2015 Mountain Bike Product of the Year - Vital MTB Shreddy Awards 15

Push Industries has completely changed the mountain bike suspension game with their Elevensix rear shock, earning them 2015 MTB Product of the Year.


Elevensix Highlights

The Push Elevensix shock combines the best parts identified over a decade of experience tweaking, tuning, and improving other suspension products, and is intended to meet the needs of hard charging, long travel trail bike riders. With so many years of experience improving other designs and receiving valuable real world feedback from their customers, it was finally time for Push to produce their own shock from the ground up. The new Elevensix gives riders the ability to define exactly how they want their shock to perform, with the unique ability to adjust high- and low-speed compression on both switch settings. The dual-cartridge compression valve system allows you to quickly toggle between settings. Want a platform and small bump sensitivity? No problem. Simply describe to Push how you'd like your bike to ride. Every detail was considered. From the barrel-shaped Hyperco spring to the open-cell foam bottom-out bumper, 360-degree spring collar, parabolic damping needles, high-end seals and bushings... all of the little improvements add up to huge gains on the trail with improved confidence and bike control. At a savings of 100-200 grams over the competition, this is a seriously light coil shock. Push tunes the shock specifically to your bike, your riding style, and your weight. Each bike undergoes a kinematic analysis with data logging to verify, and they look at existing customer feedback on the stock shock before determining how to custom build each Elevensix. Following the custom-tune process, all shocks will arrive with a setup card and six recommended settings - two for climbing, two for trail use, and two for DH. Designed, engineered, prototyped, tested, and manufactured in Colorado. Direct contact with the Push technician that built the shock is icing on the cake.


Vital's Exclusive First Look at the Push Elevensix



Learn more at Push Industries. Congrats!

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Rear Shocks
PUSH
Shreddy Awards
Suspension
15 comments

View replies to: 2015 Mountain Bike Product of the Year - Vital MTB Shreddy Awards

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nismo325
8 years ago
On pinkbike everyone complains about this shock not making the list and on vital everyone complains about it on the list haha people will never be satisfied. personally id love to give this shock a go.
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stiingya
8 years ago
Wait, don't tell me. It makes your bike climb like XC and descend like DH... and you flip a little switch to make it work.

did I get it right? Hmmmmmmmm for some reason the way that works and what it does seems familiar....?
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PICON-BridgeUpdate
PUSH Industries
8 years ago
stiingya, what you're describing is what's been available for years.....rear shocks that lock you into specific settings. With ELEVENSIX you can have it as a climb/descend, fast flowy/chunder, trail/traction, etc. Simply adjust the external settings to define how you want to use it...not what the manufacture seems is best.
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Big Bird
8 years ago
You Sir are very right. It was stingy that I was calling wrong and accusing of eating his time. I am a friend of PUSH.
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stiingya
8 years ago
What you are describing is the same thing with adjustments, DBairCS? Granted your first to do it with coil. Maybe your lighter than a new DBcoilCS with a Ti spring? So yes you deserve props! But it's also twice the price of a DBcoilCS and even a Ti spring doesn't level that up = a Ferrari is better than a Corvette, but for the price most people could NEVER drive a Corvette to the limits needed to notice a Ferrari being better other than just looking cooler in the parking lot next to the Corvette guys...

I get that there is the service and adjustability in your product that nobody else has, (that I know of?), and there is for sure a niche market of riders who swap bikes/frames like most people swap tires that will probably love the 11/6 because they can send it in and have it updated for their new 2017 28.25er negative width tire 200mm travel enduro-defrance racebike.

But for the average rider, by the time they would be ready to swap shocks to a new frame it most would make more sense to just upgrade to whatever new shock technology is available at the time. And as far as being locked into what the manufacture seems best, "if" that's really a performance problem for you and not just a "parking lot" problem, there are these companies you can send your shock into that will take care of that for you for way less than 1200 bucks!

However, I do wish you the best success...
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Lahar72
8 years ago
Great choice for the category win! My only experience of this shock is when I switched bikes with a friend on a local favourite 4 minute trail and on the first run cleaned 20 seconds off my fastest previous time! Ver very impressive shock. For anyone that appreciates quality and that pro MX tuned suspension feel try one of these shocks. And anyone knocking it - try it before spouting what you don't know! I am ordering one 2016 for sure.
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stiingya
8 years ago
I have no doubt that it's a great shock. But I could care less about taking 20 seconds off the time of a trail ride. But it's cool that you do. Have fun with your new shock when you get it.
PICON-BridgeUpdate
PUSH Industries
8 years ago
stiingya, you're misunderstanding the technology. Whether it's the Climb Switch, Propedal, Floodgate, etc. you don't have adjustability over the closed position. When you flip the lever you go into a position that has been preset by the manufacturer. With ELEVENSIX BOTH positions are completely adjustable and therefore can be setup any way the rider wants. Additionally, both of our settings are completely independent from each other. With a standard production shock (Fox, CC, RS) you loose small bump sensitivity if you want a pronounced damping effect when you flip the lever. Additionally, if you want a shock that has great small bump sensitivity you won't have much effect when you switch into the climb mode. This happens because the overall compression damping of the shock is directly tied to the lever system.

Our Patent-Pending Dual Overhead Valve design ensures that you get two completely independent suspension characteristics without overlap allowing you to have the ultimate in small bump sensitivity without compromising climbing performance or traction.

