Damper products that aren’t suspension

thejake
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Carnation, WA US

I’ve noticed 4 parts available now that seem to all address a similar issue.  The issue being comfort and dampening trail chatter to the rider.  The four I’ve seen are: steering damper, Fasst handlebars with the bushings, O-chain and mass tuned dampers.

I’m curious has anyone tried all of them? Would be super curious if one product is much better for certain bikes/trail types? How do they stack up against getting a custom tune on your fork and shock? 

If you’ve tried one chime in.  Maybe Vital can do an article and test all four items individually and then one super dampened bike with all four. 

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TEAMROBOT
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Los Angeles, CA US
1/28/2025 4:30pm
thejake wrote:
I’ve noticed 4 parts available now that seem to all address a similar issue.  The issue being comfort and dampening trail chatter to the rider.  The...More

I’ve noticed 4 parts available now that seem to all address a similar issue.  The issue being comfort and dampening trail chatter to the rider.  The four I’ve seen are: steering damper, Fasst handlebars with the bushings, O-chain and mass tuned dampers.

I’m curious has anyone tried all of them? Would be super curious if one product is much better for certain bikes/trail types? How do they stack up against getting a custom tune on your fork and shock? 

If you’ve tried one chime in.  Maybe Vital can do an article and test all four items individually and then one super dampened bike with all four. 

Great question! I haven't tried the other three products you mentioned, but I have spent a lot of time on the Ochain and I would argue that it is, fundamentally, a suspension product. In effect, it's changing the way your axle path interacts with your drivetrain, in much the same way that changing the actual axle path would. It's like changing your suspension layout to have lower anti-squat values while coasting, then changing your suspension layout to have higher anti-squat values when you are pedaling, all without changing your suspension layout. If there was a movable pivot that accomplished the same thing everytime you pedaled (a la Kona's wild "Magic Link"), it would absolutely be considered a suspension setup.

A few items I'd add to your list: the rotating Rev grips and the new Rali chain magnet. Shoes can make a big difference, too. You could argue Cushcore could be on the list too. Softer compound tires, changing psi, and thicker or thinner tire casing also impact trail chatter, but arguably tire suspension is just another form of suspension.

4
thejake
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Carnation, WA US
1/28/2025 5:01pm

Good point about the O-chain and tires and inserts.  I left tires off the list because you need tires to ride and can play with psi.  Inserts should probably be on the list.  You don’t need any of these products to ride but they can add a degree of comfort and control.  

I’ll look into those other products.  I have heard of the grips but forgot about them. 

ballz
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Ouagadougou EH
1/28/2025 5:15pm

Don't forget about 

Review: Cane Creek Thudbuster ST G4 suspension seatpost | road.cc

(or any Reverb - same thing)

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dolface
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CA US
1/28/2025 5:54pm

Redshift Shockstop stem? Kind of a suspension gizmo but really just a damper...

What about the Cascade link? Changes the leverage ratio (among other things) to make suspension softer off the top...

I have RevGrips on my hardtail and they're nice, comfy grips but not a game-changer for me. I'll go back to regular lock-ons once they wear out.

1/28/2025 8:33pm

The new schwalbe radial tires offer a very damp ride feel.

I use counter shox mass dampers and ochain on my bike. I’ve also been experimenting with some soft rubber damping material. I’ve tested it in the bars, axles and Seatpost. I believe it does slightly reduce vibrations and high sharp frequencies.

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brash
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AU
1/29/2025 12:32pm

Mid 90's I used a Girvin Flexstem until manitou SX's were common lol

Elastomer stem with 1inch travel if I remember correct. It worked quite well considering the tech at the time

Girvin 1A
3
Splayleg
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Los Gatos, CA US
1/29/2025 5:10pm

Whoa that seems like a wild product. With a fork the whole bike goes down with travel. With this just your bars can pitch down giving the perfect aero tuck for dh domination

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1/29/2025 5:45pm

Don’t forget about stfu chain dampers that stop the chain from oscillating and pulling on your cranks. And would you throw a lower guide into this group? Eliminating the derailleur moving with compression.  

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Splayleg
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1/29/2025 5:54pm

If I put that stem on my 180 zeb can I claim 205 travel? Sic. They have handle bars that do the same im going to have to crunch the numbers now 

2
brash
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1/29/2025 6:30pm

I did run it for a bit when I got my Manitou's in 96 I think it was, it gave a real weird feeling from what I can remember, been about 40,0000 beers since then.

6
sspomer
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Boise, ID US
1/30/2025 7:36am Edited Date/Time 1/30/2025 7:39am

softride stems always looked crazy/cool w/ an actual spring. wasn't their tagline "suspend the rider, not the bike"? when i googled it, this meroca aliexpress thing came up too.

Screen Shot 2025-01-30 at 8.33.50 AM.png?VersionId=65SGCc
ZAKBROWN!
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Salt Lake City, UT US
1/30/2025 8:02am
sspomer wrote:

also brandon turman, former tech editor here, really dug the fastflexx bars IIRC. his review is here - https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Handlebars,38/Fasst/Flexx-Enduro,24182 - scroll down a bit.

