 

[JetSedgwick]

Glad I just bought an EXT V3 for my 21 LSL, after I snapped the shaft on an X fusion HLR coil in Big Bear a couple weeks ago. The DPX2 is pure shit on the Levo /LSL. Inconsistent ride feel is the culprit. With a coil you have to be selective with your spring rate and adjust accordingly. Most people are afraid to use the appropriate coil spring for their weight and "under spring" their coil, which ends up super plush but super boring and a muted ride feeling.

I'm the same weight (185) and I am running 600# on my EXT and did on the same on the X-Fusion
I do have the Cascade Link and run both 210x55 coils

do you feel the cascade link is worthwhile? if so, how so?

 

[Pedal-Man]

Yes, these bikes need more progression as they move into the final part of travel. The bike makes big hits/jumps seem bottomless and remains poppy and playful. I run one on my 22 EVO as well.

Levo SL Link

 

[ebikerider]

I installed the Push 11/6 and I agree so far with the above negative posts (@BAMBAMODA is correct). The shock is plusher on minor stuff and is less chattery. But it bottoms out too fast...my riding weight is 185 lbs and I have a 575 lb coil. I will contact Push and see about sizing up to a 575 or 600 lb coil.

The truth isn't negative it's just the truth....as you have found out.

Try adding HSC and LSC to see if you can get closer to what you're looking for. I went up to a 650 spring in increments from 575 but could never find a setting that worked well. The heavier springs helped with bottom out but everywhere else it was rough. I've never had a shock that had such a negative impact on my fork as the Push...made it feel rough AF as the front and rear just were not balanced.
I'm no EXT fanboy as I've found them to be tuned weirdly but in this instance the difference between the EXT and Push with the same spring is huge. And my forks performance returned immediately upon removing the Push.

 

[kwolfkill]

Despite loving the feel of coil shocks and being tempted to put one on my ’21 Levo Comp, given the linear nature of its rear suspension, I went with a Fox Float X2 and have been generally happy. It isn’t quite as plush as a coil, but it’s close, and its progressive nature has been welcomed on bigger hits. Overall, it maintains good composure during aggressive riding while still managing to retain some degree of poppiness when required. Front fork is a 160mm Fox 38E Factory.

That said, after 600+ miles of aggressive Pacific Northwest terrain with average descents of 3000-5000’ per ride, the X2 did blow a seal, which Fox rebuilt under warranty. So I can’t say reliability is great, but performance has met expectations.

If I had a Cascade link on this bike or a Gen 3 Levo with the more progressive rear end, I might be tempted by an EXT E-Storia, but for now the X2 does the trick.

 

[JetSedgwick]

I can say Push customer service was great, the dudes were cool and knowledgeable.

 

[ebikerider]

I can say Push customer service was great, the dudes were cool and knowledgeable.

What solution did they offer?