I can assure you that you would have a very different perception of the product if you had the opportunity to first unbox it and put it in your hand, and then give it a rip on your local trail!
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stiingya
8 years ago
I can whole heartedly confirm that if I spent 1200 dollars on a shock that my perception would be that it's the best shock ever!!!

I get that my original post seems flippant and dismissive of all your hard work. Sorry. But regardless of what technology is inside and whether I understand how it works or not, even if there are magic elves in there. To me, as an end user, it's a shock with a switch that I'll mostly keep on the more efficient mode going up and the more plush mode going down. Just like what I and most mountain bikers have been doing for years, even before we had quick flip levers to do that with.

I have no doubt the 11/6 would do that job WAY better than my current shock. And maybe it really is so much better than what the other brands have that it will be a "game changer"? Maybe every other shock manufacturer will scramble for ways to get around your patent to do the same thing? IDK? But it's also possible that you'll just continue being a high end shock choice that the average mountain biker just drools over on "bike of the day" posts. I freely admit I could be wrong... good luck!
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stiingya
8 years ago
Wait a sec, first how am I wrong?

Sure I'm being pessimistic, and yes PUSH guy is correct that his product is very adjustable. But it's still an evolution of a concept that's been around a very long time.
Fox "Itch switch"? I remember just reaching down and turning the adjuster on my 5th element when I came to a big climb. Obviously that took more time and I'm sure the 11/6 is way better than a ten year old shock. But I've seen people rig levers on DBcoils and next year everybody will have that feature because were back to people using coil shocks on trail bikes again. It's awesome!

Push has found much needed segments of the market to compete in before, and the 11/6 deserves credit where it's due. But product of the year? IDK. Maybe if it was more attainable? If it was only a couple hundred more than the competition? But twice the price of the competition? So few riders will be using this product due to price that it just doesn't seem like something to win product of the year "to me"?
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Big Bird
8 years ago
Look, I'm a set it (Well.) and forget it kind of guy. I've never bothered with a lever on any suspension that I've ever owned. But PUSH has simply made the best shock on the market with the best support in the market with the superior feel of a coil spring. Ti feels amazing by the way. Huge difference. And at a very competitive weight. Did you rush out and buy Shimano's air shifting DH groupo when it came out? I didn't because I simply couldn't afford it. But a friend of mine could and did and it was pretty amazing. Too pricey for me, but pretty amazing.

So far you haven't offered up any alternatives. These guys at Vital have been thinking for a while. They have their hands on the pulse. And this is what they came up with. Your suggestion?
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stiingya
8 years ago
Happy New Year!

I"m not trying to be a jerk, but If you never bother with a suspension lever than why would you bother defending a lever changing suspension component as product of the year? How is it relevant to you, yes it's obviously a really nice shock. But why would that make you pick it as product of the year?

I did not buy nor could have afforded air shifters when they came out, neither did pretty much anyone else. To me, that was most certainly a niche product and not deserving product of the year. Unless you were a pro downhiller in podium contention there was no point considering the weight and need to charge the system to use it. Id say mostly the same thing about Di2 today, though I can at least see a time in a future where price won't be such a barrier. And then as there is continued electronic integration into the bike overall it would probably make more sense?

If I was picking product of the year how about i45 rims? They are changing the industry. And most people can easily afford to either build up new wheels with them or find them on reasonably priced bikes. So Mountain bikers as a mass will see the affects, and not just affluent ones. OOPS, duh I change my mind. GX1 group, that should be product of the year. There will always be holdouts to plus size tires, some with good reason. And while that is true of 1x systems too, cost was one of the biggest reasons to hold out! GX fixes that and now that a person could combine that with a 9-44 cassette there is just about nobody that isn't able to get the gearing they need on a 1x system. Hmmm, well maybe that 9-44 cassette should be product of the year? But it just came out, so maybe for next year!

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how the 11/6 affects the industry. Sure everyone will have levers on their coils, especially now that coil shocks are gaining market share again. But will the dual dampener/valving "idea" proliferate? The whole basis of that makes for more complexity and more cost. So will that "concept" catch on? Or will the 11/6 just be a high end shock option for those that can afford it?

One thing that only occurs to me "now" is something that PUSH has over the coil competition. A lot of bikes these days are designed with air shocks specifically. So you can't necessarily just throw a new coil shock on any bike and get a better feel. PUSH addresses this by providing the machined aluminum link to alter the suspension curve enough to make a coil work in the first place. Let alone with their high end shock. Maybe PUSH will sell the "links" by themselves to use other coil shocks too? They did that specifically for the older Nomads? But that would likely cut into 11/6 sales. So maybe other companies will just start machining custom links to use coil shocks for some of the more popular bikes? I wonder if more bike companies will start designing their suspension systems for air "or" coil again with more than one shock eyelet, or an adjustment/chip system, or including more than one linkage with the bike in the first place? I guess that part of the 11/6 shock might be industry changing. But it would go hand in hand with Enduro racing providing the basis for more riders going back to coils.

I had wondered if we would have seen a coil version of the Reign this year. (no) Or if next time they update the Nomad it would have a coil option and maybe more travel? (because the Bronson seems to have got so much closer to the Nomad in ability so I thought they might up it's game, AND because we were seeing more people on coils at the races)

Anyway, mountain bikes are awesome! 2016 is officially here, so bring on the 2017 products! (man, I meant to get some work done this afternoon. sometimes I HATE bike forums!!!)