I dug them too until they snapped on me landing a step down drop in the NAEC race a few years ago.  Luckily it was the alloy wing that pushes into the elastomer so they held together (with like 6” of travel) so I didn’t die in the big g-out and step up that followed.  Ended my race though and any trust I had in them.  They sent me a new set but didn’t seem too concerned with a pretty scary failure.  Sold them and went back to normal bars.  

4
haen
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CA US
1/30/2025 8:12am

The type of grips you run has a pretty substantial impact from my experience. Pure silicone grips provide more damping than lock-ons.

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Cougar797
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Bentonville, AR US
1/30/2025 8:40am
haen wrote:

The type of grips you run has a pretty substantial impact from my experience. Pure silicone grips provide more damping than lock-ons.

I have really thought about going to nice squishy slip ons for this reason. 

1
Explodo
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Arvada, CO US
1/30/2025 9:03am
ballz wrote:
Don't forget about (or any Reverb - same thing)More

Don't forget about 

Review: Cane Creek Thudbuster ST G4 suspension seatpost | road.cc

(or any Reverb - same thing)

Those are a great way to mess up your knees...via my experience in the late 90s.

 

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1
Blake_Motley
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Chula Vista, CA US
1/30/2025 9:23am
sspomer wrote:

also brandon turman, former tech editor here, really dug the fastflexx bars IIRC. his review is here - https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Handlebars,38/Fasst/Flexx-Enduro,24182 - scroll down a bit.

Slightly embarrassing to admit but I’ve always been intrigued by these because of how much I struggle with hand cramps from trail chatter. Forgot how much Brandon liked them. 

1
ride
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Bellinghome, WA US
1/30/2025 9:33am
sspomer wrote:
softride stems always looked crazy/cool w/ an actual spring. wasn't their tagline "suspend the rider, not the bike"? when i googled it, this meroca aliexpress thing...More

softride stems always looked crazy/cool w/ an actual spring. wasn't their tagline "suspend the rider, not the bike"? when i googled it, this meroca aliexpress thing came up too.

Screen Shot 2025-01-30 at 8.33.50 AM.png?VersionId=65SGCc

Funny story about these.

In 2003 I got hired to work at Softride here in Bellingham by my good friend Adam. I was chasing a career as a pro mountain biker at that time. As a prank, he ran a print ad for the suspension stem, with a fabricated quote from me endorsing the stem as a 'game changer' for a pro mountain biker. It was actually pretty detailed haha. That was my first industry job, and I think back fondly on my couple years there learning about manufacturing bike frames. We were making them in-house at the time.

Adam now works with us at Transition, full circle.

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1/30/2025 10:33am
I guess you could spray a bunch of this into any open tube? Frame, handlebars.... More

I guess you could spray a bunch of this into any open tube? Frame, handlebars.... 

image 174

The standard spray foam doesn’t have a big effect on vibration. Slightly, but it’s almost too light to dampen.

1
1/30/2025 10:54am Edited Date/Time 1/30/2025 10:54am
I guess you could spray a bunch of this into any open tube? Frame, handlebars.... More

I guess you could spray a bunch of this into any open tube? Frame, handlebars.... 

image 174

The standard spray foam doesn’t have a big effect on vibration. Slightly, but it’s almost too light to dampen.

Maybe we could inject some steel shavings into the foam as it's being sprayed?

Tuned Mass Foamers?

j/k

7
thegromit
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Durango, CO US
1/30/2025 2:19pm
bmxconan wrote:
These are great in the Kevlar (softest available) but would be better if renthal made them in super tacky - I actually wrote an email to...More

These are great in the Kevlar (softest available) but would be better if renthal made them in super tacky - I actually wrote an email to renthal 🤣. 

1
Fox
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Durango, CO US
2/17/2025 7:45pm

Fun story about Rev Grips. 

I've been running them for years. I like em. They help my worn out hands keep goin on long days and rough, rocky tracks. 

My 16yo son came home from a ride on one of my bikes raving about the grips and how smooth things felt on the bike. He rides without gloves despite my disapproval; he'll learn the hard way at some point. He was not aware that they are specifically designed to dampen vibration and harshness, but he was very interested in learning more once I explained the clever system Rev grips use. 

boozed
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AU
2/17/2025 7:54pm Edited Date/Time 2/17/2025 7:59pm
I guess you could spray a bunch of this into any open tube? Frame, handlebars.... More

I guess you could spray a bunch of this into any open tube? Frame, handlebars.... 

image 174

The standard spray foam doesn’t have a big effect on vibration. Slightly, but it’s almost too light to dampen.

So about the same as vibrocore then?

I use a vibrocore bar (thanks to a combination of curiosity and a CRC sale) and I can't tell the difference in feel between it and the "normal" bar it replaced.  The bar is not very heavy, so the foam itself can't be particularly dense.

I also never found any empirical data that suggests the idea is much more than wishful thinking, but it's been a while since I researched it.

 

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